EVER since I became a conservative as a teenager growing up in the city of Flint, Mich., I’ve heard again and again from Republican leaders about their commitment to minorities and the poor. Even today, we are told that conservative solutions exist for persistent poverty, for joblessness, for the masses of people, like those in my hometown, who live lives of quiet despair. House Speaker Paul Ryan has been especially eloquent on this point. If only Republicans would get a chance to prove it.

That chance has arrived in a big way. Unfortunately, my party is not taking it.

For those not following this news — that is, largely my fellow conservatives — my hometown has been poisoned. For the last 18 months, the city’s water supply has been contaminated with lead and iron. This was the result of a decision to use the Flint River for the city’s drinking water until the city could hook up to a new water authority.

What began coming out of the tap was brown and smelled and caused some people to lose their hair or break out in rashes. Flint River water was so corrosive that it was leaching away lead in older pipes and contaminating the water. The health consequences of this may affect children, in particular, for the rest of their lives.

But very few people outside Flint cared, including the elected officials and public employees who, as part of their jobs, were supposed to care. Paid to care.