The Wall Street Journal headline was horrifying: Flint’s Water Woes Make Residents Feel like “the Walking Dead”.
Is it just me or is this not absolutely crazy?
This is the United States.
That used to mean something. Something strong. Something good.
But something’s not right.
And the residents of a large city, a city that once powered the automotive industry that helped make our country what it is, are being poisoned by the water supply and compared to zombies from a sci-fi TV show!
100,000 people don’t have access to clean, safe water since April of 2014. A mere two years.
Two years!
An 83 year-old summed it up with the wisdom of one who has been on the earth for more than eight decades: “it’s a mess”.
And a disgrace.
WHY DO WE ALLOW THIS?
People are outraged NOW by the events in Flint. The media is finally giving the story air time. The Detroit Lions, other organizations and celebrities are donating hundreds of thousands of bottles of water. Passionate calls for the heads of government officials are being made.
But none of that gets the poison out of 6,000 Michigan children.
We need to go back to the way we used to handle things. We need to return to the country that proactively prevents tragedy as opposed to reacting after tragedy has already occurred. We were that country once. We can be it again.
Art Gurwitz
Founder, Areena
Author
