UPDATE: The bill that allows Michigan’s Governor Rick Snyder to declare a “financial emergency” — impose a dictator (a person or a corporation) on any town or city or school district, dissolve any election, and abrogate any and all existing contracts, including union contracts — is now law, signed by the (ahem) duly elected leader of state government as of yesterday. Maddow had it last night, and it was posted on Central Michigan Life today. Our condolences to those who now are living in the Michigan gulag. ~ NanuqFC
Steve Benen, over at Washington Monthly, yesterday ran a piece on what’s happening in Michigan while most of the Left are watching Wisconsin.
He’s quoting E. D. Kain, writing for Forbes. Some excerpts:
Newly elected [Michigan] Republican governor, Rick Snyder, is set to pass one of the most sweeping, anti-democratic pieces of legislation in the country — and almost no one is talking about it.
Snyder’s law gives the state government the power not only to break up unions, but to dissolve entire local governments and place appointed “Emergency Managers” in their stead. But that’s not all — whole cities could be eliminated if Emergency Managers and the governor choose to do so. And Snyder can fire elected officials unilaterally, without any input from voters. It doesn’t get much more anti-Democratic than that.
Except it does. The governor simply has to declare a financial emergency to invoke these powers — or he can hire a private company to declare financial emergency and take over oversight of the city. That’s right, a private corporation can declare your city in a state of financial emergency and send in its Emergency Manager, fire your elected officials, and reap the benefits of the ensuing state contracts.
[emphasis added]
Those anti-democratic powers include undoing the results of elections, dissolving or disincorporating municipal governments, and canceling union contracts.
Why would Michigan cities be in such financial trouble? Well, because the Michigan governor has massively cut state aid to those cities, says Benen. The plan has been characterized as “financial martial law.” We’re talking about towns essentially being sold off or given to corporations, becoming wholly owned subsidiaries of favored firms, the fullest realization of the concept “company town.”
Typically, Rachel Maddow was on the case before most MSM took notice (video on the flip).
Maddow’s clip from March 8 (pay particular attention to Naomi Klein’s analysis):
Klein calls the Citizens United Supreme Court decision the moment when the corporations “went nuclear” against the working and middle class. And now she says, “they’re going after the slingshots” (the unions as the last stand against the total corporatization of America) left to the ordinary people.
The closing message is worth taking to heart: when these tactics are exposed while they’re happening, sometimes the unions and the people win. The corporations are not unstoppable.
like a corporate grab to control water rights.
…of why people need to stay more informed and engaged.
Sad fact is that the MI constitution allows for this sort of thing, since town incorporation is essentially governed by the Leg. People have taken a great deal of restraint in governance for granted as we’ve enjoyed a fairly stable, mostly-democratic republic for a long time. Then complacency and decisions like Citizens allow extremists to take over and push the envelope.
Shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody, and hopefully one of them proverbial wakeup call thingies. Certainly folks in WI have shown the way for all of us to mobilize…
almost as if a pattern is emerging with the actions of the new crop of Republican governors!
Wonder if it’s some grand scheme?
Well it could never happen here.
Of course who ever thought Reince Priebus could be a real name .
Hadn’t heard…and I guess most of hadn’t heard (and that’s part of its insidiousness). Guess the Repubs are doing the job the Corporations want done in states where they have the power. Jesus, even with a Dem Legislature in Vt., I’m sure glad we don’t have a Repub governor. Douglas would love to do what that Michigan crap proposes–get rid of those pesky local governments who send people like Mary Hooper to the State Legislature.
We’re looking at the opening acts of the ‘Corporatization’ of our Democracy. Guess if we can do it to Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., why not here?
Shit. I (and all of us) have to pay attention to our own backyards more.
Eliminating our democratically elected Republic?
I bet Fox News isn’t telling them, therefore they have no idea it’s happening.