Since the Preamble to the Constitution of The Unites States includes “promote the general welfare”: as a purpose for our government, it is clear that, at all levels, government should take on the tasks, called public goods, that do so. On the other hand, there are two ways to describe it, when government, at any level, abandons public goods to the detriment of its citizens: criminal and Republican.
In the 1850s, London, the world’s largest city, still didn’t have a sewer system. Waste simply flowed into the Thames, which was as disgusting as you might imagine. But conservatives, including the magazine The Economist and the prime minister, opposed any effort to remedy the situation. After all, such an effort would involve increased government spending and, they insisted, infringe on personal liberty and local control.
It took the Great Stink of 1858, when the stench made the Houses of Parliament unusable, to produce action.
But that’s all ancient history. Modern politicians, no matter how conservative, understand that public health is an essential government role. Right? No, wrong — as illustrated by the disaster in Flint, Mich.
What we know so far is that in 2014 the city’s emergency manager — appointed by Rick Snyder, the state’s Republican governor — decided to switch to an unsafe water source, with lead contamination and more, in order to save money. And it’s becoming increasingly clear that state officials knew that they were damaging public health, putting children in particular at risk, even as they stonewalled both residents and health experts.
This story — America in the 21st century, and you can trust neither the water nor what officials say about it — would be a horrifying outrage even if it were an accident or an isolated instance of bad policy. But it isn’t. On the contrary, the nightmare in Flint reflects the resurgence in American politics of exactly the same attitudes that led to London’s Great Stink more than a century and a half ago.
Let’s back up a bit, and talk about the role of government in an advanced society…
Inserted from <NY Times>
Photo credit: Rolling Stone
Click through. In this fine editorial, Paul Krugman goes on to explain how the Flint catastrophe is not the exception, but the norm of how Republicans govern. We can expect more disasters, short and long term, anywhere Republicans have sufficient power to eliminate public goods,
Every Republican in office is one Republican too many!
12 Responses to “Abandoning Public Goods”
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Corporatocracy, when defined, at least alludes to abandonment of public good being a priority much less a necessity for decision-making.
"Since the Preamble to the Constitution of The United States includes “promote the general welfare”: as a purpose for our government, it is clear that, at all levels, government should take on the tasks, called public goods, that do so." This is as obvious to me as it is that the sun (appears to) rise in the east and set in the west daily. Yet every time anyone points out that the government is not doing its job, and in most cases needs better funding in order to be able to do its job, some Republican will come up with "The Constitution doesn't say anything about that. This is not even a function of Government. The government should not be doing this at all." When you try to point out that the Preamble cites promoting the general welfare as a purpose of government – I mean, I don't get it. Do they think the Preamble is not a part of the Constitution? But if not, then why did the Founders put it there? Or have they just learned deafness to it, the way the right wing Chriatianists have learned deafness to the words of Jesus?
This is indeed a subject which needs to be shouted about from the rooftops. It is absolutely fundamental. Everything in our Progressive and Democratic platforms is built on the assumption that public goods are the province of government. And the Republicans believe the opposite and are never called upon to defend their indefensible position. No wonder they don't pay attention to us.
For Republicans, the constitution is something they wave and claim to support. Most don't know what's in it, and those that do, don't care.
It's clear to me from what Paul Krugman writes that America needs a massive Great Stink that purges all Republicans from every public office and it's not a moment too soon for it to occur.
Re: Flint's Water Problems. Here is the latest adding insult to injury is the new "proposal" to take children away from parents who do not pay for their poisonous, toxic water bills.
Flint Residents Told That Their Children Could Be Taken Away If They Don’t Pay For City’s Poison Water
Not only is the Michigan government poisoning residents, but now they are threatening to take their children for not paying for it.
http://www.alternet.org/environment/flint-residents-told-their-children-could-be-taken-away-if-they-dont-pay-citys-poison?akid=13912.176640.LnanHB&rd=1&src=newsletter1049496&t=22
I read about that. Republican politicians and functionaries are just compunding the problems and making themselves out to be the fools that we all know they are.
Thanks Jim,
Repugs padding their pockets for their agendas, at the cost of the health and well being of the children and residents of Flint. Get them out, starting Synder and his city managers!!
''Were there red flags early on?
Yes. General Motors still has manufacturing facilities in Flint. In October 2014, worried the water would corrode auto parts, the company brokered a deal to switch its own water supply back to Lake Huron water.
Hold up. The water quality wasn't good enough for industrial purposes, but people were still drinking it? And no one was advocating a switch back to Detroit water? In fact, city council members in Flint appealed to the emergency manager to switch back to Detroit water way back in January 2015. Detroit even offered to waive re-connection fees. The request was denied; it would cost too much. **Rolling Stone.
Jim: Sad, and and absolutely sickening!!
The disaster in Flint, Michigan shows that RepukkklicanTs can't be trusted to do ANYTHING that involves health, welfare or any other public services that involve people's lives!!! They can only do stuff like going from point A to point B and back, and be sure that you check that they made it all the way to B and back to A!!!
It is so terrible that the children of Flint are going to be impacted for the rest of their lives! Their intelligence and impact on any thing that happens in this world will be decreased because of the lead poisoning they have received because of some money-hungry RepukkklicanTs!!! They will never reach their full potential in life because of the injustice done to them before they even knew what life is! Such a terrible waste of human potential!!!
Rick Snyder should be prosecuted, but I doubt he ever will be. The Tea Party has destroyed any integrity in the Republican party. Years ago I voted for the person, not the party, even though I am a lifelong Dem. Beginning with Nixon, the Republicans have taken the lower road on anything that would actually benefit the average American. Our people are so uneducated, even if they have been to college, about the workings of government that they swallow these political lies and blame the victims. There will be generations of people from Flint who will suffer over this debacle.
Snyder and the Michigan Republicans are domestic terrorists, but instead of bombs, they use poisoned water and threats against the citizens they are sworn to serve. These idiots are not servants of the people! They are self serving assholes who should be confined to the darkest, deepest hole in the US, for life! This should classified as a crime against humanity.
Thanks all. Hugs. Hurrying and tired.