Flint, Michigan water contamination: Obama declares emergency

[konfab]

You could pass that buck all the way up to Obama by that reasoning. To put it another way: don't be ridiculous.

WAIT!!!

The buck should be passed to George Washington

 

[ghoti]

Trust it to be a Republican governor. Didnt see that coming. Republican Party, profits before people as per usual.

 

[ghoti]

You could pass that buck all the way up to Obama by that reasoning. To put it another way: don't be ridiculous.

Really? Even with states calling the shots for things like this? You can pass this onto Obama? Did the states all of a sudden lose their powers when I was not watching?

 

[konfab]

Trust it to be a Republican governor. Didnt see that coming. Republican Party, profits before people as per usual.

Karen Williams Weaver[1] is an American politician, clinical psychologist, and small business owner who has been the mayor of Flint, Michigan since November 9, 2015. She succeeded Dayne Walling, whom she defeated in a November 2015 election.[2] She is the first female mayor of the city.[2]

Weaver is a member of the Democratic Party,[3] although local offices in Flint are officially nonpartisan.[4]

Dayne Walling (born March 3, 1974) was the mayor of Flint, Michigan from 2009 to 2015. Although the Flint mayor's office is a nonpartisan position, Walling is a member of the Democratic Party.[2]

late April 2014, in an effort to save about $5 million over less than two years,[24][25][26] the city switched from purchasing treated Lake Huron water from Detroit, as it had done for 50 years, to treating water from the Flint River. The plan was to attach to the Karegnondi system, which was under construction, pending completion nearly three years later (currently scheduled for completion in June 2016).[27] The Flint River had been the designated backup water source for years.[28][29] Flint emergency manager Darnell Earley finalized the sale in June 2014 of an Eastern Genesee County 9-mile section of water pipeline to Genesee County for $3.9 million. This pipeline feeds Detroit water to the county and after the Huron pipeline is active would service the Eastern part of the county.[30] By December 2014, the city had invested $4 million into its water plant.[31] On July 1, 2014, Mayor Dayne Walling was given operating authority over two city departments including Public Works by Flint emergency manager Darnell Earley.[32]

oops...


As I said before, the problem most likely lies with someone who wasn't doing their job properly, even though they were qualified to do it.

 

[ghoti]

oops...


As I said before, the problem most likely lies with someone who wasn't doing their job properly, even though they were qualified to do it.

Does the Mayor call the shots for the water supply in the state? One would wonder why people are angry at the governor....

Some of the bits you left out in your quoting.

On March 2, 2016, it was reported that the state of Michigan blocked Flint from returning to Lake Huron water from the Detroit water system when it agreed to grant the city an emergency loan of $7 million in April 2015.[36]

State Senator Jim Ananich, who represents Flint, called for the state to refund the $2 million to the city; Ananich also requested further emergency funding from the state and a commitment to long-term funding to address the effects of the lead contamination.[43]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis

 

[konfab]

Does the Mayor call the shots for the water supply in the state? One would wonder why people are angry at the governor....

I updated my post.

Most likely scenario is the some official lied on a report to get their performance bonus. That is something that you can't reasonably expect a Governor or a Mayor to anticipate on. The most they can do is have systems that make it difficult to do so and throw the book at whoever did it.

 

[ghoti]

I updated my post.

Most likely scenario is the some official lied on a report to get their performance bonus. That is something that you can't reasonably expect a Governor or a Mayor to anticipate on. The most they can do is have systems that make it difficult to do so and throw the book at whoever did it.

More likely, someone lied to make profit for someone else. My money's on the MDEQ. But those democrats you mentioned, played no part in this. Except approval of a council decision. So not sure why you mentioned them Anyways, get your popcorn ready, those that need to be held accountable, must.

On February 23, the Michigan State Legislature started a committee to investigate the crisis.[104] On March 1, one of its members, Senator Jim Ananich of Flint, introduced a resolution that would grant state lawmakers probing the Flint water crisis subpoena power over the Governor's office, which is immune to the state Freedom of Information Act.[105]

Weaver seems to be doing whats expected.

On December 15, 2015, Mayor Weaver declared the water issue as a citywide public health state of emergency to prompt help from state and federal officials.[50] Weaver's declaration said that additional funding will be needed for special education, mental health, juvenile justice, and social services because of the behavioral and cognitive impacts of high blood lead levels.[26]

and the governer is playing catch up.

On January 5, 2016, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder declared Genesee County to be in a state of emergency.[113] Snyder also apologized for the incident.[114]

State legislature[edit]
On January 4, 2016, citing the Flint water crisis, Michigan Representative Phil Phelps, Democrat of Flushing, announced plans to introduce a bill to the Michigan House of Representatives that would make it a felony for state officials to intentionally manipulate or falsify information in official reports, punishable by up to five years' imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.[188]

On March 2, House Democratic leader Tim Greimel called on Governor Snyder to resign, due to his "negligence and indifference" in his handling of the Flint water crisis.[189] Also on that date, State Democratic Party Chairman Brandon Dillon called for Michigan Treasurer Nick Khouri to resign due to his role in a loan agreement from April 2015 that blocked Flint from switching back to the Detroit system.[190]

The documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, a Genesee County native, called for Snyder's arrest for mishandling the water crisis in an open letter to the governor, writing: "The facts are all there, Mr. Snyder. Every agency involved in this scheme reported directly to you. The children of Flint didn't have a choice as to whether or not they were going to get to drink clean water." A spokesman for the governor called Moore's call "inflammatory."[223][224] Later, after hearing of the Legionnaires' outbreak, Moore termed the state's actions "murder."[225] Speaking to reporters in Flint, he emphasized that "this was not a mistake . . . Ten people have been killed here because of a political decision. They did this. They knew."[226]

 

[Nick333]

Really? Even with states calling the shots for things like this? You can pass this onto Obama? Did the states all of a sudden lose their powers when I was not watching?

States call the shot for city water?

 

[crackersa]

Snyder is ultimately responsible but he's in full blame-distribution mode - standard Republican (and ANC) tactic when confronted with accountability for one's actions.

Correct...the dems never do that. Oh wait, forgot about Benghazi

 

[schumi]

Flint water crisis: Criminal charges for three Michigan officials

Michigan's attorney general has filed charges against three officials over contaminated water supplies in Flint.

Two state employees in the environmental department have been charged with misleading the US government about the problem.

And a Flint employee is being charged with altering water test results.

Nearly 100,000 residents of the poor, mostly black city, were exposed to high levels of lead, sparking an outcry.

Lead exposure can cause learning disabilities and behavioural problems in children.

More at:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36094881

 

[Drunkard #1]

Michigan's attorney general has filed charges against three officials over contaminated water supplies in Flint.

Two state employees in the environmental department have been charged with misleading the US government about the problem.

And a Flint employee is being charged with altering water test results.

Nearly 100,000 residents of the poor, mostly black city, were exposed to high levels of lead, sparking an outcry.

Lead exposure can cause learning disabilities and behavioural problems in children.

More at:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36094881

I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked.

 

[schumi]

President Obama Drinks Water in Flint

On his visit to Flint, Michigan, Wednesday, President Obama drank a glass of water while delivering a speech, reports USA Today.

For almost two years, Flint’s drinking water has been contaminated with lead due to government officials’ failure to properly treat the water. The Environmental Protection Agency has assured Flint residents that filters can remove the lead and that the water was now safe to drink for everyone except pregnant women and children under the age of six.

"This was a man-made disaster. This was avoidable. This was preventable," said Obama. "I do not believe that anybody consciously wanted to hurt the people of flint, and this is not the place to sort out every screw-up that resulted in contaminated water."

More at:http://www.essence.com/2016/05/05/president-obama-drinks-water-flint

 

[schumi]

Flint: The US city where people drank poisoned water

I have seen a lot of cities, villages and towns in the United States. I can’t say that I have ever seen a city like Flint in Michigan.

I am here because US President Barack Obama came to the city on an official visit. His motorcade must have passed the same streets we did on the way to his event.

It was startling. I lost count of how many blocks I saw where every single house was abandoned. The poverty rate is incredibly high. According to the latest census about 42 percent of the population in Flint lives below the poverty line.

In the US, the poverty line is misleading. I don’t know anyone who thinks it is accurate prediction of economic pain. People who live anywhere close to that line surely often go to bed hungry.

The President wasn’t here to talk about the crushing poverty. There is something even more shocking. The city was in financial trouble so its leader decided to switch the source of its water supply.

They would no longer pay for water from Detroit but take it in from the Flint River. They didn’t treat it properly so that meant the lead from the pipes seeped into the drinking water.

The residents complained to their government for a year and a half that something was wrong. The water was green or yellow and it smelled. Then people started coming down with painful rashes. They would later find out they were actually poisoning the children of Flint.

I talked to the mother of a six-year-old boy today. She told me about the immense guilt she feels every day. She poisoned her child. She didn’t know it but she still feels responsible.

She watches him every day to see if there are signs of the ill effects of high lead levels. It can lead to severe developmental disabilities. It’s been linked to anti-social behavior. The worst part she says, it is irreversible. Her husband says he just wants someone to pay.

He wants the people who knew about the tainted water to go to prison. There are investigations underway and three arrests have been made. The prosecutor has promised more arrests are on the way.

President Obama tried to sound an optimistic message. He urged the people of Flint to use this crisis to rebuild their city. The state is going to have to pay tens of millions of dollars a year to dig up all the broken pipes and replace them.

The president urged the people to demand the government hire the people of Flint to do the job. He says that could bring about an economic renaissance of a city that appears so clearly broken.

I am sure the people of Flint would like to believe that is possible. I don’t think anyone would fault them for being skeptical though given all that they have gone through. I am not sure if the people who were lied to about something so serious for so long will ever be able to see their government as a force for good.

Link: http://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/amer...ple-drank-poisoned-water-160505064938311.html

 

[crackersa]

 

[schumi]

Six officials criminally charged in Flint water crisis

Flint, Michigan - Six current and former Michigan and Flint officials were criminally charged on Wednesday for their roles in the city's water crisis that was suspected of being responsible for an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that led to at least 12 deaths, the state's attorney general said.

Five of the officials, including Michigan Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon, were charged with involuntary manslaughter stemming from their roles in handling the crisis, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a statement.

Involuntary manslaughter is a felony that carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

Lyon, 49, was also charged with one count of misconduct in office. The felony charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.

Four current and former state and Flint officials were also charged with involuntary manslaughter. The four had all been previously charged with lesser crimes in connection with the water crisis.

The state's Chief Medical Executive Eden Wells was charged on Wednesday with obstruction of justice and lying to police.

More at: http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/six-officials-criminally-charged-in-flint-water-crisis-9798504

 

[Gordon_R]

Legal settlement agreed:

Flint water crisis: Michigan 'agrees to pay $600m'

The crisis left at least 12 dead and exposed tens of thousands of children to lead poisoning.

www.bbc.com

Last year, prosecutors dropped all criminal charges against officials awaiting trial over the crisis, saying a more thorough investigation was needed.

 

[Wasabee!]

Wasn't Nestle involved in this scandal? Selling of bottle water at buying rights to the water well place for dirt cheap?

 

[Gordon_R]

Rare to see a politician being held accountable:

Flint water crisis: Michigan charges ex-governor Rick Snyder

It follows a new investigation into the deadly contamination of water in the Michigan city in 2014.

www.bbc.com