Flint Water Crisis

Over the past two years, Flint, MI has gone through multiple changes in its suppliers of the city’s water. The plan, which would save the city around $5 million over two years, was to cease operations in obtaining treated water from Detroit and begin receiving water from the Karegnondi Water Authority. At the time of ending their interactions with Detroit Water, the Karegnondi system was still a few years away from completion. The fill the gap, the city of Flint would begin filtering and using the water from the Flint River. The problems started when the water was not filtered properly causing remaining elements in the water to negatively interact with the piping system and allowing lead and other harmful bacteria to enter the water. As this situation has gained its way to the national spotlight, the questions on many people’s minds is, who is to blame for this, how could this happen, and what should the consequences be? To answer these questions it is important to analyze the behavioral ethics associated with those involved in the situation.

For many citizens of Flint and around the country, the blame lies with Governor Rick Snyder. At the time of switching from Detroit Water to the Flint River, the city was at the hands of Darnell Earley, who was appointed by Governor Snyder as the emergency manager of Flint. In the article on behavioral ethics by Bazerman and Gino it is discussed how “we have unrealistic beliefs about ourselves that may cause us to take too little blame for failure.” To further explore that statement it should be considered as to why the city was under state appointed emergency control. Having grown up in the Flint area it is evident that the city has been in an economical decline long before Rick Snyder became governor and it was clear that everyone wants to point their finger at anyone but themselves. It was not the governors fault that the city had been consumed by drugs and violence, but it was time to use his position to...