An Unspeakable Crime Has Been Committed In Flint– But It Should Not Be Unpunishable.
This crime makes me very angry. It should make you very angry in multiple ways, including means and motive, not to mention the paltriness of the savings or the refusal to listen to warnings from scientists. Jail really is too good for those responsible. After some thought, I’ve decided that despite this, I still don’t believe in the death penalty. But I was tempted.
How can you give the death penalty to the EPA, because I am assuming you are referring to them as the federal agency that is ultimately responsible for ensuring clean water is provided.
Actually, as far as I know the EPA isn’t responsible for ensuring that clean water comes out of state or local municipal taps. It may regulate discharges into the sources of that water, it may set standards for how we test it, and may even require reporting to citizens about drinking water quality, but all those are separate issues.
In any event, I was unaware that EPA regulations displace personal, not to mention political and moral, responsibility for not poisoning people. I labored under the misapprehension that if, for example, a person were to pour poison into a municipal water supply, hypothetically violating an EPA effluent policy, that person could also be charged with murder and sued for damages if that poison hurt or killed someone?
I am fortunate indeed to have loyal and clever readers such as yourself, who will now enlighten me by pointing out the statute which says that if an EPA rules applies then it displaces all other state law and common law personal responsibility for one’s actions. [Don’t confuse this with Superfund which actually can work that way!]
PS. It’s easy to give the death penalty to an agency: Congress just abolishes it. Happens from time to time.
There is no denying that individuals are responsible. I just wanted to point out that some of those people work for the EPA (there was also a Democratic mayor that was involved.) Also, when agencies are abolished they are usually recreated under a different name. Here is a perfect time that taking your Admin Law course would come in handy. I would not be as overmatched… Now I regret that decision