We place trust in our government, trust to protect us and keep us safe. We expect them to put our needs first. We don’t think that they would put money over our safety. We don’t think they would poison us.
But that’s what happened in Flint, Michigan. Lives have been irreparably damaged by the flippant and selfish decision made by the state and city government.
What is money worth? Is it worth a child becoming learning disabled? Is the money worth their future? That’s what the government of Flint thought. Instead of replacing the pipes in the city or staying with the safe water from another lake, they chose to save some money and endanger the lives of every single person living in Flint.
It would have cost $9,000 to fix the pipes. Just think about that for a second. $9,000. That’s it.
Not only is there lead poisoning, but there are other toxins in the water as well. People are getting sick with diseases that weren’t present before this water crisis.
The governor was only concerned with cutting costs so that he could give tax breaks to the rich. He did not put the people’s needs first. His job was to look out for the people of the state of Michigan and he failed. He replaced the elected mayor and city council with people that he could control. Their goal was to cut costs, which is why they switched water sources.