“The American people have a right to air that they and their children can breathe without fear” — Lyndon Baines Johnson (Pollution). One should be able to inhale the air. It’s a fundamental necessity for everyone. Filling the lungs to their satisfaction and breathing out in relief. The cycle continues day and night. Water is just as vital for human life. It’s used for cleaning, bathing, cooking, and most importantly, drinking. If the water was filthy, or even harmful, it would ruin lives. This is happening right now in Flint, Michigan. “Flint switched from Detroit’s water supply to the Flint River water” (Sanburn). The Flint River was found to contain eight times more chloride than Detroit’s water which is highly corrosive to metals (Sanburn). This caused lead to leach into the water. Seniors, adults, pregnant women, and children are suffering from lead poisoning. Lead poisoning can cause many hazardous issues. Switching water supplies was a terribly bad decision. Flint’s financial complications led to the state’s takeover in 2011 (Botelho). The Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, is to be blamed for the Flint water crisis.
Snyder knew
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He was the one who ordered the change of the water supply in the city. Citizens of Flint were complaining about the stench and discoloration of the water, although the city believed the water was safe to utilize. Two months after the switch, Mayor Dayne Walling announced, “It’s a quality, safe product…I think people are wasting their precious money buying bottled water” (Sanburn). Months after Walling declared the water was no harm, the Environmental Protection Agency notified the city that there happened to be a very high lead content found in the water. It may seem as if this entire situation is Kurtz’s fault, however it was Snyder who appointed him to his position. Therefore, Snyder is guilty of poisoning the residents of