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| This 9-year-old protester in Flint was photographed by MLive. |
As
Gov. Rick Snyder gets pilloried from all sides, from critics across the nation,
for the Flint water crisis, his nerdy, technocratic approach toward government
is what’s really taking a hit.
Gov. Rick Snyder gets pilloried from all sides, from critics across the nation,
for the Flint water crisis, his nerdy, technocratic approach toward government
is what’s really taking a hit.
Janell
Ross of The Washington Post weighed in this morning with a hard-hitting column that
provided this emphasis:
Ross of The Washington Post weighed in this morning with a hard-hitting column that
provided this emphasis:
“The
situation in Flint highlights the very real limits of reducing both the size
and cost of government at every turn, of making savings the organizing
principle of government. Money truly is not everything, even in a poor
city in one of the richest countries in the world. When it is, the crisis in
Flint is one possible result.”
situation in Flint highlights the very real limits of reducing both the size
and cost of government at every turn, of making savings the organizing
principle of government. Money truly is not everything, even in a poor
city in one of the richest countries in the world. When it is, the crisis in
Flint is one possible result.”
Over
at MLive, Susan Demas admits that she’s always been a huge fan of the governor’s
online dashboard.
I agree that the data-driven approach, tracking how the state is doing in terms
of health, economics, education, public safety, and other metrics, is a service
to the taxpayer.
at MLive, Susan Demas admits that she’s always been a huge fan of the governor’s
online dashboard.
I agree that the data-driven approach, tracking how the state is doing in terms
of health, economics, education, public safety, and other metrics, is a service
to the taxpayer.
But
Demas, editor and publisher of Inside Michigan Politics, points out the insensitive
outcomes that result when taking a bookkeeper’s approach to governing:
Demas, editor and publisher of Inside Michigan Politics, points out the insensitive
outcomes that result when taking a bookkeeper’s approach to governing:
“A dashboard, however, is only as good as what it measures. And
there’s no metric on clean water or lead poisoning, presumably because these
are considered such basic human needs that we’ve moved beyond them.
there’s no metric on clean water or lead poisoning, presumably because these
are considered such basic human needs that we’ve moved beyond them.
“But
we haven’t in Flint.
we haven’t in Flint.
“…
Michigan earns an “F” in government transparency
and ethics from a national watchdog group. But the dashboard barely measures
anything on that front.
Michigan earns an “F” in government transparency
and ethics from a national watchdog group. But the dashboard barely measures
anything on that front.
“The
list goes on.
list goes on.
“But
the biggest flaw in the dashboard approach is this:
It doesn’t encapsulate the human element to governing. It’s not
fundamentally about numbers; it’s about people.”
the biggest flaw in the dashboard approach is this:
It doesn’t encapsulate the human element to governing. It’s not
fundamentally about numbers; it’s about people.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/opinion/michigans-failure-to-protect-flint.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region®ion=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region
This opinion statement from the NY Times Editorial Board on Snyder's complete failure as a leader speaks volumes to his failures as a leader. In fact, investigations that are in progress may very well force his resignation. We need to know 'what he knew and when he knew it'. The lifelong damage from lead poisoning to the thousands of children of Flint lays firmly at Snyder's doorstep. Whether this is a moral matter or whether it is a criminal matter doesn't matter, the damage is inexcusable.
Stuart Carter
The nice thing about Snyder and his poisoning small children in Flint and the resulting blowback is it puts a final nail in the coffin for any national aspiration fantasies he may have had, I