Mon
Jan 18 2016
08:28 am
Residents of Flint, MI, get shafted again
By: bizgrrl

With the help of a group of doctors (led by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha of Hurley Medical Center) and a research team from Virginia Tech, it was finally accepted that Flint, Michigan, drinking water was unsafe, with high levels of lead.

The problem started in April 2014 when Flint, MI, disconnected from the Detroit water system to save money. For nearly a year and a half state and local officials say the problem is handled and all is okay. Almost two years after the problem was initiated, the federal government is stepping in with federal aid.

Another third world problem right here in the US of A.

Topics:
R. Neal's picture

Obama declares state of

Submitted by R. Neal on Mon, 2016/01/18 - 10:40am.

Obama declares state of emergency...

(link...)

R. Neal's picture

Somebody should go to jail.

Submitted by R. Neal on Mon, 2016/01/18 - 10:55am.

Somebody should go to jail.

michael kaplan's picture

another triumph of

Submitted by michael kaplan on Mon, 2016/01/18 - 11:25am.

disconnected from the Detroit water system to save money

another triumph of privatization ...

bizgrrl's picture

Were they going with a

Submitted by bizgrrl on Mon, 2016/01/18 - 1:38pm.
(in reply to michael kaplan)

Were they going with a private company for water?

michael kaplan's picture

from 2014:The (Detroit)

Submitted by michael kaplan on Mon, 2016/01/18 - 2:33pm.
(in reply to bizgrrl)

from 2014:

The (Detroit) bankruptcy and moves toward the privatization of the water department are fully backed by the Obama administration, which has pushed cash-strapped cities to enter “public-private partnerships” to fill the gap from reduced federal and state funding for infrastructure needs, just as it has done in public education and health care.

Under the agreement signed by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and executives from three metropolitan area counties, the city will lease, for 40 years, pipelines servicing suburban communities in exchange for $50 million a year payments. A new six-member board made up of unelected officials — two from Detroit, one each from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, and one appointed by the governor — will make decisions on water rates, contracts, labor agreements and the privatization of services.

private_water_0.jpg

bizgrrl's picture

Does Flint, MI, fit into

Submitted by bizgrrl on Mon, 2016/01/18 - 2:43pm.
(in reply to michael kaplan)

Does Flint, MI, fit into this?

Civil Engineering Grad Student's picture

In short. No No No. I am

Submitted by Civil Engineering Grad Student (not verified) on Mon, 2016/01/18 - 3:17pm.
(in reply to bizgrrl)

In short. No No No. I am confused and amused the way this information is displayed. Who is this quote from excerpt from? Well put it in total into Google and you will see that it is from something called the World Socialist Web Service. I can only imagine what that is but Mr. Kaplan must not be too proud of it of he might provide attribution.

The Web Socialist News Network statement does not at all accurately represent the situation in Detroit let alone for Flint. Flint pulled out of the Detroit Utility district because they thought they were being overshcharged. They decided to join another group of public entities to form a new district. Hooking up to the river was a temporary, and very bad decision that causes this.

I don't know who Mr. Kaplan is or what his angle is but based on the misleading way he presents evidence, his sources, and his conclusions, I would be skeptical at best of his argumentation.

There are lots of sources of accurate information about this very unfortunate situation. This is the fault of the Flint Mayor and Council and then the lack of concern and attention from the Michigan governor. It is not Obama's fault and he has no plan to privatize city water systems.

cafkia's picture

Was it the mayor and CC that

Submitted by cafkia on Mon, 2016/01/18 - 4:16pm.
(in reply to Civil Engineering Grad Student)

Was it the mayor and CC that made the call or the manager installed by the governor? That particular usurpation of democracy was ugly before all of this. If it was the appointed manager, then I see no way around criminal charges for the governor and the manager.

michael kaplan's picture

From the 'socialist' media

Submitted by michael kaplan on Mon, 2016/01/18 - 5:47pm.
(in reply to cafkia)

From the 'socialist' media source democracynow.org January 15, 2016:

Flint’s water contamination crisis began in April 2014 after Darnell Earley, an unelected emergency manager appointed by Snyder, switched Flint’s water source to the long-polluted and corrosive Flint River in a bid to save money. Earley is now the emergency manager of Detroit Public Schools.

(Last sentence is for Tamara :)

and from CNN today:

In charge of the city's budget amid a financial emergency, the state decided to temporarily switch Flint's water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure until a new supply line to Lake Huron was ready. The river had a reputation for nastiness, and after the April 2014 switch, residents complained their water looked, smelled and tasted funny.

bizgrrl's picture

Nothing here about

Submitted by bizgrrl on Mon, 2016/01/18 - 6:32pm.
(in reply to michael kaplan)

Nothing here about privatization.

michael kaplan's picture

Whether it's education, the

Submitted by michael kaplan on Tue, 2016/01/19 - 12:05am.
(in reply to bizgrrl)

Whether it's education, the postal system, the prison system, the healthcare system, social security, or the Candy Factory, the first step towards privatization is to 'fail' the existing system.

(link...)

The plan to cut off water to 150,000 households by the end of the summer is part of the plan to sell off and privatize Detroit’s water system. In order to make the utility attractive to investors, lower-income households are being forced to pay exorbitant rates for their water and sewer services or see their access cut. Water rates have risen in Detroit by 119 per cent in the last decade. With unemployment rates at a record high, and the poverty rate at about 40 per cent, Detroit water bills are unaffordable to a significant portion of the population.

michael kaplan's picture

Flint was facing bankruptcy

Submitted by michael kaplan on Mon, 2016/01/18 - 5:16pm.
(in reply to bizgrrl)

Flint was facing bankruptcy in part due to non-payment of bills by its poorest residents. There's a reasonable 2012 discussion of the water privatization issue in the Wall Street Journal. No apologies, by the way, for the 'socialist' source - the socialist arguments are particularly relevant in this case. One can use the Google tool and find many discussions on all sides of the issue.

Finally - thanks to the 'socialist' source - there's some interesting information on 'private water' here.

Dahlia's picture

I was just up there

Submitted by Dahlia (not verified) on Mon, 2016/01/18 - 10:21pm.

On business and the story I heard is that there was too much sodium in the Flint river which caused the pipes to corrode and leach lead. This should have been known before it ever began and it probably was, but nobody in office gave one damn about t. Several people should go to jail.

bizgrrl's picture

Flint residents paid the

Submitted by bizgrrl on Thu, 2016/02/18 - 8:29am.

Flint residents paid the highest water rates in America even as their water was tainted with lead, according to a national study released Tuesday by the public interest group Food and Water Watch.
...
They paid about $864 a year for water service, nearly double the national average and about three-and-a-half times as much as Detroiters pay.

Who will pay for the abuses to Flint citizens?

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