Shame on You, Governor Snyder
In late April of 2014, Flint, Michigan, switched from purchasing treated water from Lake Huron to treated water from the Flint River in an effort to save five million dollars. In January of 2015, citizens of Flint gathered to complain about the water quality that the city was providing. For almost 18 months before a local physician discovered the high levels of lead in the blood of Flint’s children, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality continually insisted that despite the unusual taste, smell and brownish appearance of the water, it was completely safe to drink. However, before switching water sources, the city of Flint failed to file an anti-corrosion plan, which might have prevented the scale of the crisis. Early in 2015, Flint’s water officials filed official papers citing regulators that there were no detectable issues with the quality of the water. However, the Flint River water, which was much more acidic than the lake water, had been leaching lead from the worn water pipes since the switch to river water. The public outcried for almost three years when the river was being used for water supply, including a delivery of 26,000 signatures to the mayor of Flint. But the state government only intervened in October of 2015 to help Flint switch back to lake water.
The damage the river water did to the water distribution system remains. As a result, on Jan. 5, 2016, Gov. Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency, and on Jan. 12, mobilized the National Guard to assist with the distribution of clean water and water filters. On Jan. 16, 2015, President Obama declared a federal state of emergency in Flint. As a result of the national emergency, five million dollars has been granted to the state to immediately assist with the crisis. However, the possibility of greater aid remains if President Obama goes through Congress. Gov. Snyder is currently seeking an additional almost 25 million dollars in aid, which would put the total repair costs almost six times greater than the original five million dollars the city of Flint originally sought to save.
As a result of the incident, almost nine-thousand children have been exposed to the high levels of lead. The damage is irreversible, permanently lowering IQ and causing learning disabilities along with physical health problems. One two-year-old child experienced such extreme lead poisoning that severe blisters formed all over his body. He is now terrified of water and screams in pain whenever contact is made with his skin.
Water is our most essential need, a need which has been placed under the responsibility of local governments. The very purpose of government is to provide for the betterment and the well being of society. If a local government can not even meet the essential needs of its citizens and causes damage to public health simply in an attempt to save money, it is not fulfilling its purpose. Despite countless outcries, some occurring two years before the emergency was declared, the city failed to prevent the thousands of heath issues stemming from the crisis. As The New York Times reported in October: “All along, through months of complaints from residents of this city about the peculiar colors and odors they said were coming from their faucets, the overriding message from the authorities here was that the water would be just fine.” The city falsely claimed the water was safe and denied the fact that high lead levels were present multiple times, and when the EPA offered assistance to the city, local officials refused federal help. It is clear now that the blatant denial of the officials caused even more extensive damage to the population’s health.
The state government is not blameless either; it is now apparent that Gov. Snyder knew of the lead poisoning months, maybe even years, before acting. The catastrophe, called “Gov. Snyder’s Katrina” by Flint native Micheal Moore, has likely damaged most or all of the local population’s health. Although Governor Snyder has publicly apologized and acknowledged his part in the crisis, Gov. Snyder can not reverse the health and financial damage the disaster has caused. Flint’s community, largely poor and of minority, are still unable to drink from their taps. Members of Flint’s community “were forgotten and neglected by every agency in the country that was supposed to protect them,” stated Mona Hanna, the Flint pediatrician whose research revealed high levels of lead within the blood of Flint’s children. “Our families are already ridden with every possible stress. Every obstacle to a kid’ success, we already had… And then they gave a population lead poisoning.”
The blatant irresponsibility Gov. Snyder has displayed has lead many to question his ability to lead Michigan. Both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have condemned the Snyder administration, with Sanders even calling for Snyder’s resignation. He said, “There are no excuses. The governor long ago knew about the lead in Flint’s water. He did nothing. As a result, hundreds of children were poisoned. Thousands may have been exposed to potential brain damage from lead. Gov. Snyder should resign.”
Local resident and radio personality Josh Brubaker spoke of the crisis. He said, “Although President Obama may have declared this water crisis a state of emergency, it is so much more to the state of Michigan … Living in Michigan, I see that multiple counties will pay for this irresponsible mistake through funding and taxes that are tight to begin with.Many people demand the resignation of Gov. Snyder, and rightfully so, but the task at hand is to reconfirm the safety of Flint residents and return the basic necessity of clean, safe water to their lives.”