While parents in Flint worry about whether their children have suffered brain damage from the toxins in their water, Governor Rick Snyder will face a lawsuit accusing him of complicity in the diversion of clean water from Flint. Angry parents have filed a RICO lawsuit, which is usually a tool for prosecuting racketeering.
Endangering the life of children would have been good reason to prosecute him.
How owe much money was saved by switching to polluted water? How much will it cost families and children and the state to deal with the consequences of this absurd decision? Which is more cost effective: cost-cutting on the business model or human services that put people above dollars?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“How owe much money was saved by switching to polluted water?”
Not a dime. They got a better offer from Detroit that they turned down. And that’s excluding all the lawsuits, remediation, public relations, etc. costs that have far more than eliminated any savings they would have seen even if the Flint River deal did provide any savings over Detroit water.
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Dienne: what you said.
😎
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I heard just once on the radio that one of the reasons Flint’s water system was separated off was so it could then be privatized. So it was all really part of a larger privitazation scheme – has anyone heard of this ? because I have not heard it since. But it is in line with their thinking – those on the far right.
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caligirl – I have heard that too, although I can’t remember where.
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Updates —
http://www.eclectablog.com/tag/flint-water-crisis
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A better RICO suit would be how private businesses and government officials colluded to deny students of equitable access to public education. We have all kinds of data to support this, why is it not being done?
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How about some consequences for governors like Cuomo that ignore court orders to provide equitable funding to urban schools. They can ignore the court orders, declare the schools “failing,” and present them to their hedge fund cronies for charter expansion.
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What about the inevitable spin, when teachers are blamed for the problematic test scores of those harmed by the lead? The charters will extract those who are “salvageable,” and the rest of the kids will be consigned to what’s left of the decrepit DPS system. My prediction: lots of finger pointing, but very minimal help from the state.
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Clearly the Governor of Michigan has no concern for the citizens of Flint much less the citizens throughout Michigan. Not only does the state of Michigan need to provide support for the people of Flint, they must also support public schools as we are the only ones who will be able to assure the children get the education support they will need in the future.
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‘Misrepresented the suitability of the toxic Flint River water to Flint’s residents for approximately a two-year period, and billed Flint’s residents at rates that were the highest in the nation for toxic water that was unsuitable for use.’
I hope that this lawsuit goes forward.
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Laura H. Chapman: actual responsibility, with consequences, for what he actually did?
This will not go over well, if it goes forward, with the corporate education reform crowd.
😎
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The RICO statutes were designed for use in prosecuting, and thereby disrupting and ultimately destroying, organized crime. Given what we know about the decision making surrounding the disposition of Flint’s water supply (the emails between Governor Snyder and his unscrupulous subordinates have been particularly damning), this does look like a criminal enterprise.
Federal prison for everyone involved!
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Mark, if I remember correctly, the Atlanta educators who changed answers on tests were prosecuted under the RICO statute
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You do remember correctly, and they went to jail (jail!).
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