This topic came of great interest to me being a civil engineering student who’s currently taking a class in water resource engineering.  First of all, the research I had to do informed me of the problem they had in Flint, and also caused me to realize the importance that sound infrastructure engineering has to the citizens it will effect.  Policy plays an important factor in the decisions made which will ultimately result in the final decisions.  I became empathetic to the citizens of Flint, and grew contemptuous for the powers that made these disastrous decisions.  I did appreciate the other side however.  It is a tough task to balance a budget with minimal dollars in a failing economy.  But the more I see about the topic, the more it looks like the emergency manager was just trying to be a hero, rather than suck it up and declare bankruptcy (like so many other cities in their position have done).  As far as the actual talk; I felt great.  I was comfortable in front of my classmates.  I felt that they were engaged.  And I tried to go up there with a lot of energy, so as to not lose their interest.  It really made me appreciate the John Stewarts andJohn Olivers of the world, and how much preparation they put in and how great their delivery is.  So far this was my favorite project of the semester.

Philip Davoli

Unit 3 reflection

[1] The lede in my paper is provocative, and leaves the reader asking why? It lacks somewhat on cleverness but makes up for it in efficiency.

[2] The intro is something that I’m most proud of.  It gives the historical context of the story, so as to get the reader to care, because its told like a story, and that begs the reader to want to continue.

[3] I took a strong stance in this topic that evolves as the piece continues.  There is no shortage of evidence from which to form an opinion.

[4] Putting it in historical context is the strongest part of this, however, I made compelling arguments and seem pretty convincing.

[5] The piece could have used some pictures and maybe a hyperlink or two, but I think I got the gist of melding an opinion piece with a research piece. (in the style of NYT mag)

[6] I felt after reading this again that the research was in depth, and the reader would have to be devoid of emotions to not feel something after spending a few minute investing in it.

[7] Expectation on research have been met.  I am an expert on the topic now.

[8] I think it might be a little tough to identify the primary source, however, a lot of secondary sources were used.

[9] Given that the research was so thorough, I think the reader would probably read this feeling that the writer was pretty credible.

[10]  The two pictures I used did a great job to capture the readers attention before they read.

[11] This paper certainly progressed through the process.

[12] No hyperlinks in this one

[13] I didn’t fing any mistakes in grammar my last read through.

The People of Flint, Michigan have been through enough Governor Snyder!  Do the right thing: Resign from office!

To put some perspective on the over two yearlong water crisis tormenting the people of Flint, one must first understand the history of this city, its relationship with pollution, and the auto-makers who polluted it.

In 1907, GM founded what would later be a multi-billion dollar, multi-national company.  The company set its headquarters in Flint, Michigan.  It would employ as many as 349,000 people in plants around the world.  Several of these plants were located in Flint, and others in the neighboring towns of Saginaw, Pontiac, and Lansing.   It was an industry that boomed, and directly contributed to the growth and prosperity of the city.  Times were good for the residents of Flint, for years.  Little did these residents realize, however, that their city was being poisoned.

The development of automobiles and their supporting components, like any young technology, used toxic chemicals that even today remain in the environment of most industrial cities.  Flint’s relationship with lead actually began almost 80 years ago.  David Rosner, who teaches History & ethics of public health at Columbia University explains:  “By 1936, the car industry had become very dependent on lead. It went into their batteries and welding, paints, lacquers, enamels and other finishes, as well as the gasoline GM cars depended on. As any old car enthusiast knows, when refinishing an old car, make sure to wear a mask. Huge amounts of lead and other toxins were pumped into the air, water, streams, and ground in and around the mammoth car factories in Flint and other Michigan cities. It is unlikely that anyone living in or near Flint then—or today—could escape the impact of unrestrained pollution.”

Lead was also used in the residential infrastructure mating welds that connected Flint’s municipal water supply to each house that received water service.  Most of these houses were built in the 1930’s and 40’s, when the danger of lead was unrealized.  And even with lead in the pipes leading up to the homes, citizens were in no danger, as long as the lead stayed in the pipes.  For over 50 years, Flint’s residents got their water from Lake Huron distributed by the Detroit Water and Sewage Department (DWSD).  The water system was adequate and safe.

Things began to turn badly for the citizens of Flint in the late 1980s, when GM closed several factories.  The city suffered severe economic depression from having more residents than available jobs.  A resulting spike in crime rate followed and Flint became known as “one of the most dangerous cities in the United States.”  Eventually the city’s coffers ran dry and the local treasury found itself in a series of economic crises.  Governor Rick Snyder sent an 8 member review team to Flint to assess its economic status.  The team recommended appointing an emergency manager to make drastic changes to try and save Flint from bankruptcy.  That manager looked over the budget and attempted to cut costs wherever possible.  One of these savings would come by changing water supply from Lake Huron to water from the Flint River.  The change would save the city a total of $4 million.  The switch was made and a new water was flushed through the old pipes that comprised Flint’s aging distribution network.  With the new water differing chemically from the old water, a far more corrosive water was now interacting with the lead solder welds that had been safe for so many years before.  Lead then leeched from those welds and entered the homes of most of the residents of Flint.

So now there are economically depressed, crime-ridden citizens, who have grown up in an environment polluted by lead (and other toxins), receiving tap water which contains dangerous levels of lead.  This lead, when consumed, can cause lead poisoning and Legionnaires disease.

Residents complained about the water’s color and odor.  But for months they were ignored and told that the water was fine.  It took almost a year of complaints and investigations until, finally in October 2015, officials switched the water supply back to the DWSD.    But the damage to the welds was done.  Filters were supplied to residents, but there was little more the city could do in the short term.

Today the residents of Flint find themselves in terrible position.  The pipes leading up to the homes must be replaced in order to eradicate the poisoned welds.  The many cases of lead poisoning and legionaries disease must be dealt with for years to come.  Steps need to be taken to hold the people responsible for this disaster accountable for their actions.  The related health costs are estimated of over a billion dollars.

Governor Snyder claimed that the reason for this crisis was failures on multiple levels of government.  He was pressured to release emails regarding his handling of the situation.  The New York Times reviewed these emails: “the documents provide a glimpse of state leaders who were at times dismissive of the concerns of residents, seemed eager to place responsibility with local government and, even as the scientific testing was hinting at a larger problem, were reluctant to acknowledge it.”

So it seems Snyder and his cohorts were more interested in finding where to place the blame then actually doing what was best to immediately fix the problem.  The role of a governor is to fix the problems that face his state by delegating the responsibilities to his officials.  He is much like the CEO of a company.  He is responsible for the overall success of his state.  If a CEO were running a company that faced such catastrophic failures with a portion of his company, there is good chance he would be out of a job once the dust settled.

Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber resigned from office in 2009 over a scandal involving his fiancée’s role as an advisor with a conflict of interest.  No people were injured in this controversy and the lies amounted to little more than a few fibs to make money.  In Michigan, however, the citizens were ignored and lied to about critical issues affecting their very survival.  Congressman Matt Cartwright (Rep Pa) scolded Snyder during a Congressional hearing on the state of the water in Flint, MI: “There you are dripping with guilt but drawing your paycheck, hiring lawyers at the expense of the people and doing your dead-level best to spread accountability to others.  Pretty soon we will have men who strike their wives saying, ‘I’m sorry dear but there were failures at all levels.’ People who put dollars over the fundamental safety of the people do not belong in government, and you need to resign!”

The story continues to develop as investigations into the events lead to conclusions of who is responsible.  Michigan’s attorney general is filing criminal charges against three government employees involved in the water crisis in Flint.  The state alleges the workers tried to hide problems with the city’s contaminated water supply.

Attorney General Bill Schuette is charging two state environmental officials and a Flint city official with felonies for misleading regulators about the amount of lead in Flint’s water and falsifying reports about the water quality. Schuette alleges the criminal activity involved “intentionally tampered (sic) with evidence of lead levels on certain water samples in homes of residents of Flint.” For his part, Governor Rick Snyder says he finds the charges “troubling.” But when the Governor was asked if he feared he had done anything that could result in criminal charges, Snyder responded “I don’t believe so.”

His answer is less than inspiring and somewhat tinged with equivocation.  Even if Snyder stays free of criminal charges, his actions as a governor were inadequate to say the least.

Every week there is a new development, and with no shortage of dramatic events.  Just yesterday it was reported the first person to file a suit over the wrongdoings affecting Flint residents was shot and killed in her home.

 

A bigger problem than one city

Flint’s situation has brought to the attention of Americans something that few give much thought to: dilapidated infrastructure.  It is out of sight and therefore, out of most of our minds.  But when something catastrophic goes wrong, and something as integral as water distribution becomes compromised, we are forced to evaluate the state of our infrastructure, which is sadly outdated.

The cost of repairing and replacing the 13,000 lead service lines damaged by the Flint water change is anywhere from $55 million to $400 million.  Plans are currently underway to have the system repaired within a year.

Flint is reflective of water distribution systems in most other cities across the U.S.  Though they don’t have the lead problem Flint does, they do have an outdated infrastructure that can be a danger and at the very least, inefficient.  Also included under the category of infrastructure are; roads, bridges, dams, sewers, electrical grids and tunnels.

It is a tough sell to get politicians to allocate money for a mostly hidden cost.  So these structures suffer years of neglect.  The American Society of Civil Engineers rated America’s infrastructure with a score of D+.  It will take billions of dollars to make the repairs and replacements necessary, however, the work must be done before we face another consequence of inaction, such as the one the residents of Flint are facing.

In order to avoid another disaster like this one, experts should be involved in a decision making process like this.  If only Flint officials had consulted a water resource engineering firm before they made this decision, this whole thing could have been avoided.  In the future, decisions like these will most likely be made under much more scrutiny.

In an effort to save $4 million, over a billion dollars will have to be spent in order to fix this one single problem.  If any good can come out of this, hopefully it forces us to be made aware of the serious infrastructure neglect in this country and take steps to update these systems.  The residents of Flint will suffer, and hopefully not without affecting a nationwide change that is paramount in our country.

Unfortunately, this assignment has caused me to think about food safety more than I would care to.  And I say “unfortunately” because I would rather go on living in the bliss that was my ignorance.  I don’t want to think about the potential of arsenic in the chicken wings I wanted to order.  I don’t want to  consider getting sick at the thought of eating a medium rare burger.  I just want to order something and eat it with no regard to anything other than the potential of indigestion.  But now I am forced into an awareness that, of course, is better.  It also angers me.  The businesses that grow richer at the behest of my fears anger me.  The politicians who line their pockets for re-election with the donations made by such companies are not what are founding fathers intended.  So I have little else to do but complain.  In that respect, this was a good assignment for me.  It allowed me to get some things off my chest.  I usually write poetry when I feel I have no other recourse.  This exercise enabled me to write poetically about the topic.  And I feel better now.

 

With a food supply system completely motivated by profits, consumers are suffering adverse health effects in the interests of higher profits.  Oversight is overwhelmed and ineffective.  With these two major problems facing our population, a drastic change is needed.  Supply should be nationalized and oversight privatized.

It seems like every day there is a new article somewhere on the internet about our food.  It is a topic of the utmost importance to all of us.  It seems, however, that most of us live under the veil that Big Food has pulled over our eyes, shielding themselves from being exposed.  They are the wizard behind the curtain.  But unlike Alice’s wizard, this one has no concern for us.  They have done a great job separating the consumer from the supply.  And it is a smart business decision.  When a consumer goes to the grocery store, they see great packaging.  Unfortunately, the packaging is not reflective of that which lies within.  As Michael Pollen says in Food Inc: “There are no seasons in the American supermarket. Now there are tomatoes all year round, grown halfway around the world, picked when it was green, and ripened with ethylene gas. Although it looks like a tomato, it’s kind of a notional tomato. I mean, it’s the idea of a tomato.”

The biggest threat that the consumer faces is in the meat.  Here are just a few problems with our livestock.  1) Cows are fed corn to fatten them, which works, but causes them to retain harmful and even deadly bacteria in their bowls.  This can be avoided by feeding them grass, as they were intended to eat.  But there is less profit in that.  2) The animals are slaughtered in such quantity that the contents of the bowls are sometimes released into the eatable meat supply.  3) Shortcuts are taken in order to minimize the risks, such as treating the potentially infected meat with ammonia.  4) Some poultry feeds contain antibiotics and cancer causing arsenic.  5) Farm raised fish are fed with feed caught in polluted waters that contain cancer causing dioxins and PCBs.  Most consumers don’t know these things occur, and it turns out they don’t even wat to know.  But it’s having negative health impacts on our population.  We are growing ever more resistant to antibiotics.  There are links to cancer and other serious illnesses.  And as our population grows unhealthier, the supply companies grow richer.

Robert Kenner, the creator of Food Inc, attempted to change the market by placing more of a demand on organic foods.  Unfortunately that documentary was not seen by enough people. Consumers still live under the veil.  The only way to fix this problem is to nationalize the supply system.  It is a drastic step, but these are desperate times.  Do you really trust Monsanto with the health of your children?  When a company’s primary concern is the bottom line, they will do whatever is necessary to ensure profits.  There are ethical questions that arise as we give the food corporations this much power.  “I’m always struck by how successful we have been at hitting the bull’s-eye of the wrong target. I mean we have learned- for example, in cattle we have learned how to plant, fertilize and harvest corn using global positioning satellite technology, and nobody sits back and asks, “But should we be feeding cows corn?” We’ve become a culture of technicians. We’re all into the how of it and nobody’s stepping back and saying “But why?”- Joe Salatin.

Put government in charge of supplying the food.  They can make the health of the population their primary concern, and not profits.  They would have to take over the feed supply as well.   Rather than having “The goal: to fatten animals as fast and cheaply as possible,” it would be to nourish the animals appropriately to eventually nourish our population.  “There needs to be rigorous analysis of the health impact of what’s fed to food animals.” Additionally the government might even look after the environment.

We do not have to abandon the new technologies we have applied toward farming practices.  Blake Hurst seems to think that efficient farming and environmental consciousness seem to be mutually exclusive.  “The organic farming narrative depends on the belief that conventional farming sacrifices the present for the future…Those of us who grew up with a hoe in our hand have absolutely no nostalgia for days gone by.”

Overseeing the process of supplying the food has been proven a huge failure.  Marion Nestle almost comically points out in her about food safety.  “Even with the best of intentions, it would be difficult to keep up with food safety problems given the chances in the U.S. food system since 1906.  USDA has 7,000 inspectors or so, and they oversee 6,000 meat, poultry and egg establishments-and 130 importers-that slaughter and process 89 million pigs, 37 million cattle and 7 billion chickens and turkeys, not to mention the 25 billion pounds of beef and 7 billion pounds of ground beef each year…The demands on the FDA are even more unreasonable.  About 700 FDA inspectors must oversee 30,000 food manufacturers and processors, 10,000 warehouses, 785,000 commercial and institutional food establishments, 128,000 grocery and convenience stores, and 1.5 million vending operations.”

Leave the oversight to private business.  They can get paid per item.  It is no secret that private businesses have done very well with government contracts.  Having full transparency would be a good thing for the consumer.  There could be a whole new industry created, responsible for overseeing the safety of the population’s food supply.  As far as the economics of it are concerned, instead of the production companies earning huge profits at the cost of the health of our population, those profits would be rolled into the oversight side.  The prices will stay the same but the product will improve.  The more oversight, the more profitable the oversight company will be and the healthier the population will be.  The logic is there.

These are desperate times.  And desperate times call for desperate measures.  Are we going to continue with the status quo, lining the pockets of a few fat cats?  Or are we going to make a change?  Make the population healthier by changing to motivation of the supply side from profit to health.