Do you know what's bad?
Brain damage.
Flint, Michigan, is finding this out after it accidentally gave its entire population at least a little bit of lead poisoning when it switched up their water supply.
In an attempt to save money for a cash-strapped city, Flint started drinking water from the Flint River — but ended up contaminating children with a poisonous heavy metal.
Governor Rick Snyder has declared a state of emergency, and the federal government is investigating.
In an attempt to save money for a cash-strapped city, Flint started drinking water from the Flint River — but ended up contaminating children with a poisonous heavy metal.
Governor Rick Snyder has declared a state of emergency, and the federal government is investigating.
Why on Earth did they do this?
Austerity.
Aside from the obvious humanitarian disaster, this is a stark demonstration of austerity's false economy.
Trying to be cheap on Flint's water supply will end up costing the state of Michigan (and probably the country as a whole) a ton more money than it would have to fix it properly in the first place.
Austerity.
Aside from the obvious humanitarian disaster, this is a stark demonstration of austerity's false economy.
Trying to be cheap on Flint's water supply will end up costing the state of Michigan (and probably the country as a whole) a ton more money than it would have to fix it properly in the first place.
...But emergency managers, particularly the ones appointed by Governor Snyder (a Republican) have been far more focused on cuts for their own sake, particularly crushing unionized public sector workers.
The idea to temporarily use Flint River water while another pipeline was being constructed was one of those cost-saving measures.
The idea to temporarily use Flint River water while another pipeline was being constructed was one of those cost-saving measures.
It was immediately obvious that the water was filthy, and residents loudly protested that it was cloudy, smelled bad, and tasted worse.
General Motors stopped using the water because it was literally corroding their machinery.
But Snyder and his handpicked head environmental official Dan Wyant studiously ignored the problem — despite internal warnings of lead poisoning as early as July of last year — until an outside scientific study demonstrated extreme levels of lead in Flint children.
In late December — over a year after the water switch — Snyder finally apologized and Wyant quietly resigned.
General Motors stopped using the water because it was literally corroding their machinery.
But Snyder and his handpicked head environmental official Dan Wyant studiously ignored the problem — despite internal warnings of lead poisoning as early as July of last year — until an outside scientific study demonstrated extreme levels of lead in Flint children.
...Now Snyder has already been forced to pony up over $10 million to switch the Flint water system back to the way it was before (hooked up to Detroit, basically), and the city is asking for some $50 million more to replace lead pipes.
But that's very likely only the beginning. Flint's population is roughly 100,000, and several families have already sued state and local officials over the lead issue.
It's unclear so far how badly the city's children have been poisoned, but it's a pretty safe bet the state will end up spending tens or perhaps even hundreds of millions on settlements.
But that's very likely only the beginning. Flint's population is roughly 100,000, and several families have already sued state and local officials over the lead issue.
It's unclear so far how badly the city's children have been poisoned, but it's a pretty safe bet the state will end up spending tens or perhaps even hundreds of millions on settlements.
And that's where a moral atrocity becomes an economic self-kneecapping.
Aside from the cost of settlements, children are the major portion of the future's economic capacity, which depends critically on their ability to function normally.
Destroying their brains with heavy metals will rather impede their ability to get the jobs and pay the taxes that will get Flint on a sound fiscal footing.
Aside from the cost of settlements, children are the major portion of the future's economic capacity, which depends critically on their ability to function normally.
Destroying their brains with heavy metals will rather impede their ability to get the jobs and pay the taxes that will get Flint on a sound fiscal footing.
Being a cheapskate can be expensive indeed."
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