The broader point is that incompetence and corruption plagues institutions (public and private) of all sizes.<p>Regardless of one&#x27;s politics, it&#x27;s critical that we hold our institutions accountable and help them get better over time.<p>This includes our country, our state, our county, our city, our company, our social and professional groups, open source communities, etc.<p>There is a strong human tendency to want to defend organizations we are part of (or rely on) rather than trying to constructively improve them.<p>Flint is an example of institutional failures at multiple levels, but over all the loss of life and suffering pales in comparison to what our failed institutions did in Iraq and around the world, and what they do to our schools all across the country, etc.<p>The more official an organization (government, etc.), the more fancy its facilities (buildings with columns, spires, domes, etc.) the more we must realize its credibility is based on self-perpetuation rather than on tangible, auditable results.<p>There are so many failures happening across the board, and the biggest enemy to progress is the idea that loyalty means keeping quiet.