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| "Julius Austin of the Change Agent Consortium holds up a bottle of Flint water as Michigan State Police hold a barrier to keep protestors out of the Romney Building, where Gov. Rick Snyder's office resides on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 in Lansing. More than 150 people tried to flood into the lobby in protest against Snyder, asking for his resignation and arrest in relation to Flint's water crisis." Jake May/Flint Journal |
By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)
No, it's not "The Onion," the City of Flint actually has the AUDACITY to bill residents for the poisoned water that has caused chaos in Flint and made international news as questions continue to pile up.
Seriously...What the hell?!
According to MLive:
The city's holiday break from water shutoff notices is over as officials say they will again start sending warnings to those behind on their bills.
Finance Director Jody Lundquist told the city's Receivership Transition Advisory Board, which oversees the city's finances, Wednesday, Jan. 13, that the city stopped sending water shutoff notices to city residents over the holiday season, but will begin issuing them again.
The break from notices was meant to give a reprieve from shutoffs to customers over the holiday season and lessen the burden on city staff.
However, some residents have expressed outrage over the fact they are being billed for water they cannot drink without filtration due to elevated lead levels found in water in some Flint homes.
The city's water crisis has drawn protests and international news coverage. Lundquist said the "public media event" has presented additional financial challenges for the city's water fund."
This comes as news of an investigation from Attorney General Bill Schuette has been announced.
According to Michigan Radio:
Seriously...What the hell?!
According to MLive:
The city's holiday break from water shutoff notices is over as officials say they will again start sending warnings to those behind on their bills.
Finance Director Jody Lundquist told the city's Receivership Transition Advisory Board, which oversees the city's finances, Wednesday, Jan. 13, that the city stopped sending water shutoff notices to city residents over the holiday season, but will begin issuing them again.
The break from notices was meant to give a reprieve from shutoffs to customers over the holiday season and lessen the burden on city staff.
However, some residents have expressed outrage over the fact they are being billed for water they cannot drink without filtration due to elevated lead levels found in water in some Flint homes.
The city's water crisis has drawn protests and international news coverage. Lundquist said the "public media event" has presented additional financial challenges for the city's water fund."
This comes as news of an investigation from Attorney General Bill Schuette has been announced.
According to Michigan Radio:
"Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is launching an investigation into Flint’s water crisis.
Flint’s drinking water was contaminated with lead after the city’s tap water was switched to the Flint River in 2014.
The Attorney General says his investigation will see if any state laws were violated.
Governor Snyder has acknowledged that mistakes were made that allowed corrosive Flint River water to damage the city’s pipes which in turn leeched lead into the water.
Schuette promises his investigation will proceed “without fear or favor.”"
______________________________________________________________
Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Mic higan Politics.
>>>Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com
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| Photo By Darlene Dowling Thompson |
Too much government. Too many statists and central planners, meaning people who make decisions for other people. We're from the government and we're here to help! LOL
ReplyDeleteNot to fear! With Gov. Rick Snyder's Great Lakes Water Authority (in which SE Michigan Taxpayers were NOT given the option of voting to be a part of), the cost of these water bills will be shifted to us.
ReplyDeleteTo Flint citizens: Someday hopefully, it will occur to you citizens of Flint to question the propriety of letting government handle such important activities as water (and electricity and other energy sources) when it has no skin in the game. A private corporation, concerned with profits, would take every precaution to insure their product, water, was safe to drink. In the event of a failure citizens could sue the company for damages. But no, not in Michigan. Is anybody from the DEQ which OKed the water switch, going to prison? No. Getting fired? Nope. It should occur to Flint voters that when a politician says 'vote for me because I care about you so much I will make the government control your water,' they should respond by running away as fast as possible. A politician cannot care about you if he doesn't know you personally. He is only saying he cares because he thinks your thought processes will stop right there because you're afraid to question his caring. But his caring isn't the issue. Your rights are. If you need more evidence that your rights don't matter, that they don't really care about you, take another look at the water bill you just got in the mail demanding you pay them for the poisoned water you can't drink. Still think they care about you? When you buy bottled water at the local store, is it because the company says it cares about you? Or is it because you know the company's quest for profits is a good indicator that the water is safe? Yes, those profits we've all been told are the bane of mankind. But it is profits that will in fact motivate people to make you happy. Government is not an economic entity. It is a political one. It is only good at police and military and lousy at everything else. So Flint citizens, I hope you will see the benefits of turning your water supply over to for profit enterprise. And when you see how well that works perhaps you'll move all those other economic activities to private enterprise and their quest for beautiful, glorious, life enhancing profits as well. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteNo defence here but... If any government product had to be 100% we would be tax free !
ReplyDeleteSchuette investigates: pigs in wild and pigs at the though lets see what and who and when but don't hold your breath!
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