Today I learned that my daughter had no water at school. I should be more specific: she had no running water. Evidently, over the weekend, vandels broke into the school and stole copper piping. They’ve done this before, which is why all the air conditioning the school had couldn’t be used.
This rash of copper thefts is getting ridiculous. I’ve heard reports of thieves stealing copper from street lights, traffic signals, and (as we saw at Nobel), schools. It endangers public safety; it endangers out children’s safety, and it costs tax dollars to replace — much more than just the value of the metal.
Unfortunately, I think it is just a symptom of the larger economic malaise. It is the same reason why your catalytic converter is more valuable now than your car radio. I just wish I knew the answer.
