On the recordFebruary 3, 2016
The city of Flint, Michigan, has been hit by a crisis of massive proportion. Its impact on the long-term health and future success of its residents remains unclear. The fact I find most disturbing is that it is a completely manmade crisis. It grew out of the same kind of stubborn faith in austerity measures that has handicapped our ability to govern for years. It grew out of a failure to protect the Flint River from environmental damage. It grew out of both a failure to invest in Flint's crumbling infrastructure and in the willful disregard for the people of that city, a city in which more than 40 percent of the residents live below the poverty line and in which the majority of families are African American. My colleagues and I are here on the floor this evening to urge every Member of this body to understand one thing: If we fail to acknowledge the issues that led to the Flint water crisis, we will see similar and equally devastating events in more and more cities across the country. We need to recognize that tunnel vision for deficit reduction creates more problems than it solves. The emergency manager appointed by Governor Snyder instituted a plan to run Flint like a business in order to bring it back from the brink of death. In the process, he sought out the least expensive options for basic needs, like water.…
