title:  Rick Snyder Drinks Flint Water To Prove It Is Safe, Rachel Maddow Gives Him Bad News (VIDEO)
text: Michigan Governor Rick Snyder was thirsty to prove that the water in Flint is safe to drink, so he drank it and promised to drink more. But Rachel Maddow had some bad news to share.In response to an open invitation to drink some of the water he himself had declared poisoned after ignoring the man-made travesty for a year or more, the Republican told a reporter,  Yeah, I mean if someone, I m happy to look into that. But Snyder didn t exactly look happy about the prospect of voluntarily drinking tainted water that could make him seriously ill as he turned away. So, after many tests of the tap water in one home, Snyder took a drink and claimed to like it so much that he would keep drinking it for 30 days though it is not known how Flint residents will be able to verify that the three gallons he took with him is the same water he ll be drinking. I completely understand why some Flint residents are hesitant to drink the water and I am hopeful I can alleviate some of the skepticism and mistrust by putting words to action,  Snyder declared after drinking the water.  Flint residents made it clear that they would like to see me personally drink the water, so today I am fulfilling that request. And I will continue drinking Flint water at work and at home for at least 30 days. Flint residents certainly are not buying into the act. Not only should he and his wife drink it, they say, his whole family should drink it as well as bathe in it and cook with it.Indeed, that s what Flint residents were forced to do for a long time before state officials finally acknowledged that the water supply was poisoned and began to do something about it. It could have been avoided had Republicans not switched the city s water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River, which has been contaminated for decades as a matter of public record.And because state officials allowed the tragedy to unfold, thousands of children now face future health issues due to the high levels of lead in the water.But Rachel Maddow had some news for Snyder. He may have made sure that the tap water he was drinking was safe before ever taking a sip, but that doesn t mean it wasn t poisoned when he finally got around to drinking it. As best as we can tell, that house where Governor Snyder drank this water through the filter today, it s been tested for lead several times in recent months,  Maddow said. The federal danger threshold for lead is 15 parts-per-billion,  she continued. However, a test conducted on March 16, just over a month ago, revealed levels of 265 parts-per-billion.  More than 10 times above the federal threshold,  Maddow pointed out. So careful Governor. I hope it was a good lead day at that house when you filled up those jugs. Here s the video via YouTube.Make no mistake, despite his attempt to make Flint residents feel better, Snyder and other state officials should be sitting in a jail cell right now awaiting prosecution for all the lives they have ruined by their irresponsible management of Flint and the city s water supply. They literally put saving money above public health and safety and that is unforgivable.Featured image via screen capture