Jeez. Even some developing third-world nations have cleaner water than this!
10
Have ANY of the GOP candidates made this an issue?
why didn't Mr.Comb-Over do his "fund raiser" for the kids of Flint? Better yet, why isn't he writing a check from his own mythical millions?
why didn't Mr.Comb-Over do his "fund raiser" for the kids of Flint? Better yet, why isn't he writing a check from his own mythical millions?
8
Ahhh yes. let's make this a race issue.
If you were going to put something in a population to keep them down for generations to come, it would be lead."
DR. MONA HANNA-ATTISHA, of Flint, Mich., who has studied lead poisoning and the effects of lead exposure, for which there is no cure.
There are white families in this mix as well folks!
If you were going to put something in a population to keep them down for generations to come, it would be lead."
DR. MONA HANNA-ATTISHA, of Flint, Mich., who has studied lead poisoning and the effects of lead exposure, for which there is no cure.
There are white families in this mix as well folks!
8
This is so distressing and shameful. I hope the governor and former mayor spend a good amount of their time in jail!
4
When will these people resign? They have violated their oaths to serve the public. They are shameless. I would like nothing more than to see the Governor prosecuted. His sentence: 10,000 hours teaching in a Flint special needs classroom. Let him see the damage he wrought. I don't know how these criminals live with themselves.
8
And if Dr. Hanna-Attisha had not been practicing in Flint?
Then what?
Then what?
9
Flint is another tragic example of a painful lesson some still have not learned, despite all of the terrible and tragic outcomes during and after the recession:
Austerity does not work. Period.
Austerity does not work. Period.
10
This reminds me of something you might read about in a "third world" country and you'd think, Oh what a pity, they just don't have the resources or know how to live like us. But here it is in our own backyard and we have the resources and the knowledge to live properly but some reason we don't want to admit, some people, it seems, are not as important as others. This is truly a national disgrace.
8
Meanwhile GM, which brought misery to the town through its convulsion of plant closures gets away Scot-free; no mention of it here. Time for Michael Moore to pay another visit?
7
This is unconscionable. Governor Rick Snyder should resign after willfully neglecting to take action. Republicans are in Government for the wrong reasons. You cannot poison people and then say I am sorry. He has no humanity. He must go!
11
I think the operative phrase for all this is "penny-wise, pound-foolish." But in this case, you can also throw in a good measure of cruelty to children and turning your back on fellow human beings. (Assuming the Synder government even considers Flint residents human.)
9
This perhaps should be looked upon as a form of domestic terrorism.
9
I read many comments with great interest. As a member of the Allied health Sciences, who has watched the activities of Public Health since the 80's as knows the prev History - its kind of obvious. Our Public Health system has been gutted. THere is only one way to turn this around in the long run. You need investment in good infrastructure - to include the non glossy economic engine of pipe replacement. BUT - keep in mind - this will cost money. It is coming from everyone's pockets. Taxes have to be raised, proportionally and loopholes etc have to be shut down. IT also means - everyone - you cant get frustrated when your roads are torn open to pull out the nasty PB laced pies and replace w/ nice clean steel/cement. Politically I am not sure you will find that desire among our political class. Why? Because it requires them to get into the weeds they cannot understand. They understand PACs, $, influence and family legacy. Most do not work for us.
6
Thank you NYT's for following this story and not letting it die.
This is what happens when a governor takes over and appoints his people to "govern" in the place of elected officials.
Our own little dictator.
This is what happens when a governor takes over and appoints his people to "govern" in the place of elected officials.
Our own little dictator.
16
My best wishes to Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha who is diligently working with poor families to address this crisis. She is truly blessed.
22
In a city of 100,000, there is no large grocery store??? So the citizens of Flint, already living in poverty, are paying more for what groceries they can get at convenience stores???
Ah yes, it's the free market. If you can't make millions selling food in one place you go to where you can. It's the Republican way. "I'm eating just fine - your problems are of your own making and no concern of mine."
One school nurse for the entire school district???
This story just gets more horrible the more we learn about Flint - and the more we learn about the fine governor, who clearly needs to be prosecuted.
How did this country get to the point where we refuse to even provide clean water to an entire community, and then refuse to do anything about it or its effects???
Ah yes, it's the free market. If you can't make millions selling food in one place you go to where you can. It's the Republican way. "I'm eating just fine - your problems are of your own making and no concern of mine."
One school nurse for the entire school district???
This story just gets more horrible the more we learn about Flint - and the more we learn about the fine governor, who clearly needs to be prosecuted.
How did this country get to the point where we refuse to even provide clean water to an entire community, and then refuse to do anything about it or its effects???
18
How much money did they actually hope to save when they switched the water from Detroit's supply to the Flint River? I'm guessing it wasn't nearly as much as this will ultimately cost. I just love it when "business consultant" types come in and make all these great suggestions for how to save by cutting costs...
10
Those officials who ignored this problem are guilty of attempting genocide to our own people. I have been concerned that China was going to do this to us but now see that we are our own worst enemy!
4
My heart is breaking looking at this sweet baby, her brother, mother and the doctor. They all deserve to drink poison-free water where they live and work and to see that those responsible for deliberately poisoning their tap water are prosecuted.
7
Now that he has created a crisis through his typical neo republican slash and burn techniques, Governor Snyder is all for Obama style health care in the guise of Medicaid.
Today's republicans hate government, hate regulation, unless they are the government, and the regulation.
Send the man to prison where he belonged to begin with.
Today's republicans hate government, hate regulation, unless they are the government, and the regulation.
Send the man to prison where he belonged to begin with.
6
A lot of talk and not much action. Hiring a PR firm is the reaction of someone more worried about his own job and reputation than helping the people of Flint. All the spin doctors will be making big bucks.
Lead pipes should have been replaced long ago. This is what happens when the country does not invest in it's infrastructure. The bills for that neglect are coming due and will be much more expensive.
Lead pipes should have been replaced long ago. This is what happens when the country does not invest in it's infrastructure. The bills for that neglect are coming due and will be much more expensive.
7
What is going to happen to the lead-poisoned children of Flint if their families flee the city and look for jobs and safety in places such as Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, and Chicago? Will the children lose the dedicated doctors and automatic Medicare coverage, the free pre-K and access to special education? Will their parents be on their own? A fund should be set up to follow these children wherever they go. Otherwise they and their families will be trapped in Flint, a city with lead-contaminated houses as well as water, and a 40% poverty rate.
11
What Dr. Hanna-Attisha has publicly called for isn't expanded pre-K necessarily but Head Start. Early Head Start and Head Start, which together serve pregnant women and children up to five, not only provide early learning experiences but support families in understanding their children's health and nutritional needs and accessing the full range of services available in their communities to address their children's well-being. In Flint these comprehensive services will be even more important as children will need all kinds of on-going health monitoring and educational supports, and Head Start can play a critical role in helping families access those supports and be advocates for their children.
1
This story is way overblown largely because a Republican can be blamed and it fits that narrative of apathy toward blacks. Please consider the following facts (link below):
1. In the 1970's when there were high levels of lead in the environment mainly from vehicle exhaust and paint, almost everybody had very high levels in their blood and for ltheir entire childhood. In Flint only 10% have elevated levels. If you are middle aged like me, you almost certainly had higher levels of lead as a kid than the affected kids in Flint.
2. Even with this recent crisis, the situation is still better in Flint than it was just 10 years ago!
3. Lead levels in non crisis Detroit are worse right now than they are in Flint. Rust belt industrial cities have high lead levels from decades past and it's still in the soil.
There was a similar situation in Washington DC a few years ago but no media firestorm. Why? Because those responsible were Democrats. On the bright side, the fact that Flint is considered a crisis demonstrates just how successful the progressive environmentalists have been. Our environment is just vastly cleaner than it was a couple generations ago and a lot of the thanks goes to leftist environmentalists.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/01/22/flint-water-lead-poison...
1. In the 1970's when there were high levels of lead in the environment mainly from vehicle exhaust and paint, almost everybody had very high levels in their blood and for ltheir entire childhood. In Flint only 10% have elevated levels. If you are middle aged like me, you almost certainly had higher levels of lead as a kid than the affected kids in Flint.
2. Even with this recent crisis, the situation is still better in Flint than it was just 10 years ago!
3. Lead levels in non crisis Detroit are worse right now than they are in Flint. Rust belt industrial cities have high lead levels from decades past and it's still in the soil.
There was a similar situation in Washington DC a few years ago but no media firestorm. Why? Because those responsible were Democrats. On the bright side, the fact that Flint is considered a crisis demonstrates just how successful the progressive environmentalists have been. Our environment is just vastly cleaner than it was a couple generations ago and a lot of the thanks goes to leftist environmentalists.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/01/22/flint-water-lead-poison...
1
The lead in old plumbing sodder pipes, the lead that was spewed in the air from recently banned leaded gasoline, the lead in artist paints, in jewelry sodder, in toys, in children jewelry charms, in stained glass, the lead in glass blowers studios, the lead in pre 1979 housing wall and exterior paint, the lead and cadmium that were in batteries leached into tires then reimported from China into playground mats all confirm Jackson Browne's great song: before the deluge, where earth's and human contamination is stealth and then is catastrophic. Next to asbestos, mercury, and resin I cant think of worst harm. The Roman emperors became violent and senile with the drinking of wine from leaded goblets. Its the acid that leaches it. The watchdogs were asleep at the switch or conspired to mislead. I lived in a public housing near a power plant and health effects and deaths were higher than average. The garbage incinerator was in every buiding decades ago too. Do we think we, as Americans, are smarter than the rest of the world, not true. Not if we are poisoning are future.
1
Notice how quiet the republican politicians in Washington are? If Michigan's governor were a democrat the repubs would be beside themselves howling with grief but since he's one their boys their silence is deafening. Oh they may express sadness when asked but only when pressed. The Michigan governor and those in his administration responsible for this reprehensible situation should be brought to justice because this isn't just a mistake what has happened in flint is criminal.
7
This is, quite simply, monstrous, by which I mean I can't imagine this was done by a human being to other human beings. I'm so angry I can't adequately express it. We don't poison our enemies' children in a war, for heaven's sake, yet the governor of Michigan poisoned the children of his constituents.
I believe that in this case the punishment should fit the crime. Governor Snyder should be jailed for the rest of his natural life, and given only water from the Flint River to drink and bathe in. Oh, and his prison clothes should be washed in Flint River water as well.
How dare he? How could he have done this? It is simply beyond my understanding.
I believe that in this case the punishment should fit the crime. Governor Snyder should be jailed for the rest of his natural life, and given only water from the Flint River to drink and bathe in. Oh, and his prison clothes should be washed in Flint River water as well.
How dare he? How could he have done this? It is simply beyond my understanding.
4
What a gutless country we have, a gutless government, one that allows laws to be broken irreparably by government employees, both elected and hired, and law enforcement shrugs its shoulders and walks away.
Some government employees grin, and rub their dishonest and hateful hands together, recognizing what they believe to be gloriously successful hate crimes. Again, why is Rick Snyder a free man? Why has the U.S. Department of Justice not protected the citizens of Flint, firstly by enforcing federal environmental laws?
I see this beautiful very intelligent (look at her thoughtful eyes) baby girl, Taeyana Brown, who has been attacked and abused by Rick Snyder. Is that his thing? Is h hurting and harming children, people of color and the poor his thing? My gut says, yes, yes it is his thing.
Some government employees grin, and rub their dishonest and hateful hands together, recognizing what they believe to be gloriously successful hate crimes. Again, why is Rick Snyder a free man? Why has the U.S. Department of Justice not protected the citizens of Flint, firstly by enforcing federal environmental laws?
I see this beautiful very intelligent (look at her thoughtful eyes) baby girl, Taeyana Brown, who has been attacked and abused by Rick Snyder. Is that his thing? Is h hurting and harming children, people of color and the poor his thing? My gut says, yes, yes it is his thing.
3
You can't imagine a failure of government, and public utilities, to be so bad until it happens. For all the concern about unresponsive government, a Republican governor used his political will to stifle and intimidate scientifically-trained staff to ignore obvious deficiencies and dangers in a basic resource available to all citizens in Flint and surrounding areas. Describing it in another way is disingenuous. Snyder might not simply resign, but surrender to the local authorities, who will weigh his punishment.
3
The anti-democratic laws that enabled the creation of "emergency managers" came from the ALEC playbook and reflect the mentality that ANY government regulation is bad. And what have emergency managers done to the financially troubled cities and school districts in MI? They have imposed austerity measures on citizens and employees in order to make certain bondholders receive their payments on time and that the taxes of their fellow-citizens in the suburbs have low taxes. Rick Snyder appointed the emergency manager who made bad decisions in order to keep the costs low but the MI voters who want to keep their taxes low need to think twice before putting him behind bars... as do those voters in ANY state who favor taxes at the expense of improving the infrastructure in communities housing those living in poverty.
2
Note as some have said things I would I am taking a different track.
Blames does belong all around but not as a political ignorance of the situation. Each area of the country interprets what the laws says to their own political ideology. For the most part they do a good job. The real problem lies with those who continue to think they can manage the cost using austerity measures but all it does is push the cost up til it is too much to pay for. If we put money into projects that are absolutely necessary before they get worse we save money. Living on the cheap cost more and is the Republicans solution to everything.
Blames does belong all around but not as a political ignorance of the situation. Each area of the country interprets what the laws says to their own political ideology. For the most part they do a good job. The real problem lies with those who continue to think they can manage the cost using austerity measures but all it does is push the cost up til it is too much to pay for. If we put money into projects that are absolutely necessary before they get worse we save money. Living on the cheap cost more and is the Republicans solution to everything.
2
The timeline is pretty clear and there is little that could mitigate Gov. Snyder's lack of action. But, this is what you risk voting modern day republicans into any office. Their obsession with shrinking government, lowering taxes on the very wealthy, and ensuring corporate dominance in all of American life supersedes any morals they may have left.
Democrats are certainly not perfect and don't have the all the answers. But, few would act with the disregard shown by Snyder! A political science professor once told me that, generally speaking, "you can count of a republican to act like a republican and you can count on a democrat to act like a democrat." I have found this to be largely true over the last 30 some years. This wasn't always a bad thing. At least, until the republican party stopped taking their meds and jumped off a cliff thinking they could fly without wings! Flint is a warning to us all for the 2016 elections.
Snyder &n Co. need to be criminally indited. Terrorism charges sound appropriate to me. It's no different than Al Queda poisoning Flint's water supply with chemical agents. Except, that it was done by one entrusted with the safety of the citizens of Flint.
That this atrocity was little known until recently, is unforgivable! The people of Flint, MI struggled alone for around 2 years before national media payed any attention. Theirs was a long and lonely struggle, indeed! The Flint experience should make us all very afraid.
Democrats are certainly not perfect and don't have the all the answers. But, few would act with the disregard shown by Snyder! A political science professor once told me that, generally speaking, "you can count of a republican to act like a republican and you can count on a democrat to act like a democrat." I have found this to be largely true over the last 30 some years. This wasn't always a bad thing. At least, until the republican party stopped taking their meds and jumped off a cliff thinking they could fly without wings! Flint is a warning to us all for the 2016 elections.
Snyder &n Co. need to be criminally indited. Terrorism charges sound appropriate to me. It's no different than Al Queda poisoning Flint's water supply with chemical agents. Except, that it was done by one entrusted with the safety of the citizens of Flint.
That this atrocity was little known until recently, is unforgivable! The people of Flint, MI struggled alone for around 2 years before national media payed any attention. Theirs was a long and lonely struggle, indeed! The Flint experience should make us all very afraid.
3
A footnote for Dr. Hanna-Attisha as she advises new mothers in Flint: breast-milk will be the safest nutrition for their babies, for the foreseeable future, since the city's water supply continues to carry lead with it. Not in any way to downplay state responsibility, but this is one more strategy to minimize harm.
2
I can't understand why anybody is surprised at this. This is what Rick Snyder was elected to do. It was obvious from the first. After the people of Michigan voted to rescind his Emergency Manager law he went back to his tame Republican legislature and had them pass the same law again except with an appropriation to pay the salary of the Emergency Managers so it couldn't be subjected to a referendum again. Every single person who voted for a Republican after that is guilty of this atrocity. His whole grift is to break up every town in Michigan, sell off the valuable parts to his friends for pennies on the dollar, and then retire full of honors and riches.
10
There is substantial emotion and insufficient fact-based reasoning here and in almost all I have read on Flint's water.
How many children have been tested with what blood levels of lead?
"Elevated" blood levels are defined by the CDC as greater than 5micrograms per deciliter. This is benchmarked at the highest 2.5% of children tested nationally.
Prior to 2012, Elevated was defined as greater than 10 micrograms per deciliter.
In the 1970's AVAERAGE blood levels in children were around 20 micrograms per deciliter.
Any lead is too much, but a little perspective on how recently we all lived with higher levels should temper the emotions here. If children are testing at 20, 40 or higher levels they should be recieving medical monitoring or stronger intervention immediately. If tested levels are mostly in the acceptable range (below 5) and most of the elevated levels are in the 5-15 range, the horrible government decision making has been corrected in time.
For those who want to throw a governor in jail, consider that the misfeasance. Here reaches from the water works quality control experts all the way to the EPA. This is a shocking breakdown of government at all levels.
Finally, consider that the most practical fixes are already underway: filters, phosphate treatment that removes prevents lead from being corroded in the supply lines and stabilizes free lead over time lastly the switch away from the Flit River source.
How many children have been tested with what blood levels of lead?
"Elevated" blood levels are defined by the CDC as greater than 5micrograms per deciliter. This is benchmarked at the highest 2.5% of children tested nationally.
Prior to 2012, Elevated was defined as greater than 10 micrograms per deciliter.
In the 1970's AVAERAGE blood levels in children were around 20 micrograms per deciliter.
Any lead is too much, but a little perspective on how recently we all lived with higher levels should temper the emotions here. If children are testing at 20, 40 or higher levels they should be recieving medical monitoring or stronger intervention immediately. If tested levels are mostly in the acceptable range (below 5) and most of the elevated levels are in the 5-15 range, the horrible government decision making has been corrected in time.
For those who want to throw a governor in jail, consider that the misfeasance. Here reaches from the water works quality control experts all the way to the EPA. This is a shocking breakdown of government at all levels.
Finally, consider that the most practical fixes are already underway: filters, phosphate treatment that removes prevents lead from being corroded in the supply lines and stabilizes free lead over time lastly the switch away from the Flit River source.
5
What a mess! Yes, if it had been an all white town the response would likely have been different. Certainly if the population had been economically better off they would have been heard and gotten results sooner.
To tell a parent that their child might loose only "a few IQ points" is despicable. What is wrong with that woman?
The Dems in congress are moving to get some federal aid to Flint. Let's see what the "family values" GOP does with that one...
To tell a parent that their child might loose only "a few IQ points" is despicable. What is wrong with that woman?
The Dems in congress are moving to get some federal aid to Flint. Let's see what the "family values" GOP does with that one...
12
"Pregnant women and children told to stop drinking Flint tap water until tested"
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/01/flint_water_crisis_fil...
"State says it spent $4,200 on bottled water for office building in Flint"
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/01/state_says_it_spent_42...
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/01/flint_water_crisis_fil...
"State says it spent $4,200 on bottled water for office building in Flint"
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/01/state_says_it_spent_42...
9
One simple takeaway from many of these stories is that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." When we cut government funding, the first thing we tend to cut is prevention programs: programs that prevent health problems, or child abuse, or criminal activity. We always pay a greater price later.
Conservatives seem to glorify in "pennywise pound foolish" thinking. Why prevent a teen pregnancy when you can pay for that child to be on welfare for years? Why pay $100/day when you can pay thousands in special services later?
It's not just despicable (which it is.) It's a waste -- which is the one thing conservatives claim to abhor.
Conservatives seem to glorify in "pennywise pound foolish" thinking. Why prevent a teen pregnancy when you can pay for that child to be on welfare for years? Why pay $100/day when you can pay thousands in special services later?
It's not just despicable (which it is.) It's a waste -- which is the one thing conservatives claim to abhor.
15
I see stark parallels between this horrific situation in Flint and the mortgage crisis of '08, caused by greedy bankers, that brought so many of us to our knees.
I see stark parallels between the horrific situation in Flint and the financial crisis of '08. The actions of greedy bankers brought the country to our knees
The bankers have not gone to jail. They should. A reflection of our values.
Elected officials are not corporate executives. They take an oath of public service. The children of Flint will suffer a lifetime of consequences as a result of decisions made by their callous elected leaders.
Will the governor and members of the Michigan State Legislature go to jail? They definitely should.
How are we going to reflect our values in this crisis?
I see stark parallels between the horrific situation in Flint and the financial crisis of '08. The actions of greedy bankers brought the country to our knees
The bankers have not gone to jail. They should. A reflection of our values.
Elected officials are not corporate executives. They take an oath of public service. The children of Flint will suffer a lifetime of consequences as a result of decisions made by their callous elected leaders.
Will the governor and members of the Michigan State Legislature go to jail? They definitely should.
How are we going to reflect our values in this crisis?
12
As a pediatrician who is aware of the research, my concern is the overemphasis on lead as a measurable problem over the problem of poverty as a problem that cannot be measured by a blood test. The risk of problems associated with blood lead levels of 5-15 are vastly overstated. But it can feel "good" to identify and treat this "problem". Lead is certainly toxic at high levels. To put vast resources into essentially preventing any level over resources towards poverty is money poorly spent. I worry about this attention on an overstated problem and ignoring the bigger problem of poverty. But I am in the minority for political reasons. Those who state the literature on lead don't know how to interpret the literature, and the difference between association and causation when it comes to these lower levels of lead.
Feel free to direct us to that research because recent NIH pediatric papers state that even the most minor levels of lead are associated with lower IQ scores and other cognitive effects such as ADHD. I realize it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between lead's effect and poverty. However, thanks to the treatment of children using chelating drugs we can have studies that take this into account and are therefore fully capable of determining causation. To quote one study,
"Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had set a “level of concern” at 10 μg/dL blood lead concentration, a threshold below which lead does not affect IQ has not been determined, and recent studies have extended the relation to below 10 μg/dL"
So as far as we know, very low levels of lead may have an effect and therefore should be eliminated at all costs. I see no other answer than to require that the entire water system be replaced with one that is not a public health hazard.
"Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had set a “level of concern” at 10 μg/dL blood lead concentration, a threshold below which lead does not affect IQ has not been determined, and recent studies have extended the relation to below 10 μg/dL"
So as far as we know, very low levels of lead may have an effect and therefore should be eliminated at all costs. I see no other answer than to require that the entire water system be replaced with one that is not a public health hazard.
7
Thanks to governor Snyder and his crew of incompetent,republican appointees,there is now a major health crisis that will affect the lives
of thousands of children and adults.
There must be justice apportioned out to all those public officials
who took part in the scheme to save dollars and in the process ruin and
threaten the health and lives of Flint residents
of thousands of children and adults.
There must be justice apportioned out to all those public officials
who took part in the scheme to save dollars and in the process ruin and
threaten the health and lives of Flint residents
10
Unconscionable and profoundly sad.
10
The (re)new(ed) genocide: indifference to environmental health harms!
15
The whole story is so over-the-top awful and sad and outrageous but I was still shocked and deeply angered by this line: "...one school nurse serves the 5,400 students in the district."
Unbelievable. In 2016, in America. If millions upon millions of dollars are soon to be funneled into Flint, I do so hope people like the good Dr. Hanna-Attisha can oversee the money flow, and not the disgraceful politicians that allowed the poisoning to occur.
Vote wisely indeed.
Unbelievable. In 2016, in America. If millions upon millions of dollars are soon to be funneled into Flint, I do so hope people like the good Dr. Hanna-Attisha can oversee the money flow, and not the disgraceful politicians that allowed the poisoning to occur.
Vote wisely indeed.
17
What has happened in the city of Flint Michigan has become a Greek tragedy with each day bringing even more bad news while Gov. Snyder has yet to replace one single lead leached pipe?
It was criminal to change Flint's water supply from the pristine water of Lake Huron to the corrosive water of the Flint River to save money; think about that for a minute. And to add insult to injury, the residents of Flint are being charged for water by the city they cannot drink, cook with or bathe in.
Gov. Snyder and his handpicked emergency managers involved all need to go to prison for criminal neglect because of their lack of actions when knowing the results of this decision. Also for the irreversible damage caused by the lead in the water to the babies and all others including maybe even to those who have died from Legionnaires Disease; caused by contaminated water.
It was criminal to change Flint's water supply from the pristine water of Lake Huron to the corrosive water of the Flint River to save money; think about that for a minute. And to add insult to injury, the residents of Flint are being charged for water by the city they cannot drink, cook with or bathe in.
Gov. Snyder and his handpicked emergency managers involved all need to go to prison for criminal neglect because of their lack of actions when knowing the results of this decision. Also for the irreversible damage caused by the lead in the water to the babies and all others including maybe even to those who have died from Legionnaires Disease; caused by contaminated water.
17
My heart breaks for these parents and would even if I were not a parent. But I do understand the fierce protective instinct parents feel for their children. Poverty doesn't blunt love or the hope that one's children will be healthy and happy. I find it to nearly unfathomable that anyone could lie about the dangers of lead exposure and live with that dishonesty. It is simply criminal to harm children and leave their parents to handle the consequences of their children having permanent damage from lead exposure.
12
This is environmental racism pure and simple.
Institutional racism—beyond simply individual prejudice or misunderstanding—has been, and continues to remain, a central factor in American life. Housing, jobs, the criminal justice system, the environment, and every realm of social relations in the United States have been scarred by racial disparity and injustice.
This inhuman act of environmental racism has effectively regulated these children to a marginalized existence and irreparable harm. But in a few short years from now, many will have forgotten this criminal act of this governor and legislature of the state of Michigan and cast blame on the parents for the resultant low achievement and marginalized lives that that many of these children will experience.
Depraved heart indifference to black, brown, and poor babies.
Institutional racism—beyond simply individual prejudice or misunderstanding—has been, and continues to remain, a central factor in American life. Housing, jobs, the criminal justice system, the environment, and every realm of social relations in the United States have been scarred by racial disparity and injustice.
This inhuman act of environmental racism has effectively regulated these children to a marginalized existence and irreparable harm. But in a few short years from now, many will have forgotten this criminal act of this governor and legislature of the state of Michigan and cast blame on the parents for the resultant low achievement and marginalized lives that that many of these children will experience.
Depraved heart indifference to black, brown, and poor babies.
14
We are becoming a third-world country..
12
Watching the people of Flint express their hope of getting a grocery store and clean water brought me to to tears the other night. A true tragedy.
20
Rahem Emmanuel is being asked, rightfully so, to resign for police brutality and cover up. Yet thousands of children will be mentally impaired for life by the neglect and cover up by the highest office holder, but there is no outcry for the Governor's resignation. If Flint was a white neighborhood, Governor would have been gone within few days.
22
This is a disgrace and an outrage. Once again a poor, minority community taken advantage of by greedy politicians.
Anyone planning to vote for candidates who want to gut the EPA and other regulatory agencies, privatize community resources and otherwise sell our public spaces to the highest bidder beware. Flint is the canary in the coal mine of very real risks the entire country could face.
Vote wisely this fall.
Anyone planning to vote for candidates who want to gut the EPA and other regulatory agencies, privatize community resources and otherwise sell our public spaces to the highest bidder beware. Flint is the canary in the coal mine of very real risks the entire country could face.
Vote wisely this fall.
19
The County Prosecutor for Genessee County Michigan, a Democrat, has the perfect opportunity to "do the right thing" and charge the culpable State of Michigan officials, as well as the City of Flint's Emergency Manager and his deputy who actually ran the city, with a crime: Willfully poisoning children. If Michigan's criminal law does not have a separate crime for poisoning, battery and child abuse would certainly be the minimum charge.
The crime is easily understood by way on analogy. On Halloween, historically some miscreants put toxic substances, pins, needles or razor blades in candy given to children. They are uniformly criminally prosecuted when caught. When you think about it, there's no difference here.
I would also suggest to the County Prosecutor that he present the deaths of the 10 Genessee County residents from Legionnaire's Disease to a Grand Jury, to see how they would feel about manslaughter or murder charges.
No this is not a nutty idea. During World War II the Nazi's research doctors served nothing but salt water to 50 imprisoned gypsies, to see how long they would survive without clean water. All of them died. In the "Doctors Trial" after the war, one of the charges brought against the Nazi research doctors was the salt water/denial of fresh water experiment.
The crime is easily understood by way on analogy. On Halloween, historically some miscreants put toxic substances, pins, needles or razor blades in candy given to children. They are uniformly criminally prosecuted when caught. When you think about it, there's no difference here.
I would also suggest to the County Prosecutor that he present the deaths of the 10 Genessee County residents from Legionnaire's Disease to a Grand Jury, to see how they would feel about manslaughter or murder charges.
No this is not a nutty idea. During World War II the Nazi's research doctors served nothing but salt water to 50 imprisoned gypsies, to see how long they would survive without clean water. All of them died. In the "Doctors Trial" after the war, one of the charges brought against the Nazi research doctors was the salt water/denial of fresh water experiment.
9
Your analogy, at least based on what we know now, is flawed. First, consider the basis of the problem: the apparent failure by the Flint water folks to use the proper anti-corrosives. The correct analogy would be to people who poison halloween candy and then allow their children to eat it. There's just no reason they would knowingly not spend $100 a day to avoid poisoning their own water supply. People don't poison themselves. Second, consider the state folks doing the testing. They didn't do their jobs very well. The proper analogy is to a police agency getting ahold of poisoned candy and incorrectly concluding it's safe. They missed an opportunity to catch this earlier. That doesn't equate to knowing and willful poisoning.
This is a capital crime. Significant jail terms are needed, starting with the governor. It is almost as though these morons in high public office are trying to foment revolution by their evil acts.
6
What's happening in Flint may be on the verge of happening in at least fifty other US cities.
Might be asbestos.
Might be heavy metals.
Then, what do we do.
Suppose it'd be safer and cheaper to plow the place under and let everybody relocate.
That's what most of Detroit is slowly doing to itself.
That's what Katrina did to a good part of New Orleans.
Might be asbestos.
Might be heavy metals.
Then, what do we do.
Suppose it'd be safer and cheaper to plow the place under and let everybody relocate.
That's what most of Detroit is slowly doing to itself.
That's what Katrina did to a good part of New Orleans.
6
That is what many in Flint think was the plan from the beginning. Make things so bad we demand they move all of the poor out of Flint at the lowest possible cost, then they would give their land to developers after improving the infrastructure at tax payer expense. Flint has many developers looking at it because of the number of colleges and universities nearby.
The reason they took Flint off of water from Detroit was not to save money. They made money in Flint from the water bill. Think about this, the home owners pay for the water so if they need more they would have raised the water bill. The reason they are demanding people pay the water bill even now is because the state of Michigan has starved the cities and the cities are getting more revenue from fees added to the water bills. What they were doing when they cut Flint off of Detroit water was trying to starve Detroit water department by reducing their revenue so they could privatize the Detroit water department.
When you don't get a natural disaster like New Orleans, you must make your own. This is the Republican play book.
We can not let this happen to these people or your town will be next.
The reason they took Flint off of water from Detroit was not to save money. They made money in Flint from the water bill. Think about this, the home owners pay for the water so if they need more they would have raised the water bill. The reason they are demanding people pay the water bill even now is because the state of Michigan has starved the cities and the cities are getting more revenue from fees added to the water bills. What they were doing when they cut Flint off of Detroit water was trying to starve Detroit water department by reducing their revenue so they could privatize the Detroit water department.
When you don't get a natural disaster like New Orleans, you must make your own. This is the Republican play book.
We can not let this happen to these people or your town will be next.
1
Whatever they decide they should speak to the doctors in Baltimore for their opinions , like John Hopkins Hospital for all the young adults and teenagers now with this same problem ? See what's happening?
4
When I hear that Flint has no grocery store, I want to weep. I have an idea. Come on, Whole Foods. I know your CEO is a right-winger, but why not make a great public gesture: Move enough stores into Flint to serve all its residents, and since you're way too expensive for poor people, subsidize the prices in the Flint stores for anyone who can prove residency for five years. It'll cost you a whole lot, but you can take it as a tax write-off, and advertise the hell out of what you are doing. Those of us who have enough money to shop in your stores will love you forever for it.
Why not?
Why not?
19
my thoughts exactly. there is a huge PR opportunity here for a grocery store chain. What about good old Midwestern staple -- Kroger's, headquartered in nearby Ohio?
We very quickly prosecute folks who steal other people's money. Here the governor et al was stealing other people's lives and well being. The defense of "the other guys did it" doesn't work here. Snyder was in charge. He should be moved out of office now so that when he is charged the taxpayers won't be on the hook for his defense costs.
13
I'll bet that Snyder would never let his kids, or grand kids, drink that poisoned water.
He should have been removed from office yesterday.
He should have been removed from office yesterday.
22
Donald Trump claims that a country without borders (indeed, America has borders) is not a nation I respond that a country that knowingly injures its own children is not a nation, or if it is, it is a criminal nation. This matter goes well beyond negligence and incompetence, it is a crime, and its perpetrators must be prosecuted as such.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
www.endthemadnessnow.org
2
It is too little too late! All the money pouring in to deal with the crisis that could have been prevented in the first place could have been used to greatly improve the conditions in Flint.
Trying to be penny wise and pound foolish is a double whammy. Now we have to fix the city and take care of thousands of children for the rest of their lives. Brilliant maneuver Mr. Governor!. Next a class action suit amounting to billions of dollars may put some sense in the politics of nihilism, a big blemish on his legacy and that of the Republican Party.
Trying to be penny wise and pound foolish is a double whammy. Now we have to fix the city and take care of thousands of children for the rest of their lives. Brilliant maneuver Mr. Governor!. Next a class action suit amounting to billions of dollars may put some sense in the politics of nihilism, a big blemish on his legacy and that of the Republican Party.
5
Snyder has displayed tremendous insensitivity and a total lack of decent leadership. He needs to step down and then be held accountable in a court of law. His lack of concern for the poor rival that of despots who rule with all the compassion of a rattlesnake. I am sickened that this would happen to people who trust those in charge ...... Snyder and his minions shoulder be jailed
3
It breaks my heart to look at these children who were unnecessarily exposed to lead in their water. I do not know how Governor Snyder sleeps at night.
6
He looks to me like a heavy drinker of alcohol, coupled with zero conscious.
4
Parents, think how upset and worried you are when your young child has a fever or an ear infection. Now, imagine how these parents must feel, knowing that their city caused life altering disabilities to they children. I cannot even begin to express the fury, outrage and despair that they are more than entitled to feel.
10
This is a case study and cautionary tale about exactly how NOT to govern and about the potentially widespread and lasting impact of damaging partisan government decisions and actions on the health of residents and children. Count the ways.
If terrorists had put lead or poison in Flint's water system, how do you think Governor Snyder would have reacted--probably with a lot of grandstanding rhetoric against the terrorists (especially if they were Muslim or foreign) albeit little corrective action to fix the water system quickly and address the health problems of the mostly poor children.
In running for office, Republican governor Snyder bragged about the expertise he would bring to running government because of his business experience. What did he mean? The Flint water crisis says it all. A loyal administration that would carry out Republican values of austerity for the poor, minimal government services, cost cutting no matter how serious the problem, punishment for employees who questioned authority and reward for those who get along by going along.
False assurances and blaming the victims was a favorite tactic. When the parents and residents complained, one official told a group of worried, angry parents the water was fine; it was their perception that was the problem. Truth telling is not much of a value in politics these days, and certainly not among the right wing and GOP.
Stop the partisan politics and start governing FOR all the people! (of, by, FOR)!
If terrorists had put lead or poison in Flint's water system, how do you think Governor Snyder would have reacted--probably with a lot of grandstanding rhetoric against the terrorists (especially if they were Muslim or foreign) albeit little corrective action to fix the water system quickly and address the health problems of the mostly poor children.
In running for office, Republican governor Snyder bragged about the expertise he would bring to running government because of his business experience. What did he mean? The Flint water crisis says it all. A loyal administration that would carry out Republican values of austerity for the poor, minimal government services, cost cutting no matter how serious the problem, punishment for employees who questioned authority and reward for those who get along by going along.
False assurances and blaming the victims was a favorite tactic. When the parents and residents complained, one official told a group of worried, angry parents the water was fine; it was their perception that was the problem. Truth telling is not much of a value in politics these days, and certainly not among the right wing and GOP.
Stop the partisan politics and start governing FOR all the people! (of, by, FOR)!
6
The damage done by lead poisoning to the developing central nervous system cannot be repaired and every child who drank the lead contaminated water will inevitably show signs of the damage done. The best one can do is mitigate the effects, but the damage is permanent, irreversible.
The fundamental contributing cause of the lead poisoning we have learned was a policy decision made by an emergency manager who reported directly to the Gov. Snyder ... switching the water supply to the Flint river and failing to add corrosion control chemicals causing lead and other metals to leach from the pipes. Now we have learned that in Jan. 2015 the state was fully aware the municipal water supply was toxic when they placed bottled water on each floor of the state building in Flint ... and now a spokesperson from the state is telling us the obvious lie that the water was available for everyone. Does the state now think that lead poisoning has made everyone in Flint so stupid that they'll believe such an obvious lie? You have to wonder.
This is state government created tragedy on such a scale, so awful in it's implications and seemingly so evil in it's construction and execution it is hard to fathom. As Americans we see ourselves as being the ones on the side of good, that our institutions are fundamentally good. But when you see something this bad, this evil on such a grand scale you expect that it was manufactured in a place like North Korea. But it was created here, in the US.
The fundamental contributing cause of the lead poisoning we have learned was a policy decision made by an emergency manager who reported directly to the Gov. Snyder ... switching the water supply to the Flint river and failing to add corrosion control chemicals causing lead and other metals to leach from the pipes. Now we have learned that in Jan. 2015 the state was fully aware the municipal water supply was toxic when they placed bottled water on each floor of the state building in Flint ... and now a spokesperson from the state is telling us the obvious lie that the water was available for everyone. Does the state now think that lead poisoning has made everyone in Flint so stupid that they'll believe such an obvious lie? You have to wonder.
This is state government created tragedy on such a scale, so awful in it's implications and seemingly so evil in it's construction and execution it is hard to fathom. As Americans we see ourselves as being the ones on the side of good, that our institutions are fundamentally good. But when you see something this bad, this evil on such a grand scale you expect that it was manufactured in a place like North Korea. But it was created here, in the US.
11
If Fox news had wanted a more relevant debate among the GOP candidates, they could have raised the issue of Flint. Obviously they did not believe this was relevant or important. Similarly, the question of attacking other countries, the future of health care and Social Security needs a detailed discussion. Instead there were comments such as "this is Obama's fault" or "we need to privatize all of this". As before this debate was no debate, but a show of Cruz, Rubio and others trying to sell themselves.
9
It costs more to educate a special needs child because the ration of kids to teachers is 7 to one-- not 18 to one or more. (suppose every classroom had two teachers?)
The human body has amazing abilities to renew itself... so let's hope that these kids from now on will have good water, good food, and plenty of fresh air and sunshine, Truly horrific to read was about the mother who was giving her child formula and why not breast milk early on-- the child kept getting sick... why not breast milk..
This is a travesty and frankly local, state and fed authorities are all at fault. Wonder what the lawsuit will cost the taxpayers? Once the bad water was reported, the clock did start ticking.
The human body has amazing abilities to renew itself... so let's hope that these kids from now on will have good water, good food, and plenty of fresh air and sunshine, Truly horrific to read was about the mother who was giving her child formula and why not breast milk early on-- the child kept getting sick... why not breast milk..
This is a travesty and frankly local, state and fed authorities are all at fault. Wonder what the lawsuit will cost the taxpayers? Once the bad water was reported, the clock did start ticking.
Many of the mothers whose children have been poisoned are working minimum wage jobs. These types of jobs, retail and fast food, do not offer nursing rooms or extra breaks for mothers to express breast milk.
In addition, minimum wage workers are often scheduled as-needed. With no regular weekly schedule and erratic evening/morning shift assignments, it can be impossible to maintain a breast-feeding regime.
In addition, minimum wage workers are often scheduled as-needed. With no regular weekly schedule and erratic evening/morning shift assignments, it can be impossible to maintain a breast-feeding regime.
7
Breastfeeding would undoubtedly be better for overall health outcomes, but for the majority of women living in poverty and raising young children, it is an absolute luxury. These women are working in professions with minimum wage and erratic scheduling - retail, food service, etc. Persuading companies and workplaces to offer a clean, private spaces to pump breast milk is challenging enough in higher-paying positions. For most of these women, it simply isn't an option. And when a new mom is surrounded by people who haven't ever breastfed, she lacks the robust support system that contributes to success.
Ideally, improving the rate of breastfeeding amongst Flint mothers will be one part of the broad public health response to this tragedy. Education, awareness of breastmilk's benefits, persuasive arguments to employers on why it's a longer-term "win" for them to accommodate employees, and strong social support will all be needed to improve the overall success rate for breastfeeding - but the benefits make this a very worthwhile endeavor.
Ideally, improving the rate of breastfeeding amongst Flint mothers will be one part of the broad public health response to this tragedy. Education, awareness of breastmilk's benefits, persuasive arguments to employers on why it's a longer-term "win" for them to accommodate employees, and strong social support will all be needed to improve the overall success rate for breastfeeding - but the benefits make this a very worthwhile endeavor.
1
oh sure -- blame the mothers. do you people have no shame? blame a mom who works 2 jobs, can't get access to a good PCP who could help and counsel her, has no access to Medicaid because the GOP governor wouldn't support it . . . . .
The State of Michigan should be sued so that the lifelong educational and health needs of any and all residents exposed to possible lead contamination are covered in perpetuity.
7
Back in the '60s we had a word for people like Snyder and his cohorts. I've stopped using it for the most part, but still find that it's applicable under certain circumstances. It's a short word that starts with a "P" and ends with a "G".
7
You left out the "I" in the middle. We used it also, and in this case it would be most appropriate.
4
The Flint situation is not about race or political party, it is about infrastructure and the responsibility of the government to protect its citizens.
Class Based Biological Warfare on Babies-that's what it is.
To think things like this go on under Bush and Obama.
What does that say about America?
To think things like this go on under Bush and Obama.
What does that say about America?
5
What it says about America is that the race-baiting hatred of blacks by the marginally literate white population in places like Michigan has returned America to Jim Crow days.
In terms of who is at fault, culturally, for this reckless poisoning of children you can thank every right wing, conservative and/or Republican pundit and politician in the U.S.A. who came of of the closet as racists, or who spoke in code showing their racism, by their articulating anger at a black man being President. We've seem them whipping up racial hatred of the black Obama Administration by whites of all economic classes during the last 8 years.
The only consolation, if there is one, is that the racial animus from Michigan state officials has also seriously harmed the 43,000+/- poor and working class white residents of Flint. Yes, there is no love by the white Republican/conservative professional class in Michigan towards their poor and working class white brethren.
In terms of who is at fault, culturally, for this reckless poisoning of children you can thank every right wing, conservative and/or Republican pundit and politician in the U.S.A. who came of of the closet as racists, or who spoke in code showing their racism, by their articulating anger at a black man being President. We've seem them whipping up racial hatred of the black Obama Administration by whites of all economic classes during the last 8 years.
The only consolation, if there is one, is that the racial animus from Michigan state officials has also seriously harmed the 43,000+/- poor and working class white residents of Flint. Yes, there is no love by the white Republican/conservative professional class in Michigan towards their poor and working class white brethren.
7
Gov Snyder and his administration is responsible period. How dare you try to blame anyone else!
1
And what does the Governor do at a time like this? Why, call in the feds, of course, ya know, the ones they're trying to drown in a bathtub. Not that I would deny the people of Flint one iota of help, but they need to make Snyder and his thrifty cohorts clean up the mess they made. Let's get those lawsuits rolling, especially the ones where the perps have to pay out of their own pockets. This is a time when those vile ambulance chasers could do a world of good.
13
A very well pled Federal lawsuit has already been filed under the Clean Drinking Water Act. Sadly, it's a civil lawsuit and the most the State of Michigan might have to pay is the $787,000,000 it is estimated to cost to replace all of the drinking water lines in Flint.
Think about that cost, in a city of 100,000. It illustrates the utter stupidity and depravity of Michigan state employees and the City's Emergency Manager and his assistant who actually ran the water system.
Think about that cost, in a city of 100,000. It illustrates the utter stupidity and depravity of Michigan state employees and the City's Emergency Manager and his assistant who actually ran the water system.
7
When I think about Flint, I cannot help but tear up. This tragedy and the ensuing cover-up is one of the most cold hearted, morally corrupt acts I’ve witnessed in my life.
17
Everyone complicit in this should be tried and convicted of genocide.
8
Rick Snyder and a host of other officials--everyone implicated in those dismissing emails--should be tried for criminal negligence and reckless endangerment. This is far beyond a civil offense. I hope somebody does some jail time and it's not just some poor slob at the bottom of the food chain.
6
When a public official has knowledge of a high risk to children for the water they will consume in his city or burg, he is charged with a responsibility to warn. protect, and marshal his forces to save those children from harm whatever their color.
Follow the facts, The emails, the numbers, the status of the complainers, and the indifference of the officials in charge; all amounts to an assault against our black community.
Come on Fed AG go straight after them, build a solid case and get justice for these children.
Follow the facts, The emails, the numbers, the status of the complainers, and the indifference of the officials in charge; all amounts to an assault against our black community.
Come on Fed AG go straight after them, build a solid case and get justice for these children.
13
Yes, their conduct fits the "failure of public official to give honest services" crime which is a prosecution tool used by U.S. Attorneys around the country. Elected officials have spent several years in Federal prison for offenses which are penny-ante compared with the egregious conduct of Michigan state officials, the Emergency Manager and his assistant who managed Flint's water system. Let no one forget that until Inauguration Day on 2017, the U.S. Attorneys around the country serve at the pleasure of Attorney General Loretta Lynch and her boss President Barack Obama.
4
Maybe its time for all good citizens of Michigan to imagine if all the initial decisions that started this horrific decision were started not with Flint being the city and being thrown out of the Detroit Water System but with another city in Michigan: namely Ann Arbor. I'm sure that Coach Harbaugh would be demanding all the pipes be replaced by the start of football practice and student protests (along with a loud shout from out of state parents) demanding clean water for the next round of parties. After all, we all know what the real priorities are in Michigan.
9
Unfortunately, all too true. And where does Gov. Snyder live (at least according to Wikipedia) - Ann Arbor. I hate to sound mean-spirited, but while Gov. Snyder does the jail time that he so richly deserves, maybe his grandchildren should grow up drinking Flint water.
3
Flint’s toxic water is a failure of federal, state, and local leadership, white AND black. Flint is a multi-racial city of approximately 100,000 people (2012), 57% black and 36% white. The state appointed Detroit emergency manager Mr. Orr (raised water rates) is black, the state appointed Flint emergency manager Mr. Earley (saved money by switching to the Flint River) is black, and blacks are (and have been for a number of years) a majority of the City Council. Mayor Weaver was elected in 2015 with 55 percent of the vote (7,825 to 5,065). A total of about 13,900 voters in a city of 100,000 voted. I suggest that political AND civic leaders at ALL levels and of ALL races failed. Neither the state, city nor the federal government (EPA), neither black nor white officials should escape responsibility. Why does the New York Times always seem to emphasize race when a multi-racial working class community suffers?
8
Because it keeps us divided.
2
You utterly miss the point.
The point is if people living in Grosse Pointe were getting brown, smelly, foul-tasting water out of their taps, you can bet your life that Snyder himself would have been leading the charge to fix it -- immediately.
It's not the race of the perpetrators-- it's the race of the victims.
The point is if people living in Grosse Pointe were getting brown, smelly, foul-tasting water out of their taps, you can bet your life that Snyder himself would have been leading the charge to fix it -- immediately.
It's not the race of the perpetrators-- it's the race of the victims.
5
Because a detailed analysis of who did what at the State of Michigan level shows that the Emergency Manager was the only black person with decision making authority. You conveniently lump into the mix black elected officials whose decision-making power had been completely stripped away by virtue of Michigan's Emergency Manager law.
3
This article made me cry. It really did.
To the people of Flint, what happened to your city was a crime against humanity. Nothing less. We grieve for you.
To the people of Flint, what happened to your city was a crime against humanity. Nothing less. We grieve for you.
21
What I would like to know, and no one has really reported, is where the employees of the Flint State Office Building live.
Did they get the "good" water as compensation for having the misfortune of having to work in Flint, when they actually live in "better" places?
(I remember how NYC employees would talk about this city in the 1980s, as they went home to Long Island every evening...)
Did they get the "good" water as compensation for having the misfortune of having to work in Flint, when they actually live in "better" places?
(I remember how NYC employees would talk about this city in the 1980s, as they went home to Long Island every evening...)
6
We only need to do one thing - look into the government emails and identify if they knew that the water was tainted when they said it was safe to drink. Once we do that, charges should be filed as well as lawsuits. These families deserve regular free blood testing for life. A law should be passed allowing these families some sort of special protection, otherwise, some slick lawyer will enact a law preventing these families from suing the government. They deserver special protections starting today!
3
A bunch of slick lawyers, in the person of the Michigan Legislature, enacted laws long ago, and slick appellate judges wrote opinions long ago, creating "sovereign immunity" for the state and its employees, so that they probably cannot be sued for this gross negligence or willful misconduct by the Governor and his state employees including the Emergency Manager appointed by the Governor. That's what Michigan's lawyers are saying as they walk through the halls of state office buildings and courts "Sovereign immunity, no liability".
3
So tragic looking at Taeyanna, and thinking that she might have permanent brain damage. All in the name of saving a dollar it is a shame. As parents we need to protect our children and ourselves. We live in an older house and have been using drinking water tests since we moved in. The toxicity of this chemical is truly harmful. http://amzn.to/1QxXLNT What get me more upset is that tragic and goes on in a regular basis. Government takes our money and then takes these shortcuts to save a dollar. We need to take control of our safety and the safety of our future generations. This is not about color and race this is about the government not acting properly and being focused on one color, GREEN!!! Not white or black I disagree with C from Brooklyn,
2
I'm so disgusted. Heartbreaking. Who will pick up the tab now?????
2
They are going after FEDERAL funding.
Everyone in the U.S. who pays taxes (so not the uber wealthy who avoid taxes or shelter their incomes) will be paying for a Republican governor's malfeasance.
Everyone in the U.S. who pays taxes (so not the uber wealthy who avoid taxes or shelter their incomes) will be paying for a Republican governor's malfeasance.
4
It looks like birth control may also be a problem for low income, low information residents. The tainted water may create an under-class in Flint that is even worse off than the lower class there now. This can only be known for sure in another 20 to 25 years.
3
This is an very important story in so many ways — including as a cautionary, "canary-in-the-mine" tale for other cities and towns everywhere on the planet. As we continue to pollute the Earth — the lands, rivers, oceans, and air — sorrows of the kind that first afflict the poor and less politically influential will spread to people of all socioeconomic groups. What's happening in Flint can and will happen to everyone if we do not take stronger action to reduce environmental pollution and create healthier, more sustainable ways of manufacturing and living. Here is the list of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals — 17 goals to transform our world. It's the future!
http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
6
One school nurse serves 5,400 kids. Another nurse told a resident a few points on an IQ test is not the end of the world.
Who's running the Public Health offices and where is The American Nurses Association?
Help! So unacceptable to the world of nursing....and the world, which Flint is part of by the way.
Who's running the Public Health offices and where is The American Nurses Association?
Help! So unacceptable to the world of nursing....and the world, which Flint is part of by the way.
13
In 1998, state wide, 44% of Michigan children under the age of 6 had Elevated Blood Lead (EBL) levels. Today, after the Flint water crisis, 4% of children have tested with EBL. The occurrence of Elevated Blood Lead (EBL) in Flint increased from 2.1% to 4.0% in children under 6 and is likely attributable to lead pipes left in Flint's decaying architecture. While Lead is a serious health issue, and no amount is good, some context is necessary. 8% of children under 6 in Detroit qualify for an EBL by the same standard, and the mostly white community of Mason county is 11% - the worst in the state. Before the water issue, Flint had one of the lowest rates of EBL in the state, and even now, the lead levels are not out of line with the rest of the state.
While no amount of Lead is good, and we should expect our water department to deliver clean water, we still need to recognize the massive improvements in lead exposure over the last 20 years. Before we spend a billion dollars replacing the lead pipes in Flint, we should also realize that the same amount of money could reduce lead levels a lot more by mitigating lead based paint and other environmental sources in Detroit and other hot spots.
We should use the word "Crisis" with care, and before we put "crime scene tape around Flint" look at the issue in a broader context.
While no amount of Lead is good, and we should expect our water department to deliver clean water, we still need to recognize the massive improvements in lead exposure over the last 20 years. Before we spend a billion dollars replacing the lead pipes in Flint, we should also realize that the same amount of money could reduce lead levels a lot more by mitigating lead based paint and other environmental sources in Detroit and other hot spots.
We should use the word "Crisis" with care, and before we put "crime scene tape around Flint" look at the issue in a broader context.
3
What a red herring -- a BILLION dollars to replace the pipes. No one has said it will cost anywhere near that much.
1
The Flint mayor said replacing the pipes could cost $1.5 Billion.
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/01/07/governor-meet-...
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/01/07/governor-meet-...
1
This was strictly a man-made, politically driven, budget decision that led to the ongoing crisis. Republicans will never admit it but their philosophy of less government and fervent desire to dismantle government, especially watchdog agencies like Environmental Quality, are the sole, direct causes of the contamination of the water supply for Flint Michigan.
It is also the Republican party of Michigan that overtly denied the appeals for requests for help from Flint. No other party was in power. Republicans said no and casually dismissed all initial claims as "political complaints".
It is one thing to object to large government and it is another to want to reduce budgets and operate efficiently and effectively. But that is not the objective of Republicans. Their objective is total dismantlement of government to render it powerless. That powerlessness also results in certain populations of America also being made powerless.
Republicans are hell bent on dismantling government and rendering minorities, especially blacks completely helpless. Its almost like they believe that if government can be starved out of existence (starve the beast assertion by Ronald Reagan) then undesirable populations can also be starved or made ill enough to become extinct as well.
The water of Flint Michigan has been contaminated for only the last 2 years or so. The Republican party of Michigan and the United States has been contaminated far longer. Now the poisons are rising to the surface.
It is also the Republican party of Michigan that overtly denied the appeals for requests for help from Flint. No other party was in power. Republicans said no and casually dismissed all initial claims as "political complaints".
It is one thing to object to large government and it is another to want to reduce budgets and operate efficiently and effectively. But that is not the objective of Republicans. Their objective is total dismantlement of government to render it powerless. That powerlessness also results in certain populations of America also being made powerless.
Republicans are hell bent on dismantling government and rendering minorities, especially blacks completely helpless. Its almost like they believe that if government can be starved out of existence (starve the beast assertion by Ronald Reagan) then undesirable populations can also be starved or made ill enough to become extinct as well.
The water of Flint Michigan has been contaminated for only the last 2 years or so. The Republican party of Michigan and the United States has been contaminated far longer. Now the poisons are rising to the surface.
10
In 2013, the Flint City Council, which is mostly black and mostly Democrat, voted 7-1 to switch from water supplied by the Detroit Water and Sewage Department (DWSD) to water supplied by pipeline that was to be built from Lake Huron. Dayne Wailing, who was mayor at the time, said in a recent interview that the city council and emergency manager were in accord on the decision. The pipeline was to be completed by 2016 or 2017. But when DWSD sent Flint notice that it annual bill would jump to $48 million, the city decided to pump Flint River water, which had always been its backup source. A news photo showed Mayor Wailing pushing the button that sent Flint River water flowing though the city’s water pipes. The decisions to switch water supply was based on economics, but it made by civil leaders who were mostly Democrats.
1
@Jay,
The word is genocide.
1-29-16@6:05 pm est
The word is genocide.
1-29-16@6:05 pm est
2
Emergency manager appointed by Snyder -- NOT elected by local citizens -- had the final call.
2
The responsible officials who so grossly betrayed the public trust and shirked their responsibilities and duties should be prosecuted to full extent of the law and sent to prison if at all possible—and certainly should lose their jobs and not be employed in any position of trust in the future, since they have clearly demonstrated that they cannot be trusted. This includes that weak excuse of a governor.
62
Republicans: Penny wise and pound foolish.
7
Democrats - Ran the city into bankruptcy, neglected their infrastructure, leaving Lead pipes in the supply lines, then expect someone else to foot the bill.
1
The siren call of dominant systems of governance across all sectors is heavily influenced by late capitalism and a race to the bottom. It crosses ideological lines and in many cases, it's almost impossible to find ways around these brick walls of power, money and indifference.
3
"Democrats - Ran the city into bankruptcy, neglected their infrastructure":
Your verifiable data, Tom?
Your verifiable data, Tom?
1
It's not just a few IQ points. It's a predisposition to lower impulse control, poorer judgment, higher discipline rates in school, lower academic achievement and higher rates of incarceration from early teen years on. Lead exposure in the 50s from the rapidly increasing use of leaded gas is directly coorelated with the subsequent increase in crime rates 15 to 20 years later and the elimination of most leaded gas in early 80s is similarly tracks by the reduction in crime rates starting 15 years later. Studies of prison inmates has shown that lead exposure is more strongly predictive of incarceration than poverty or race by themselves. Low level lead exposure is also a strong contributor to the enduring academic achievement gap in the US. The silver lining to the Flint cloud may be that communities across the US will redouble their efforts to eliminate lead from water, playgrounds, housing and other vectors for this dangerous industrial toxin.
17
Thank you Doug McLaren! This is very germane and important information. The relationship between lead exposure and crime (or, more deeply and broadly, damage to one's humanity) is critical to understand. Here are two of many stories detailing the issue:
Lead and Crime | MIT KSJ Tracker
http://ksj2014.org/2013/01/lead-and-crime/
America's Real Criminal Element: Lead
New research finds lead is the hidden villain behind violent crime, lower IQs, and even the ADHD epidemic. And fixing the problem is a lot cheaper than doing nothing.
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/01/lead-crime-link-gasoline
Lead and Crime | MIT KSJ Tracker
http://ksj2014.org/2013/01/lead-and-crime/
America's Real Criminal Element: Lead
New research finds lead is the hidden villain behind violent crime, lower IQs, and even the ADHD epidemic. And fixing the problem is a lot cheaper than doing nothing.
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/01/lead-crime-link-gasoline
5
What did the governor of Michigan know, and when did he know it?
How much of a delay between knowing and doing something about the poisoning justifies a criminal arrest?
Any delay requires an arrest.
How much of a delay between knowing and doing something about the poisoning justifies a criminal arrest?
Any delay requires an arrest.
44
"It's only a few IQ points . . . ."
What a horrible and chilling thing to say to the parent of a child who has been poisoned with lead. Even more so when you realize that it is probably a lie. Even more so when state officials provided bottled water to employees for months while the child was being poisoned.
Aside from the utter moral bankruptcy this reveals, the sheer fiscal irresponsibility is mind boggling. Billions to fix the pipes and who knows how much to mitigate the problems these children will have for the rest of their lives -- to mitigate, not to solve, bc that is not possible.
And this Republican governor immediately turns to the federal government to provide money and assistance. Thank goodness the government hasn't yet been drowned in the bathtub.
What a horrible and chilling thing to say to the parent of a child who has been poisoned with lead. Even more so when you realize that it is probably a lie. Even more so when state officials provided bottled water to employees for months while the child was being poisoned.
Aside from the utter moral bankruptcy this reveals, the sheer fiscal irresponsibility is mind boggling. Billions to fix the pipes and who knows how much to mitigate the problems these children will have for the rest of their lives -- to mitigate, not to solve, bc that is not possible.
And this Republican governor immediately turns to the federal government to provide money and assistance. Thank goodness the government hasn't yet been drowned in the bathtub.
107
The sole gold standard by which we all see that the "pro life" mantra of the GOP is an ugly, nasty, vile lie.
17
As the Republicans will close ranks behind Snyder and his incompetent managers to shield them from any responsibility they, Snyder et al, should be forced for a long period time to drink the murderous water they unleashed on innocent children.
5
Alternatively, Michigan's Democrat-appointed U.S. Attorney can prosecute Snyder and his crew of state employees and the Emergency Manager and his assistant for "honest services fraud" by an elected official under 18 U.S.C. 1346. No less an august personage as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has said that the law should only be used to prosecute corrupt elected officials.
For example, in Las Vegas a woman County Commissioner who was a grandmother and florist accepted free skiing passes for her grandchildren in return for a vote. She did roughly 2 years in the Federal pen plus probation.
For example, in Las Vegas a woman County Commissioner who was a grandmother and florist accepted free skiing passes for her grandchildren in return for a vote. She did roughly 2 years in the Federal pen plus probation.
2
But let's not forget.............by switching the water supply hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of dollars were saved.
5
We watch Snyder try to wriggle out of paying for fixing the problem, and having the rest of us pick up the tab.
I suggest in addition to forcing Snyder to replace the pipes etc, the State - Snyder - be liable for the damages to the 8,000 children at a minimum..
Calculate the lost potential in earnings, the cost in treatment, and a class-action suit in the Billions seems reasonable.
All because Snyder's Flint beancounter wanted to save $5 mill.
I suggest in addition to forcing Snyder to replace the pipes etc, the State - Snyder - be liable for the damages to the 8,000 children at a minimum..
Calculate the lost potential in earnings, the cost in treatment, and a class-action suit in the Billions seems reasonable.
All because Snyder's Flint beancounter wanted to save $5 mill.
6
From what I've been reading the problems Flint has with lead in their drinking water is not so uncommon.
If I am correct then water everywhere has to be tested.
This is not a problem created by the Republicans or by Democrats.
This is not a political issue and to make it one will not help the situation.
They have to solve the problem and if they can't soon then they will have to consider moving these people to a place where the drinking water is safe to drink.
If I am correct then water everywhere has to be tested.
This is not a problem created by the Republicans or by Democrats.
This is not a political issue and to make it one will not help the situation.
They have to solve the problem and if they can't soon then they will have to consider moving these people to a place where the drinking water is safe to drink.
1
We need a concerted effort to elect responsible Democrats at the local level.
6
The article stated that blood tests to detect blood for only about a month. Hair can be tested for lead exposure as well as blood. It will show exposure over time. This should be done.
I do not know why all responsible for this are not being brought up on criminal charges. The public was lied to with"depraved indifference".
All the resources in the world cannot undo the damage done by the exposure to lead in the very young. However, all resources should be marshalled to ameliorate as best can be done, the effects done by the lead exposure. These children and families are going to need a lot of help for many years to come, some will need help for a lifetime.
The very worst thing about this whole tragedy? It did not have to happen.
I do not know why all responsible for this are not being brought up on criminal charges. The public was lied to with"depraved indifference".
All the resources in the world cannot undo the damage done by the exposure to lead in the very young. However, all resources should be marshalled to ameliorate as best can be done, the effects done by the lead exposure. These children and families are going to need a lot of help for many years to come, some will need help for a lifetime.
The very worst thing about this whole tragedy? It did not have to happen.
7
Didn't we try and imprison the CEO of a peanut butter maker who knew his product contained e coli or listeria? How is this any different?
25
Salmonella. He was convicted.
8
Government officials to each other (in private): "What the heck. It's just a bunch of little black kids. What's the big deal anyway?"
8
Here is a good example of government not doing the basics, like providing for our safety. The EPA is so busy chasing after so many other issues it fails to do the basic, for which it was created, namely safe water. Tons of rules and regulations, but no accountability for its basic responsibilities. Think about it, we want to give EPA more power, when it can't do basic now. Typical for an out of control government.
2
Actually, EPA's Regional Director in Chicago was following current EPA policy and pandering to state and local officials in accommodating what they want to do. The "pandering policy" is a stupid one which President Obama has carried over from the President George W. Bush era EPA, to accommodate business interests.
It was an EPA employee, an expert on drinking water safety, who saw the ugly consequences of the pandering and blew the whistle. The EPA's Regional Director resigned in disgrace...proving that EPA should be strictly enforcing Federal law and regulations, not listening to state and local idiots like the employees of the State of Michigan and in other cases local business officials.
It was an EPA employee, an expert on drinking water safety, who saw the ugly consequences of the pandering and blew the whistle. The EPA's Regional Director resigned in disgrace...proving that EPA should be strictly enforcing Federal law and regulations, not listening to state and local idiots like the employees of the State of Michigan and in other cases local business officials.
4
Given the population of Flint, the idea that the health risk is limited to 8,000 children is ludicrous. The entire population and visitors ae exposed.
How long will it take t New York Times to get current water samples tested in the top 100 American cities, and report how bad public health has become, or how corrupt.
How long will it take t New York Times to get current water samples tested in the top 100 American cities, and report how bad public health has become, or how corrupt.
6
There's a treatment for these poor children, Chelation Therapy. Pleasant, no, expensive, yes, giving innocent little beings the ability to no be physically and mentally wrecked by careless, possibly criminal negligence, YES. Why isn't anyone talking about this as precious time is slipping away? Don't let the chance to help these people slip by, there's already been enough damage and pain.
9
The situation in Flint is outrageous. However, the over-the-top responses seen below are puzzling, to say the least. First, comparing this to "genocide" is insulting to victims of real genocides. Two days ago was the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. More than a million children were shot, gassed, buried alive 70 years ago. Similar atrocities are being committed right now by Da'esh, Boko Haram, and others. So a little perspective is in order. Second, the real issue is not jail time for Snyder or whoever but the extent of the damage. There should be an immediate campaign of IQ measurements for all the children of Flint, since the most common effect of lead poisoning is retardation. The problem is that it would be hard to establish the baseline since children in poor communities and/or born to teenaged mothers often have low IQ to begin with. However, a statistical analysis should be able to show whether there is a significant deviation from what is expected. Once it is done, there should be special educational programs in place to help these children. Low IQ scores can be mitigated if intervention is done early.
To me this is like watching, reading and hearing about war stories of torture, cruelty and genocide but it is happening right here in the USA. What has our system of government become and why? Who would want this for our citizens?
10
A picture is worth a thousand words. To look at Taeyana and King Brown, the adorable and innocent victims of what can only be called an atrocity committed by a government bent only on cost cutting, demonstrates the vileness of the crime committed against our youngest citizens.
"Exposure to high levels of lead may cause anemia, weakness, and kidney and brain damage. Very high lead exposure can cause death."
"Lead can cross the placental barrier, which means pregnant women who are exposed to lead also expose their unborn child. Lead can damage a developing baby’s nervous system. Even low-level lead exposures in developing babies have been found to affect behavior and intelligence."
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/lead/health.html
We Americans have lost our way by electing those to office who have no sense of the common good and have abandoned the most important rule of good governance - first, do no harm.
To look at these children and think of what the road ahead for them might look like, breaks the heart. We must never forget them nor allow the government to abandon them.
"Exposure to high levels of lead may cause anemia, weakness, and kidney and brain damage. Very high lead exposure can cause death."
"Lead can cross the placental barrier, which means pregnant women who are exposed to lead also expose their unborn child. Lead can damage a developing baby’s nervous system. Even low-level lead exposures in developing babies have been found to affect behavior and intelligence."
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/lead/health.html
We Americans have lost our way by electing those to office who have no sense of the common good and have abandoned the most important rule of good governance - first, do no harm.
To look at these children and think of what the road ahead for them might look like, breaks the heart. We must never forget them nor allow the government to abandon them.
9
Why is Rick Snyder walking around anywhere a free man? He should be in jail right now, instead He had the unmitigated gall to dine out at a restaurant in Ann Arbor this week, enjoying a fine meal, probably paid for with taxpayers dollars. Wouldn't a normal, caring individual abstain from such luxuries in the face of so much suffering created by his dereliction?
This state and country need to start thumping this guy hard, all day, every day until he is either imprisoned or removed from office, or both.
This state and country need to start thumping this guy hard, all day, every day until he is either imprisoned or removed from office, or both.
24
"It is a just a few IQ points. ...It is not the end of the world." And that's from a state nurse--a nurse--of all people?!
1-29-16@3:58 pm est
1-29-16@3:58 pm est
12
Unless I missed it, is evacuating Flint, MI, feasible and has anyone suggested it? The more I read, the worse it gets. Thanks NYT for listing the website re: donations. That's at least one practical thing I can try to help.
Oh Taeyana Brown, your birthright is a healthy start in life and you've been robbed of it. This is indefensible and amoral.
1-29-16@5:36 pm est
Oh Taeyana Brown, your birthright is a healthy start in life and you've been robbed of it. This is indefensible and amoral.
1-29-16@5:36 pm est
4
Abhorrant criminal behavior in Flint. This is America. This is the 21st Century. Why does America allow for some of it's citizens to live in third world conditions? Ms. Town's children are beautiful and they, along with all the residents of Flint deserve much, much better! This is unacceptable and angers me to the core.
10
Unfortunately, Flint was fairly third world before this whole brouhaha. 41% of residents are below the poverty line. We can all agree it's not a great thing, but the answers aren't obvious. This is a city that did well as long as GM was there and has utterly failed to find its economic way ever since GM (mostly) left. That's what I wish people would focus on. This water source tragedy is just one symptom of a bigger disease: the economic rot in Flint.
While blood lead values are the most accurate indicator of exposure, they decrease more quickly (half-life about a month) compared to levels in bone (half-life in years) and hair. Hair in particular may be able to chart the kids' exposure, as the most recent exposure is reflected in hair segments closest to the scalp and past exposures reflected in segments further out. ... Seems like a good public health research opportunity.
8
I've been reading all the coverage and cannot find any reference n any reputable source to cost-cutting as the reason Flint River water was not correctly treated. If anyone has facts to suggest that was the case, I'd appreciate seeing the source.
The is a difference between water that is high in lead and water that is nasty for some other reason but still drinkable. I know that is hard for some people to process, given the visceral reaction to bad water.
It just occurs to me that for centuries, maybe even thousands of years, humans used pewter for most eating and drinking . Pewter is an alloy of tin and lead. This demonization of lead ignores the vast majority of its use thoughout history. Surely the human race would all be cretins if lead in minute amounts was so potent.
The is a difference between water that is high in lead and water that is nasty for some other reason but still drinkable. I know that is hard for some people to process, given the visceral reaction to bad water.
It just occurs to me that for centuries, maybe even thousands of years, humans used pewter for most eating and drinking . Pewter is an alloy of tin and lead. This demonization of lead ignores the vast majority of its use thoughout history. Surely the human race would all be cretins if lead in minute amounts was so potent.
Didn't a biologist prove hundreds of years ago that acquired characteristics are not inherited by descendants? So if pewter ruined the minds of the our ancestors, but had no impact on ability to procreate (which I think is remarkably simple and reliable for humans), then the genetic structure of minds would be preserved for future generations.
I know it's tough to accept this situation, but denying science isn't going to be a fertile route for doing so.
I know it's tough to accept this situation, but denying science isn't going to be a fertile route for doing so.
2
Lead crosses the placental barrier - hence future generations.
While lead was found in food containers throughout history, in the United States once the leaching of lead into food from ceramic dinnerware, glassware and faux-silverware was understood, Federal laws and regulations were passed absolutely forbidding the use of lead in tableware of all sorts. In fact, many state governments have made it illegal to fire pottery/ceramic dinnerware in kilns where leaded glazes were once fired.
As a result, your "reasoning" concerning the use of lead is irrelevant, because TODAY is illegal to knowingly permit its presence in drinking water, tableware or cooking utensils.
As a result, your "reasoning" concerning the use of lead is irrelevant, because TODAY is illegal to knowingly permit its presence in drinking water, tableware or cooking utensils.
Like the war crimes and felonies committed by the Bush/Cheney Crime Family,
the crimes of Snyder and his minions
will go unpunished.
Much like the crimes of law enforcement in coal towns in W. Virginia.
Much like the crimes of the big banks and mortgage lenders.
It's American Exceptionalism.
the crimes of Snyder and his minions
will go unpunished.
Much like the crimes of law enforcement in coal towns in W. Virginia.
Much like the crimes of the big banks and mortgage lenders.
It's American Exceptionalism.
5
It is no exaggeration to say that this is a crime against humanity.
If we allow major crimes to go unpunished because those responsible wear suits or uniforms, we will allow our society to disintegrate.
Life without parole for those responsible, if found guilty. And that's only because I do not support the death penalty.
If we allow major crimes to go unpunished because those responsible wear suits or uniforms, we will allow our society to disintegrate.
Life without parole for those responsible, if found guilty. And that's only because I do not support the death penalty.
12
Proposed punishment for Flint officials involved of knowingly contaminating the drinking water: Make them and their families drink the water for as long as the residents did and then jail the officials in solitary confinement and throw away the key.
11
The Flint water scandal is a horror and hopefully people responsible will go to prison. However, Americans must quickly realize that their water resources are being destroyed by industrial polluters at an alarming rate.
Fracking, oil refining, gold mining, copper mining, coal mining and the sludge and toxic residue from the industries that use coal and tar sand oil are being dumped in shallow pools that are already seeping into wells, aquifers, rivers, streams and other sources of drinking water. Add to that the aging pipes and water systems in most cities, you have a monumental disaster coming.
Whenever anyone denies climate change, ask them to go to their local stream, river or lake and drink the water directly from it. If we cleaned up the environment and made our water and air safe, global warming would automatically reverse.
40 years after the start of the EPA we are still fighting to have a safe environment, but unfortunately we have lost the battle to Koch's Republican party and will probably pollute ourselves to oblivion.... The next great extinction but this time we did it to ourselves.
Fracking, oil refining, gold mining, copper mining, coal mining and the sludge and toxic residue from the industries that use coal and tar sand oil are being dumped in shallow pools that are already seeping into wells, aquifers, rivers, streams and other sources of drinking water. Add to that the aging pipes and water systems in most cities, you have a monumental disaster coming.
Whenever anyone denies climate change, ask them to go to their local stream, river or lake and drink the water directly from it. If we cleaned up the environment and made our water and air safe, global warming would automatically reverse.
40 years after the start of the EPA we are still fighting to have a safe environment, but unfortunately we have lost the battle to Koch's Republican party and will probably pollute ourselves to oblivion.... The next great extinction but this time we did it to ourselves.
92
@Ace Tracy,
This reminds me of an NYT article at the beginning of this month about Mr. Rob Bilott, a lawyer who's spent years fighting the untold damage caused by DuPont's poisoning.
EVERYTHNG you've said is on target, particularly re: climate change. Even if we can't reverse it 100%, we can try to stop it or reduce the damage, as much as possible. You know it. I know it. Others here know it. The rub? Anyone who continues to support those Republicans and continues to question the reality of climate change, even to their own peril.
1-29-16@6:29 pm est
This reminds me of an NYT article at the beginning of this month about Mr. Rob Bilott, a lawyer who's spent years fighting the untold damage caused by DuPont's poisoning.
EVERYTHNG you've said is on target, particularly re: climate change. Even if we can't reverse it 100%, we can try to stop it or reduce the damage, as much as possible. You know it. I know it. Others here know it. The rub? Anyone who continues to support those Republicans and continues to question the reality of climate change, even to their own peril.
1-29-16@6:29 pm est
1
I won't even go stand in my shared space backyard due to the pesticides in the grass. A whole other problem - the damage pesticides are doing to hormones and health in our kids in parks schools and in our backyards.
1
Welcome to the GOP vision for America.
35
Elevated blood lead levels are now defined as greater than 5 micrograms per deciliter. Several percent of small children in Flint have such levels. The cited reference doesn't say how high; it could be 6 micrograms per decileter or it could be 70 micrograms per deciliter (nearly the lethal level).
In the late 1970's the national average blood level in small children was 14 micrograms per deciliter, nearly three times what is now defined as "elevated". There is no evidence that most children growing up then suffered from lead toxicity.
Less lead is better, and no lead at all is a desirable goal, but there doesn't seem to be any reason to believe that anyone was actually harmed by the lead in Flint's water.
In the late 1970's the national average blood level in small children was 14 micrograms per deciliter, nearly three times what is now defined as "elevated". There is no evidence that most children growing up then suffered from lead toxicity.
Less lead is better, and no lead at all is a desirable goal, but there doesn't seem to be any reason to believe that anyone was actually harmed by the lead in Flint's water.
2
There is no safe level of lead in the body. Zero.
9
If there is no safe level of lead in the body, how has the human race survived, given the thousands of years of lead use, its pumping into the air by leaded gasoline for decades, as well as its ubiquity in older plumbing that was installed and used before water was treated for anything but bacteria.
1
I know someone who had elevated levels of lead in his body when he was a small child. There has been no noticeable issues, as of yet. He's very sharp and agile. Hopefully, these kids will also dodge the effects of elevated lead. What we do know with a certainty is that hundreds of Michiganders were harmed physically or killed when a doctor prescribed toxic levels of chemo to pad his account. People lost their livers and teeth, had heart attacks or were killed, among scores of other permanent issues. The government was too lazy and inept to look into it.
This is the tragic result of a Fascist style government taking hold in Michigan. When unelected "emergency managers' replace elected officials and when a corporate/privatization mentality takes over, citizens have no recourse. This scenario is being replicated in Wisconsin and Ohio, is a definite possibility in Illinois with Rauner as governor and is prevalent throughout the South. Snyder and his cohorts should be indicted for a multitude of crimes, the least of which is exhibiting a reckless disregard for human life. It's time for Americans to stop voting against their own self-interests and to elect people who represent them, not the corporations, lobbyists and right wing fanatics that are seeking to turn this country into a plutocracy (we may already be there) or, even worse, a theocracy. The business model of government has never worked and Flint is yet another example of a discredited economic ideology doing irreparable damage.
26
Thanks you for calling it like it is. Vote Bernie. I guess if people are brain damaged, it's easier to get them to vote against their own self interest.
1
Here's the problem: Flint was close to an economic disaster before this. You can scream at the emergency manager idea, and clearly they made grievous mistakes here, but what's the alternative? Let the Flint government take the city into bankruptcy? I've yet to see a viable alternative. It's terrible for this to happen. It's very bad for a city to go bankrupt. We're choosing from a menu of bad options.
If I hear one person from the right start spouting "there is no science linking lead contamination with human developmental problems" then we should deliberately divide this nation into two-- 1) a nation where the deniers of reason and science can live and 2) those that are progressive and are concerned with the well being of their fellow citizens.
28
I just love the light and fluffy A.O.L email writers worried about little itty bits of chemical in their water bottle, or the residents near power lines looking in the mirror to see if their hair is frazzled. For you I ask, what do you think of all the water plumbing in the entire country soldered together with solder that is comprised of about half Lead?
It could be worse. Wild animals could be after us.
It could be worse. Wild animals could be after us.
Why is Gov. Rick Snyder still in office? His actions, which are at a minimum massive negligence with long ranging impacts, are criminal. He and his minions should be removed from office and prosecuted for their crimes against the people of Flint.
12
"Michigan gave State Employees Purified water while denying the Crisis." I don't if I am wrong in saying this, but these actions seem like a form of slow genocide of the innocents and poor people, all in the name of saving a few million. As most politicians are rich and power, all responsible for the debacle probably will escape any attempts to bring them to criminal justice. But bad karma will eventually get them. Republicans seem only to be interested as long as the child is an unborn fetus, but doesn't care for a child's well being after it is born.
13
Dear god, what horrifying, heinous actions on the part of Snyder. It is times like these that public floggings are appropriate.
7
I have not seen any discussion in the news or these comments about chelation therapy for lead poisoning. Chelates (Latin for "claw") complex heavy metals and allow them to be rapidly excreted in the urine. There are a number of FDA approved drugs. Oral drugs would seem to be the least expensive and easiest to deliver and are Succimer, Unithiol, and penicillamine. There is also an intravenous drug, such as calcium disodium EDTA used with Dimercaprol, which would be used for people showing symptoms . A complete discussion of all of these and lead poisoning in general can be found in the excellent WHO report, “Oral Chelation Therapy for Patients with Lead Poisoning” by Jennifer A. Lowry, MD. It can be downloaded at
http://www.who.int/selection_medicines/committees/expert/18/applications...
Since brain damage to children occurs quickly, time is of the essence to provide treatment as soon as possible.
http://www.who.int/selection_medicines/committees/expert/18/applications...
Since brain damage to children occurs quickly, time is of the essence to provide treatment as soon as possible.
5
Take action to help the people of Flint. I know I have spent way too much time lamenting on comment posts. Here's a helpful link:
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/how-help-flint-michigan
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/how-help-flint-michigan
6
The criminal charges need to be filled and responsible people , whoever they might be should be thrown to jail. The affectd families compensated and provide any necessary assistance now and in the future.
It should serve as an example and warning to people who make decisions affecting other people lives.
These childrens lives, their future, their potentials have been irreversibly
altered.
It should serve as an example and warning to people who make decisions affecting other people lives.
These childrens lives, their future, their potentials have been irreversibly
altered.
13
As you can see, crimes against humanity and genocide are not random acts of violence. Once a mass atrocity occurs, the U.S. government must face a number of serious questions: how should it react, who should undertake the actions decided upon, and under what authority should they act. It is time to act.
9
Obama has failed us once again! The Justice Department should be handing down indictments of the Governor and everyone else who responsible for this atrocity. This is worse than 9/11....but we inflicted it on our own people! Children for God's sake! Where in God's name is the line in the sand, I ask you? Someone clearly crossed it here...again and again, just to save a few bucks?
4
You are blaming Obama for the inaction of the Republican governor? Huh? You been drinking some of that leaded water?
15
Plain and simple. When is Synder and his henchmen going to resign or take a leave of absent until this is fully investigated? This is beyond outrageous. It's at least manslaughter if not the premeditated murder of young minds.
8
If we can relocate refugees from all over the world why not relocate our own citizens to a town with a safer water supply.
We cannot just sit and watch - lead takes decades to remove.
We cannot just sit and watch - lead takes decades to remove.
19
So sad and sorry, as this was so preventable. What is remarkable is that the news took so long to trickle down to the public. Meanwhile, endless articles about the presidential circus, which is still 10 months away.
But it's not just Flint. Recently there was a wonderful expose about DuPont, and the list of states with water problems from that is staggering. New Jersey, for example, over a million with water at risk.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts...
(Look for your state on the chart.)
The Koch style willingness to make profits without regard to waste and toxicity is also nothing new.
Erin Brockovich mentioned there are close to 40,000 Superfund sites waiting to be remediated. When the EPA accidentally release some mining effluent, was the blame on the wasters? No, the EPA caused the problem by being there.
So earth, we have a problem, and it's bigger than Flint. Meanwhile, the Republican "solution" is exactly wrong. I came across this recently and can't resist a quote:
"turned it into something ... worth stealing" is a good summary of what government at its best does. And 'looking to reject the kind of science that has made this country great" is a sad epitaph for climate science denial by unskeptical "skeptics".
But it's not just Flint. Recently there was a wonderful expose about DuPont, and the list of states with water problems from that is staggering. New Jersey, for example, over a million with water at risk.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts...
(Look for your state on the chart.)
The Koch style willingness to make profits without regard to waste and toxicity is also nothing new.
Erin Brockovich mentioned there are close to 40,000 Superfund sites waiting to be remediated. When the EPA accidentally release some mining effluent, was the blame on the wasters? No, the EPA caused the problem by being there.
So earth, we have a problem, and it's bigger than Flint. Meanwhile, the Republican "solution" is exactly wrong. I came across this recently and can't resist a quote:
"turned it into something ... worth stealing" is a good summary of what government at its best does. And 'looking to reject the kind of science that has made this country great" is a sad epitaph for climate science denial by unskeptical "skeptics".
9
Justice For (completely precious) Taeyana Brown!
And all the other children of Flint!
And all the other children of Flint!
28
This is heartbreaking, and responsibility ultimately lies with the governor and state legislature, who used these poor children to experiment with right-wing theories of government. They passed a law over the will of the Michigan residents to appoint overseers for poor cities like Flint, leaving those residents with no voice over how their towns were run. The Flint city council voted to switch back to its original water supply soon after problems became apparent, but the state-appointed overseer overruled them. Is democracy only for the wealthy in Michigan?
127
Even more horrendous than the atrocity committed upon the Flint citizens, is the fact that Ricky Snyder and Jerry Ambrose have not stepped down from their posts, and have yet to be charged for their criminal behavior. We should not stand for any attempts to legitimize their decisions. They made a calculated decision with full knowledge of the consequences. They should be charged immediately.
51
The more I read about this the more I mean jail time is needed.
45
What can be done about the water? When Flint began pumping water from the Flint River, it did not treat the water with orthophosphate to neutralize the chloride as it should have. As a result, the chloride corroded the protective coating that lines the insides of the lead water pipes and allowed lead to leach into the water. CNN and ABC News are now reporting that the Flint Water Treatment Plant is adding chemicals to the water to recoat existing pipes and contain the lead. ABC said, “If it works, that could make the water safe enough to drink until the damage to the system can be fully assessed.”
Yeah, and little green elves with circle eyes are dancing around my living room as i type this.
"If it works....." key words.
"If it works....." key words.
1
Experts say it may work. I realize many people will be disappointed if it does work.
William, your statement is correct and I do hope it works. Despite all of the noise and talk about replacing the pipelines as an engineer I think this seems like the most prudent approach.
It's been well over 80 years that the debilitating effects of lead has been known and yet a known harm in Flint and other American cities has existed in the form of lead water pipe and the leadership skirted it...Lead paint was a big deal, still is in some areas, so it was okay to drink lead contaminated water but not eat lead paint......logic of this thinking escapes me, like mtbe contaminating water supplies ok'd by the gov, exposing millions to a cancer contaminate and yet those same elected officials have never been prosecuted...Our problem is that politicians rarely go to jail for the harm they cause and most of them do not seem to know how to rub two sticks together or understand Constitutional parameters to guard us from them.....how long before we get out of the "stupid is" mode....?
43
This heinous crime against humanity, mostly children mind you, is indefensible.
There should be 'official' people put behind bars period. Make that lead bars.
There should be 'official' people put behind bars period. Make that lead bars.
9
My comment is for Dr. Hanna-Attisha and those who are fighting alongside her. Thank you. Thank you for looking out for those who do not have the resources to best advocate for themselves. Yours is a tireless job, and I imagine there are days when you are so disheartened and sad and angry it takes a toll. But your dedication is admirable, and I hope your wishlist is granted. You and those you are trying to save deserve nothing less.
46
I have over 30 years experience in occupational health and studied in Michigan. There is a test that reveals the long term effects of lead called the zinc protoporphyrin. According to this website, it may not be useful unless blood lead levels exceed 30-40 micrograms per deciliter. http://www.aafp.org/afp/1998/0215/p719.html
My understanding is that hundreds of children are having their blood tested for analysis right now. Hopefully we will be able to see the aggregated data with statistical parameters at some point. Those lead pipes looked really awful. Have you had to live without running water lately? I did for a week in 2014 and it is a real hardship. The state of Michigan, in my view, should cough up the money to replace those pipes (and create hundreds of infrastructure jobs) immediately.
My understanding is that hundreds of children are having their blood tested for analysis right now. Hopefully we will be able to see the aggregated data with statistical parameters at some point. Those lead pipes looked really awful. Have you had to live without running water lately? I did for a week in 2014 and it is a real hardship. The state of Michigan, in my view, should cough up the money to replace those pipes (and create hundreds of infrastructure jobs) immediately.
11
If ISIL or Al Quada poisoned the water supply of an American city they would be boasting about it.
10
Flint is 57 percent black, but the 37.4 percent of Flint residents who are white also drink water. USA Today pointed out in a recent article that the Flint water crisis isn’t as alarming as it seems. Tests show that the levels of lead showing up in children even in the hardest hit sections of Flint would have been considered normal or lower than normal just a decade ago. Flint children testing positive today have lower lead levels than their parents or grandparents. “Flint residents of only a decade ago would have counted themselves lucky to suffer the lead ‘poisoning’ rates plaguing the city today,” USA Today stated. Flint children testing positive today also have levels of lead lower than previous generations of Americans nationwide. According to the newspaper, in the late 1970s “88% of Americans ages 1 to 5 had at least 10 micrograms per deciliter of lead in their blood, or twice as much as today’s level of concern.” USA Today also noted that “Seventy-seven percent of the ‘positive’ test results are in the lowest 5-9 micrograms per deciliter range most vulnerable to the inaccuracy of capillary tests, raising the possibility of a significant number of false positives.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/01/22/flint-water-lead-poison...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/01/22/flint-water-lead-poison...
1
The "article" you cite is an editorial piece, and thus is full of opinion and cherry-picked facts. And your argument that children of a generation ago would have been "lucky" to have the lead levels of today's children in Flint is specious; we now know much more about the neurological effects of lead on fetuses and children than we did a generation ago. Yesterday's safe dose can in fact be today's poison.
17
Let's recap. You started off with a variant of "white lives matter", and then regurgitated some findings from a USA Today columnist. Thanks for your contribution.
16
Mr. Case,
Can you have your little kid drink a cup, just one cup, of Flint's water?
Just once.
Can you have your little kid drink a cup, just one cup, of Flint's water?
Just once.
7
That this matter happened in America is a horrendous shame and crisis. How do the local and state government employees responsible for this situation sleep at night? The stories of the possible long-term harm to the children alone should keep them awake constantly. In many parts of America, our country has broken down. Whether it is a lack of money, politicians arguing among themselves or just people simply not caring enough about our citizens, these situations will unfortunately continue. This issue, indicative of just some of the problems happening in our country, should be front and center in the process of electing our upcoming President and the candidates running should have this issue directly asked to each of them.
77
You believe in the USA of the past HH.
America has chosen a path of self-destruction and another potential civil (and maybe race) war.
America has chosen a path of self-destruction and another potential civil (and maybe race) war.
3
Serving a population of 100,000 residents, someone was trying to save $500 per month in chemicals that could have prevented this tragedy. A tragedy that will play out in the entire lives of all affected in different ways, the kids more than others.
That comes to saving half of One Cent per person per month! Yes, a grand total of six cents per person for the entire year! Just try to imagine the money “saved” versus the enormity of the everlasting damage done to the minds and bodies of a 100,000 people.
I am out of words as this criminal decision-making occurred in the richest and most resourceful country that has ever existed.
Who could have thought up of such an odious cost saving measure? Don’t they families of their own? Or, any morals?
And I am simply sad for Flint and its residents.
That comes to saving half of One Cent per person per month! Yes, a grand total of six cents per person for the entire year! Just try to imagine the money “saved” versus the enormity of the everlasting damage done to the minds and bodies of a 100,000 people.
I am out of words as this criminal decision-making occurred in the richest and most resourceful country that has ever existed.
Who could have thought up of such an odious cost saving measure? Don’t they families of their own? Or, any morals?
And I am simply sad for Flint and its residents.
195
As I get older, I realize that morality isn't nearly as important as ethics. An ethical person follows the golden rule, treating others as he/she would want to be treated. Morality, on the other hand, seems to concern itself with what others do, usually of a sexual nature.
Just a simple observance of the golden rule would have made this tragedy impossible, as clearly the civil servants knew the water was poison and looked after themselves, while calling the concerned residents "anti-everything." They actually mocked their victims!
Just a simple observance of the golden rule would have made this tragedy impossible, as clearly the civil servants knew the water was poison and looked after themselves, while calling the concerned residents "anti-everything." They actually mocked their victims!
The significant matter here is the endemic conservative desperation where money is concerned. Time and again, we see Republicans adopt any interpretation of reality and policy, so long as it suits their desperate obsession with money. And so this cannot be dismissed as a simple "mistake." It wasn't. It was a choice for financial gain despite the clear empirical evidence and warnings to not make that call. It goes to character. People so feeble of character that they adopt every fantasy that suits their pocketbooks and deny every statistic and scientific and other empirical reality they don't like - have no business being in politics. They say, for example: "Everyone could be rich if they just tried - so there's no need for social safety nets." And "there's no global warming." And "banks don't need a net capitalization rule.." And "rich people shouldn't pay taxes on their income like middle class people do..." etc etc ad nauseum.
7
It's not a matter of state or federal funding. Cities, including flint, pay for water by billing customers based on usage. Flint operates its own water treatment plant. The Flint City Council is 80 percent black and mostly Democrat.
Whatever it is, it's not for financial gain. Flint's budget problems were bad. It had huge unfunded pension/health care costs and no real possibility of raising revenue via tax increases. The poor decisions that were made were made to avoid financial disaster. That's not to say they were right - clearly they weren't - but there absolutely was a need to cut costs anywhere possible to avoid bankruptcy.
I have seen a few comments here desperately trying to suggest that the poor conditions of Flint lead to this. Nonsense. Snyder and his administration imposed themselves on Flint. Yes Flint was down and out but they did NOT have a water contamination problem before the EMs were in place. Yes there was failure at the state, fed and local levels also but Mr Snyder owns this.
How has Governor Rick Snyder not been arrested yet for gross negligence and purposely ignoring the poisoning of his own constituents?? I'm not encouraging violence, but if the state won't do anything, the people of Michigan need to protest and drag this man out of their government to set an example on accountability
13
Don't forget those elected officials closest to the Flint residents, the Mayor & City Council who put on a happy face. They may have been under the direction of State folks because the locals had run the City's finances into the ditch, but it was the Mayor who pushed the ceremonial button to cut over to the filthy Flint River, while smiling or the cameras.
The point being that this was a failure of Gov't at all levels, not just the State and/or Fed.
The point being that this was a failure of Gov't at all levels, not just the State and/or Fed.
2
Children with higher blood lead levels will likely live with lifelong mental retardation. According to the CDC, based on a 2003 study, (in 2003 dollars), the average lifetime costs per person were estimated at $1,014,000 for persons with mental retardation.
Here's that study: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5303a4.htm
How will the state of Michigan pay what will probably be $1.5 million of lifetime care for each of the thousands of children-to-become-adults, that had high-level lead exposure, over the next 50-80 years?
The governor's office may need to seek some kind of federal emergency declaration to fund all the health, special ed, and casework services.
Here's that study: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5303a4.htm
How will the state of Michigan pay what will probably be $1.5 million of lifetime care for each of the thousands of children-to-become-adults, that had high-level lead exposure, over the next 50-80 years?
The governor's office may need to seek some kind of federal emergency declaration to fund all the health, special ed, and casework services.
54
Another opportunity for the Republicans to call those thus afflicted by their criminal negligence and misdeeds, welfare queens, the 47%, people dependent on handouts etc, etc, etc.
4
The cost you cite are for the long-term care of people diagnosed with developmental disabilities. Only a tiny percent of Flint children will be diagnosed with developmental disabilities. The lead levels being detected in Flint children exceed recently revised standards, but are lower than average levels in previous generation.
They wont. They will, instead, blame these children for bad schools, neighborhood crime and incarceration. Then they will get votes because the wealthy population will forget why these kids ended up the way they did. Rinse, recycle, repeat.
2
Looking at that beautiful baby girl, Taeyanna, and thinking that she might have permanent brain damage because the Governor wanted to save a buck, is just disgusting. There must be criminal prosecutions, willful ignorance is not a defense. What is sadder and more tragic still, is that a whole swath of the Michigan government could care less about that little baby and all the children of Flint, they are the wrong color and/or the wrong class.
186
C,
Maybe the Gov. should receive an offer he can't refuse: a full glass of that water.
1-29-16@5:41 pm est
Maybe the Gov. should receive an offer he can't refuse: a full glass of that water.
1-29-16@5:41 pm est
4
I so agree with you, C. The lives of these gorgeous kids have been recklessly imperiled and there is a good chance that their families may never recover. Can we strike "compassionate conservative" from the lexicon, now, please?
1
And perhaps his three children as well? The disgrace of his failure to act is a crime against humanity. If he ever goes to Europe, I hope he ends up in the courthouse of The Hague.
1
Given the widely known effects of lead on the human nervous system the officials that are responsible for this should be indicted. I know that criminally negligent homicide is a crime, so there must be some lessor level of this crime when it causes injury but not death.
Neither is the governors apology sufficient. His staffers were diligently carrying out his policies and it was clear to them that the first priority was cutting costs, not protecting public health.
Finally, I hope the alternative health community can lend assistance to Flint. Chelation therapy, not widely used by conventional medicine can be very effective in removing lead from ones entire system, including the fatty tissues where it tends to lodge even when blood tests show improvement.
Neither is the governors apology sufficient. His staffers were diligently carrying out his policies and it was clear to them that the first priority was cutting costs, not protecting public health.
Finally, I hope the alternative health community can lend assistance to Flint. Chelation therapy, not widely used by conventional medicine can be very effective in removing lead from ones entire system, including the fatty tissues where it tends to lodge even when blood tests show improvement.
8
Why is no one demanding (not asking) Snyder to resign. This was done on purpose.
7
It is relevant to acknowledge the "8 stages of community chemical risk communication," which is my summary of authors Krimsky and Plough (1988) in their Environmental Hazards: communicating risks as a social process, and Foreman (1998) The Promise and Peril of Environmental Justice. We are at Stage 7.
1. citizens ask complex questions, but officials have no answers
2. media fills the vacuum, while officials resist anything but their own viewpoints
3. Official risk communication through signage and sometimes a willful decision NOT to communicate.
4. Official attempts to assuage fears by talking down to victims as "misguided"
5. Continuation of vague attempts to communicate, with the designation of an archive of official documents
6. Citizens demand the total removal of all toxins
7. Officials make public effort to document citizen concern through advisory committees, usually stacked with local business leaders
8. Officials take action to alleviate chemical risks, using well-informed spokespeople who are very patient in dealing with local concerns.
1. citizens ask complex questions, but officials have no answers
2. media fills the vacuum, while officials resist anything but their own viewpoints
3. Official risk communication through signage and sometimes a willful decision NOT to communicate.
4. Official attempts to assuage fears by talking down to victims as "misguided"
5. Continuation of vague attempts to communicate, with the designation of an archive of official documents
6. Citizens demand the total removal of all toxins
7. Officials make public effort to document citizen concern through advisory committees, usually stacked with local business leaders
8. Officials take action to alleviate chemical risks, using well-informed spokespeople who are very patient in dealing with local concerns.
Clearly there was a level of care that elected offcials failed to meet and they should held liable for their failure to act in civil and criminal courts.
6
What do we have to do to take this tragic news seriously? Place it on the front page on every major news outlet for weeks to come. Make it a priority. I'm sick of hearing about the debates, ISIS and climate change. Wake up. This is in our backyard!
6
We have evacuated the moral high ground in this country. Our consistent approach to prey upon the citizens who have suffered the most is beyond reproach. We have no leverage in the global fight for human rights. We need to address the issues for the people that need us to the most. We've got it backwards, especially in a Judeo "Christian" society.
7
100,000 people, Flint residents, were given lead poison in Michigan. Snyder is blaming all levels of government but there are levels of blame. The Governor and his appointees appear to get 90% of the blame and a regional EPA member gets 10%. This harm has the potential to last a lifetime. The more we find out about this disaster the more Gov Synder and his government appear to be criminals.
15
I still struggle to comprehend that this is a real story, that really is happening, and not some preposterous Hollywood dystopian movie.
22
The Republican Party is a preposterous dystopian movie.
4
The negligence on the part of the state of Michigan is beyond comprehension. Jail sentences are in order.
44
I don't say this lightly: Dr. Hanna-Attisha deserves to be considered for a Nobel Prize for being such an extraordinarly peristent and compassionate adovacate for the people of Flint.
Only with this sort of advocacy, and consequent media exposure, can the ghouls of Michigan's government ever be exposed for what they are.
If justice is served, Snyder and his wealthy sponsors and cohorts will be defending themselves from inside of a courtroom and not from behind desks in cushy government offices.
Then it's on to making all the crooks in positions of power accountable--to us, not their owners.
Only with this sort of advocacy, and consequent media exposure, can the ghouls of Michigan's government ever be exposed for what they are.
If justice is served, Snyder and his wealthy sponsors and cohorts will be defending themselves from inside of a courtroom and not from behind desks in cushy government offices.
Then it's on to making all the crooks in positions of power accountable--to us, not their owners.
87
Women seem to be the majority of whistle-blowers since they became half the workforce. Years before anyone else, it was a woman who reported the doctor in Michigan who fraudulently diagnosed hundreds of patients with cancer. She too was ignored by the men in government (And of course there's the whistle-blower for Enron, Karen Silkwood, Erin Brokovitch, Anita Hill, female cops who rescued Jaycee Dugard, our women in the military. It just goes to show why countries who keep women out of the workforce, are the most corrupt.
7
@Diana,
Re: Dr. Hanna-Attisha, of course you mean it. If she's not considered for a Nobel, than the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The same may also be said of Mr. Rob Bilott, attorney, who's fought DuPont's poisoning for years and is now ill, himself.
Kudos to both.
1-29-16@6:11 pm est
Re: Dr. Hanna-Attisha, of course you mean it. If she's not considered for a Nobel, than the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The same may also be said of Mr. Rob Bilott, attorney, who's fought DuPont's poisoning for years and is now ill, himself.
Kudos to both.
1-29-16@6:11 pm est
4
Vote for Bernie.
3
This is heartbreaking. How Governor Snyder can look at himself in the mirror--I don't know. There has to be some reparation for the citizens of Flint--a class action lawsuit?
29
I hope a bunch of lawyers working pro-bono take this case a class action suit of the Citizens of Flint vs the State of Michigan and City of Flint. This is outrageous.
166
no need for pro-bono, i am sure there are plenty of attorneys from all walks already filing motions, talking to people, drawing papers.....and rightly so.
1
Forget pro-bono; normal contingency will be the mechanism. At about $100,000 per child x 8000 kids plus $10,000 per house x 50,000 house this is going to work out to billions. I am quite sure there are dozens of law firms laying the groundwork to get their 1/3rd already.
Flint is not so much an early warning, because we should have known sooner, but a belated reprimand - it shows what happens when feed-the-rich & starve-the-government austerity takes hold of a society.
252
In the hermetically sealed world of the right, all of Flint's problems are the result of Democrats running the city's government. But, notice how the Republicans govern when they take power.
26
Every Michigan state official responsible for allowing this to happen belongs in jail. Neglecting to protect thousands of children and babies from lead poisoning is as grotesque an act I have lived to see a public servant commit against the people they are tasked with serving. It is a grave reflection of the times we live in that Governor Snyder will likely leave office for a cushy existence that the men, women, and children of Flint are unlikely to ever enjoy. Why are we, as a country, not calling for Snyder to be tried and prosecuted? When does this cycle of rich people hurting poor people stop?
I am embarrassed by and scared for the soul this country.
I am embarrassed by and scared for the soul this country.
326
How about the local government officials that run the Flint water department or the EPA officials that downplayed the concerns? Susan Hedman, the EPA director appointed by President Obama also resigned, as did the local water system director. Should we also toss them in jail, or only Republicans?
1
Not just republicans Tom anyone who failed to do their job. The EPA has no legal requirement to force/notify the state and local departments. Is that objectionable? Definitely. Did the EPA director have a moral duty to care yes! There is definitely culpability at the fed, city and state levels, but make no mistake, Rick Snyder specifically created the reporting structure that took over the city and these EMs failed the residents of Flint. This is not too different from a corporate leader who in the past has simply claimed that it was the fault of some underling and they didn't know, it is your duty and job to know. What is even more troubling here is that Mr. Snyder became aware of the extent of the crisis and then only moved to manage the exposure and not the actual things affecting the residents.
1
Send the bill to the GOP and the Koch brothers! They own this disaster lock, stock and barrel! This would have never happened in Flint without their actions. The governor and his sponsors are responsible for this mess!
85
When sending out bills for the financial cost of this horrific crime against the most helpless Americans, her children, don't forget to include the owners of Amway. I think Amway headquarters is in Ada, Michigan.
The bill for the humanitarian cost of this heinous crime of poisoning the citizens of Flint must be sent to the Michigan officials who were responsible for it. The bill must be in the form of criminal prosecution and imprisonment for those found guilty and civil action as an altenative and or appropriate remedy.
In keeping with the protection of the American people, it is befitting that congress investigates the poisoning of the citizens of Flint.
The bill for the humanitarian cost of this heinous crime of poisoning the citizens of Flint must be sent to the Michigan officials who were responsible for it. The bill must be in the form of criminal prosecution and imprisonment for those found guilty and civil action as an altenative and or appropriate remedy.
In keeping with the protection of the American people, it is befitting that congress investigates the poisoning of the citizens of Flint.
6
Hopefully this will draw greater attention to the systematic neglect of the health of poor children, especially those of color in urban areas. A despicable study done by Johns Hopkins is only the tip of a floating iceberg:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/baltimores-kennedy-krieger-institu...
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/baltimores-kennedy-krieger-institu...
37
It is a comfort to know that Gov. Snyder's representatives did not drink water with lead content as they had bottled water shipped in (undoubtedly at state expense) as the children were poisoned. At what point does this activity and the related deception become criminal?
126
The state was concerned enough with the water quality in Flint over a year ago to supply its workers with purified water in a state owned building in that city.
There is no doubt in my mind that the socio-economic makeup of Flint was the main reason this situation was allowed to happen.
Perhaps it is time for the Feds to appoint an "emergency manager" for Michigan.
There is no doubt in my mind that the socio-economic makeup of Flint was the main reason this situation was allowed to happen.
Perhaps it is time for the Feds to appoint an "emergency manager" for Michigan.
216
Flint is just collateral damage. The target was the Detroit Water and Sewage Department. Snyder wants to dismantle it and sell the parts to his friends for pennies. Then they can jack up the prices again and again. It's called monopoly capitalism, and free market capitalism. The market is free for rich people to plunder the workers.
There are some actions which rise to the level of imprisonment for those responsible. This deception by Flint officials is one of them
123
It was not Flint officials that were in charge. It was State officials. This falls on the Governor.
4
Fixing Flint is not easy task. The pipes in the street are corroded. The pipes from street to residence are corroded and the pipes inside the home are corroded. The homes in Flint are old and when you begin to open the walls you will find Asbestos tile in ceilings and floors, asbestos covered pipes, aluminum wiring and corroded pipes and if you are not scared right now there is probably a bit of nob and tube out there too. Michigan can't just change the pipe in the street because the problem went on for so long they destroyed the homes.
Once you open the walls you have to fix the problems you find. It will be much easier to knock down the older homes and build new.
I don't know if Flint can be saved but Michigan needs to provide residents with resources to relocate to a safer environment now.
Once you open the walls you have to fix the problems you find. It will be much easier to knock down the older homes and build new.
I don't know if Flint can be saved but Michigan needs to provide residents with resources to relocate to a safer environment now.
24
State employees in Flint were given access to clean drinking water last January, and in all this time a possible 8,000 children were exposed to lead. Rick Snyder needs to be charged as a criminal.
The reality of what Snyder's administration has taken from these children and their families is staggering. The cost of his malfeasance will be too. Early learning services, special education programs have to be made available to every single of these children. The National Guard has to take on being the water department and should be trucking in the nutrient-rich foods recommended by Dr. Hanna-Attisha. Medical professionals should be going door to door.
This is a man-made crisis, and it can happen again. Vote wisely.
The reality of what Snyder's administration has taken from these children and their families is staggering. The cost of his malfeasance will be too. Early learning services, special education programs have to be made available to every single of these children. The National Guard has to take on being the water department and should be trucking in the nutrient-rich foods recommended by Dr. Hanna-Attisha. Medical professionals should be going door to door.
This is a man-made crisis, and it can happen again. Vote wisely.
347
I agree, Snyder's lack of action and that of many other politicians, who should have done something, should require real hard time. The situation is a disgrace.
12
@swm,
Exactly.
1-29-16@5:38 pm est
Exactly.
1-29-16@5:38 pm est
1
I'm reading this and all I can think of is how long before the country becomes bored of the crisis, turns its attention and money elsewhere, and then, later, proceeds to blame the victims, or the parents, or the residents for living in Flint, not moving away, and being poor. That seems to be how things work in America. Rather than helping, people blame and the government, in response to the politicians, tries to make sure that only the deserving people get help. They then make it so difficult that almost no one gets help.
My deepest sympathies are for the parents who are living through this nightmare. It shows how little America thinks of its children and its citizens that it could, in any place, allow this to continue or even to start as way to save money.
My deepest sympathies are for the parents who are living through this nightmare. It shows how little America thinks of its children and its citizens that it could, in any place, allow this to continue or even to start as way to save money.
81
Though the reply box shows my old address (Fenton), I've lived in Flint for 5 years, in an old house, a good neighborhood close to town, and work at the University of Michigan. We are all victims here, but many families will suffer more than others due to the issues of poverty and lack of access to healthy choices. I just had a child last summer and for a few months we continued to drink from the tap. As parents we look forward with a hugely different set of expectations, with a wide range of cautions and fears connected. I'd like ALL parents to look at their local governments and ask the hard questions about pubic health and safety.
Flint is emblematic of attitudes towards the poor and is strongly reflected in the current discourse of both the GOP and Democratic political campaigns.
Ask the hard questions people, it can just as easily happen to you too.
Flint is emblematic of attitudes towards the poor and is strongly reflected in the current discourse of both the GOP and Democratic political campaigns.
Ask the hard questions people, it can just as easily happen to you too.
11
How long? Half the country has already rationalized it.
1