George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 151

< Episode 150 >

As soon as the Michigan state government learned that Air Force One was heading to Michigan, they issued an emergency alert with surprising speed, as if their budget wasn’t dependent on gambling revenue. The same officials who ignored citizens’ complaints about the water pipes suddenly acknowledged the problem with incredible haste.

“What is this?”

The first thing Bush noticed wasn’t the local government officials who came to greet the president, nor the protesting citizens complaining about lead-poisoned tap water. It was the obviously contaminated tap water flowing from the faucet.

‘I guess the government at the time increased support and distributed filters to get by?’

However, with tap water this bad, promising future improvements and handing out filters wouldn’t appease the citizens. More than that, even if every household received a filter, it didn’t seem like they would last very long.

The water was that bad. Even being generous, the color didn’t look like it came from a tap. The smell was just as bad. Instead of the usual disinfectant scent of tap water, a foul odor, like stinky tofu, completely turned Bush’s stomach. Taste? Who would put such disgusting filth in their mouth?

‘Damn it. I can’t believe this. This is what happens from just a little budget cutting?’

Back in 2014, when budgets were tight, maybe you could get away with it. But not now. If it was an accident caused by ignorance or coincidence, it could be overlooked. This was clearly a man-made disaster.

‘Oh, this is terrible. Truly lamentable. If the water at the park is this bad, what’s the water like in ordinary homes?’

He’d already heard that some major public institutions and hospitals had directly contracted for water from the city of Detroit. But this filth wasn’t even suitable for industrial use. Using this in equipment would turn it into scrap metal. Even if that weren’t the case, the stench rising from the faucet was unbearable. It wasn’t just hard to bear; it stung your eyes just looking at it.

“Terrible.”

“Ugh! What is that smell? Don’t they clean this place?”

Bush filled a glass with the filth and shoved it in his chief of staff’s face. Naturally, the chief of staff coughed, covered his nose, and glared at Bush as if he wanted to hit him. If it weren’t for the president’s position, or if a friend had done that, he would have either slapped him or ended the friendship immediately.

“Want to try it?”

“Is that the tap water?”

After saying that, he took a deep breath. The filth had enough destructive power to shatter the composure of the chief of staff, who could remain calm in any situation, with just one whiff.

“Isn’t this sewage? Is it really tap water?”

“Why do you ask?”

It would take a thick analysis to explain the foul smell and disgusting color, but the chief of staff summarized it perfectly in one sentence.

“Then that wouldn’t be tap water?”

He said.

“Please proceed according to the schedule. Of course, the schedule is almost empty. But at least we must be punctual.”

Was it because it was the land of freedom? The schedule was greatly simplified to emphasize freedom. It was the kind of schedule that would make Kim Jong-il [North Korean dictator known for micromanaging] clutch his head and collapse. Still, the chief of staff would handle it properly.

Anyway, traveling in Cadillac One [Presidential state car], they finally met with the governor of Michigan and the other officials. And according to the schedule, that was all that was planned.

“I saw it briefly in the park, but the tap water is quite disgusting. Can someone explain this to me in detail?”

They looked at each other, and finally someone spoke.

“It’s because the water in the Flint River is acidic.”

It was the young Rick Snyder, the governor of Michigan.

‘Hmm, I thought it would still be John Engler.’

He’d flown here so hastily that he hadn’t even memorized the personal details. Rick Snyder was a Republican, and unlike other Republicans, he was obsessed with budget cuts. Considering that Rick Snyder was originally supposed to take office in 2011, this was almost a 10-year jump.

“What about Governor John Engler? He should still have time left in his term, right?”

“Ah, John Engler. He made a huge mistake and resigned to take responsibility.”

“Mistake? Huge?”

What kind of mistake could there be? Detroit hadn’t even gone bankrupt yet. Thanks to the generous budget from the Federal Assembly, Detroit was still the largest city in Michigan. However, thanks to affordable Korean cars with good value, General Motors was in a somewhat precarious position. But looking at the current situation, it seemed unlikely they would be completely pushed out, unlike what Kim Gap-hwan remembered.

“Yes. He took a somewhat dangerous gamble with the abundant budget he had never touched before. He wanted to turn Flint City into an industrial complex again.”

Largely, it was for personal gain. On a smaller scale, it was to solve the job problem for the lower class in Flint City. Michigan had too many crime-ridden cities. Solving this required police cooperation, but for some reason, cooperation with the federal police was difficult. There was a local police force that cooperated closely, but their authority was reduced, making it all for naught.

As the authority of the federal police expanded, corruption disappeared, but the crime rate remained the same. The public officials involved with the local police, although criminals, were still skilled, creating a serious gap in administrative personnel.

“So?”

“To solve this, he allocated a lot of budget, haphazardly. Jobs could be created with reckless budget management, but they weren’t jobs for the lower class. It wasn’t bankruptcy, but it wasn’t insignificant. Because of that, former Governor John Engler resigned to take responsibility.”

He emphasized ‘former’ in particular.

‘As expected, it’s hard to know the situation on the ground from the office.’

He knew Michigan was mismanaging the budget, but he was too busy to realize how crazy it had become. He thought they could cover it all with money, but he didn’t expect people, not money, to be the problem!

‘I guess I’ll have to tour the entire United States again someday.’

There were too many things he couldn’t know from his desk. There was no guarantee the reports were true, and he couldn’t tell if they were doing their jobs properly.

“Okay, so what about you?”

As soon as it became his turn, he fell silent. But as an awkward atmosphere grew between the president and himself, he mumbled a few times and then spoke.

“There are some problems with the Flint River water, but you can still use it if you filter it. And you can re-inject minerals for coating into the lead pipes. Then the lead problem can be solved.”

“I see. Science is so advanced.”

Once he gave a nod, his voice became more excited. One might think, ‘Isn’t the change of attitude a bit much?’ but it was natural for someone cornered to become excited at the sight of an escape route, of hope.

“So, you’re saying it’s okay for you to drink it? Or is it?”

“Yes?”

Like a lighthouse suddenly going out, he couldn’t accept the sudden change and wandered in a sea of logic. Bush took out a water bottle from his bag and opened it. The terrible sewer smell made the lunch he had just eaten threaten to come up, and his eyes glazed over.

“Have a sip.”

And Bush splashed the water in the bottle right in his face. It’s easy to imagine Rick Snyder’s expression.

‘In this world, they give you medicine after giving you the disease, and then suddenly hit you with the disease.’

“The citizens told me to say this! This is the voice of the people! And it’s the life of the people!”

Rick Snyder was sweating as the seemingly calm person suddenly became very angry. What was this, some kind of bipolar disorder? No one could speak or move in this situation. The president spoke first.

“Prepare it.”

“Yes?”

“We have to fix this mess, don’t we?”

* * *

In less than 30 minutes, a podium for the president’s speech was set up, and in less than an hour, the largest crowd in Flint’s history gathered. The citizens, hearing that he had willingly flown in because of the water quality crisis, rushed to listen to the speech and see the president’s face.

But something made them uneasy from the moment the podium was set up.

“That water. They’re not going to drink it, are they?”

“Surely not.”

The ‘political show’ they had become accustomed to was sickening. This kind of show happened in every country. They hated seeing politicians promoting by tasting and saying, ‘This water is safe!’ when a problem arose. So it was natural that the small glass of water made them uneasy.

“Look, it’s the president!”

But soon the public’s question was lost in the cheers welcoming the president. Bush was so interested in the people’s livelihood that his popularity was soaring.

“Dear citizens of Flint.”

The water pollution countermeasures speech began with a conventional sentence.

Bush grabbed a glass filled with filtered tap water, not overflowing, and held it high above his head.

“Rest assured. Flint is safe!”

And then, with all his might, he threw the glass into an empty space, using the strength he had gained from muscle training, and it shattered with a thud.

That’s how the speech ended.

It was really completely over. The reaction of the citizens watching was explosive. Nothing was said about what to do in the future or how to compensate, but with this action alone, Bush secured enough credibility with the citizens.

So it was only natural that Rick Snyder resigned the day after the Flint water pollution speech incident.