No one goes looking for this kind of public relations nightmare, not to mention the jail time and lawsuits.. And no one is so mean and nasty they want to deliberately poison little kids.

It's just that when its "nice people" in "nice neighborhoods", you take a little extra care.

Remember, the real crime here wasn't going to the new, cheaper water source. The problem was when complaints started coming in they were simply dismissed, then ignored, then covered up because it was from "those people". "You know how they're always bitching about something." There have been complaints about the water tasting and smelling bad since last spring. This was long before lab tests started showing lead in the water, and in the kids. The authorities simply didn't take the reports as seriously because the victims didn't have the political clout or the financial influence. And the reports about the lead were similarly dismissed. A big local company (GE, I think) even complained the new city water was corroding their equipment, and the authorities still kept on sweeping it under the rug.

The technical issue could have just as easily happened in Beverly Hills, but you know when Jennifer Lopez complains her Jacuzzi looks like its full of stump water, somebody checks it out right away. That may be an extreme example, but I think you know what I'm getting at.

That's how racism works. Nobody goes out and deliberately tries to shoot a black kid either. Its just that people are more likely to think twice if the kid is white.

This is a non-partisan issue, and I've tried to keep it that way by not dragging political party into this. Look at Rahm Emmanuel's troubles in Chicago. Tonight, on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow is holding a town meeting in Flint on this, it might be worth your while to watch. I know she is not the Conservatives' favorite person, but she and her staff are damned good muckracking reporters (she broke this story before any one else was on to it, months ago). I think Rachel will get a Pulitzer for this one. And she'll deserve it.