At the Congressional hearing about the Flint water crisis, Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan said he didn’t want to point fingers, but then proceeded to blame everyone but himself. 

It doesn’t take a Sherlock Holmes to recognize that the real culprit was on the stand. Governor Snyder appointed every official involved in the decision to save money by shutting off the clean water supply.

“Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder began his opening statement before the House Government Oversight Committee hearing on the Flint water crisis by saying, “I am not going to point fingers.” In the same statement and in comments made during questioning, he then blamed the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the failure to prevent the poisoning of Flint’s drinking water with the powerful, tasteless, odorless, invisible neurotoxin lead. He explicitly called out “bureaucrats created a culture that valued technical compliance over common sense”. Presumably this includes the man he himself appointed to head he DEQ, Dan Wyant, a man with no previous experience in dealing with water regulation or regulations:

“Prior to directing the MDA [Michigan Department of Agriculture], Director Wyant provided policy expertise for the Senate Majority Office and was associate director of Governor John Engler’s Office of Legislative Affairs. He began his career in the private sector, as a marketing manager for the Ralston Purina Co. and then as an export trade consultant for Lowe’s International.

“Director Wyant holds a bachelor’s degree in food systems management from Michigan State University (MSU) and a master’s in business administration from American University in Washington, D.C.

“Gov. Snyder also stated plainly that “this was a failure of government at all levels”. The truth, of course, is that this wasn’t a failure of “government”. It was, in fact, a failure of Gov. Snyder, members of his administration, and, most importantly, the policies of Emergency Management and “running government like a business”. Gov. Snyder’s blaming of “government” is the continuance of a Republican policy of running government poorly and then blaming the broad category of “government” rather than the specific policies and individuals who are responsible for running that government. The fact is, properly run, government is not the problem, it is the watchdog to prevent problems. There is a direct and fatal line between Gov. Snyder’s policies of Emergency Management and “running government like a business”. In fact, during questioning, Gov. Snyder admitted this. When asked if the situation in Flint was a direct result of the failure of Emergency Management, Gov. Snyder replied, “In this particular case, with respect to the water issue, that would be a fair conclusion.”

“Another aspect of the hearings was a continuation of Republicans blaming the EPA for this catastrophe. It was bewildering to watch the very same Congressional Republicans who have worked to undermine the EPA and who fight what they see as EPA over-regulation to now malign that agency for under-regulating in the case of Flint.

“During the hearing, Democratic Rep. William Clay from Missouri was to the point:

[He said:]

“You know, I have to hand it to my Republican colleagues. They are actually making their argument with a straight face. And, you know, just to be clear, Republicans here today are claiming that the EPA – the Obama EPA – should have been more aggressive in stepping in and seizing control and overruling the Republican-controlled state of Michigan. They are just outraged that the EPA wasn’t more assertive with Michigan and didn’t immediately go public with their complaints about the state’s failure to follow the law. Ms. McCarthy, the irony is almost overwhelming, isn’t it? Republicans have been absolutely slamming the EPA for overreaching at every possible turn. Now they criticize the EPA for not doing more when Gov. Snyder fell down on the job.”

Givernor Snyder should take responsibility, hold himself accountable for poisoning the water of Flunt, and do the right thug: RESIGN.

The faculty senate of Eastern Michigan University voted no confidence in the university’s Board of Regents because it failed to withdraw from its sponsorship of Governor Rick Snyder’s Educational Achievement Authority, as it had promised a year earlier.m, based on its failure.
Here is the senate’s resolution: 

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Faculty Senate 

Eastern Michigan University 
Resolution 2016-02-03 
Whereas the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents, at the behest of the Governor’s office, entered into an Interlocal Agreement with the School District for the City of Detroit creating the Educational Achievement Authority (EAA) in June of 2011, and  
Whereas the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents passed a resolution on December 5, 2014 explicating their intent to provide notice of withdrawal from the EAA agreement in December 2015 unless substantial progress was made in four areas: 1) a stronger partnership between Eastern Michigan University and the Educational Achievement Authority; 2) demonstrated student achievement and progress in EAA schools; 3) fiscal accountability; and 4) complete transparency of all activity, including prompt and appropriate responses to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act, and 
Whereas, the Faculty Senate provided a detailed report to the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents a week before the Board’s December 8, 2015 meeting documenting the failure of the EAA to make any progress in the four areas outlined by the Board’s December 2014 resolution, and recommending immediate withdrawal from the agreement, and 
Whereas, the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents at its December 8, 2015 meeting, despite the Faculty Senate report and impassioned calls for immediate withdrawal from Eastern Michigan University’s faculty, students, and alumni as well as community members from Washtenaw County and the City of Detroit, failed to take any action on the EAA agreement, and 
Whereas, the decisions and actions of Board members on December 8, 2015 violated the following provisions of the Board of Regents’ Code of Ethics signed annually by each member: 
Preamble 
“We will consider the interests of all of its constituents in decision making, including students, administration, faculty, staff and other stakeholders.” By repeatedly ignoring the voices of students, staff, faculty, a sitting University President, alumni, and community members, the Board has failed in its responsibility to consider the interests of all of its constituents in decision-making.  
Article 1, Paragraph 1 (Public Trust)  
“Regents are expected to carry out their governance responsibilities in an honest, ethical and diligent manner.” This provision was violated when the Board did not follow through with its actions outlined in the December 2014 memorandum stating it would send notice of a withdrawal unless substantial progress was made by the EAA in four areas. When the Board was notified of the EAA’s failure in all four areas it changed the EAA discussion from an action to a non-action item on its agenda and would not discuss the agreement with the public on December 8, 2015.  
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Article 1, Paragraph 2 (Welfare of Eastern Michigan University) 
“In carrying out their duties, however, Regents must keep the welfare of the entire University paramount over any parochial interests. Regents should refrain from actions and involvements that might prove embarrassing to the institution.” The Interlocal Agreement that established the EAA was formed at the behest of the Governor’s office, and the Board of Regents did not consult with EMU faculty experts during or after the process. The agreement has generated a great deal of negative and embarrassing articles in the popular press and in the scholarly literature; the agreement also has had a negative impact on EMU students. The Board’s adherence to the agreement in the face of opposition from all sides within and outside of the University demonstrates that the Board has failed in its responsibility to keep the welfare of the entire University paramount over any parochial interests.  
Article 1, Paragraph 3 (Duty of Care). 
“Consistent with their responsibilities as members of the Governing Board, Regents will discharge their duties, including any duties as a member of a committee, in good faith, with the care an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would exercise under similar circumstances, in a manner the Regent reasonably believes is in the best interest of the University, and with the level of decorum appropriate to the office of Regent.” An ordinarily prudent person, in the face of multiple voices detailing the negative impact of the Interlocal Agreement—including a sitting University President—would NOT have made the decision that the Board did at its December 8, 2015 meeting. The Board has failed to follow the care an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances and thus failed to serve the best interests of the University.  
Article 1, Paragraph 5 (Due Diligence). 
“Each Regent shall undertake with due diligence a critical analysis of the risks and benefits of any matter coming before the Board for action. Regents shall promote a culture of constructive debate about major information necessary to carry out the Regents’ duty of care to act in the best interest of the University.” As noted above, the Board entered into the agreement without consulting faculty experts on the subject. Subsequently, the Board, on December 8, 2015, failed to consider the analysis presented by the Faculty Senate and the perspectives of many in attendance when it decided to not take action on the EAA agreement; the Board’s lack of response on the issue was antithetical to promoting a culture of constructive debate. The Board of Regents has thus failed in its obligation to undertake with due diligence a critical analysis of the risks and benefits of the Interlocal Agreement. 
Now, therefore, be it  
Resolved that the Faculty Senate, given the Board’s gross violation of its own code of ethics and failure to be a faithful steward of our University, has no choice but to vote no confidence in the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents.