Flint Citizens Want Snyder’S Head; Gov. Begs Obama For Help

[suneday11]

Very helpful. Glad you like useless statements, bossman.

 

Here:

http://www.vox.com/2016/1/20/10789810/flint-michigan-water-crisis

 

This will say everything you dem-rage folks have tried to say, only you don't have to use silly blanket statements or take anyone's words out of context to prove a point.

 

I love you all but many of you are seriously misguided in your unilateral views of what is right/wrong and who is responsible. It's obviously ticking me off. 43% of the United States are independent voters. Politics are messed up, yeah, but these exclusionary tactics and statements will only perpetuate it. We can isolate whoever we want to cast blame on, but that won't leave many left if we all blame who our affiliation dictates, will it? And my guess is that those broad nets of blame catch a few innocent folks....maybe independents forced to run as this or that. You know, like bernie Sanders.

 

Being introspective doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger. Self critique will only help you grow. I'm as liberal as they come folks. From ann arbor to olympia, to hills east of the olympics. I'd still be a fool to wake up ever morning with the general notion that half of you are wrong and can offer nothing to society. Not to mention, shutting out half of people makes cannabis progress difficult too.

 

God bless and Jah live.

[beourbud]

Thank You President Obama. For Your Leadership and swift and decisive action to help We the People in our time of Crisis.

 

The fknrepublicans don't give a sheet about us.

You would think they would have learned SOMETHING after Hurricane Katrina, BUT NO, Like GW bush, The republicans won't lift a finger for the poor, the middle class and certainly not for people of color.

 

Mr President we will not forget who and what party was there when we needed help and the Fknkochheads that WERE NOT!

 

The biggest threat to this country is the GOP.

 

Thank You

 

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/obama-flint-water-crisis_us_56a03c39e4b0d8cc1098bf55

 

President Barack Obama on Wednesday called the ongoing municipal water crisis in Flint, Michigan, "inexplicable and inexcusable" and said government "broke down" in its responsibility to protect public health.

 

Obama, during an interview in Detroit with CBS set to air later this week, said he understands why Flint residents are outraged. The city's water supply has been contaminated with lead and other pollutants for months after a state-approved plan to save money by switching to corrosive Flint River water from the Detroit municipal system.

 

Obama, in an interview set to air on CBS Sunday Morning, told host Lee Cowan that government in Michigan "broke down" in its responsibility to protect public health and safety.

 

"What is inexplicable and inexcusable is once people figured out that there was a problem there, and that there was lead in the water, the notion that immediately families weren't notified, things weren't shut down," Obama said. "That shouldn't happen anywhere."

 

Obama was in Detroit to deliver a speech at the United Auto Workers-General Motors Center. He also commented on the crisis in Flint during the address.

 

"I know that if I was a parent up there, I would be beside myself that my kid's health could be at risk," he said.

 

Flint has been reeling from a months-long public health emergency that began in October, when residents started to complain about brown water coming out of taps that caused rashes. Local government largely ignored complaints from the predominantly black city. Officials finally acknowledged high lead levels in the water late last year after a local doctor obtained records showing elevated lead in blood tests for city children.

 

X

 

Obama declared a state of emergency in Michigan on Saturday and has designated a federal disaster coordinator to oversee the response.

 

Gov. Rick Snyder ® acknowledged during his State of the State address on Tuesday that the state made errors in handling the crisis.

 

"I'm sorry, and I will fix it," Snyder said, addressing Flint residents. "You did not create this crisis, and you do not deserve this."

 

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders both lambasted Snyder for his handling of the crisis during last weekend's presidential debate.

 

In an interview with CBS on Wednesday, Snyder said people shouldn't consider the water safe "until it's been throughly tested" and urged residents to continue to use bottled and filtered water. He didn't say how much lead was in the water, but noted that "probably over 100 kids" have high levels in their blood.

 

Eric Schultz, White House principal deputy press secretary, told The Washington Post that Obama is "deeply engaged" with the disaster response. Schultz declined to say whether the White House thinks Snyder should resign over the crisis, noting the government "should be focused on the actual problem."

Edited January 21, 2016 by beourbud

[cristinew]

In the Mean time the Michignan republicans are doing their  Job   

Senate Passes Bill Aimed at Cracking Down on Drugged Driving

Posted: Wed 10:17 PM, Jan 20, 2016

 

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Drug testing on the side of the road could be possible if a bill approved by the Senate makes it to the Governor's desk.

It would allow police to test drivers suspected of driving under the influence of drugs using a roadside kit.

It includes mouth swabs to test saliva for the presence of illegal drugs.

The swab can test on the spot for marijuana, opiates, cocaine, heroin and meth.

Supporters say this kind of test is important because otherwise it takes weeks to figure out if someone was driving drugged.

State senator Rick Jones said, "this will tell within ten minutes what the person is high on."

He said, "this is key because drugged driving is going up faster, while drunk driving seems to be going down."

The bill is now headed to the House for consideration.

Edited January 21, 2016 by cristinew

[imiubu]

 

In the Mean time the Michignan republicans are doing their  Job   

Senate Passes Bill Aimed at Cracking Down on Drugged Driving

Posted: Wed 10:17 PM, Jan 20, 2016

 

• Home
•  
• / Headlines List
•  
• / Article

Drug testing on the side of the road could be possible if a bill approved by the Senate makes it to the Governor's desk.

It would allow police to test drivers suspected of driving under the influence of drugs using a roadside kit.

It includes mouth swabs to test saliva for the presence of illegal drugs.

The swab can test on the spot for marijuana, opiates, cocaine, heroin and meth.

Supporters say this kind of test is important because otherwise it takes weeks to figure out if someone was driving drugged.

State senator Rick Jones said, "this will tell within ten minutes what the person is high on."

He said, "this is key because drugged driving is going up faster, while drunk driving seems to be going down."

The bill is now headed to the House for consideration.

 

 

Humm weird, I followed the link 2x's to 'page not found'.  I quoted the post to ask you to replace the broken link and that ^^ popped up. shrug.

[trichcycler]

I pressed "home" and the link opened

[+Malamute]

http://bridgemi.com/2016/01/who-approved-switch-to-flint-river-states-answers-draw-fouls/

 

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder apologized to the people of Flint in his State of the State address Tuesday, but there are still questions about how much of the public health crisis the state is accepting responsibility for. In recent weeks, state officials and a state appointee have made comments or released background information that appear to deflect blame from the state at a critical juncture of the crisis. Just who made the disastrous decision to switch Flint’s water supply from the Detroit water system to the highly corrosive Flint River? State officials imply one culprit, but documents suggest another. (Truth Squad will likely look at more public comments about the Flint water crisis in the future.)

 

 

Who: Gov. Rick Snyder What: Flint water crisis timeline The call:

Foul

 

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder apologized to the people of Flint and laid out a series of actions to address the Flint lead poisoning crisis in his annual State of the State address Tuesday night. He also offered a timeline for how the crisis unfolded – an abbreviated version in his speech, and a detailed version sent to reporters during the speech.

Snyder’s speech can be viewed in its entirety here. Snyder’s detailed timeline can be seen here.

Statements under review

“City of Flint decides to use the Flint River as a water source”

In his speech, which also touched on the chronology of events, Snyder noted a key development – a Flint City Council vote in March 2013 to switch water service from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, to the Karegnondi Water Authority, a regional water authority that was in the process of building a pipeline from Lake Huron. Snyder told the statewide audience that this action is where “the crisis began.”

 

The crisis timeline distributed to reporters and now available online states that in June 2013, “City of Flint decides to use the Flint River as a water source,” a phrasing similar to what the governor used in his State of the State speech, (“Flint began to use water from the Flint River as an interim source”) suggesting that the city, not the state, drove the interim decision to use the highly corrosive river water for city residents.

 

Here’s the problem with that: City officials did not make the decision to take water from the Flint River. There was never such a vote by the city council, which really didn’t have the power to make such a decision anyway, because the city was then under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager.

 

The council’s vote in March 2013 was to switch water supply from Detroit to a new pipeline through the Karegnondi Water Authority – but the pipeline wasn’t scheduled to be completed for at least three years. (And even that decision was given final approval not by the council, but by then-state Treasurer Andy Dillon, according to Snyder emails released Wednesday.)

 

Snyder also said that Detroit, after being informed of the Flint council vote, sent a “letter of termination” of water service. Actually, Detroit sent a letter giving Flint one year on its existing contract, but that didn’t mean Flint couldn’t get water from Detroit after that date. In fact, there was a flurry of negotiations between Detroit and Flint to sign a new contract that would carry Flint through until it could connect to the under-construction pipeline. That new contract was going to cost Flint more money.

 

This distinction is important to note because merely stating that Flint received a “letter of termination” makes it sound as if a thirsty Flint had no choice but to stick a straw in the Flint River. Flint could have elected then to sign a new contract with the the Detroit water system (indeed, Flint eventually reconnected to Detroit water after the situation in the city became a full-fledged, hair-on-fire crisis). Flint was disconnected from Detroit because it was cheaper to take water from the Flint River until the new pipeline was completed. Here’s a letter from then-emergency manager Darnell Earley saying Flint was choosing to use Flint water instead of Detroit water.

 

Which brings us to the state’s timeline statement: “June 2013: City of Flint decides to use the Flint River as a water source.”

Flint officials, under state emergency management, didn’t make that decision. State-appointed emergency manager Ed Kurtz made that decision. Here’s the document from June 2013 signed by Kurtz authorizing an engineering contract to figure out how to draw water from the river.

 

The call: Foul

 

It may seem like this is deep in the weeds, but this is why it’s important: This is a major health crisis for the state, and it’s a crisis that is man-made. There’s no doubt that a series of actions all played a role in the elevated lead levels in the bloodstreams of some Flint children. When the governor’s own timeline says the “City of Flint decides to use the Flint River,” it can’t be dismissed as shorthand for the truth. The wording conflates an earlier city vote to transition from Detroit to the KWA with the later decision by a Snyder-appointed emergency manager to use the Flint River as an interim source of water. Truth Squad calls a foul.

 

 

Who: State Rep. Al Pscholka and former Flint emergency manager Darnell Earley What: Statements about who’s to blame for the Flint water crisis The call: Foul

 

Statements under review

“This was a local decision to take themselves off the Detroit system and join this pipeline, and that’s what started this whole series of events.”

Rep. Al Pscholka, R-Stevensville, was asked Monday about using the state’s projected half-billion-dollar budget surplus to help fix Flint’s damaged water infrastructure. He’s an important person to ask, because he’s chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

Pscholka, quoted on the WKZO-AM website, said he had reservations about using the surplus for Flint. That’s a fair policy debate. But the reason Pscholka landed in Truth Squad was the justification he offered for his decision. According to the article:

 

He (Pscholka) says the state shares only some of the blame for the water woes, because “this was a local decision to take themselves off the Detroit system and join this pipeline, and that’s what started this whole series of events.”

 

Pscholka is using a line of argument also espoused by Darnell Earley, the former state-appointed emergency manager of Flint, who was in charge of the city of 100,000 for part of the time the crisis was unfolding. Earley recently penned a guest column in The Detroit News, in which the former emergency manager said he is blameless. Earley’s column provides us another…

Statement under review

“It is critically important that the record be set straight about the decision-making and approval processes that led to Flint joining the Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA) with the use of Flint River water as the interim water supply. The fact is, the river has served and been used as the back-up supply for decades, and this was the rationale given to me by staff and (then-Flint) Mayor Walling, who also serves as chairperson of the KWA board. Contrary to reports in the media and rhetoric being espoused by individuals, the decision (to use Flint River water) was made at the local level, by local civic leaders.”

 

Pscholka and Earley reference one segment of the public record chronology of the crisis, while leaving out parts that show the state (and Earley) were neck-deep in the decision-making.

 

Indeed, in March 2013, while under a state-appointed emergency manager, the Flint City Council voted 7-1 to stop buying water from Detroit and switch to a new pipeline that took water from Lake Huron by joining the KWA. But the Flint City Council never specifically voted to start taking water from the Flint River in the interim.

 

That decision was made later, as a result of Detroit raising the rates it would charge as Flint unhooked from the Detroit water supply and connected to the new KWA pipeline – which wasn’t going to be completed until sometime in 2016.

 

The Flint City Council, which had no real authority anyway because the city was being run by a state-appointed emergency manager, did not vote yes or no on connecting to the Flint River. That decision was made by emergency manager Ed Kurtz, Earley’s predecessor, who hired an engineering firm to study taking water from the Flint River and subsequent emergency manager Earley, who sent a letter to Detroit water officials informing them of Flint’s intention to use Flint River water once the Detroit contract expired.

Yet another state agent, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, signed the April 2014 permit allowing the city’s drinking water to be drawn from the Flint River.

 

Perhaps the definitive chronology of the decisions that ultimately led to Flint children drinking contaminated water was published in December by Michigan Radio, whose reporting also suggests state officials tried to conflate the city’s decision to switch to the KWA water system with the state’s decision to use Flint River water until the KWA was up and running.

 

The call: Foul

 

As in many statements considered by the Truth Squad, there is just enough truth here to mislead. It’s true that city officials voted in 2013 to switch to a new water supply when the KWA pipeline was completed in 2016. But more relevant is the documented evidence that the decision to use Flint River water in the interim was made by state-appointed emergency managers, not democratically elected city officials. To cite the initial council vote without mentioning the state’s role in switching to Flint River water is a transparent attempt to deflect blame – and possible financial responsibility – for a man-made tragedy.

 

Earley and Pscholka’s remarks also minimize the indisputable (and more damaging) role that state officials played in failing to properly treat Flint River water, and in failing (along with the feds) to quickly alert the public to rising lead levels.

[keylan]

http://markmaynard.com/2016/01/could-the-flint-water-crisis-have-its-origins-in-a-desire-to-increase-fracking-in-michigan/           Well we might have the reason all those children were sacrificed. Their is much more to this story Im sure of that. I just hope Snyder rots in the deepest depths of hell,

[beourbud]

http://markmaynard.com/2016/01/could-the-flint-water-crisis-have-its-origins-in-a-desire-to-increase-fracking-in-michigan/ Well we might have the reason all those children were sacrificed. Their is much more to this story Im sure of that. I just hope Snyder rots in the deepest depths of hell,

Snyder has created a Living Hell in Flint!

We need to remove that soulless scourge from office first before he kills anyone else.

 

If Snyder remains Michigan may go the same way as Gateway Computers!

Edited January 22, 2016 by beourbud

[cristinew]

Look at the bight side  the republicans gave millionaires  tax breaks and subsidies  amounting to billions  All for their  bank account over seas 

[suneday11]

As if we didn't know or as if most of them weren't redacted, rick did NOT release all of his emails regarding flint.

 

http://www.freep.com/story/news/columnists/rochelle-riley/2016/01/21/did-governor-release-all-emails-apparently-not/79135142/

 

The redactions are a joke. Don't release them at all if you are gonna pull that bunny muffin....

Edited January 23, 2016 by suneday11

[t-pain]

theres references to another letter that one of the legislators sent him.

 

i wonder it might have been a paper letter, these letters he released were email only.......

[+Malamute]

Its says email.

[solabeirtan]

In the Mean time the Michignan republicans are doing their  Job?   

Posted: Wed 10:17 PM, Jan 20, 2016

 

Home article

Fixed your link problem cristi. Now if those pesky pipes were that easy. Coulda, shoulda, woulda been... once upon a time. Anyway I'm thinking both estimates be a bit on the high side.

 

Believe I read somewhere along the way here, in another city perhaps... the estimate is about 4k per std residential service. and a wild guess at about 24,000 homes would bring it in at about 96mil. In fact I'd do em for 3,500 and save all the lead for some new shoes for some old friends...

[beourbud]

Great Job solabeirtan, way to stay on top of the issue.

 

You are an asset to our community.

[Restorium2]

 

Snyder hires PR firm with ties to new chief of staff

Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau9:47 p.m. EST January 22, 2016

(Photo: AP)

LANSING -- Gov. Rick Snyder has hired the national public relations firm Mercury LLC, where the spouse of Snyder's new chief of staff is a senior vice president, to help with communications during the Flint water crisis.

The governor has also hired another communications expert, Bill Nowling, chief of staff Jarrod Agen  said late Friday.

Agen's wife, Bettina Inclan-Agen, is a senior vice president in Mercury's Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., office, according to the firm's website.

Mercury;s website lists no office in Michigan.

Agen told the Free Press in a text message that "because of the extreme interest from both statewide and national media," the governor's office has hired both Mercury and Nowling, a former Snyder campaign spokesman who also worked for former Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr.

Agen and Snyder press secretary Dave Murray did not respond to questions about whether Snyder was concerned about hiring a company with close ties to his chief of staff.

"This helps our staff stay focused on helping the people of Flint," Agen said. "State funds are not being used."

Murray did not respond to a question about how Mercury and Nowling are being paid. Snyder has a number of non-public funds, largely supported by corporate donors, which he could use to pay the communications experts.

Melanie McElroy, executive director of Common Cause in Michigan, challenged Snyder to disclose the sources of the money that will pay Mercury and Nowling.

"Not only is he using his exemption from FOIA (the Michigan Freedom of Information Act) to dodge full accountability for this disaster, but now he's using secret money to put a spin on what happened in Flint," McElroy said.

The choice of Mercury "gives new meaning to keeping it all in the family," she said.

Flint's drinking water became contaminated with lead in April 2014 while the city was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager. The state Department of Environmental Quality has admitted a mistake in failing to require corrosion control chemicals to be added when the city switched its source of water to the Flint River.

Mercury officials could not immediately be reached.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.

 

[Restorium2]

^^^

 

Snyder has a number of non-public funds, largely supported by corporate donors, which he could use to pay the communications experts.

Melanie McElroy, executive director of Common Cause in Michigan, challenged Snyder to disclose the sources of the money that will pay Mercury and Nowling.

"Not only is he using his exemption from FOIA (the Michigan Freedom of Information Act) to dodge full accountability for this disaster, but now he's using secret money to put a spin on what happened in Flint," McElroy said.

The choice of Mercury "gives new meaning to keeping it all in the family," she said.

[Restorium2]

We had the award winning Pure Michigan Campaign. How we have the Pure BS Campaign. Who's going to be the spokesperson? I sure hope it aint Tim Allen. 

[solabeirtan]

There is no doubt these villains are in full denial and pulling out all stops in their cover-up and white washing (probably lead based) of this atrocity, now with sockpuppet  whoremongering .

Edited January 24, 2016 by solabeirtan

[Restorium2]

While he actually makes money off the crisis!!!!!

 

Gov. Rick Snyder has hired the national public relations firm Mercury LLC, where the spouse of Snyder's new chief of staff is a senior vice president, to help with communications during the Flint water crisis.

[solabeirtan]

Nothing like a little mercury to go with your lead. Could they find anything more toxic? Perhaps a touch of plutonium... coulda,  woulda be in order...

Edited January 24, 2016 by solabeirtan

[Wild Bill]

[Restorium2]

Don't forget this part;

 

[solabeirtan]

Reb Jeb! (Flint piece starts @ 4:20!) weighing in on the Snyder scandal, doesn't think he should resign. These guys seem to have a vested interest in lead. As seen here in an exert from my other lead based link in the earlier post above:

 

"The fight over phasing out leaded gasoline was far from over when, in 1981, then Vice President George Bush's task force proposed to relax or eliminate the lead phase-out program. The relationship between leaded gasoline and blood lead levels was demonstrated when the EPA reported that blood lead levels declined by 37% in association with a 50% drop in the use of leaded gasoline between 1976 and 1980. Subsequent studies showed a correlation between the increase in gasoline use during the summer and a rise in blood lead levels. By 1986 the primary phase-out of lead from gasoline was completed but in some areas of the country, such as Washington State, leaded gasoline was available until 1991"

  Thanks to the Bushs we got 5 or 6 extra years of lead.  

Edited January 24, 2016 by solabeirtan

[t-pain]

http://motorcitymuckraker.com/2016/01/23/gov-snyder-lied-flint-water-switch-was-not-about-money-records-show/

[+Malamute]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 24, 2016

**MEDIA ADVISORY** Schuette to Hold Flint Water Press Conference

WHO: Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette                          

WHAT: Attorney General Schuette will discuss matters related to his investigation into the Flint Water crisis.

WHEN: Monday, January 25, 2016 at 10:30 AM  

WHERE: Frank J. Kelley Library, 7th Floor  
               G. Mennen Williams Building 
               525 W. Ottawa St. 
               Lansing, MI 48909  

NOTE: Only accredited members of the media who have RSVP’ed will be admitted.

BACKGROUND: Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced on Friday, January 15, 2016 that he will investigate the water crisis currently affecting the City of Flint. The purpose of the investigation is to determine what, if any, Michigan laws were violated in the process that resulted in the contamination crisis currently forcing Flint residents to rely on bottled water for drinking, cooking and bathing as they fear for their health.