What about Water?

The 2008 Presidential Election is a year away, and we're hearing a lot from all the candidates.

They talk about oil, they talk about national security and Iraq, they talk about universal health care and Social Security, they talk about their opponents.

But what do they say about water? About the Great Lakes? What do they say about our most precious, and threatened, natural resource?

So I did a little research. I visited the websites of all the major Democratic and Republican candidates and surveyed their "issues."

Some candidates didn't mention the environment at all. Others addressed climate change and the need for alternative fuels but said nothing about the looming water crisis in our country and the world.

One candidate addressed water use and availability--that candidate was Dennis Kucinich, of Ohio. In 2002, he opposed the nuclear industry's attempt to transport nuclear waste over the Great Lakes, the drinking supply of 42 million people. Kucinich has also developed ten principles called "Water Marks" to serve as a basis for water policy.

These are:
1. All water shall be considered to be forever in the public domain.
2. It shall be the duty of each nation to provide accessible, affordable drinking water.
3. There shall be public ownership of drinking water.
4. Wealthy nations shall provide poor nations with the means to obtain water for survival.
5. Water shall be protected from commodification and exempted from all trade agreements.
6. Water privatization shall not be a condition of debt restructuring, loan renewl, or loan forgiveness.
7. Governments shall use their powers to prevent private aggregation of water rights.
8. Water shall be conserved through sustainable agriculture and encouraging plant-based diets.
9. Water resources shall be protected from pollution.
10. Our children shall be educated about the essential nature of water for maintaining "life."

We should be asking all of the candidates how they plan to protect our water supply and restore the Great Lakes for future generations.