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Flint, MI: So much lead in children’s blood, state of emergency declared

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Flint, MI: So much lead in children’s blood, state of emergency declared

#141

Post by Kristine1975 »

maxsilver wrote: post #133
FussyZeus wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What makes this area so good for manufacturing? (I've never been and I'm curious)

There's no environmental protections or regulations of any meaningful kind, property is almost free, and there's a significant labor force of people willing to work for minimum wages. It's not great for manufacturing. But it's not the worst place to do so.

>There's no environmental protections or regulations of any meaningful kind,

So it's either "have no money and get poisoned by lead in the water pipes" or "have money and get poisoned by the pollution of the factories?"

Re: Flint, MI: So much lead in children’s blood, state of emergency declared

#142

Post by ghaff »

FussyZeus wrote: post #105
xd1936 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The infrastructure for solid factory work is all still there. They just need a collection of companies from another industry to capitalize on the manufacturing assets there.

What makes this area so good for manufacturing? (I've never been and I'm curious)

Historically, some of the big reasons were access to coal and iron mining (for steel making) and access to the Great Lakes for shipping heavy goods and materials.

Re: Flint, MI: So much lead in children’s blood, state of emergency declared

#143

Post by maxsilver »

Kristine1975 wrote: post #141
maxsilver wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no environmental protections or regulations of any meaningful kind, property is almost free, and there's a significant labor force of people willing to work for minimum wages. It's not great for manufacturing. But it's not the worst place to do so.

>There's no environmental protections or regulations of any meaningful kind, So it's either "have no money and get poisoned by lead in the water pipes" or "have money and get poisoned by the pollution of the factories?"

I agree completely. I don't defend it in any way -- it's terrible.

But that's what most people mean/imply when they say Flint is "set up for manufacturing".

Re: Flint, MI: So much lead in children’s blood, state of emergency declared

#144

Post by duaneb »

scott_karana wrote: post #122
Lawtonfogle wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I'm at a loss for words: Why are you are a loss for words? This doesn't look significantly different from the town I grew up in (well near). I feel like I'm missing something.

In https://goo.gl/maps/pAQEyZSAEw92 , the first one I clicked, there is decay and overgrowth everywhere. The death of the city's economy is completely evident in that view alone...

That could be from any town across much of the North. It's not like it's hard to find abandoned buildings much of anywhere....

Re: Flint, MI: So much lead in children’s blood, state of emergency declared

#145

Post by [deleted] »

tptacek wrote: post #125
haswell wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or many of Chicago's neighborhoods on the south side.

South side Chicago does not look like Flint. The streets are tree-lined, the worst buildings are boarded up, the houses are solid and most of them are brick bungalows. Many tens of thousands of people live there. The worst neighborhoods, like Englewood, are still kept up, and they're bracketed by middle-class neighborhoods like Chatham --- you might not feel comfortable in Chatham, especially if you're from lily-whit…

[deleted]

Re: Flint, MI: So much lead in children’s blood, state of emergency declared

#146

Post by ionised »

maratd wrote: post #128
evmar wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The way I try to understand it is that the US is about the same size as the EU, has the same magnitude of population, and generally has less interest in equality of its citizens than EU countries. So there are parts of the US comparable to all the parts of the EU -- rich countries and poor ones.

> generally has less interest in equality of its citizens than EU countries. Based on what? > So there are parts of the US comparable to all the parts of the EU -- rich countries and poor ones. The US is far more diverse and mixed than the EU, in every respect. You have those that are poor living blocks away from the wealthiest people in the world. My own state of New Jersey is one of the most affluent, but also has…

> Based on what?

It's fundamentalist opposition to welfare and social programs and universal healthcare even when people are struggling and suffering can give that impression.

> The US is far more diverse and mixed than the EU

What are you basing that on? The EU is over 50 countries with their own languages and customs and politics.

Re: Flint, MI: So much lead in children’s blood, state of emergency declared

#147

Post by flubert »

vanderZwan wrote: post #120
Lawtonfogle wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I'm at a loss for words: Why are you are a loss for words? This doesn't look significantly different from the town I grew up in (well near). I feel like I'm missing something.

You missed the > As a Swede ... part

https://www.google.com/#q=swedish+ghetto

Re: Flint, MI: So much lead in children’s blood, state of emergency declared

#148

Post by tptacek »

maxsilver wrote: post #133
FussyZeus wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What makes this area so good for manufacturing? (I've never been and I'm curious)

There's no environmental protections or regulations of any meaningful kind, property is almost free, and there's a significant labor force of people willing to work for minimum wages. It's not great for manufacturing. But it's not the worst place to do so.

It's false that Michigan lacks environmental protections. It isn't as strict as California, but the question of where to house factories isn't between California and Michigan; it's between places like Michigan and places like Vietnam and Thailand.

There is a lowest common denominator of environmental protection in the US that is higher than most of the other places manufacturers would consider new plants.

Re: Flint, MI: So much lead in children’s blood, state of emergency declared

#150

Post by chrisdbaldwin »

chestervonwinch wrote: post #72
rickdale wrote: post #39

I'm glad to see this on HN. Flint is often a forgot about place in the world. I grew up there and now live outside of Flint. My dad was murdered there. But I always think Flint is prime for opportunity. The people need basic essentials, water, food, shelter. But the infrastructure to build factories is there. Power, train lines, the whole deal. It's really a shame. The sad part is, the people are still hell bent on s…

> The sad part is, the people are still hell bent on supporting the companies that destroyed the town. Michigan in general is like this, its why they don't allow Tesla vehicle sales. I grew up outside of Flint, and I agree. There's this weird cognitive dissonance going on there because these companies supported so many families for so long. There's a sort of one-way loyalty going on. I knew so many friends and family…

Sounds like mass Stockholm syndrome.
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