Michigan Big Gov't Republicans

Feb 2, 2011
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I watched a great piece on Maddow about Michigan's new Emergency Management Law. It's a controversial law that allows the state to appoint emergency financial managers to towns that are struggling financially. The EFMs are given complete authority. They are even allowed to fire elected officials and dissolve towns. Watch the entire video. At the end is an interview with a Michigan mayor. It's a real eye opener. I'd like to know what any small gov't conservatives think of this.

I've also included an article from the Michigan Messenger.

Benton Harbor takeover sparks furious reaction | Michigan Messenger

The impoverished former industrial town of Benton Harbor has become a flashpoint in the controversy over the new law that allows the governor to appoint Emergency Managers with virtually unlimited authority over local governments.

On Thursday the state-appointed Emergency Manager Joe Harris used the expanded powers granted by the new law to issue an order banning the city commission from taking any action without his written permission.

Benton Harbor City Commissioner Juanita Henry says her constituents are angry and looking for help, but without the power to hold meetings the city commission can’t even provide an official venue for citizens to ask questions and get answers.

“They are using Benton Harbor as a test case,“ Henry said. “If they have disenfranchised the people so badly they just don’t respond to anything, they can do this all over the country.”

Community activist Rev. Edward Pinkney said that many Benton Harbor residents only learned that their city government had been sacked by reading about it in the paper days later.

Though home to the corporate headquarters of appliance giant Whirlpool, the city lost its last manufacturing plant this year, almost half the population lives below the poverty line and the public lakefront has been privatized as part of a luxury golf development backed by the Whirlpool corporation.
(An appeal of the conversion of the city park is underway in federal court.)

Gov. Jennifer Granholm approved a state takeover of Benton Harbor’s finances last year after the city needed help meeting payroll.

Relations have been strained between the elected officials and the Emergency Manager Harris. In January the city commission tried to oust him after criticizing his expenses and his plans to cut the fire department.

“People should be paying attention to what is happening here because Benton Harbor is GROUND ZERO for the future of what is to become of our state under Governor Rick Snyder,“ said Carole Drake, who fought the privatization of Jean Klock Park in state court.

Locals in Benton Harbor said they will work to repeal their state Rep. Al Pscholka, who sponsored the bill, as well as State Sen. John Proos and Gov. Rick Snyder who also approved it.
 
Michigan Constitution

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/publications/Constitution.pdf

Looks like Article VII covers this, in particular sections 20 and 21. It appears that if its a township the county controls it, but as a city the legislature has control over the scope of its charter, with particular regards to finance.

You can argue the right or wrong of it, but it appears the legislature has the constitutional backing to do it.
 
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Actually, voters will have the say on this. If enough signatures can be collected, it gets put up for a vote. But, that's not the point. This is big gov't at work. Where is the outrage from small gov't conservatives?
 
Actually, voters will have the say on this. If enough signatures can be collected, it gets put up for a vote. But, that's not the point. This is big gov't at work. Where is the outrage from small gov't conservatives?

Actually check out section 33, where an elected offical of a political subdivision can be ousted by law.

This law is well grounded in the constitution, hence why they are going the petition route over a judical one. They have no judical leg to stand on.

And in a battle between my fiscal responsible part and my small goverment part, the fiscally responsible side wins, as long as they follow thier own state constitution (which they do).

All life is not colored an aristotilian black and white.
 
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I watched a great piece on Maddow about Michigan's new Emergency Management Law. It's a controversial law that allows the state to appoint emergency financial managers to towns that are struggling financially. The EFMs are given complete authority. They are even allowed to fire elected officials and dissolve towns. Watch the entire video. At the end is an interview with a Michigan mayor. It's a real eye opener. I'd like to know what any small gov't conservatives think of this.

I've also included an article from the Michigan Messenger.

Benton Harbor takeover sparks furious reaction | Michigan Messenger

The impoverished former industrial town of Benton Harbor has become a flashpoint in the controversy over the new law that allows the governor to appoint Emergency Managers with virtually unlimited authority over local governments.

On Thursday the state-appointed Emergency Manager Joe Harris used the expanded powers granted by the new law to issue an order banning the city commission from taking any action without his written permission.

Benton Harbor City Commissioner Juanita Henry says her constituents are angry and looking for help, but without the power to hold meetings the city commission can’t even provide an official venue for citizens to ask questions and get answers.

“They are using Benton Harbor as a test case,“ Henry said. “If they have disenfranchised the people so badly they just don’t respond to anything, they can do this all over the country.”

Community activist Rev. Edward Pinkney said that many Benton Harbor residents only learned that their city government had been sacked by reading about it in the paper days later.

Though home to the corporate headquarters of appliance giant Whirlpool, the city lost its last manufacturing plant this year, almost half the population lives below the poverty line and the public lakefront has been privatized as part of a luxury golf development backed by the Whirlpool corporation.
(An appeal of the conversion of the city park is underway in federal court.)

Gov. Jennifer Granholm approved a state takeover of Benton Harbor’s finances last year after the city needed help meeting payroll.

Relations have been strained between the elected officials and the Emergency Manager Harris. In January the city commission tried to oust him after criticizing his expenses and his plans to cut the fire department.

“People should be paying attention to what is happening here because Benton Harbor is GROUND ZERO for the future of what is to become of our state under Governor Rick Snyder,“ said Carole Drake, who fought the privatization of Jean Klock Park in state court.

Locals in Benton Harbor said they will work to repeal their state Rep. Al Pscholka, who sponsored the bill, as well as State Sen. John Proos and Gov. Rick Snyder who also approved it.

An elected official cannot be fired.
 
I watched a great piece on Maddow about Michigan's new Emergency Management Law. It's a controversial law that allows the state to appoint emergency financial managers to towns that are struggling financially. The EFMs are given complete authority. They are even allowed to fire elected officials and dissolve towns. Watch the entire video. At the end is an interview with a Michigan mayor. It's a real eye opener. I'd like to know what any small gov't conservatives think of this.

I've also included an article from the Michigan Messenger.

Benton Harbor takeover sparks furious reaction | Michigan Messenger

The impoverished former industrial town of Benton Harbor has become a flashpoint in the controversy over the new law that allows the governor to appoint Emergency Managers with virtually unlimited authority over local governments.

On Thursday the state-appointed Emergency Manager Joe Harris used the expanded powers granted by the new law to issue an order banning the city commission from taking any action without his written permission.

Benton Harbor City Commissioner Juanita Henry says her constituents are angry and looking for help, but without the power to hold meetings the city commission can’t even provide an official venue for citizens to ask questions and get answers.

“They are using Benton Harbor as a test case,“ Henry said. “If they have disenfranchised the people so badly they just don’t respond to anything, they can do this all over the country.”

Community activist Rev. Edward Pinkney said that many Benton Harbor residents only learned that their city government had been sacked by reading about it in the paper days later.

Though home to the corporate headquarters of appliance giant Whirlpool, the city lost its last manufacturing plant this year, almost half the population lives below the poverty line and the public lakefront has been privatized as part of a luxury golf development backed by the Whirlpool corporation.
(An appeal of the conversion of the city park is underway in federal court.)

Gov. Jennifer Granholm approved a state takeover of Benton Harbor’s finances last year after the city needed help meeting payroll.

Relations have been strained between the elected officials and the Emergency Manager Harris. In January the city commission tried to oust him after criticizing his expenses and his plans to cut the fire department.

“People should be paying attention to what is happening here because Benton Harbor is GROUND ZERO for the future of what is to become of our state under Governor Rick Snyder,“ said Carole Drake, who fought the privatization of Jean Klock Park in state court.

Locals in Benton Harbor said they will work to repeal their state Rep. Al Pscholka, who sponsored the bill, as well as State Sen. John Proos and Gov. Rick Snyder who also approved it.

An elected official cannot be fired.

According the the Michagan constitution, as long as they are a city or village official, they can be. The constitution protects only the state and county officials, according to my reading of it. Article 7, sections 20,21 and 33.
 
Try and watch the video and maybe you will see why they want to take over the town where the population has a 10,000.00 year average income. The big boys on the republican side want to build a mega golf course and to do so they will take over the land that was deeded to the city. land that is lake shore so they can put like three holes there instead of beach for the citizens.

It's a political event meant to make someone rich, now I wonder who they will be sending their political dollars too, LOL what a joke you greedy, lying, backstabbing jackasses are on the right.
 
I watched a great piece on Maddow about Michigan's new Emergency Management Law. It's a controversial law that allows the state to appoint emergency financial managers to towns that are struggling financially. The EFMs are given complete authority. They are even allowed to fire elected officials and dissolve towns. Watch the entire video. At the end is an interview with a Michigan mayor. It's a real eye opener. I'd like to know what any small gov't conservatives think of this.

I've also included an article from the Michigan Messenger.

An elected official cannot be fired.

According the the Michagan constitution, as long as they are a city or village official, they can be. The constitution protects only the state and county officials, according to my reading of it. Article 7, sections 20,21 and 33.

The governor has the authority to remove elected officials from office not some appointed yahoo as the OP suggested.
 
why would any Gov have the right to remove from office anybody? That's like saying that Obama should have the right to remove governors from office? They are elected, then they should be recalled or if they have committed a crime they should be arrested, but removed at the guv's whim, that's a bad LAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I watched a great piece on Maddow about Michigan's new Emergency Management Law. It's a controversial law that allows the state to appoint emergency financial managers to towns that are struggling financially. The EFMs are given complete authority. They are even allowed to fire elected officials and dissolve towns. Watch the entire video. At the end is an interview with a Michigan mayor. It's a real eye opener. I'd like to know what any small gov't conservatives think of this.

I've also included an article from the Michigan Messenger.

Benton Harbor takeover sparks furious reaction | Michigan Messenger

The impoverished former industrial town of Benton Harbor has become a flashpoint in the controversy over the new law that allows the governor to appoint Emergency Managers with virtually unlimited authority over local governments.

On Thursday the state-appointed Emergency Manager Joe Harris used the expanded powers granted by the new law to issue an order banning the city commission from taking any action without his written permission.

Benton Harbor City Commissioner Juanita Henry says her constituents are angry and looking for help, but without the power to hold meetings the city commission can’t even provide an official venue for citizens to ask questions and get answers.

“They are using Benton Harbor as a test case,“ Henry said. “If they have disenfranchised the people so badly they just don’t respond to anything, they can do this all over the country.”

Community activist Rev. Edward Pinkney said that many Benton Harbor residents only learned that their city government had been sacked by reading about it in the paper days later.

Though home to the corporate headquarters of appliance giant Whirlpool, the city lost its last manufacturing plant this year, almost half the population lives below the poverty line and the public lakefront has been privatized as part of a luxury golf development backed by the Whirlpool corporation.
(An appeal of the conversion of the city park is underway in federal court.)

Gov. Jennifer Granholm approved a state takeover of Benton Harbor’s finances last year after the city needed help meeting payroll.

Relations have been strained between the elected officials and the Emergency Manager Harris. In January the city commission tried to oust him after criticizing his expenses and his plans to cut the fire department.

“People should be paying attention to what is happening here because Benton Harbor is GROUND ZERO for the future of what is to become of our state under Governor Rick Snyder,“ said Carole Drake, who fought the privatization of Jean Klock Park in state court.

Locals in Benton Harbor said they will work to repeal their state Rep. Al Pscholka, who sponsored the bill, as well as State Sen. John Proos and Gov. Rick Snyder who also approved it.

An elected official cannot be fired.

They didn't fire them, they just told them that there are only 3 things they can do. Open a meeting, approve the minutes and close the meeting. Nothing else.

They've been effectively silenced.

BTW..........anyone remember a little thing called Nazi Germany? They used the government to take over there as well.

Hmm........the GOP is proving themselves to be facists.
 
I watched a great piece on Maddow about Michigan's new Emergency Management Law. It's a controversial law that allows the state to appoint emergency financial managers to towns that are struggling financially. The EFMs are given complete authority. They are even allowed to fire elected officials and dissolve towns. Watch the entire video. At the end is an interview with a Michigan mayor. It's a real eye opener. I'd like to know what any small gov't conservatives think of this.

I've also included an article from the Michigan Messenger.

Benton Harbor takeover sparks furious reaction | Michigan Messenger

The impoverished former industrial town of Benton Harbor has become a flashpoint in the controversy over the new law that allows the governor to appoint Emergency Managers with virtually unlimited authority over local governments.

On Thursday the state-appointed Emergency Manager Joe Harris used the expanded powers granted by the new law to issue an order banning the city commission from taking any action without his written permission.

Benton Harbor City Commissioner Juanita Henry says her constituents are angry and looking for help, but without the power to hold meetings the city commission can’t even provide an official venue for citizens to ask questions and get answers.

“They are using Benton Harbor as a test case,“ Henry said. “If they have disenfranchised the people so badly they just don’t respond to anything, they can do this all over the country.”

Community activist Rev. Edward Pinkney said that many Benton Harbor residents only learned that their city government had been sacked by reading about it in the paper days later.

Though home to the corporate headquarters of appliance giant Whirlpool, the city lost its last manufacturing plant this year, almost half the population lives below the poverty line and the public lakefront has been privatized as part of a luxury golf development backed by the Whirlpool corporation.
(An appeal of the conversion of the city park is underway in federal court.)

Gov. Jennifer Granholm approved a state takeover of Benton Harbor’s finances last year after the city needed help meeting payroll.

Relations have been strained between the elected officials and the Emergency Manager Harris. In January the city commission tried to oust him after criticizing his expenses and his plans to cut the fire department.

“People should be paying attention to what is happening here because Benton Harbor is GROUND ZERO for the future of what is to become of our state under Governor Rick Snyder,“ said Carole Drake, who fought the privatization of Jean Klock Park in state court.

Locals in Benton Harbor said they will work to repeal their state Rep. Al Pscholka, who sponsored the bill, as well as State Sen. John Proos and Gov. Rick Snyder who also approved it.

An elected official cannot be fired.

They can be in Michigan. How does that sit with you? Republican, Democrat or Independent. Everybody should be paying attention.
 
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living in Michigan, I find that the people who argued with me to vote Republican don't claim to be one anymore. They also avoid me like the plague. Once Snyder taxes the retirement pension there will be nothing but Democrats and rich Republicans left.

This is what Republicans want and this is what they do. When will people wake up and realize that they do not make enough money or have enough money to be Republicans.
 
You know........the Democrats should be getting all this bullshit down in each and every district that the GOP is screwing the people, because the collective memory of the American people is roughly 6 months to a year (which is why the campaigns heat up in May). Incidentally, we also saw the danger of starting too early (like they did in 2008), because then people get tired of listening to you.

This stuff, combined with Walker and all the other idiots who are trying to strip unions in their states is red meat for the Dems, and I hope they start capitalizing on it soon.

Wonder if the GOP actually thought they could get away with something like this, this close to the elections.

Good luck in 2012 Republicans, you're gonna need it.
 
I watched a great piece on Maddow about Michigan's new Emergency Management Law. It's a controversial law that allows the state to appoint emergency financial managers to towns that are struggling financially. The EFMs are given complete authority. They are even allowed to fire elected officials and dissolve towns. Watch the entire video. At the end is an interview with a Michigan mayor. It's a real eye opener. I'd like to know what any small gov't conservatives think of this.

I've also included an article from the Michigan Messenger.

An elected official cannot be fired.

They didn't fire them, they just told them that there are only 3 things they can do. Open a meeting, approve the minutes and close the meeting. Nothing else.

They've been effectively silenced.

BTW..........anyone remember a little thing called Nazi Germany? They used the government to take over there as well.

Hmm........the GOP is proving themselves to be facists.

Godwin's Law invoked: You Lose

GodwinsLaw_CatPoster.jpg
 
Hey......still don't change the fact that it's true. Facists are those who are a far right wing group who believe in a strong hierarchel structure with government running everything.

Now.......let's talk about abortion rights being taken away, as well as reinvoking DADT. That's not infringing on the rights of the citizens?

How about the union stripping bills that the GOP is trying to push through?

Nope, sorry.......this country is slowly being taken over by fascists. And, because you apparently can't look shit up on the dictionary, here's some definitions........

fas·cist   /ˈfæʃɪst/ Show Spelled
[fash-ist] Show IPA

–noun
1. a person who believes in or sympathizes with fascism.
2. ( often initial capital letter ) a member of a fascist movement or party.
3. a person who is dictatorial or has extreme right-wing views.

fas·cism   /ˈfæʃɪzəm/ Show Spelled
[fash-iz-uhm] Show IPA

–noun
1. ( sometimes initial capital letter ) a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
2. ( sometimes initial capital letter ) the philosophy, principles, or methods of fascism.
3. ( initial capital letter ) a fascist movement, especially the one established by Mussolini in Italy 1922–43.

Both definitions are from Dictionary.com
 
Hey......still don't change the fact that it's true. Facists are those who are a far right wing group who believe in a strong hierarchel structure with government running everything.

Now.......let's talk about abortion rights being taken away, as well as reinvoking DADT. That's not infringing on the rights of the citizens?

How about the union stripping bills that the GOP is trying to push through?

Nope, sorry.......this country is slowly being taken over by fascists. And, because you apparently can't look shit up on the dictionary, here's some definitions........

fas·cist   /ˈfæʃɪst/ Show Spelled
[fash-ist] Show IPA

–noun
1. a person who believes in or sympathizes with fascism.
2. ( often initial capital letter ) a member of a fascist movement or party.
3. a person who is dictatorial or has extreme right-wing views.

fas·cism   /ˈfæʃɪzəm/ Show Spelled
[fash-iz-uhm] Show IPA

–noun
1. ( sometimes initial capital letter ) a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
2. ( sometimes initial capital letter ) the philosophy, principles, or methods of fascism.
3. ( initial capital letter ) a fascist movement, especially the one established by Mussolini in Italy 1922–43.

Both definitions are from Dictionary.com

Spouting dictionary references to facism doesnt make your view true. The methods being used by Michigan are covered under thier consitution. Representation is still maintained at the state and county level. The method of chartering a city or village specifically allows for it.

Facism in Nazi germany was coordinated (Gleichschaltung) from the top down. They already removed democratic procedures from the federal level before they went after the states and the local goverments. What is happening here would be from the bottom up.

There is no constitutional right to being in the military, to abortions (my opinion, Roe V. Wade is horrible law, and as a person I dont oppose abortion at all), or to forming a union. those are all rights granted by law, and as such can be taken away by law.
 

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