The proposed rule, aimed at protecting children, would require water systems nationwide to replace lead pipes carrying tap water to homes, schools and offices.

The proposed rule, aimed at reducing exposure to a potent neurotoxin, would require water systems nationwide to replace lead pipes that carry tap water to homes, schools and offices

    • CosmicTurtle@lemmy.worldEnglish
      18·
      11 months ago

      Nah. That’s not the playbook.

      Whenever kids (actual, post birth kids) need protecting, it’s all about “who’s going to pay” or “taxes are already high” or “but that will be really inconvenient to the upper middle class”.

      The best excuse I’ve heard for a bill that would protect kids from pedophiles was “the bill would unfairly target conservatives”. I can’t remember if this was a federal bill or a local bill but I remember it coming up and people saying “You’re telling on yourself.”

      • grue@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        11 months ago

        You’re going to see a map of older areas, that is, urban cores and inner-ring suburbs. In other words, I don’t think you’re going to find the correlation you’re probably hoping for.

        To be fair, though, the official government line – uh, until today, I guess – is that lead water mains weren’t actually a problem because of the large volume of water flowing through them relative to the rate of corrosion, unless you did something stupid (like the Republican governor-appointed emergency manager did to Flint) to cause them to corrode abnormally rapidly. Hopefully there isn’t much of a widespread correlation between political affiliation and brain damage from exposure to lead via plumbing at all.

    • Buffaloaf@lemmy.world
      121·
      11 months ago

      I’m pretty sure lead is what makes people conservatives. Look at when there was lead in things like paint and every car burned leaded gas.

      • Jessvj93@lemmy.world
        5·
        11 months ago

        Biologist here, it gives you adhd (60% chance), autism, and cerebellar Hypodysplasia (cant remember the incidence rate for these last two, but want to say CH is 8%). Child abuses causes conservativism lol, but lead causes developmental defects starting as early as the embryo.

        Source: “Half of US Population Exposed to Adverse Lead Levels in Early Childhood,” Michael J. McFarland, Matt E. Hauer, Aaron Reuben. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, March 7, 2022. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2118631119

        • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          11 months ago

          To believe what current US conservatives are claiming now, you have to be developmentally defective at this point.

    • almar_quigley@lemmy.world
      71·
      11 months ago

      Flashbacks to watching republican politicians eat that pink goo filler crap they put into meat that was controversial for a minute.

    • oyo@lemm.ee
      3·
      11 months ago

      I had lead when I was a kid and I turned out just fine!

      • Stovetop@lemmy.world
        12·
        11 months ago

        “The founding fathers had lead pipes and they turned out fine! If they didn’t intend for us to have lead pipes, they wouldn’t have put them in. Getting rid of them is simply un-American!”

      • SamsonSeinfelder@feddit.de
        82·
        11 months ago

        Cant wait for republicans to mix Ivermectin-Horse-Dewormer with Lead to drink it on camera as a symbol of their patriotism. It would be a Christmas Miracle come true…

  • PeepinGoodArgs@reddthat.comEnglish
    271·
    11 months ago

    Although the infrastructure law dedicated $15 billion for lead pipe removal, the largest investment ever, there is still a shortfall. While advocates and federal officials estimate the total cost for lead removal at about $45 billion, the drinking water industry’s estimate runs as high $60 billion.

    So, who’s going to foot the bill for replacing the pipes while Marxists turn kids trans with their critical race pedagogy? Is replacing lead pipes really protecting kids?

    Okay, but really, this is probably a strategically good idea. My proposed solution is to get the richer areas of the city/state to help pay for the poorer areas. Everybody has skin in the game as far as the benefits, so why not the costs?

    • Candelestine@lemmy.worldEnglish
      8·
      11 months ago

      There’s a solid line of argument here. Lead toxicity creates more psychopaths. And if they turn into serial killers, they don’t care if you’re rich or poor. We also don’t have good mental health services available everywhere, so prevention is the most plausible solution.

      This leverages fear, which is the primary lens some people view the world through. “You don’t want more serial killers like we had in the 70s, do you?” basically.

      • orclev@lemmy.world
        8·
        11 months ago

        The politicians won’t care because they have gated communities and armed guards, and you’ll never get through to the voters because Faux and the even worse places like OAN will be bombarding them with propaganda about how this is horrible big government overreach.

    • orclev@lemmy.world
      8·
      11 months ago

      Because you’re not thinking like a kleptocrat Republican. The government is only allowed to spend money when it can be used to increase the bank account of someone rich, and never under any circumstances if it benefits poor people (unless someone rich receives a significantly greater benefit).

      Republicans will fight this tooth and nail because the rich receive no direct or immediate benefit from this. Also they’ll denounce any suggestion of rich areas subsidizing poor areas as the dreaded socialism which they’ll argue is the same thing as communism which is the same thing as fascism. No that doesn’t make any sense at all, but that’s never stopped them before.

      • PeepinGoodArgs@reddthat.com
        5·
        11 months ago

        The government is only allowed to spend money when it can be used to increase the bank account of someone rich, and never under any circumstances if it benefits poor people (unless someone rich receives a significantly greater benefit).

        So, the EPA’s (and other people who want lead pipes removed, their) communication strategy should be convincing Republicans that the removal of leads pipes directly causes their wealth to increase.

        That shouldn’t be that hard. Make it a business analogy, their favorite.

        Like, in the same way business make capital investments to increase production, take advantage of economies of scale, and pay lower taxes, so too does making a capital investment in the removal of lead pipes, which lead to increased production, a happier workforce, and more trainable employees.

        Or some soul-sucking shit like that.

        • orclev@lemmy.world
          5·
          11 months ago

          That’s only because their buddy is the one selling the napalm and makes sure they get their kickbacks.

  • BigMacHole@lemm.ee
    101·
    11 months ago

    That’s SOCIALISM! I want my Tax Dollars used ONLY to force WOMEN to give birth! I DON’T want my Tax Dollars used to actually Protect Children’s Lives!

  • June@lemm.ee
    5·
    11 months ago

    Wait, someone doing something for the kids that’s actually for the kids?

  • Kowowow@lemmy.ca
    62·
    11 months ago

    You know if they say it’s for the good of the children they are up to something