Advocacy Project: Letter to Public Official or Letter to the Editor

Senator Richard Durbin
U.S Senate Washington, D.C
309 Hart Senate Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510

Erika

752475 Hoop Drive

Duluth, MN 55812

Dear Senator Richard Durbin,

I am writing this letter to question your support and sponsorship of S.624 bill: A bill to provide 100,000,000 people with first-time access to safe drinking water and sanitation on a sustainable basis by 2015 by improving the capacity of the United States Government to fully implement the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005. There are a few questions and concerns I have with this bill.

After doing further research on this topic, I had found an interesting fact on the Senator Paul Simon: Water for the Poor Act of 2005 website. "Today, more than 1 billion people lack access to improved water sources and more than 2 billion people lack access to improved sanitation. At any given point in time, people suffering from water-related diseases occupy over 50 percent of the world’s hospital beds. Each year, nearly 2 million people - most children under five - die from diarrhea, a disease that is easily preventable through safe water supply, sanitation, and hygiene. Beyond its impacts on human health, sound water management is critical to promoting economic growth, ensuring sustainable food supplies, and preserving ecosystems upon which most of the world's inhabitants depend.” This was an interesting fact and I am very happy to see that someone wants to do something about the health and water disparities in growing, urban countries. On the other hand, what about our own country? Shouldn’t proposed bills that would restore the scope of the Clean Water Act to cover all federal waters, including wetlands and smaller streams that have fallen into question under the Bush administration be our main concern right now with a new President in office?

The next concern I have with providing an accessible source of sanitary water is the cost to our country. If this is done, will water within the United State be privatized and become more expensive for rural families that already cannot afford a water bill? Privatization of the United States water would cause an increase in revenue from water companies but also put many individuals throughout the States out of a job.

I believe that before this bill is passed, water problems in our country need to be dealt with. How can we help a country build their water and water sanitation systems when we do not have a good system? Therefore, I ask you Senator Richard Durbin; consider your own country’s problems before trying to solve the worlds.

Thank you,

Erika