Examples Of Growing Distrust Between People And Government

Who knew that Flints water could be deadly? Everyone should be allowed to have the same clean water to bathe in, drink, cook with, and to have fun in. Unfortunately, residents in Flint could not do this for quite some time. These residents were bathing and drinking from this water before the founding of high lead levels in it. Not only was it because of the high lead levels, but the pipes were very old as well. Due to actions made by the city council this caused a lot of problems for the residents in the city of Flint. This effected children, pregnant women, and the elderly the most. Many lawsuits were filed against the city of Flint. It was so serious to the point that Governor Snyder had to declare a state of emergency. This took place January 5th of 2016. High levels of lead in the water and old pipes lead to lawsuits, the sickness of Flint residents, and the city of Flint not doing their job.

After her family fell ill she contacted Mark Edwards. After Edwards conducted research he found 133 times the EPA lead limit. (Paynter 96-97) The author wrote, “The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality told Waiters the Problem was likely inside her house only” (Paynter 97). This shows that the government avoided a serious problem by telling Walters that the problem was in her home. This is while her family fell very ill and the Department of Environmental Quality completely ignored her concerns. However, not only do the people of Flint believe that the government has been absent through this crisis; so does Hillary Clinton, the Democratic representative for this year’s presidential election. When asked about the water crisis in an interview with James Comey, Clinton states that, “[Snyder] acted as though he didn’t really care.” This shows that even other politicians are dumbfounded by Governor Snyder's actions towards this. This statement did not stop others politicians to attack Snyder. Senator of Vermont Bernie Sanders did not hold back. He went as far as calling for his resignation.

The current water crisis in Flint, Michigan stems from government officials changing water sources. The government of Flint switched from using the water of Lake Huron, which they had used for over 50 years, to using the water of the Flint River, which had a high level of chloride. The high chloride level eventually led to the corrosion of water pipes allowing unhealthy levels of chlorine and lead contamination. Additionally, irresponsible and unreliable water treatment allowed even more contaminates to enter the city’s water source. All this pollution ultimately ended up in the homes of thousands of people, poisoning families throughout the city. Lead poisoning can have disastrous effects on the human body, with some symptoms including “memory loss, anemia (lack of healthy red blood cells), kidney dysfunction, and in severe

The contamination began in April 2014 after the source of the town’s water supply was switched from Lake Huron to the Flint river in order to reduce governmental costs. This was done despite the fact that the Flint River had a strong history of pollution. Among this pollution included car parts, a dead body, and high levels of chemicals. (Semules par 5). Once the pipes were switched there were several complaints of the water having a foul smell and metallic taste (Foley par 4). In the beggining the government denied that anything was wrong despite the fact that lab examinations of the water proved otherwise. Two years after the Flint water crisis gained media attention, the Senate passed a bill that would provide Flint residents with water, but this is

The Flint Water Crisis has quickly joined the ranks of Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance, Kwame Kilpatrick, and the state of Michigan’s highways as nationally televised disappointments to come out of Michigan. This paper will look at the facts surrounding the causes, current situation, and remedies for the Crisis while also confronting the ethical and unethical acts of key figures associated with the Crisis.

I also explored Ryan Felton’s use of the persuasive appeals; Logos, Pathos, and Ethos. These appeals were used to inform the audience (Flints Residents, homeowners, and the government) about what happened, since there were some speculations and no governmental entity have claimed responsibility for the crisis. Almost every agency has pointed and blamed the author for not taking the necessary actions and not taking the residents’ complaints to account, even though they were already complaining ever since the switch happened. However, volunteers from all over the country poured with their support to the city. Michigan’s governor, Rick Snyder, finally acknowledge the crisis in October, when he said “the situation was far graver than he initially understood”, he also announced a “12 million-dollar plan to reverse Flint's water source back to its previous supplier the city of Detroit” (Felton). Residents however are still hesitant on trusting the governor. However, the majority is still in shock about how was it that poisoned water flew in to their homes for Months. The city and its people are slowly adjusting back to their normal lives; however, the damage is already

In the the newspaper editorial, Republicans Ignore a Poisoned City, author Matt Latimer effectively illustrates the importance of Flint’s poisoned water supply needing recognition from Republican officials by creating a sympathetic connection between him

“Environmental racism is real…so real that even having the facts, having the documentation and having the information has never been enough to provide equal protection for people of color and poor people” “It takes longer for the response and it takes longer for the recovery in communities of color and low-income communities.” (Bullard, 1994:36)

In June of 2015, the EPA issued a memo regarding the high lead levels in Flint, which was responded with

The Flint water crisis is an issue that has been plaguing the state of Michigan for over two years and has no feasible end in sight. The neglect of various government officials and employees has culminated in a public health danger for thousands of Michigan residents, by way of consumption of water with high levels of lead. Though the individuals deemed responsible for this deplorable situation have lost or resigned from their positions, and some criminal charges have been brought about, there is still a lot that has to be done to try and repair the damage that they did.

However, rather than try to deal with the problems that were being brought to the government’s attention, the Snyder administration covered up the problems and discredited the scientists or doctors that tried to warn people of the problems. There have been multiple credible studies involving Flint’s water crisis. For example, a doctor performed blood tests on children in the Flint area and uncovered a significant increase in the number of children who had increased levels of lead in their blood. She immediately brought her findings to the attention of various agencies in the Snyder Administration but she was largely ignored. Another researcher came to Flint to get a sample of water; he placed a nail in the water and after a week the nail began to rust immediately. He brought his document and proof to the Governor administration and this person, yet again, was discredited and marginalized. Meanwhile, one of the largest manufacturing companies in the world, whose Flint manufacturing plant refused to use the water because it caused engine parts to corrode. Despite many examples of significant problems with the water in Flint, Governor Snyder dismissed the problem until children were being diagnosed with lead poison that when he figured it was time to address the

The Flint Water Crisis: What went wrong, article was written by Ryan Felton in January 16, 2016. The story of the article takes place in Flint, Michigan. The city of Flint experienced a crisis that has not been experienced in any other city across the nation. The article states that what happen in flint should not have happened, a city with 100,000 residents should not have to worry about poisoned water running into their homes. The water issue started when Flint appointed emergency manager Darnell Earley, decided to switch Flint’s water source form the city of Detroit to a local Flint River. This switched was aim to find a cheap alternative water source for the residents. However, what the officials failed to do was to test the water and see

Clean drinking water is a necessity in everybody’s life. Many cities take for granted their seemingly infinite amount of water available to them but for Flint, Michigan residents, there is no such luxury. Many people in that area have been sickened or even killed with the water that is available to them. Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan should resign due to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan because his negligence may have long and short term effects on the health of the city’s residents. There is no excuse for how he is handling this; slowly, and ineffectively.

In the article “It’s All Just Poison Now”, Oliver Laughland and Ryan Felton discuss how the lives of the residents of Flint, Michigan have been negatively affected by the city’s tainted water supply. Flint’s aging lead pipes, coupled with its corrosive water sources, have cause a number of contaminants to seep into the water supply. On top of this, the city’s water supply is inadequately purified, which caused many residents to be exposed to these toxins. The main concern to residents is the presence of poisonous lead in the water, which can be deadly even in low amounts. The community of Flint has been unknowingly drinking and bathing in these chemicals, despite being told by city officials that the water was safe. As a result, many residents

in Flint that have been exposed to the dangerous levels of lead in their water. The government