C'est un scandale !

Really. You should read this.

For Just $100 a Day, This Crisis Could’ve Been Prevented. Federal law requires that water systems which are sent through lead pipes must contain an additive that seals the lead into the pipe and prevents it from leaching into the water. Someone at the beginning suggested to the Governor that they add this anti-corrosive element to the water coming out of the Flint River. “How much would that cost?” came the question. “$100 a day for three months,” was the answer. I guess that was too much, so, in order to save $9,000, the state government said f*** it — and as a result the State may now end up having to pay upwards of $1.5 billion to fix the mess.

There’s More Than the Lead in Flint’s Water. In addition to exposing every child in the city of Flint to lead poisoning on a daily basis, there appears to be a number of other diseases we may be hearing about in the months ahead. The number of cases in Flint of Legionnaires Disease has increased tenfold since the switch to the river water. Eighty-seven people have come down with it, and at least ten have died. In the five years before the river water, not a single person in Flint had died of Legionnaires Disease. Doctors are now discovering that another half-dozen toxins are being found in the blood of Flint’s citizens, causing concern that there are other health catastrophes which may soon come to light.

People’s Homes in Flint Are Now Worth Nothing Because They Cant Be Sold. Would you buy a house in Flint right now? Who would? So every homeowner in Flint is stuck with a house that’s now worth nothing. That’s a total home value of $2.4 billion down the economic drain. People in Flint, one of the poorest cities in the U.S., don’t have much to their name, and for many their only asset is their home. So, in addition to being poisoned, they have now a net worth of zero. (And as for employment, who is going to move jobs or start a company in Flint under these conditions? No one.) Has Flint’s future just been flushed down that river?

While They Were Being Poisoned, They Were Also Being Bombed. Here’s a story which has received little or no coverage outside of Flint. During these two years of water contamination, residents in Flint have had to contend with a decision made by the Pentagon to use Flint for target practice. Literally. Actual unannounced military exercises – complete with live ammo and explosives – were conducted last year inside the city of Flint. The army decided to practice urban warfare on Flint, making use of the thousands of abandoned homes which they could drop bombs on. Streets with dilapidated homes had rocket-propelled grenades fired upon them. For weeks, an undisclosed number of army troops pretended Flint was Baghdad or Damascus and basically had at it. It sounded as if the city was under attack from an invading army or from terrorists. People were shocked this could be going on in their neighborhoods. Wait – did I say “people?” I meant, Flint people. As with the Governor, it was OK to abuse a community that held no political power or money to fight back. BOOM!

The Wife of the Governor’s Chief of Staff Is a Spokeswoman for Nestle, Michigan’s Largest Owner of Private Water Reserves. As Deep Throat told Woodward and Bernstein: “Follow the money.” Snyder’s chief of staff throughout the two years of Flint’s poisoning, Dennis Muchmore, was intimately involved in all the decisions regarding Flint. His wife is Deb Muchmore, who just happens to be the spokesperson in Michigan for the Nestle Company – the largest owner of private water sources in the State of Michigan. Nestle has been repeatedly sued in northern Michigan for the 200 gallons of fresh water per minute it sucks from out of the ground and bottles for sale as their Ice Mountain brand of bottled spring water. The Muchmores have a personal interest in seeing to it that Nestles grabs as much of Michigan’s clean water was possible – especially when cities like Flint in the future are going to need that Ice Mountain.

In Michigan, from Flint water, to Crime and Murder, to GM Ignition Switches, It’s a Culture of Death. It’s not just the water that was recklessly used to put people’s lives in jeopardy. There are many things that happen in Flint that would give one the impression that there is a low value placed on human life. Flint has one of the worst murder and crime rates in the country. Just for context, if New York City had the same murder rate as Flint, Michigan, the number of people murdered last year in New York would have been almost 4,000 people – instead of the actual 340 who were killed in NYC in 2015. But it’s not just street crime that makes one wonder about what is going on in Michigan. Last year, it was revealed that, once again, one of Detroit’s automakers had put profit ahead of people’s lives. General Motors learned that it had installed faulty ignition switches in many of its cars. Instead of simply fixing the problem, mid-management staff covered it up from the public. The auto industry has a history of weighing the costs of whether it’s cheaper to spend the money to fix the defect in millions of cars or to simply pay off a bunch of lawsuits filed by the victims surviving family members. Does a cynical, arrogant culture like this make it easy for a former corporate CEO, now Governor, turn a blind eye to the lead that is discovered in a municipality’s drinking water?

Don’t Call It “Detroit Water” — It’s the Largest Source of Fresh Drinking Water in the World. The media keeps saying Flint was using “Detroit’s water.” It is only filtered and treated at the Detroit Water Plant. The water itself comes from Lake Huron, the third largest body of fresh water in the world. It is a glacial lake formed over 10,000 years ago during the last Ice Age and it is still fed by pure underground springs. Flint is geographically the last place on Earth where one should be drinking poisoned water.

ALL the Children Have Been Exposed, As Have All the Adults, Including Me. That’s just a fact. If you have been in Flint anytime from April 2014 to today, and you’ve drank the water, eaten food cooked with it, washed your clothes in it, taken a shower, brushed your teeth or eaten vegetables from someone’s garden, you’ve been exposed to and ingested its toxins. When the media says “9,000 children under 6 have been exposed,” that means ALL the children have been exposed because the total number of people under the age of 6 in Flint is… 9,000! The media should just say, “all.” When they say “47 children have tested positive”, that’s just those who’ve drank the water in the last week or so. Lead enters the body and does it’s damage to the brain immediately. It doesn’t stay in the blood stream for longer than a few days and you can’t detect it after a month. So when you hear “47 children”, that’s just those with an exposure in the last 48 hours. It’s really everyone.

This Was Done, Like So Many Things These Days, So the Rich Could Get a Big Tax Break. When Governor Snyder took office in 2011, one of the first things he did was to get a multi-billion dollar tax break passed by the Republican legislature for the wealthy and for corporations. But with less tax revenues, that meant he had to start cutting costs. So, many things – schools, pensions, welfare, safe drinking water – were slashed. Then he invoked an executive privilege to take over cities (all of them majority black) by firing the mayors and city councils whom the local people had elected, and installing his cronies to act as “dictators” over these cities. Their mission? Cut services to save money so he could give the rich even more breaks. That’s where the idea of switching Flint to river water came from. To save $15 million! It was easy. Suspend democracy. Cut taxes for the rich. Make the poor drink toxic river water. And everybody’s happy.

Some of what I say may tread on the toes of those who believe in “ensoulment” at conception, which I apologize in advance if that offends, but given it is an argument used to prohibit what I believe is many human beings’ rights to bodily autonomy, I will speak very strongly against the idea. 

If one believes that a human being’s life begins at conception (i.e. the fertilization of an egg), then this must also be reconciled with biological fact. 50% of all fertilized eggs do not implant in the uterine lining. Meaning, that if ensoulment at conception is real, 50% of all “ensouled human beings” don’t even make it out of the starting gate. They’re literally washed down the bio drain. 

Then, of fertilized eggs that do implant, 10-20% of those end in natural miscarriage. Which means, even without human intervention, 60 to 70% of all potential human beings die before having been born. That’s just nature doing it’s thing.

In short: If life does begin at conception, this means the vast majority of all lives aren’t even born.

The idea of ensoulment/personhood/etc. at conception is also confounded by the existence of chimeras. Chimeras are the result of two embryos fusing together; it is a human being with multiple sets of chromosomal DNA. In these cases, are these human beings actually two people? Do they have two souls? If someone kills a chimera, can they be charged for a double homicide? It’s just something to think about, because if one does argue of ensoulment/personhood at conception – then chimeras can’t just be brushed under the rug. 

With regard to whether abortion is “natural,” abortion is not restricted to human beings alone. Rabbits, tiger sharks, whales, monkeys, horses – all have been known to terminate pregnancies for a variety of reasons (usually with regard to stress and lack of resources), which means animals have been known to abort for social reasons and health reasons.

Speaking of which, here’s some reasons people born with a uterus may feel the need to terminate a pregnancy. Scream if they’re bullshit or flimsy reasons or just some people being selfish (because so often people are called “selfish” for choosing abortion).

Insufficient resources to provide for a child (whether that’s money, housing, etc.)

Risky domestic situations (victims of domestic abuse can be tied forever to their abusers through a biological child)

Infidelity (so a risk to a marriage or potentially one’s life)

Health risk (cancer, heart conditions, pre-eclampsia, etc.)

Quality of life of the child (debilitating and fatal medical condition of the potential child, etc.)

Career (some will lose their jobs if they become pregnant and carry to term and they may rely on those jobs)

Education (some schools will kick out teenagers if they become pregnant)

Cultural/Societal implication to having a child out of wedlock (stoning, honor killing, etc.)

Already has many children to care for and doesn’t have the time/resources/energy to care for another or endure a pregnancy while rearing children

Rape (someone may not feel psychologically capable of delivering a child born of the trauma)

Age (people born with a uterus are becoming fertile at younger and younger ages, which could result in a health risk, psychological trauma, etc.)

I mean, that’s obviously not every reason (how could I list them all?), but those are just some potential reasons people choose to abort their pregnancies. It isn’t always just, “Ah dang, this is inconvenient.” Sometimes there is incredible risk involved to one’s livelihood – whether it’s the fact a child will be something that will tether an abuser to them, whether the pregnancy will psychologically damage them, whether they can afford it (you know how many doctor’s visits go into a pregnancy?), or if they just aren’t capable of handling the pregnancy (due to career, education, age, mental health, etc.).

Even so? Even if it is just as simple as, “I don’t want to be pregnant”/“I don’t want to do this”/“I don’t want to lose my figure”? Well, if “passes” can be made for people in extreme circumstances… why not make “passes” for everyone? 

That is where the hypocrisy of people’s pro-life tendencies rears it’s head. So often I’ll hear: “I’m against abortion except in cases of rape/incest/life of the mother”, but those statements have no credibility to me, because saying abortion should be “allowed” in those dire situations is saying, “I don’t really believe the fetus is a human being/life with the same rights as a person.” Because can a child of rape be murdered without prosecution? Or a child of incest? Or a child that was born out of a maternal death? No. Because they’re human beings once they’re born. Not at conception. Not while they’re still in the uterus.

As for the argument: “Well, they should’ve just used birth control/contraception?” The majority of abortions are a result of failed birth control/contraception. 54% of all abortions are a result of a contraceptive failure. Heck, most of my friends who have kids were on some form of birth control at the time. It isn’t perfect, even when it’s used perfectly. Shit happens. People get unlucky. And people shouldn’t be punished when their parachutes don’t open.

I am sure some pro-lifers will say, “Don’t have sex if you don’t want to risk getting pregnant,” but that’s stupid. That’s like telling people never to drive if they don’t want to get in a car accident. It’s human nature for many. Fact is? People are going to have sex.

Even then? Abstinence isn’t a guarantee. I already mentioned rape before, but rape is a reality many people face – and it can result in a pregnancy. In which case, if an abstinent person with a uterus is raped and becomes pregnant –  are they allowed that abortion ticket if they want it? Or must they be forced to carry to term the result of their trauma without any consideration to what is best for them?

A lot of this is why I feel like the restriction of abortion is more of a tactic to punish than a legitimate belief in the sanctity of the potential life inside of their bodies. If someone can rationalize why some can receive an abortion, but not others? There’s a problem – and it isn’t with abortion.

People can abort for any reason. That’s what being pro-choice is. It isn’t judging them for the why of it, it’s respecting and honoring their decision to make a difficult choice about their own body. In the end, that’s what this is about: allowing people to have bodily autonomy. Control of what goes on inside of it. No one should have that right except the individual. 

Why I get so fired up about this, is that so many lawmakers and politicians have politicized this basic human right to autonomy by playing on people’s emotions (everyone loves babies after all) and weaponizing religious beliefs (as many religions believe in the sanctity of life). There’s movements to make abortion illegal, but abortion needs to remain safe and legal. Outlawing it has only cost more lives in the long run, because people who do not want to be pregnant will find a way to terminate their pregnancy regardless of the legality. Whether that’s asking people to beat them to a pulp until they miscarry, throwing themselves downstairs, ingesting poison, or sticking coat hangers into their vaginas. Most of these methods have proven fatal or have caused permanent sterilization. And abortions have been happening since the dawn of time. Heck, a recipe for an abortion mixture is even referenced in the Old Testament (God tells Moses what to give a woman if she’s been unfaithful to cause an abortion; I’m not joking–it’s called The Test for an Unfaithful Wife). 

TIME FOR MEDICARE FOR ALL

In the midterm elections, most Democrats who were elected or reelected to the House supported Medicare for All.

As Trump and Republicans in Congress try to undermine the Affordable Care Act and raise the costs of health care, the American people continue to push back.

Over 70% of Americans–and even 52% of Republicans–now support Medicare for All, a single-payer plan that builds on Medicare and would cover everyone at far lower cost than the current system.

Here are the facts:

Medicare for All is the cheapest and best direction for the country. Private for-profit insurers spend a fortune trying to attract healthy people while avoiding sick people, filling out paperwork from hospitals and providers, paying top executives, and rewarding shareholders.

And for-profit insurers are trying to merge like mad, in order to make even more money. This is why private for-profit health insurance is becoming so expensive, and why almost every other advanced nation–including our neighbor to the north–has adopted a single-payer system at less cost per person and with better health outcomes.

Administering Medicare is only 1.1 percent of its total costs; the rest goes directly into care. Even including Medicare Advantage, which involves private plans, total administrative costs are just 7 percent.

But private insurers spend about 12 percent of total costs on administration. Or put another way, Medicare’s 2016 administrative costs came to about $156 per person compared to over $594 per person with private insurance.

Medicare saves so much money for three simple reasons:

First, it has economies of scale. The more enrollees, the lower the cost per enrollee. Medicare for All would have even larger economies of scale, presumably lowering the per-person costs further.  

Second, Medicare spends almost nothing on marketing and advertising, while for-profit insurers spend a fortune.

Third, Medicare doesn’t have to earn profits.

Most Americans support expanding access to quality, affordable care through Medicare for All. Yet Trump and the Republicans continue to try to gut the Affordable Care Act and take away care from tens of millions.

THE NEXT CRASH

Sorry to deliver the news, but it’s time to worry about the next crash.

The combination of stagnant wages with most economic gains going to the top is once again endangering the economy. 

Most Americans are still living in the shadow of the Great Recession that started in December 2007 and officially ended in June 2009. More have jobs, to be sure. But they haven’t seen any rise in their wages, adjusted for inflation.

Many are worse off due to the escalating costs of housing, healthcare, and education. And the value of whatever assets they own is less than in 2007.Which suggests we’re careening toward the same sort of crash we had then, and possibly as bad as 1929.

Clear away the financial rubble from those two former crashes and you’d see they both followed upon widening imbalances between the capacity of most people to buy, and what they as workers could produce. Each of these imbalances finally tipped the economy over.

The same imbalance has been growing again. The richest 1 percent of Americans now takes home about 20 percent of total income, and owns over 40 percent of the nation’s wealth.

These are close to the peaks of 1928 and 2007.

The underlying problem isn’t that Americans have been living beyond their means. It’s that their means haven’t been keeping up with the growing economy. Most gains have gone to the top.

But the rich only spend a small fraction of what they earn. The economy depends on the spending of middle and working class families.

By the first quarter of this year, household debt was at an all-time high of $13.2 trillion. Almost 80 percent of Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck.

It was similar in the years leading up to the crash of 2007. Between 1983 and 2007, household debt soared while most economic gains went to the top. If the majority of households had taken home a larger share, they wouldn’t have needed to go so deeply into debt.

Similarly, between 1913 and 1928, the ratio of personal debt to the total national economy nearly doubled. After the 1929 crash, the government invented new ways to boost wages – Social Security, unemployment insurance, overtime pay, a minimum wage, the requirement that employers bargain with labor unions, and, finally, a full-employment program called World War II.

After the 2007 crash, the government bailed out the banks and pumped enough money into the economy to contain the slide. But apart from the Affordable Care Act, nothing was done to address the underlying problem of stagnant wages.

Trump and his Republican enablers are now reversing regulations put in place to stop Wall Street’s excessively risky lending.

But Trump’s real contributions to the next crash are his sabotage of the Affordable Care Act, rollback of overtime pay, burdens on labor organizing, tax reductions for corporations and the wealthy but not for most workers, cuts in programs for the poor, and proposed cuts in Medicare and Medicaid – all of which put more stress on the paychecks of most Americans.

Ten years after the start of the Great Recession, it’s important to understand that the real root of the collapse wasn’t a banking crisis. It was the growing imbalance between consumer spending and total output – brought on by stagnant wages and widening inequality.

August 25th, 2001

The final picture of Aaliyah and her hardworking loving crew heading to the airport.

In loving memory of:

Aaliyah, 22

Eric Forman, 29

Christopher Maldonado, 32

Anthony Dodd, 34

Keith Wallace, 49

Douglas Kratz, 28

Gina Smith, 29

Scott Gallin, 41