IRATE Lusaka residents have blamed their area councillors and Members of Parliament (MP) of failing to address the perennial floods in the city and have warned that politicians risked de-campaigning themselves if nothing was done.
Mr David Mkandawire of Chaisa Township said the problem of floods in Lusaka needed urgent attention and threatened to de-campaign politicians who had taken the electorate for granted.
He said politicians were failing to deliver on their election promises and had not met the people’s expectations.
Mr John Phiri of Mandevu said it was sad that the issue of floods had continued despite promises from politicians who had not done much to resolve the problem.
Mr Phiri called on the area councillor to find ways of resolving the problem and claimed that in the last few days, most schoolgoing children had not been able to go to school because the roads were impassable.
He said it was saddening that despite paying land rates to the council, little improvements to their livelihood had been made.
“We are disappointed because no one seems to be in a position to help us. We have not seen any improvement either on our roads or other necessities and worse still, when it is rainy season, you cannot even pass,” he said.
And a marketeer at City Market Jane Sakala who spoke on behalf of other women blamed the council of failing to work out a programme on how to address the floods in the city.
Mrs Sakala said in the last few days, because of the heavy rains, there was little business because customers shunned the market.
She called on the law enforcement agencies to investigate how the council was using the levies collected from the marketeers.
But Kanyama Patriotic Front (PF) MP Gerry Chanda blamed the Government for failure to release grants for nearly all the councils rendering them unproductive.
Col Chanda said currently, most councils had no source of revenue because all the houses and other sources of income were sold.
He said calls for him and other councillors to resign were not genuine but politically motivated, as people wanted to gain political support over the situation.
But Local Government and Housing Minister Eustarkio Kazonga said councillors should be sincere because the Government had been releasing all the grants for the capital projects to all the 72 councils.
Dr Kazonga said last year for instance, the Government had released all grants and other entitlements by December for the councils to undertake various projects including drainages.
He said that the Government was doing its part but the councils were failing the people because they were not delivering the service to the residents.
Dr Kazonga called on all the councils countrywide to put to good use funds they were receiving so that the residents could be served.
He said the Government had also released the Constituency Development Fund, which the councils could use to mitigate the effects of the floods and work on things like drainages.
Chief Government Spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha said that PF councillors in Lusaka should resign because they have failed the residents following the floods that the city has experienced after the heavy rains.[quote]
Speaking in an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Gen Shikapwasha said the poor drainage system in
Lusaka should be a concern of the councillors considering that residents were paying too much in the form of rates.
Gen Shikapwasha said the people were paying rates but wondered where the funds were channelled to. He challenged the councillors to explain where the funds were going to saying there was a possibility that it was channelled to PF activities.
“Mr Sata should concentrate on helping the councillors to solve the drainage system instead of him talking about the NCC which he refused to be part of,” Gen Shikapwasha said.
He said that Zambians wanted to see development and as a result, he said that councillors should show that they could deliver rather than continuous politicking.
Gen Shikapwasha said the issue of drainage was about life and the councillors should therefore look at the matter with a sense of urgency.
Kitwe District Commissioner (DC), MacDonald Mtine said one needed not to be told that most drainages in the city were blocked because it was clear for anyone to see.
Mr Mtine said the problem of poor drainage system in the city was a straight and direct responsibility of the council and that the local authority should account for it.
Copperbelt Provincial Local Government Officer, Solomon Sakala also expressed concern at the poor state of drainages saying his office had noted how the problem was causing most streets to flood after heavy rains.
[Times of Zambia]
We need flood so that pipo can use boats upto 20111…. We are running the councils but its not our Councillors to blame……We are sorry as we are busy preaparing to ousr RB and his batch of MP’s . The problems will be solved as soon as Iam HE.
Dont complain . . . .Just use boats you fooools
At least its PF Councillors not UPND who cant manage mere Councils . . .
And these Kaponyas think they can run Zambia? Just because they run Kulima Tower, they thought they would run the city. What a shame and a disaster. This is what happens when you put Kabovas in charge. I hope people in Lusaka and copperbelt take note of how incompetent these call boys are. Zambia as a whole has always had low resources and if these Kaponyas can’t manage our cities, they don’t deserve another chance at all. They will keep telling us there is no more as they are doing now. Everybody knows Lusaka, in addition to the Government grants collects substantial amount of rates from its residence. Where does all this go. Rubbish collection is in the hands of private individuals. Ask any Lusaka resident if they have ever seen a council refuse truck. Where is the money you collect.
Cheap politics from shikapwasha,local councils fall under local government,so the buck stops at the government,,,meanwhile the Minister is wondering where the money is going, when people are paying the rates…such a statement coming from a minister leaves a lot to be desired
Floods have been there – under Kaunda, under Chiluba, Under Mwanawasa. You cannot blame the opposition, that is being childish on the part of LT to report such frivolous complaints on behalf of MMD.
#6 Are you sure? Have you ever seen Kabwe road flooded like that? have you ever seen Town center flooded like that. Have you Ever seen Kamwala Market flooded like that? In Kaunda & Chiluba era? Those of us who grew up in Lusaka have never seen scenes of Children swimming in the middle of Kabwe road. Yes we used to swim in “Ma Damu” during KK’s era. Not in the middle of a major road!!
Maybe you are one of those who only came to Lusaka to mourn the Football National Team during the Gabon disaster and decided to over stay. And now want to look like you know this city. If you have nothing to say, leave this topic to those of us who know this city and its history.
Being head of an insulting club with a short history of Lusaka District Governorship does not make the aspirant a perfect fit to preside over a functional state of many challenges. Looking at all PF controlled Councils around the country, you only see spells of doom in our cities. PF councilors are too preoccupied with insults and threatening technocrats with summary dismissal in their imaginary new administration they keep predicting seeing within 6 months since 2002. There is no evidence of some initiatives, dedication or systemic approach to social challenges. People under PF councils are trapped in some serious quagmire wherever you go and are now openly in deep regret.
Don’t Blame the Councilors its Local Govnt & Housing that you Should blame.Poor drainage and Poor Planning of the Council.
PF has wittingly become a dying self asphyxiated Scrap of Political Party because it was founded on hatred and lies instead of a value system. The fact that the honey moon is over with Dr. Chiluba a man on whose fate they sold out for political momentum around the country only to be insulted today blatantly the day he has opted to exercise his constitutional right, its over. It’s no surprise that today many traditionalists and conservative constituencies around the country feel ashamed to align with the hyperbolical lies and unpatriotism stints of Sata.What is there for Luapula, Western, NW, Central, Copperbelt, Southern or Eastern to waste their vote again on this moribund only spewing insults only which people cannot eat?
Well , yes it is expected that people will complain about their representatives. You see if the responsible mp’s and councillors made this a talking point the Government would probably move and even if Government didnt respond the residents would see that their representatives are concerned about it.De ja Vu at # 6 that is rather harshL.T> is simply republishing an article from Times of Zambia. Try not to be fanatical, it kills good debate
PF councillors and MPs should own up and deliver on their campaign promises. If you are failing to run a council, how then are you going to turn the economy of this country within 90 days of assuming office? Lower taxes and more money in our pockets? Pure hogwash from an hyperventilated political party!
if they are given the funds by boma but they take it home instead of fixing the city, then they shoud be prosecuted…do they have the funds, yes or no?
#3 HH It’s Good that you have acknowledge the failure. I see no Problems with UPND run Councils. They should push the GOVN”T
Truth be told: Our infrastructure was far better during the colonial era but just shortly after independence,
look at what has become of both Northern and Southern Rhodesia:o Zambia & Zimbabwe! And we are proud to claim we are independent, Good heavens…. my A double S =))=))
PF promised to make a difference in all ‘PF” run councils. Nachale, every then local govt minister Teta always announced govt funding councils. They got the money. MPs are given CDF.
This is a smear campaign against the opposition. Incidentally, how come is it that only Easterners are quoted in this story? Obviously they would blame the opposition in order to give credence to the MMD which led by their own. What a cheap way of looking at a serious situation.
THE declared policy of the Patriotic Front (PF) to sever links with the central government in levy collections, making of by-laws by councils and the running of councils the party controls could be in conflict with other laws.
Flashback 2005
With 46 members of Parliament and a majority of councillors in Lusaka and the Copperbelt towns, the opposition PF hopes to start a process of divorcing the local authorities from the central government.
Although the PF leader, Michael Sata, denies the plans amount to running a parallel government, but when he says the PF-controlled councils will not take instructions from the ministry of Local Government and Housing, he confirms fears that there is resistance.
My word! I thought I was looking at a picture of Bangladesh kanshi its Lusaka! :(( Whats the excuse this time? No money or is it no brains. Its like the rainy season always takes our leaders by surprise.
Reading some comments makes me wonder the intellectual capacity of some Zambians. You have seen the flood in the picture and you still call this a smear campaign meant to discredit opposition.My grade 7 teacher used to say “engage brain before operating your mouth!”
#15 Blue Blood, well said, the Easterners seem to be championing campaigns against the opposition. What can we expect from Shikapwasha’s mouth?
cry my beloved country.Something ougt to be done down there in zambia by these politicians
This is the duty of central government through the Ministry of Works and Supply.
The question is, Does the President reside in Lusaka with his cabinet? If they are not aware of this problem then why have them in office.
These floods have been a perennial problem and not a problem to be attributed to the area councillors and MPs.
It is the duty of the Ministry of Works and Supply and the Roads dept to ensure that the roads and drainages are properly maintained. Do we have a working minister in this ministry?
Some fooooools think that this is all about politics, no, this is about the development of a country and for particular ministries to be held accountable.
8-x8-}8-> The probem of flooding in Lusaka is not new everyone knows about it.Lusaka lies on a flat place with a lot of white stones.The water table is just about a meter deep.Residents also throw rubish in drainages.The government does not release grants but spends more money on NCC and the bloted government(cabinet).Come on people let us be responsible by providing services to the electrorate
I thought PF was working hard, and trufully these flood should has been history by now,,this problem stems back from chiluba and Sata’s MMD times:-\”
This is scandalous on the part of Lusaka Times to publish an article that appeared in the Times of Zambia. You don’t need rocket science to know that MMD controls that newspaper. Yes floods have to be reported but I doubt if Lusaka city council was under MMD this type of angle would have been pushed by the Times of Zambia later on Lusaka Times.The bigger picture & problem boils down to poor town and country planning. You have town planners, civil engineers, quantity surveyers, architects etc but they have failed to improve on the existing infrastructure to lessen the burden on floods in Lusaka or anywhere in Zambia.From Kaunda, Chiluba, Mwanawasa to RB nothing much has changed about Lusaka in terms of improving the existing infrastructure not even building new stuff. What do you expect?
In the mean time the population has probably grown ten fold & the infrastructure to support this isn’t there so this problem is only going to escalate even when small amounts of rains falls because the existing infrastructure was built at the time when the Lusaka’s population was relatively small to what it is right now. Blaming opposition councillors is cheap politics and pathetic on the part of MMD, Lusaka Times & Times of Zambia. What is needed is a strategy on how you are going to build drainage systems on all Lusaka’s roads so that this rain water can be collected treated & used in other areas like agriculture during the dry season. Where are the civil engineers, town planners, quantity surveyers, architects from the council, Building deapt & even National Housing Authority?
Ah ah< Nissan ni bwaaato manje ka! If Sata cannot manage councils, how can he manage the mother nation? If it's going to be this way, you should not be suprised to hear of Zambia disappearing from the face of the earth Bangladesh style. But zoona that water it is deep, you bet the Nalikwanda can cruise there, mwati olo crocodile would not manage to corner a scatterfool in such deep waters?
During KK era there was perenial cholera even in the dry season. Now it is conatained. Coming to the Floods, well the population of Lusaka has swelled and infrastracture is still limited hence a national effort must be put in place to contain these problems. By the way if the MMD is claiming the PF councillors have failed, why havent they corrected the mistakes and claim political mileage? Why? The answer is because the problems are so huge & MMD have a larger share of blame as a party in power.
Ba #14, [-(, I live in one of the chalala areas of lusaka. We’ve been crying for roads for years. Every year we are told that ‘GRZ’ does not have the funds… and life goes on pa Zed while we wait.
Before launching an attack on anybody. Old Mze and Mule. I have on question for you guys. What is the role of the central govt and that of local govts?
Good Morning
Blaming opposition wont drive away the floods. The picture clearly shows that this is a time for action and not for talking. People should know by now that politicians are unreliable when it comes to delivering promises so the people themselves need to become more actively involved in the betterment of their own livelihoods.
When the allies dropped bombs on Germany in the 2nd World War destroying almost all the major cities, the Germans did not wait for the government to address the problems. The citizens started rebuilding their cities with their bare hands until they were comfortable again. It takes a great sense of responsibility from ALL to solve these problems: workers, businessmen… and not just governing officials alone.
@21 Mule, 22 Old Mze and 23-24 Abwenzi. I wish people like Veteran would care to read what you have said Zambia could be a very advanced country. But alas, they are busy talking politics even in toilets. What a shame. Yesterday Chikuba was cheating mine suppliers that they would be paid their dues if they pledged to vote RB. So expect a lot of desperation from MMD. The Luaka flood problem has always been there even when we had enough money to control the situation, therefore using this for campain is not going to work. The NCC if it was serious would have included a clause where a winning party signs an agreement with people on development promises. If they fail you recall them. But no not in the JUNGLE called Zambia.
Iwe ci SENIOR CITIZEN you know as much as i do that opposition councillors can’t do much about drainage without help from central government(not MMD). What kind of a person are you?
By the way, do people still buy Daily mail and Times of Zambia?
SO #6 YOU DONT KNOW THAT FLOODS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THERE IN ZAMBIA? Nevertheless, thats not my main concern. I would like to bring to the people of Zambia attention that constructing a drainage system(s) in a country is not mainly local gvt-financed. Drainages are a multi-million/billion projects undertaken by the central government through the ministry of finance. These drainages are largely an underground system. What people see on the surface are just a peak of an iceberg-they are sub-drainages which collect water (mainly rain) draining it into the main underground system. The surface water catchment drains are the responsibility of the local councils. However, without the main underground system the surface water catchments will never work. Botswana has done this and they keep extending
# 32 Msana wanzili, pipo dont buy the two papers u have mentioned. So the state has decided to be giving them free of charge or they pay u for taking them.
ha ha ha ha a joke for u.
#32 Nama Wanzili. We dont watch ZNBC and we dont buy Daily and Times. So MMD has stopped GRZ and Parastatals from advertising in the Post-this includes those who do business with GRZ. All the same if you go after one hour you will not be able to buy the Post. Rumour has it that MMD buy all the copies to deny us information.
…it as their cities expand/grow. So don’t blame the councillors for poor drainage system, or not at all. Zambians must be thinking. At present we don’t have great thinkers. And it can be shown by the first few contributors on the blog. Understand an issue first before your comments. Some of these things may appear straight forward but they are not. The issue in hand needs a fully fledged civil engineering involvement and a full government funding in order to carry out some feasibility study, plan design and implement.
29 Nine Chile; I agree people themselves must get involved but this also requires that leadership becomes helpful in mobilizing the people towards the common goals. This is time for action NOT cheap blame game that does nothing to resolve the problem at hand. To mobilze people towards a common good does not work well when you have leaders that are divisive.
it could be worse, it would have been a haiti or a tsunaninamey. lusaka people too much chipale. just buy jombo even maliposa for women is water resistant.
If this is a smear campaign, mother nature is doing a damn good job of it. How can you call a swamp in the middle of the city, something you can see with your own eyes, a smear campaign?—-WOW!! The street looks like the mighty Zambezi and you expect people to simply ignore that just because some PF “plunderers” are in charge? Come on now, you can love and defend the PF but not to the extent that you even ‘suspend your intelligence’.
And only politicians in govt seems surprised that there is a cycle to the rains—-IT COMES EVERY YEAR—-and yet, every year they are caught by surprise—-WHAT A SURPRISE!! A bad carpenter always blames his tools, and these guys are never short of people to blame, or reasons not to do the jobs they were elected for. ZAMBIA AT ITS BEST, yeah?!!
where is mpombo and where are the monkeys? is this a plan to drown the poor fella-he cant nyaya.and worse he wears fake goat skin shoes which weigh 100kg. god help the man. they really wanna clear him.
Sata should try and sort out the mess in PF controlled areas instead of dreaming of plot # 1 24hrs a day. Combonis in brazil and india have maneged the drinage problems and councillors should take the inicetive and consault those combonies. The problem is we have uneducated kaponyas like gerry chanda intrested only in enriching theselves. Apart from the abismal faliure on drainage, chanda has attempted nothing for kanyama that would show his poor track record. The first term in office he was preoccupied in digging fake drains with out lining, all have since collapsed, causing erosion to the nearby roads. Next 2 and 3 terms was for enjoying, the rest for campaining.
Floods started in my time….
NKOYONGO WA MULUSA & DEJAVU
I thought so because no normal human being would like to flush his/her K3000 down the sewer on six pages of crap unless you tell me toilet tissue is now more than K3000 per row. I have noticed that their columnist are now even ashamed to disclose their names.
This problem is just one example to prove that the whole government structure starting with the president is not serving the interests of Zambia. Which area in Zambia can one point to and say ‘Yes, our leaders are working’? #4 MMD Chief Bootlicker, you are right to blame it on the kaponyas in charge, this includes the chief kaponya at state house. What has he done for Zambia since taking over, NOTHING! Look at Obama a much younger man, he works tirelessly to address and solve the problems that affect Americans, Job creation, Healthcare, etc… And our president spends time travelling, drawing lists of those to be fired and appointing his kith and kin and playing ‘chimbuya’. As for Shikapwasha, the man has never talked sense, he just runs his mouth, blah, blah, blah, blah.
#42, you must be too young to remember the Kanyama disaster during KK’s time and the financial scandal that followed.
#44 NOM DE PLUME
These prunes have no backbones, when you challenge them to put a finger on only one thing that their degree holder President has done to alleviate the suffering of our people since he came into power they vanish into thin air. You will not see SENIOR CITIZEN on this thread again, he gone to another thread because he knows there’s a challenge pending for him here.
Useless councillors and MPs. It does not take funds to mobilise citizens to clear drainages just before the rains start. Our female councillor (in Luanshya Mrs. Lumamba ) from Heritage party some years back organised this with the help of business houses and it worked. It is the calibre of leaders who are occupied with removing the president , accusations of corruption , expelling fellow MPs who have different views from theirs etc. How on earth can MP Chanda say what he has said. For sure this guy cant even engage the rotary club, Lions, the church and other objective groups. Poor leadership. These guys must GOOOOO!
muno mwaha, kuomboka kukalela kwa lusaka (this year, kuomboka starts from lusaka
These opposition councillors have proven to be of no help to the pipo of Disai and zambia at large, be ware of such oppositions in this country!
Lusaka is flooding because of luck of town planning. Most structure in Lusaka just image without any planning at all including the new Manda Hill. People are building were drainages are supposed to be, on roads. Does anyone have a copy of the original of Lusaka plan and compare it the current dirty, congested city we have today?
See what was done for Washington in 1901 http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/citybeautiful/plan.html while we are busy in 2010 pointing at PF were we all know that government will NOT support and fund opposition PF councillors projects. I wonder how people in power today RB especially found themselves there. Just by looking at him we can tell what he is capable of
any 1 want a ride? tamuyande kuni choba? chobene chobene
:d/Senior Citizen, are you stupidor what?What have you been drinking or smoking? Can,t you use your little brain to realise that the councils fall under the local govt ministry.The buck stops at the local govt. minister.When those *****s were selling off houses where did they expect to get their revenues.Cheap politics to appease the votersPlease don’t blog without thinking.You big ass licker8-|
:d/Senior Citizen, are you stupidor or what?What have you been drinking or smoking? Can,t you use your little brain to realise that the councils fall under the local govt ministry.The buck stops at the local govt. minister.When those *****s were selling off houses where did they expect to get their revenues.Cheap politics to appease the votersPlease don’t blog without thinking.You big ass licker8-|:-w
If your given only $100 to fix a $2 million dollar job what do you expect?
The government has not funded anything properly for 18 years.
Except the election commission directors and N.C.C Lusaka members.
Where is the fire brigade of Zambia?
Where is the Ambulance service of Zambia?
Where are all the hospitals?
This photo is from the Post website taken by Eddie Mwanaleza. LT please learn to acknowledge the work of others. You needed to mention the source of this photo!
This is a beautiful country but we are deliberately made to lag behind, but for whose benefit mwebantu?
PF MPs and Councillors in Lusaka are a let down including their self-appointed leader MC Sata. Why is it that we do not here how they have used their CD and other local gov grants a we hear from their UPND counterparts acros the Nation?
Even at party president level, president HH is busy building toilets at markets and giving building materials to schools including many more project assistance but PF MC Sata has never been heard of having donated money to build a school anywhere in the country. Pull up your socks PF MPs and Councillors before you cost the would-be PACT presidential candidate in 2011 the elections win.
MMD show us your fruits too.
Enjoy you all.
__
Matt 6: 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all tese things shall be added unto u.
NURSE! Your teacher has made my day. Most pipo indded just operate their mouths without enganging their brains. Have a blessed weekend.
i hear aids is now water borne. basop lusaka!
As a concerned citizen I worry a lot when I hear George kunda or Rupiah telling the people during campaigns that there will be no development in your area if you vote for the opposition. Now you blame opposition leaders for failure to deliver. The ruling party does not fund projects in areas under PF/UPND. This madness should stop because it is about the people and development not the opposition. Abash ruling party you are so pathetic.
Generally these Councillors / MPs have been a let down all over. We have seen, not a long time ago , the Mayor of Lusaka supporting vendors who throwing rubbish in the drains. Come 2011 we will vote them out.
Who is to blame for the poor state of the Great East Road which has just claimed an MMD MP, Reuben Chisanga Banda? Is it PF and UPND running Eastern Province even if money for capital projects has been released? Apa pena mwatena.
Money comes from the top and then it trickles down, just like a pyramid. So what does Shikapwasha mean by saying “where did the funds go?”. First of all when did the MPS GET THE MONEY, HOW MUCH? Lets start from there.
Bonse ma bloggers mbolo zanu, you discuss issues without thinking. Floods in Lusaka are not a political issue but a community issue. The residents themselves can sort out that problem and the council can supplement. Bana mayo aba shitisha mu ma streets baposa garbage mu mifolo and yet you blame the councilors and the government. It starts with an individul to start up a cleaning campaign and then it xtends to the neighbour and then the entire community.. dont wait for the government to do everything, you are the government, therefore start with yourselves. Nga mwasamba mwebene ninshi naba bakulasamba.
Ati flooding is the fault of the opposition??? Talk of thinking with our kidneys before we make accusations! Soon we’ll start blaming the opposition for the ammount of rain we are receiving. Lol
Flooding has nothing to do with opposition. Town planners are letting us down. We that need to put drainage systems in place to sort out the flooding in Lusaka.
#67 Money talks , pay those bana mayo’s you are talking about and then they will do the job. So what ever you said in the begining of your post retorts back to you 🙂
I live in Los Angeles were we don’t have Democrates vs Republican when it come to maintaining the drainage system. When a main breaks the dept of water and power will come and fix it. No McCain or Obama involved. Stop the blaming game and get the situation under control, Do nothing fools !
john musana wanjabi ulichipuba.you thinmk the problem of drianage in lusaka isas easy as that.kwabe fipuba zoona
if u dont know what people are talking about please just read.we have an example of proper drainage system in zambia -ndola town.lusaka is a mess in stormwater drain.when this happened a few years ago .i saw in kamwala south they called them the disaster management team using water bowsers to carry the water that was being pumped out.to me this an immediate solution to mitigate the situ.alas there was /is no plan for a permanent solution.and what do senseless people do -make it political.the issue of floods in zambia needs serious money,minds and acknowlement.sorry to the affected.what can you do
Here we go again, politics and finger pointing! People Lusaka city was poorly planned right from the beginning. The city has no proper drainage system and that is what the government and we the people of Zambia should focus on. Just like the traffic congestions that are going on right now, are we also going to blame them on a political party? We Zambians are good at blamming one another and very pathetic in acting on issues. This rain season will end and will forget about these floods and next year will be back on the same topic and more blaming. Lets start by keeping our surroundings clean, you dont need to be in any particular party to throw rubbish in the bin. That way we the citizens can do our part, then the councils should collect the gabbage, regardless of which party runs them!
Much talk is applied and as # 74 rightly puts it, yet no solutions are in sight. One thing for sure is that the challenges of urban constituencies are different from those of rural constituencies. While rural residents are more concerned with the status (or lack of) of thier health / educational facilities, urban residents can focus their CDF towards improving the drainage.
We cannot afford to sit on the fence while the staus quo is maintained for years on end! We must forego our politicking and come together to resolve these significant issues otherwise our children will have worse to contend with