Charges Filed In Flint Water Poisoning

Michigan's Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette today announced that three mid-level officials have been charged with a variety of misdemeanors and felonies regarding the Flint, Michigan water poisoning. The officials, one the former Flint Utilities Commissioner and two officials with the State's Department of Environmental Quality, face lengthy prison terms and big fines for their roles in concealing data that showed Flint's water supply contained high quantities of lead. Schuette said that the investigation will proceed, and that "no one is off the table," presumably including elected or appointed officials in his own Party.  Riiiight.  (For what a pile of sewage Schuette is, see here.)

It remains to be seen whether Michigan Gov. and e-coli Republican Rick "Get Sick" Snyder will be one of those on the table, since his mania to pinch pennies and cut corners caused his appointed "emergency manager" for Flint to decide to use water from the Flint River without treating it for corrosion control. Subsequently, the water from the river caused corrosion in the aging lead pipes that serve the city.  Get Sick Snyder sat on the information that the city's water was unsafe until last fall, while the city's residents -- especially the vulnerable children under 12 -- continued to drink and bathe in the tainted water.  Long-term health effects from lead consumption, including developmental problems and tumors, are particularly acute for young children.