Posted by JM Ashby
Like a scene out of the dystopian movie Robocop, Michigan is on the verge of passing legislation that will give the governor, or the governor's henchmen, the unprecedented power to implement savage austerity measures that will dwarf any other measures seen up to this point.
These new measures go way beyond simply busting unions. They turn the state of Michigan into a miniature dictatorship.
In the new bill being pushed by Governor Rick Snyder (R), the governor, or a company hired by the governor, would have the power to declare municipal entities insolvent. Amid the fiscal emergency, the governor or the governor’s agent would then be empowered to appoint an emergency manager to oversee all financial matters.Under language in the bill, that individual would be able to cancel any and all contracts — including collective bargaining rights for unions — and outright dis-incorporate whole cities, dismissing lawfully elected officials in the process.
Yes, these new un-elected and unaccountable financial mangers will have the power to close your school, disband your city, or dismiss your locally elected officials at their discretion. They will not answer to you, or even the mayor. In fact, they will have the power to dismiss the mayor. They will only answer to De Fuhrer, Rick Snyder.Here's Rachel Maddow with Shock Doctrine author Naomi Klein.
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Republican State Senator Jack Brandenburg rejected criticism by Democrats that say the bill will end a long history of local governance in Michigan by simply saying that the new emergency financial managers, or EMFs, will be deployed to communities that need “financial martial law.”That's right. The same political party that cries about big government dictatorship, is now the party who is implementing big government dictatorship. The new bill passed the Michigan state senate on a party-line vote of 26 to 12, with every Republican voting yes and every Democrat voting no.This is what voter apathy and disengagement begets. Let there be no doubt over which party is on the side of the people and which party wants to control the people during the next election.