• We welcome content that is not political, divisive, or offensive. If we feel your content leans this way or has the potential to, it may be removed at any time. A hot pepper forum is not the place for such content. Thank you for respecting the community!

Flint Michigan and Children's Protective Services

AJ Drew

AJ Drew

Read this today and jaw dropped.  Seems Michigan has a law that you must have running water in your home to have children live there.  The EPA and other agencies are saying do not drink or bathe in the water of Flint Michigan.  FEMA is bringing in water it is so bad.  President Obama called it a Man Made Disaster.

However, if you have your water shut off or get it shut off by not paying the bill, then social workers will remove your children.  Uh what?  So you need to have hot and cold running poison to have children?

I am so very confused.
 
Not paying your water bill or other utilities is totally different than having nasty water to drink.
And refusing to drink it-which may include it being turned off due to ANYONE refusing to pay the bill for poison...
 
Your post I Think is a mix of apples and oranges.
 
IF a person can't pay all their basic bills,I can see the powers that be checking you out-for a childs welfare.
 
In the area that city water SUCKS,I think it is not a problem of concern as far as Child welfare goes.
 
Actually,I'd think the idiots feeding their kids the water that sucks is a cause for Major concern...
BUT poisoned water means NOTHING as far as your childs care goes.
Don't pay your water bill-why pay for Poison?
I highly doubt,some one gets their kids taken away because they drink bottled water instead of paying for poison water.
 
I'd almost bet anyone,NOBODY got EVEN hassled for not using city water.
I do see,possibly BAD parents getting hassled -IF the powers that be needed an excuse to go in the home to check things out.
I'd guess,child services has a LOT more kids that need checking out than some one who uses bottled water AND refuses to pay for Poisoned water.
I doubt water bills are any pointer as to what kids are abused/neglected etc.
I'd think they check out a lot of other stuff first-Johny has black eyes or injuries constantly,he is a human Skeleton etc.
I highly doubt the law is enforced in the way you posted.
I'd bet that reality kicks in,you only get hassled IF there is suspicion of abuse or neglect in the first place.
Than IF you get X amount of bottled water delivered you are cool.
Assuming you aren't IN the first place suspected of being a low life parent...
IF you are a LOW Life,I see the powers that be doing ANYTHING to either get their ass in gear OR get the kids to a better place.
 
You may have a case for court but it may just be cheaper to pay your water bill. :)
 
I've never had city water so I am just spit balling here but can you shut it off voluntarily? I assume if you have a bill then you have used the water at some point and so you should pay for it or is there some standard fee for just having it hooked to your house? 
 
Madcow, I think it is different by location.  Where I live, we pay something a $10.00 a month minimum / stand by service charge.
 
Smokemaster, per a few sources the city is threatening parents in retaliation for having their water shut off or not paying their water bill.  Neither of which I think are related to neglect.  In fact, now that disease is associated with the water I would want mine shut off and pay what ever stand by service charge they have.

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/flint-residents-told-children-pay-citys-poison-water/

But now for the punch line.  States must meet federal guidelines or they can loose funding for that area of law.  Federal guidelines say neglect occurs if you are lacking EITHER running water or clean water.  Not that either will suffice, but that you must have both.

So I seem to be guilty of child abuse when ever we go camping.  I wonder if the creek counts.

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/neglect.pdf

Seriously, I wonder if a hand pump in the kitchen counts.  If not, I think the Amish are screwed.


 
 
As you just said,I posted as I did because I also think water bills have nothing to do with child neglect.
 
BUT I would turn my back IF child services needed an Excuse to move kids from a bad place or...and had to use a water thing to check out the kids living conditions etc.
There is no excuse for kids being neglected or abused.
 
 
Your first post was very miss leading and way out of context in my opinion.
But then again,several people get hassled because they won't let their kids be vaccinated for certain things because they don't think the vaccines are safe.
A BIG difference.
Kinda like not drinking the water....to protect their family...
I'd BET that anyone who gets hassled for not paying water bills would be not from the water they drank as much as what the toilet used,dish washer etc. used.
I'd think cooking and drinking water is low in the water use scale.
I doubt I drink as much water as a toilet flush uses in a day(at least when I'm at home).
I most times drink 4-6 liters of water a day.
I keep a 3 liter bottle of water in my fridge.
I visit my fridge a lot. LOL
 
Smokemaster:

Ye, I can see how the way I phrased the first post it was disjointed.  I dont think either having running water or paying your bills are issues for childrens services.  I think the health and welfare of the child are the only concerns.  Your example of not vaccinating is an excellent way for me to explain my position.

I am fairly sure the Amish do not vaccinate.  How ever, their children do not tend to attend public schools.  Not much of a threat there.  Especially since they tend to live fairly isolated lives, so their risk of exposure or exposing others is small.

Public schools?  Oh damn.  Nobody in my family gets sick in the summer time.  The kids go back to school and it seems someone is sick every month.  Then there is the pin worm and lice alerts that come every few weeks.

The welfare of a child needs to be considered on a case by case basis.  In one place, no running water might be a threat.  In Flint, I think having running water is a threat.  Having black and white rules just doesnt work.

BTW: When my wife and I almost divorced, social workers did a home study to decide which parent to recommend.  They wrote her up for letting them use sippy cups in a car.  Hell, I use sippy cups in a car.  Travel coffee cup, sippy cup, same thing.  They asked me what I did when we fought, I said I sleep in the barn, so they asked her if she thought I was having sex with the goats.  I am not really a fan of social workers other than in their ability to get a couple back together to laugh at them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top