VOTE WHILE YOU STILL CAN!
Under Michigan’s Emergency Manager law, the city of Flint is run from Lansing. Flint’s city council, mayor, and charter have no power; residents have no voice. All local decisions are made by Gov. Snyder and carried out by an Emergency Manager (EM) he appoints.
This is dictatorship and it is dangerous!—not simply dangerous to our fundamental rights,
but dangerous to our very health.
Financial Emergency Fixes Cause Health Emergency Crises
The United Nations has declared “safe, clean, accessible, and affordable drinking water and sanitation” to be a human right. Water shutoffs and unsafe water deny this right and put entire communities at risk of disease and other health complications.
The multiple fecal contaminations of Flint's water supply are the direct result of the decision to abandon the Detroit water supply for a new Lake Huron pipeline. Even though independent auditors commissioned by the State called this a "major risk" and said Flint and Genesee County residents would be better off staying with the Detroit regional authority, Snyder's EM pushed the plan through.
Now everyone is paying high water rates because those fees are the security for bondholders in the new pipeline deal underwritten by J.P. Morgan Chase and UBS. That's the “comeback kid” in action!
Our Public Health at the Expense of Our Public Wealth
Through Snyder’s EM, the State of Michigan handed private Flint corporation Uptown Reinvestment $5.65 million in grants and low-interest loans to create “an emerging health and wellness district” downtown. Flint’s EM also awarded Uptown a 12-year, $1 million tax abatement and $880K in federal community development block grants for the project that:
- privatized control of the once-public Flint Farmers’ Market
- gifted publicly-owned Genesee Towers to Uptown for $1
- setup MSU's Public Health program as Uptown’s tenant in the old Flint Journal building
If State resources exist for “public health districts” that benefit wealthy private interests, Governor Snyder can allocate resources to address actual public health emergencies arising from soaring water rates, water shutoffs, an unsafe water supply, and the theft of local democracy.
Lower Water Rates Now! Stop Water Shutoffs Now! Safe Water Now! Restore Democracy Now!
Labor Donated • Contact the Democracy Defense League at DemocracyDefenseLeague@gmail.com
