This isn't accurate. It all stems from a decision by the governor at the time, Synder, to change the law so that he could suspend the local government of (among other poor towns) Flint by putting them under the control of a "emergency manager." The council of the town voted to switch to Lake Huron, and it was approved by the original emergency manager but, when he resigned, the new guy Synder appointed to be the manager overruled it. Granted, this guy was a democrat.
It would be a huge mistake to downplay Synder's role in this, by cutting funding so he could hand out tax breaks, superseding the right of self governance, and appointing the person (he was not election) who "pulled the trigger" (because he was under pressure from the governor to save as much money as possible).
Originally Posted by eatfibo
You are badly misinformed. First of all, lots of states besides Michigan have legislation allowing for the appointment of emergency managers. It's an alternative to municipal bankruptcy, which would be much more devastating for cash-strapped cities. Flint was also under emergency management for a stint under Snyder's Democrat predecessor Jennifer Granholm. And what do you think is the proper solution for cities that spend themselves into insolvency? Let them go bankrupt? Or do you expect the states to simply bail them out with no strings attached and no accountability for what they do with the bailout money?
Second, the switch to Lake Huron for water was never "overruled" by anyone. The pipeline from Lake Huron won't be ready until late 2016. In the meantime, Flint was supposed to keep getting its water from the Detroit system. But Detroit is another cash-strapped, mismanaged Democrat-run fiscal clusterfuck, so at contract re-up time Detroit demanded that Flint pay through the nose for its water. That's when Flint said go fuck yourself, we'll just use the Flint River as a temporary bridge source until water from the Lake Huron project comes on stream.
It is bullshit to exaggerate Snyder's role in all of this - but fucking lib-retarded Democrats just can't resist a chance to paint a false narrative that says look at how those nasty Republicans are racist, uncaring and willing to poison little black children. The poisons Democrats deliberately inject into our local, state and national politics are as corrosive as any of the toxins found in the Flint River.
And now you're also spewing this nonsense about how emergency managers usurp a city's right to self-government? The next time you can't manage your finances properly and find yourself in bankruptcy court, try telling that to the judge. After he explains what you have to do to get out of BK and back on your feet, tell him he is violating your rights. Let me know how he reacts.