You can’t make this up…
It’s impossible to talk about water in Michigan without raising the crisis in Flint.
Beginning in 2014 thousands of families were exposed to dangerous levels of
lead and bacteria in tap water. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder [a leading
Republican] cut costs by switching the city’s water source, after which the
state failed to treat the water with anticorrosives. An outbreak of
Legionnaire’s Disease killed at least 12 people and led to manslaughter
charges against five state and city officials. Snyder also tried, unsuccessfully,
to block a federal court order forcing the state to deliver bottled water to
residents. He argued that, at an estimated $10.5 million a month, it would
be too costly, put too many trucks on the road, and, overwhelm Flint’s
recycling system. (Bloomberg Businessweek, September 25, 2017; p. 61)
When the choice before a Republican governor is between human lives and money, take money and give points.
Submitted by Glenn Koenen, WCD Member