Flint, Michigan's Water Problem is Another Example of Placing Money (Profit) Over People

"Nearly two years ago, the state decided to save money by switching Flint's water supply from Lake Huron (which they were paying the city of Detroit for), to the Flint River, a notorious tributary that runs through town known to locals for its filth." (CNN)

 Once again industries and agencies that are supposed to support and sustain life have shown what really matters and it is not human life. Recently the story broke about the residents of Flint, Michigan who have been subjected to having to drink and use water that is filled with lead, a poison. Water, like food, medicine, medical care, insurance, education, college tuition, rent/mortgage, etc. etc. are all human life sustaining industries that are all vital to one's quality of life. Yet, ironically enough, all place profit over life. All literally extort and hold lives hostage with their focus on profit over humanity. Before we go on, I am not suggesting that these companies/industry do everything that they do for altruistic reasons as that is not what capitalistic societies do; however, when stories such as the Flint, Michigan water scandal emerges, it becomes clearly evident that human lives are not valued much compared with profits. The Flint water debacle cannot even be defended when known corrosives and poisons are in the Flint River. So I guess the authorities and experts thought it just fine that the people in the impacted communities would just ingest this polluted water in order for the state to "save money." Surely these people would be too stupid to figure it all out.

According to a CNN report, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician, began seeing a trend when she began seeing more and more concerned parents reporting rashes and hair loss in their children. After conducting some research, data showed the likely cause to be lead from the water. Her research showed that the lead levels in her patients doubled and even tripled in some cases. Lead poisoning is irreversible.

"If you were to put something in a population to keep them down for generation and generations to come, it would be lead," Hanna-Attisha said. "It's a well-known, potent neurotoxin. There's tons of evidence on what lead does to a child, and it is one of the most damning things that you can do to a population. It drops your IQ, it affects your behavior, it's been linked to criminality, it has multigenerational impacts. There is no safe level of lead in a child."

Can you imagine?  These folks have now been sacrificed for money (savings, profit). As stated earlier, this is just one example of how humans are sacrificed for profit. Within several of The Critical Thinker posts, I've referenced two books in particular that expose the pharmaceutical and food industries (Our Daily Meds and Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us) and how they exploit the general population's naivete and extort based on the needs of this same body. There are other industries with similar practices as well.

Reflectively, Dayne Walling, former mayor of Flint admitted in his own words, "You can't put a dollar amount of the devastation to our community, our kids, and it was completely avoidable." Yes, Mr. Walling, it was completely avoidable. There are so many other things that are completely avoidable as well, such as, consumers paying hundreds of dollars for one pill;completely avoidable. Thousands of dollars for one night in a hospital; completely avoidable. Cancer and other health related causing chemicals in foods and beverages; completely avoidable. The continued making and selling of toy guns; completely avoidable. The selling and buying of so-called magic bullet educational programs/curriculum; completely avoidable. Students coming out of college with more debt from their student loans than they will make in their careers during their first years out of college; completely avoidable. Frivolous and absurd government "pork barrel" projects and studies; completely avoidable. The list of "completely avoidable" activities could go on and on and it does.

So as we celebrate the eighty-seventh birthday of one who would have been appalled by and most likely still fighting the many atrocities against humanity that fit into the "completely avoidable" category (even at eighty seven), it is incumbent upon us to shake the consciousness by any means necessary of those who are making the decisions to place profits over human life. Let us not be silent. Let us write about it, speak about it, act on it, withdraw our dollars because of it and anything else that we need to do to stop the overall injustice to human life when profits are placed over life.  In the words of the one whose birthday we commemorate on this Day On of Service, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." The Flint, Michigan water scandal is an injustice. Placing profits over people is an injustice.  As always, this issue is something to critically think about...........

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