A Message to Mayor Bill Blunk and the Residents of Treece, Kansas: How America Will Fail Without Accountability and Responsibility

Dear Bill Blunk and the Residents of Treece, Kansas, I'm sorry for your plight. If you haven't heard (click here for the New York Times story), Treece, Kansas is seeking a federal government bailout similar to the one received by their neighboring town, Picher, Oklahoma. Both towns used to be prosperous mining towns, whose spoils were used for World War I and World War II weaponry. As one can imagine, the towns are now full of waste.

I believe it is fitting that American towns are now actively seeking federal government bailouts. After all, it is what the American people have been taught to expect. No one in America - all the children included - is being taught accountability and/or responsibility. It pisses me off. I am of the increasingly popular opinion that the United States of America is on the decline. And, it is our own fault.

Initially, I intended to ask Mayor Bill Blunk and the residents of Treece, Kansas why they've been sticking around their town for so long if it was so bad. But, the answer lies just one mile across the state line in Picher, Oklahoma, where residents were bought out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to a Washington Post article, "In 2005, the state [Oklahoma] offered a limited buyout to families in the Picher area with the most vulnerable children, those younger than 6." Most accepted the offer. More importantly, other residents of Picher and nearby residents of Treece, Kansas saw an opportunity.

The 2005 government buyout in Picher, Oklahoma was merely phase 1 of a multi-phase buyout. Phase 2 occurred in 2007. Meanwhile, the residents of Treece, Kansas watched as their neighboring community - and social center - was bailed out by the government. In turn, an expectation was created by the EPA for the residents of Treece, Kansas and their mayor Bill Blunk. I see it as a microcosm of all the Government Bailouts that have recently occurred in the United States. While profit is privatized, risk is being socialized and the American people are learning a lesson that might not be healthy, realistic or sustainable. Nevertheless, the trend continues.

The latest news out of The Wichita Eagle is that "Blood lead levels warrant EPA buyout, say Treece residents." The Joplin Independent has reported that the United States "Senate approves amendment to aid Treece residents." According to the AllGov website, the bailout of Treece, Kansas is working its' way through the House. Eventually, it appears, Treece, Kansas will be bought out, just like their neighboring community of Picher, Oklahoma. The culprit behind these happenings is mining waste produced by the ancestors of Picher, Oklahoma and Treece, Kansas. In other words, Grandma and Grandpa did not think about the futures of their offspring and their offspring. Basically, they hid their head in the sand, or in this case, they hid their head in the chat.

I see the exact same situations occurring all throughout the world. People are working jobs for money to pay their bills, but without thinking about the consequences. I'm not just talking about miners, I'm talking about people in the mortgage industry who made the big bucks and ran, I'm talking about house flippers, insurance companies, middle men and a vast majority of the American community, who are either ignorant to what they are doing or just don't care.

I don't know where the onus lies for change. People that don't want to hear the message might never hear the message. Then, they'll die and their grandchildren will pay the price, like what happened in Picher, Oklahoma and Treece, Kansas. Equally importantly is the question, "Who is really bailing them out?" Is it socially responsible people who took the onus of responsibility and accountability and stayed away from harmful, waste producing endeavors? I think so. Who else could it be?

The fact that I need to say this stuff confounds me. I can't imagine that people can't see the damages they are doing. I have trouble fathoming that people need to be convinced and, more importantly, that I can't convince them. So, maybe PBS can. There is a nice 1 minute and 31 second video on Picher, Oklahoma titled THE CREEK RUNS RED produced by PBS' Independent Lens here.