I'm bombarded by news about the unsafe water in Flint, Michigan and Justice Scalia's death. I have also been trying to wrap my head around what's happening. It's embarrassing that we as a country have reached this point. Too many people don't see that. How did we let our leaders reach this point?
There might not literally be blood in the water in Flint, Michigan, but, it's on Governor Rick Snyder's hands. Lead is in the water. Lead poisoning is irreversible and will lead to life-long consequences. The quote below talks about it.
If you were to put something in a population to keep them down for generation and generations to come, it would be lead," Hanna-Attisha said. "It's a well-known, potent neurotoxin. There's tons of evidence on what lead does to a child, and it is one of the most damning things that you can do to a population. It drops your IQ, it affects your behavior, it's been linked to criminality, it has multigenerational impacts. There is no safe level of lead in a child."
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/11/health/toxic-tap-water-flint-michigan/
Children can die of lead poisoning. I read a story once about a boy who did. He swallowed a lead bracelet from him Mom's sneaker box. While no deaths have been reported in Flint, they aren't fixing the problem yet either. Death by lead is still a real possibility! There might as well be blood in the water!
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/11974094/ns/health-childrens_health/t/reebok-bracelets-recalled-lead-danger/
How did we reach a point where a government official decided it was okay to poison poor people? Government officials have a duty to do what's best for the people they represent. That holds true for Democrats AND Republicans. That holds true for ALL government positions. How did Snyder get elected in the first place? How did that many voters reach the point where they thought this man would be a good leader? When standing in the ballot box, how did these voters decide to choose him?
As for Scalia's death, his ghost is sounding like our only option. It's baffling that Republicans don't want President Obama to select a new justice. There are too many cases that need to be heard and decided on. Justice Kennedy was elected in an election year. No where in the constitution does it say a president can't select a new justice in an election year. But, Republicans control the Senate so they won't agree to ANY candidate. Even a reasonable one. Simply because they were selected by President Obama. So Scalia's vacancy will be filled by his ghost until January.
When I think about Flint and Scalia I ask myself this one question..........how did we get here? How did we get to the point where a Governor willingly poisons the poor and a Supreme Court space will be filled by a ghost for almost a year? Both problems are caused by Republicans. I may have always been a Democrat. But, I'm quite certain the Republican party didn't used to be like that.
Congress used to be effective. That's because of compromise between both parties. The results were what's best for the most people. Because with compromise the important things make it to the final proposal. It certainly was never easy. But, our government was able to function properly. Through compromise.
What leads a Republican to make the decision to poison poor people? What makes an entire party unwilling to do their job and approve of a reasonable Supreme Court selection? At it's very base level our government was designed where our leaders spoke for the people they represent. It's simple. Senators speak for the people of their state on a Federal level. Representatives speak for the people of their district. Governors act with the interests of the citizens of their state in mind. Presidents act with the people of the entire country in mind.
A Governor willingly poisoning poor people's water is acting against the best interests of their citizens. It's a very heartless thing to do. Those kids are harmed forever. There will be a rise in suicides as these kids become teens. As a direct result of this poisoning. Because of the higher rates of depression that connect with lead poisoning. Crime rates will rise too. Their blood is on his hands.........and in the water.
The Senate's job is to accept any reasonable Supreme Court candidate the President wants to appoint. It sounds like there is at least one reasonable option, Sri Srinivasan. I can understand the Senate rejecting an extreme candidate. But, this judge sounds like a great choice! It's not reasonable if his nomination were to be blocked.
Sri Srinivasan
D.C. Circuit Judge Sri Srinivasan is perhaps the most attractive potential Supreme Court nominee for Obama if the goal is to put pressure on McConnell to allow a Senate confirmation vote.
Nominated by Obama in June 2012, Srinivasan was confirmed in May 2013 by a unanimous, 97-0 vote.
Democrats believe that unambiguous verdict on Srinivasan could make it awkward for McConnell to block a vote on his nomination.
A nomination of Srinivasan, 48, to the high court would make history: he was born in India and would be the first Indian-American Supreme Court justice.
Srinivasan is widely viewed as a moderate. He clerked for Republican-appointed Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. In a speech last October, Srinivasan seemed to relish maintaining stability in the law. He suggested that fears he and three other Obama appointees would dramatically change the balance in the D.C. Circuit were overwrought.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/antonin-scalia-replacement-219271
Scalia is dead. He can't make decisions anymore. It is Obama's JOB to select a replacement. It's the Senate's job to accept a reasonable nomination. Sorry Mitch McConnell, Scalia's ghost isn't going to be one of the nominees. So do your job and accept someone reasonable.
I can't quite figure out how the Republican party reached this point. One could say it's the fault of the Tea Party. The Tea Party might stand for "Taxed Enough Already" but what they really mean is "Racist Asses Who Hate Having A Black President".
Republican ideas on how to help the poor and middle class may have been different from Democrats. But, at least their priorities were in a reasonable place. How did Republican voters let this happen? How did they let their party become something that belongs in a reality TV show instead of in actual reality?
Blood in the water means doom. A ghost on the bench can't be heard. We have come too far. There was a time when both parties had reasonable issues they were concerned about. There were always disagreements. But at least the focus was in the right place. How did we get here? I would blame republican voters. But I can't completely. Because polls show a large majority of Republican voters tend to disagree with their candidates. The problem is the voters who just don't vote. When they should be voting for the Democrat that DOES match their views. Perhaps low voter turnout is to blame for the ruin of our country. Next question..........................how do we get ourselves out of this mess?
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