If Trump really wants to MAGA and reach out to the Left - he should fix the the Flint water crisis

Flint is hurting. It's outrageous that, in the year 2016, in the wealthiest nation on Earth, children are still exposed to contaminated water. That two and half years after it was discovered, it still hasn't been fixed.

The real, incalculable, devastating impact of this crisis:

www.cbsnews.com...

"There's real danger that the injury is going to be permanent and lifelong in them," Dr. Philip Landrigan, Dean of Global Health at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, tells CBS News.

"The problem here is, no level of lead is safe," Landrigan says. "Even low levels of lead -- especially if exposure to low levels continues over many months -- is going to cause some degree of brain damage to at least some of the children who have been exposed -- that's a big deal.

Exposed children are at risk for a number of problems, including lower IQ scores, developmental delays, and behavioral issues such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Even after lead exposure stops, the effects can last for years or even be permanent.

In Flint, a major challenge will be identifying which children are at risk, then tracking them for many years for evidence of injury.

"These children are going to be injured for life. They're going to need remedial education, they're going to need educational enrichment programs," Landrigan says. "They're kids who are going to be prevented from functioning at their full level."

There are no known drugs to effectively reverse the developmental damage caused by lead. (more at link)

The tic toc...

The political failure:

January 14, 2016 - Governor Snyder writes President Barack Obama to request the declaration of an expedited major disaster in Flint, estimating it will cost $55 million to install lead-free pipes throughout the city.

January 16, 2016 - The president declines to declare a disaster in Flint. Instead, he authorizes $5 million in aid, declaring a state of emergency in the city. The state of emergency allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to step in.

Trump has a YUGE opportunity here to right a wrong. To help children in America. To reach out the the mostly minority population in Flint. To put the government to work in doing something that the citizens actually want. And, strictly from a political point of view, Michigan went for Trump.

Additionally, Trump is on record as lamenting the decline of the nations infrastructure:

thehill.com...

“When I see the crumbling roads and bridges, or the dilapidated airports or the factories moving overseas to Mexico, or to other countries for that matter, I know these problems can all be fixed, but not by Hillary Clinton,” Trump said. “Only by me.”

The billionaire drew on his experience in the real estate world to argue he is more capable of advancing infrastructure projects than his likely general election opponent.

“Construction is what I know,” Trump said. “Nobody knows it better.”

Trump's revenue-neutral plan to fix the Nation's infrastructure


Fixing Flint would turn his bragging and political rhetoric into action.

When Trump went to Flint earlier this year, he botched it when he tried to politicize his visit with criticism of Hillary Clinton. Now that the election is over and he won, he needs to go back - as President Elect - and detail a plan for fixing it and assisting the children and families impacted by this catastrophe and it's mismanagement. Then he has to actually follow through, no excuses, no delay.

Is there anyone who objects to this? Would it not be a good move?

Not much he can do about anything until he actually takes office in january .

Trump plan includes infrastructure there is no reason inner cities and minority communities should be excluded.

Republicans might block him though.

a reply to: VengefulGhost

No #. However, there is no reason he can't go there next week and appoint a liaison and create a task force to recommend a solution to begin implementation on Day 1.

a reply to: JetBlackStare

If Trump really wants to MAGA and reach out to the Left - he should fix the the Flint water crisis

Yes! But he can't stop there.

Flint is definitely the place to start, but many many cities are pumping lead tainted water into their homes and businesses -- and hiding/minimizing it from the people.

a reply to: JetBlackStare

Flints water is fine and even at it's worst lead levels there was like 11 cities with higher levels. Filters have been placed wherever needed. I believe April the new water system will be online and peoples bills will drop.

Will be there this weekend and ask around.



I think parts of Grand Rapids have higher levels.

a reply to: Boadicea

Totally agree. Flint is just the most notorious,

It would go a long way to quelling some of these protests or, at the least, making them look ridiculous and hypocritical. After all, Obama did nothing but drink a glass of contaminated water and toss out some funding for bottled water.

I think I read somewhere that in the Scranton, PA area. Alot of the water tested was worse than Flint, MI. I'll try and dig it up.

a reply to: Throes

Then Trump should make it a nationwide campaign.

originally posted by: Throes
I think I read somewhere that in the Scranton, PA area. Alot of the water tested was worse than Flint, MI. I'll try and dig it up.

Yep, here it is..

www.google.com...

a reply to: JetBlackStare

you don't need 55 million to replace lead pipes

The cause of the problem is that the water supply (Lake Erie) is slightly acidic. It is this acidity that is leaching lead from the pipes into the water.

Ph adjustment is necessary to adjust the pH of the water to a neutral or slightly akaline pH.

That gives you time without risk to the children.

Of course, the water pipes in the city are old and will probably need replacing anyway.

As for children "at risk", I find the article very alarmist. "At risk" children are not the same as children that have been harmed.

The water crisis in Flint has been going on for some time and has been known for some time. Surely, children have been tested by now. I am guessing that they didn't find any children with lead in their blood above healthy levels. (yes, there is existing lead in all blood). This is why the article is talking about 'at risk" children. If children had been found with lead above healthy levels, the article would have talked about.

Although the article is correct in that there is no treatment for damage caused to healthy organs by lead, there is lead chelation treatment that can be immediately offered to children with higher than normal lead levels in their blood.

emedicine.medscape.com...

Community-wide preventive actions are recommended when children are found to have BLLs of 10 µg/dL or higher. With BLLs of 15-19 µg/dL, nutritional and educational interventions are recommended. With BLLs of 20 µg/dL or higher, medical evaluations and environmental interventions are recommended. Medical treatment (ie, chelation therapy) is but one element of a comprehensive treatment plan for exposure to lead; removal of the source of lead exposure is more important. The interventions described below relate to chelation therapy for the most severe cases of lead poisoning. Chelation is of only transient benefit in the patient whose source of lead exposure has not been identified and removed.

There is a lead problem in the water in Flint.

But going off half-cocked with scare mongering has never been shown to have a beneficial effect. Its a problem but don't drive it into a problem that can't be solved because the public trust has been damaged to the point where it is believed that reasonable interventions are considered unacceptable.

Tired of Control Freaks

originally posted by: BlubberyConspiracy
Trump plan includes infrastructure there is no reason inner cities and minority communities should be excluded.

Republicans might block him though.

Trump needs to address this with the Congress when he takes office.
Throw the gauntlet down and say that the problem in Flint needs to be addressed immediately.

The Republican led Congress would look like crap if they refused to act on it.

Add.... The Congress would be stupid to let the opportunity pass by.
They can be the hero and save the residents of Flint from the problems that were not addressed by the previous(Democratic) administration.

a reply to: TiredofControlFreaks

It's still a problem that has yet to be resolved, apparently nationwide. I'm simply saying, however it's dealt with, it's a good, non-partisan place for Trump to start.

a reply to: butcherguy

And if they balk, he can do it by Executive Order. He'll be a hero.

a reply to: TiredofControlFreaks

And case in point, Flint has already returned to using Detroit Citry Water has their supply

The CDC has done blood testing of the children

www.wsj.com...

Before using the Flint River, 3.1% of Flint children tested were found to have elevated blood-lead levels, defined as 5 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood, or higher. The figure rose to as high as 5% in the first eight months after the Flint River was first used, and dropped to 1.4% in the five months after the city reverted to Detroit’s water.

This proves that the children were not poisoned by lead to toxic levels, just elevated levels. Of course, this proved the need to keep lead out of the water supply to make sure that didn't happen.

I would suggest that the people who are quoted in the article are looking to make money off the emergency.

The 'crisis" has already been addressed but for a frightened population with scammers goosing them, it will be long time before the shock wears off.

Tired of Control Freaks

originally posted by: JetBlackStare
a reply to: Boadicea

Totally agree. Flint is just the most notorious,

It would go a long way to quelling some of these protests or, at the least, making them look ridiculous and hypocritical. After all, Obama did nothing but drink a glass of contaminated water and toss out some funding for bottled water.

I agree completely. Trump needs to take immediate action FOR the people in the most direct and concrete and productive ways. For too long our self-annointed politically elite have blown smoke up our collective bums while only taking care of themselves.

When people see real things happening, and have some real faith and confidence in the system and our leaders, that's when people can put the fears and anger behind them and will start working together for even better... that's when America will be great again.

a reply to: JetBlackStare

No, you don't understand!

All that is necessary to prevent heavy metals from leaching into water supplies is careful control of Ph in the water supply.

Even if you replace every pipe in every city of the United States, you will still have a lead problem unless the Ph is controlled because household pipes used to be joined by lead solder. You would also have to replace all pipes in all houses as well, if you insist on replacing city water pipes.

Its a simple, effective and cheap solution. Control the pH of the water supply.

Fake problems do not require expensive solutions.


Tired of Control Freaks

originally posted by: Throes
I think I read somewhere that in the Scranton, PA area. Alot of the water tested was worse than Flint, MI. I'll try and dig it up.

I hope you do -- thank you!

Flint has gotten all the attention -- though only once it couldn't be hidden from the public any longer. People need to know that it's not just Flint. And that this happens not just despite all the government regulations, but in large part because of government regulations which protect the guilty.

And both parties are guilty.

a reply to: JetBlackStare

Further, even if you replaced every pipe in every city, and every pipe in every household and adjusted the pH of every drop of supply water, you would STILL have lead in your blood!

Lead is in every bite of food we eat. It in the dust in the air. Lead is a normal heavy metal of soil and some level of it in our bodies in essential to normal functioning.

Stop letting articles in the media goose you into living in fear!

Tired of Control Freaks

a reply to: JetBlackStare

Michigan should fix the Flint water crisis. If a Federal entity needs to step in, the level of incompetence has reached critical mass. This is so far from rocket science it's not even funny. The very fact that this happened at all, should be all the indication needed to replace the leadership in the great state of MI. It's damn embarrassing.