Residents of the poor, mostly African American community in Michigan had been reporting for more than a year that something was wrong with their water after officials switched to a new source to save the city and state a buck.
They were right: the new source was so corrosive and improperly treated that it was leaching lead from decades-old pipes into the tap water people relied on.
For every Flint there are dozens of cities across this country and throughout Pennsylvania where we've kicked the can down the road — leaving the everyday taxpayer to handle the fallout of crumbling pipes and dirty water.
It doesn't have to be like this. As the Mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, John Fetterman has confronted crumbling infrastructure and extreme poverty almost daily -- but he still makes decisions that put the interests of people ahead of budgets. That's because when we invest in people over profits, we can actually save money over the long-term.
It's time Congress to take responsibility to protect the health and safety of our communities.
Join with Mayor Fetterman in the fight to protect the communities just like Flint in Pennsylvania and around the US. Send a message to your Congressional representative that it's long past time to invest in our infrastructure, our health, and our families' safety!
Residents of the poor, mostly African American community in Michigan had been reporting for more than a year that something was wrong with their water after officials made the switch to a new source to save the city and state a buck.
And they were right: the new source was so corrosive and improperly treated that it was literally leaching lead from the decades-old pipes into the tap water people relied on.
[Your comment will be added here]
For every Flint there are dozens of forgotten cities across this country and throughout Pennsylvania that were never given sufficient resources to pick up the pieces after their economies were shattered by bad trade deals.
These decisions represent more than just one-and-done policies that have failed people. They are the consequence of an austerity politics based on the premise that government spending is to blame for every failure of leadership.
Instead of investment in our public works, roads and schools, we've kicked the can down the road — leaving the everyday taxpayer to handle the fallout of crumbling pipes and dirty water.
It's time Congress to take responsibility to protect the health and safety of our communities.
Please, commit to investing in our public infrastructure, especially in at-risk communities that need it most.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
