In his recent State of the State speech, Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan apologized to the city of Flint, Michigan for his administration’s approach to the clean water crisis in their city. He said that “[he] is sorry and [he] will fix it.”
The residents have had contaminated tap water for several weeks after the state decided to switch the water source to the Flint River to save costs. The water had previously come from Lake Huron which was much cleaner water. The river has been tested and found to have high levels of lead. This lead can have negative effects on the development of young children, fetus development, nerve operation, and muscles and joints. The Snyder administration has also been heavily criticized due to the large African American population of the city.
Whistle blowers have stated that the Snyder administration knew about the toxic lead levels long before the water was switched away from the lake. Despite the potential harm it might cause, they decided to go along with the plan to save costs.
Obama called a state of emergency in Flint and the story has been an important topic on talk shows such as The Rachael Maddow Show and was also briefly discussed during the recent democratic debate.
As we have talked about in class many times, an important part of winning an election is keeping your constituents pleased and harming them with unsafe water seems like a very bad way to do this.
Snyder was an accountant before entering the state government and was popular due to the belief that he might help stream line the state. This is one of the likely causes of the crisis. But it has also been caused by many government officials making poor decisions on a wide variety of issues. Should the residents of Michigan trust Snyder at this point? Should people be removed from the government? Do you think this will prevent Snyder from being reelected if he even decides to run?
I think the people of Flint should continue to pressure the government of Michigan to actively work on this problem and to continue to involve the media. Americans frequently lose interest in a topic when a more interesting one arises, but this is definitely a serious problem that needs to be fixed as soon as possible to prevent harm to the citizens.
I think the people of Flint should continue to pressure the government of Michigan to actively work on this problem and to continue to involve the media. Americans frequently lose interest in a topic when a more interesting one arises, but this is definitely a serious problem that needs to be fixed as soon as possible to prevent harm to the citizens.
