By Nathan Reed
Millions in congressional funding (click here) is a much-needed win for Flint & Genesee County, Michigan. Congressman Dan Kildee, who represents Michigan's Eighth District (much of Mid-Michigan) was able to submit 15 proposals to the Appropriations Committee for possible funding -- all 15 were approved.
Flint & Genesee County received the bulk of funding with eight approved proposals totaling $24,284,366....
By Ron Fonger
Flint - More than eight years (click here) after the Flint water crisis was triggered, bottled water distribution has ended at help centers in Flint while the fallout from the man-made emergency continues into 2023.
Here’s the most recent information on criminal and civil court cases tied to the water crisis, Flint’s water service line replacement program, and the historic water settlement reached by attorneys for residents, the state of Michigan, the city of Flint and others....
When one looks at Flint's overall demographic data there should be profound concern for this city.
QuickFacts
Flint city, Michigan (click here)
In order for a city to have a good GDP it has to have people, specifically people that work and purchase goods. That population along with their purchasing potential will attract businesses and even spawn private capital to invest.
In ten years from 2010 to 2020 Flint, Michigan population density dropped 635.6 people per square mile. That is a population drop of nearly 21 percent. There was no land loss. No annexation or sale of land with a population of people on it. There was a small growth in the land area by two hundredths. Nothing that would bring about a migration across the city to newly acquired land to effect it's density of population. That may include the effects of the 2020 pandemic. But, there should be a study conducted as an interest by the city, if not the state.
The point is this is not a minor issue and Flint, Michigan still needs the assistance of federal monies. If the federal treasury can support the southern states, it can support Flint, too. It has a poverty rate of greater than 35 percent, a per capita income of $18,719 and a media household income of $32,358.
Flint's people need to decide when they no longer need bottled water and no one else. When the people finally trust their city's water supply the bottled water can be sold instead of provided. Until that occurs, the people need to be put first and the city should become a focus for economic opportunity and growth. There is a new highway to Flint, there needs to be an economy to go with it.
Why is it the poorest of the people of the USA have the most problems and least opportunity to bring about change?
QuickFacts
Grand Blanc city, Michigan (click here)
The problem may very well be segregation. What would the area look like if Grand Blanc and Flint merged to form one city and the tax base remained the same, but, the budget inclusive of all services and ambitions?
Snyder was very, very wrong. He removed assets from Flint and other cities without solving the real problems, like segregation left over from the world of the 1950s and 1960s. It is the segregation that caused the decline of these cities, not the lack of trying. Snyder's assault against democracy was wrong and lacked any understanding of the problem. How could a city have such a poor GDP compared to one nine miles and eleven minutes away? The problem wasn't democracy, it was oppression. What occurred with Snyder as Governor was pure racism.
