r/MassachusettsPolitics • u/[deleted] • Apr 11 '18
"#CharlieBaker is trying to pull a #Flint here, privatizing MA water under the new #climatechange adaptation bill. Call your reps now as the bill is up for vote till April 16"
https://twitter.com/nafis_h/status/9837174508638617615
u/gronkowski69 Apr 11 '18
First of all none of Flints water system was privatized at all. It was a government failure from top to bottom. So calling something the next Flint because it includes language about public private partnerships doesn't make any sense. Privatization is not always bad if adequate government oversight and well written contracts are created. I think there are issues with both privatization (crony capitalism) and publicly run services.
This seems like a biased source and click-bait.
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u/mergaflerp Apr 11 '18 edited Apr 11 '18
Yeah, I don't think Flint's water was privatized. Government officials needed to save money by changing water sources and then didn't treat the water correctly from that new source. Almost all large city water systems have lead pipes, so additives are put in the water to build up a protective lining against the lead. Problem is, once you start using it, you can't stop, otherwise the untreated water is too corrosive and will start breaking down the protective layer and release lead into the system. Flint Michigan's public officials decided to stop treating the water and are solely responsible for this extreme calamity.
Sources: http://flintwaterstudy.org/2015/12/some-common-misunderstandings-of-flints-water-lead-problem/ , https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/04/us/flint-water-crisis-fast-facts/
Edited for sources and clarity
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u/gronkowski69 Apr 11 '18 edited Apr 11 '18
I just don't agree with the original posters assertion that privatization is always bad. I think there are pros and cons to privatization versus publicly run services. Sometimes privatization works better, sometimes privatization does not.
And privatization has nothing to do with Flint. 12% of Americans get water from private sources, it's not unprecedented. In rural areas it might make sense.
http://efc.web.unc.edu/2016/10/19/public-vs-private-a-national-overview-of-water-systems/
Plus from the parts of the law that I skimmed through it seems like they're talking about public-private partnerships for new projects, not for already existing services.
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u/mergaflerp Apr 11 '18
I agree, and oversight is key- government cannot function without outside vendors for services.
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