“Above all, they require that the people hold their politicians accountable for the mistakes they make and promises they don’t keep.”

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The city of Rome has a rich pedigree and ancient heritage that few cities even dream of. Over 2,000 years ago the city built aqueducts that allowed its population to soar, and with but a few interruptions in the dark ages, the water has continued to flow for its residents ever since.

But a recent heat wave combined with lack of rain has caused a severe water shortage in the city. In response, Roman citizens might have their water shut off for up to eight hours a day to relieve the crisis. This weather is blamed on global warming, but that obscures the bigger problem of politicians and public servants who have mismanaged basic infrastructure for years.

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One of the basic functions of government is to provide clean water to its citizens. Indoor plumbing was a key aspect of the modern industrial age, but for thousands of years governments led engineering efforts to dam rivers, build cisterns that capture rain water, organize irrigation efforts, and use aqueducts to transport fresh water. But from California to Italy, medieval warlords did a better job of providing war than modern liberal governments.

Modern liberal governments are so concerned with vague notions of social justice, crusading values, and rather indulgent social programs, that in California dams are failing and the aqueduct system is in a horrible state of disrepair.

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In Italy, they follow an even more progressive social agenda that stresses their budget, yet they let the aqueducts fall into disrepair. The city of Rome takes in a vast amount of tax money and tourist revenue, but after years of neglect, the government controlled utility has rushed to repair roughly 2,000 kilometers worth of pipes.

However, that is only about a third of the overall system, and despite the repairs, only about 44% of the intake is actually delivered to residents. The rest is spilled, leaked, or stolen.

Politicians get away with mismanagement in general because they are very good at reassigning blame, and making it appear as though they are fixing the problem. The water crisis in Rome allows both, as they can shift the blame to global warming and away from their chronic mismanagement, and then they propose various water conservation half measures that make it look like they are solving the problem, but are really only half measures.

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Politicians are good at proposing measures that look like they care. After all, by appearing to care and solve problems they get reelected. But a better solution would be to overhaul their corrupt utility, and do the hard work of reversing years of neglect and mismanagement in their sewer system.

Hard solutions require diligent and painstaking effort, coalition building among politicians, and a salesmen’s talent for winning popular support. Above all, they require that the people hold their politicians accountable for the mistakes they make and promises they don’t keep. Roman citizens are finding out the hard way that politicians can say the right things, but until they are held accountable for their mismanagement, the people will continue to thirst, literally and figuratively, for better options.