Robby Soave|
Certain liberal writers
Heartless, profit-driven corporations like Walmart, Coca-Cola, Pepsi Co., and Nestle have pledged to donate millions of water bottles to the people of Flint, Michigan. Meanwhile, government officials are still pointing fingers and trying to figure out which state or local agency screwed up and allowed city residents to consume toxic water for months.
According to The Atlantic’s David Graham (emphasis mine):
That these firms are stepping up to deliver water is good news for Flint’s schools and citizens in the immediate term. But a one-time infusion of gallons of fresh water doesn’t do much to address the systemic failures of government that led to the water crisis in theWait, what? How could the gift be a bad thing? Graham elaborates:
first place. By making four for-profit corporations into a de facto public utility, the gift might actually risk making things worse in the long run.
Walmart, Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Pepsi aren’t just charitable organizations that might have their own ideologies. They’re for-profit companies. And by providing water to the public schools for the remainder of the year, the four companies have effectively supplanted the local water authorities and made themselves an indispensable public utility, but without any amount of public regulation or local accountability. Many people in Flint may want government to work better, but with sufficient donations, they may find that the private sector has supplanted many of government’s functions altogether.Let me get this straight: when corporations put profits first, they are accused of undermining social institutions with their greed—when they unquestionable put people first… they are also accused of undermining social institutions!
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