Who is to blame for the water in Flint, Michigan?

Candidates for the highest office in the land were finger pointing about the lead in the water supply of Flint, MI at the Democrat debate Sunday. It appears to be a collection of problems and decisions shared by the local, state and federal (EPA) governments over many years. Since they’ve been in government their entire adult lives and are progressives/socialists, they need to look at the fingers pointing back at them as they conclude more government solves everything.

Some would say, no use assigning blame, let's just clean it up.  Of course, that's a given. There are children suffering and some will be damaged for life.  After Cher and other celebs move on to a new cause with which to get publicity, the townspeople will still need water.  But unless we also realize that bigger, more bloated and richer government bureaucracies are not the answer to all our problems, the next time it will be a building blown up, or a virus released, or baby tissue sold to the highest bidder (oh, wait. . . .)

 http://www.reuters.com/article/us-michigan-water-epa-idUSKCN0UX2KZ

 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/20/us/obama-set-to-meet-with-mayor-of-flint-about-water-crisis.html?_r=0

 http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2016/01/19/flint-epa/79007918/

Oil is expensive, but water is priceless

I own stock in Pentair. "More than one billion people worldwide – roughly one out of every seven – have no choice but to use unsafe, contaminated water. To help solve this issue, Pentair, Inc. (NYSE: PNR), a leader in sustainable water solutions, and its Foundation announced today (Mar 21) a new five-year grant totaling $1 million to the non-profit Water Missions International (WMI). The multi-year grant will fund the implementation of clean water and sanitation projects in developing countries, further building on the work of Pentair's Project Safewater initiative with WMI."

I don't get too excited about companies making donations to non-profits--their usefulness on the planet is job creation and supporting investors. However, it's good PR and brings attention to very worthwhile projects like WMI, a Christian effort.

From the WMI website: "At the core of our work with safe water and sanitation is something called the Great Commission. Jesus Christ told his followers to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them.” Those first followers of Christ spread throughout the known world, healing physical hurts and sharing the good news that God had reached out to people through Jesus Christ, making a way for us to know God and have a relationship with Him. Often, the healing that people experienced opened their hearts to hear the message about Jesus. The same is true today.

When people see the “miracle” of filthy disease-laden water turned into clean, clear water, they see a tangible picture of what God does in the lives of those who believe in Him. He cleanses us, washing away the filth of the past, so that we can offer our lives as vessels of hope to the world around us. This is the Living Water message. As we work all over the world to provide sustainable safe water solutions, we share this message of hope and transformation. And we marvel again and again at its power to transform the human soul."

The ubiquitous plastic water bottle

Today I was browsing through some events at CUNY and came across a very boring (only watched a few minutes) panel discussing. . . well, something. . . "Malcolm Gladwell, Jerilyn Perine and Robert Hammond join Graduate Center's John Mollenkopf to discuss NYC's High Line and its impact on urban innovation." What was really odd, besides the chairs and low table which appeared to be uncomfortable no matter the size and weight of the speakers, was that there were 7 bottles of water for 4 speakers. Environmentally insensitive, don't you think?

What I was really looking for was the tax funding for CUNY (couldn't find it). How much of the $4,000+ tuition and fees comes from the tax payers of NY and how much from the rest of us (through federal grants, loans, etc. both for students and buildings). How many tax dollars go to support that Left Forum (a gathering of Communists and Socialists formerly titled Socialist Scholars Conference) being sponsored by the Department of Sociology, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue,New York, NY 10016.

The topics of Left Forum this year include federal green jobs programs and communist goals; lots of anti-capitalism panels; united left front against the right (that will include tea party groups); links with humanist groups; using art and theater for protest projects; U.S. leftists in Africa; using anarchy to move the cause along; state terrorism in Gaza (I assume they mean Israel); building a left movement in higher education (apparently they haven't checked recently--this has been achieved); lots of topics on race (and being anti-white), islamophobia, etc. Nothing on the oppression of women or homophobia under Sharia law that I noticed.

I also learned by reading this panel promotion that using the word "gimpy" or "gimp" is perfectly OK when referring to the physically disabled--although not if you are able-bodied. I suppose it falls into that "nappy headed" hole whereby black rap groups can use it, but not white talking heads.

Water not oil is priceless and scarce--biofuels won't save us

CABS, the Ohio State bus system, received a one star green fleet certification from the Ohio Green Fleets Program on August 13, 2009 for using B20 biodiesel in all its transit buses and para-transit vans. CABS began in September 2003 with its first soy B20 fueled bus and by June 2006, extended B20 to all its fleet of 27 transit buses on 6 different routes.

The Ohio Green Fleets Program is part of CleanFuels Ohio, a non-profit funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. CleanFuels Ohio. It was created with federal money in 2002--so this isn’t a recent development, it‘s a Bush Administration program. However, V. P. Joe Biden stopped by in August to announce that this Bush era alternative fuels program was receiving stimulus funding. The CAB accomplishments preceded that announcement.

“the U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $11.04 million in economic stimulus funding to Clean Fuels Ohio's Ohio Advanced Transportation Partnership through the U.S. DOE Clean Cities Grant program. Funds will be used to support the deployment of 283 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles plus refueling infrastructure for 26 government and private sector partners throughout Ohio. Including matching support from local partners and additional industry supporters, the award embodies an investment of nearly $30 million in alternative fuel vehicle and infrastructure projects across the state.”

So now, while millions of people are struggling in third world countries for enough to eat, and the most valuable commodity we have is water, a major input for biofuels, we worsen the condition of millions by putting soy and corn products in our gas tanks. Doesn’t anyone remember the food riots of just two years ago? It doesn’t help the environment, and we knew even before Climategate that global warming isn’t caused by humans. I’m all for a clean environment and more efficient fuels, but you don’t have to read too far into the biofuel publications to see we’re going backward with expensive inputs, more water usage and waste water, and pollution.

Where are your "green" priorities?

Certainly not with saving lives. We're about to repeat the slaughter of the disastrous malaria resurgence where our western environmentalists killed millions and millions of Africans every year for the last 30 by prematurely withdrawing DDT from the market because a bird egg might die (none have). On the advice of a non-scientist, Rachel Carson.

So now we're going to launch, with the blessings of our global power hungry president and congress, a war against all poor and undeveloped nations. From yesterday's WSJ

"Getting basic sanitation and safe water to the 3 billion people around the world who do not have it now would cost nearly $4 billion.

By contrast, cuts in global carbon emissions that aim to limit global temperature increases to less than 2 degrees Celsius over the next century would cost $40 TRILLION a year by 2100. These cuts do nothing to reduce the number of people without access to clean drinking water and sanitation." Bjorn Lomberg, WSJ, November 9.

What's going on in New Jersey?

With Obama attempting to bring down the government with so much poorly thought out legislation that neither Congress nor the voters can read them [can and trade bill was 1200 pages] or keep up, it's hard to follow the money trail. Here's a poster of the 8 RINOs that voted for the Crap and Trade-it bill.

HT Stop the Liberals Now

Newsmax: "Friday's vote was 219-212. The legislation was supported by 211 Democrats and eight aisle-crossing GOP members: Reps. Mary Bono (Calif.), Michael Castle (Del.), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Leonard Lance (N.J.), Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), John McHugh (N.Y.), David Reichert (Wash.) and Christopher Smith (N.J.). Forty-four Democrats voted against the bill, making the eight GOP votes all the more crucial.


“This is the biggest job-killing bill that’s ever been on the floor of the House of Representatives. Right here, this bill,” House Minority Leader John Boehner said after the vote. “And I don’t think that’s what the American people want.”

Also, we have a creek (Turkey Run) in our back yard; on Abington we had one too (called Evans Ditch by the old timers, but don't know if that's official). We also have a pot hole near one of the condo drains. Now all the water, standing or flowing, will belong to the Federal government if S. 787 passes, I guess because it takes such good care of everything.



HT Some Have Hats

Every improvement has a consequence down the line

Our polio epidemics of the 20th century were a result of good sanitation--the flush toilet. Here’s one I wouldn’t have thought of--clean water increases poor sanitation.

"Clean Water Makes You Dirty: Water Supply and Sanitation Behavior in the Philippines"
Daniel Bennett, Assistant Professor, Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago
June 12, 2008

Improving the water supply is a common policy response to endemic diarrhea in developing countries. However, water supply interventions may inadvertently worsen community sanitation by mitigating the consequences of unsanitary behavior. Since sanitation has large health externalities, the impact of declining sanitation may overwhelm the benefit of receiving clean water. This paper shows how the expansion of municipal piped water in Metro Cebu, the Philippines has exacerbated public defecation and garbage disposal. According to estimates, a neighborhood’s complete adoption of piped water increases public defecation and garbage by 15-30 percent.

I think there’s a message here for us, but I’ll have to think about what it is. Something like "it’s not my problem any more," or “now the government will take care of me so I can do anything I want.”