While we were venting our outrage at shenanigans in Wisconsin politics, in fact while Republicans were planning last night’s attempted coup, the Michigan state legislature quietly passed a bill giving the Governor of Michigan martial control over the state. Except instead of using actual military, the Governor is more likely to use private security. But make no mistake–rights would be suspended.
Here’s how it works:
The governor, on his own initiative, can declare an economic emergency in any town and appoint an administrator. The administrator can be any person, including a corporate person.
The administrator has the power to do anything in the name of economic stability, including void contracts, void collective bargaining agreements, dissolve the town council, dissolve the school board, fire anyone including elected officials, hire private security, unincorporate the town, and sell off public property.
The people of the town have no say in this. They can neither demand nor turn away the administrator. That is because this provision is meant to be used against the people.
Politicususa
3
Support the Blog — Buy This Book!
For Kindle and with free ePub version. Only $9.49 Great reading.
Here is what Gary Shapiro CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) said: Dvorak's writing sings with insight and clarity. Whether or not you agree with John's views, he will get you thinking and is never boring. These essays are worth the read!
Put this ad on your blog!
Syndicate
Subscribe to Main Blog feed here:
Subscribe to Comments too (below):
Junk Email Filter
#67–Tick==you say: “Can you imagine if your average regressive were forced to live by the same polices they vote for, it would be fun to watch.” /// Ummm, Dude!! That is EXACTLY what is happening and mainly why the USA is circling the drain. Just how asleep are you? This shit has had, is having, and will have DISASTEROUS effects on the USA society, if not the world society as well. What other “culture” will be as generous as the stupid usa?
Dallas: my suggestion was Public Funding of Elections. Short of a “real” revolution, I see no other solution. Even voting PUKES out of office for a few decades won’t work. It truly is “the system” that is corrupt. Common sense says to vote the worst bastards out of office and that is UNIFORMLY the PUKES. Too bad the PUKE base is so easily led. Maybe try to get an intelligence/information voting requirement passed? Too late for that. The PUKES know what their power base is: Mega Rich + the really stupid. What a combo.
Do I get to vote when unions force pay and merit increases? No. Do I give a shit you don’t get to vote to keep them? No. The union leeches have to take a cut like the rest of us. I know you thought you were untouchable when Obama got voted in. Tough shit.
>it is primarily an attack against Dumbocrat Political Funding Mechanisms.
Ding ding ding ding, we have a winner. And that is why the unions were willing to cave on health care premiums and pensions, which they could always win back later, and didn’t apply to teachers either. However, losing their health care insurance business, which could happen if they can’t bargain over the issue, and having to collect the dues from workers instead of the state collecting directly, and a new election every year? That’s trouble.
>I assume its true that Federal Unions, if there are any, cannot collectively negotiate/strike?
They have some collective bargaining rights, but not over wages.
Bobbo, as usual I poorly phrased my meaning. I meant living their personal lives, in that at every oppurtunity, throwing away more income so the eldest can keep more allowance while spending wildly just to keep the family friends farting through silk. Letting the youngest run wild with no education and no direction then blaming them for being lazy do nothings. The only fiscal solution to any problem is throwing it on the credit cards and wildly screaming about how disgusting everybody else is while dear old dad is blowing the paperboy in the closet,,,,, You know, the republican way. I hope this clears up any confusion.
Thanks Mike (assuming you aren’t lying!)
Obviously, I don’t follow the union issues, State or Federal. I’ve always considered any kind of government employment as a form of welfare–including military service. As such, I don’t think there should be any collective bargaining. You should be happy for the welfare you get and if you don’t like it, get off the dole.
That said, event the MASSIVE welfare system known as the social safety net is dwarfed by the corporate corruption that has become accepted as the norm.
Sad we are doing it to ourselves while thinking we are so smart.
We aren’t.
Tick–I commiserate. There is nothing I have ever written that a rewrite doesn’t make better. Take my last post: “Sad we are doing it to ourselves while thinking we are so smart. We aren’t” /// Of course, a better more accurate statement would be: “How f*cking stupid are these retarded PUKES?” but the simple pointed truth eluded me as I went for a meaningless generality.
It is difficult to parse the stupidity of the Pukes though and how they fail to recognize the very destruction to themselves caused by their own efforts at self destruction.
Keep working on it though. It won’t save you from the drain, but your understanding will be more clearly communicated.
Ha, ha.
Fusion, you must live near here…my mailing address is Benton Harbor but I live a dozen miles from there, thankfully. Your description is dead-on.
Benton Harbor is a pit, a nasty and completely corrupt city with few redeeming qualities other than some Lake Michigan shoreline. Yet, it is surrounded by an amazing piece of the continent. 😉
If not for Detroit it is easily the worst city in the state. Probably the worst city in the region, depending on how East St Louis is doing these days. The EFM is cracking heads and waking the city up to the waste, corruption, and incompetence of the city government over the last couple decades. I don’t have room or the time to lay out the scope of the problem, so trust me that it’s really that bad, plus some. The BH schools are a reflection of the city.
In this case, the EFM was a completely necessary and easily justifiable action. The only complaints locally are from those whose cash cow has been slaughtered by the EFM.
A lot of you seem to think that the Unions are the cause of our financial problems. Given that this meme is fairly new in wide distribution, it’s amazing how fast certain people with hop when their mental masters say “Jump!”
Over 9 trillion dollars has gone missing into the banks and investment firms with no accountability. The FED refuses to even say where it went, and claims that they don’t have to. Another 9+ trillion was loaned to them at the discount window at no interest; much of that was invested in US bonds at 4+ percent interest. This amounted to a further giveaway of hundreds of billions. And the DOD ‘lost’ 3+ trillion before 2001. Add in the fact that the most profitable corporations in world history, like Exxon, pay no tax in this country due to massive tax breaks and giveaways, and the gleeful use of foreign tax havens to shield profits, and you have your financial crisis right there. Any one of those pots of money could pay off every loan in the US and fix every state budget.
You are being robbed blind, America. Don’t believe the thieves when they point at you and say “It’s your fault! Please, attack each other while we hide our loot.” Don’t be a fool. Just in the Wisconsin example, the unions capitulated on all of the financial requests, even though they are paying 100% of their pension and the 3% shortfall is entirely due to Wall Street bungling, and Walker doesn’t care. The shortfall is 137 million this year, and next year Walker’s tax cut for corps will total 140 million plus! Even Forbes bloggers think these reckless tax cuts during a short fall are the real problem.
http://goo.gl/VjzkK
Don’t be deceived! The thieves are on Wall Street and in the halls of power, not your neighbors that have health care and a pension! They are trying to remove collective bargaining nationwide so that they can sack the last big pile of cash they haven’t stolen, the pension funds!
Here is a comment from the above linked Freep article linked above:
“Take all the necessary taxes to fix our economy out of the public sector union leaders and employees. They’ve had carte blanche on benefits and raises that us lowly private sector workers/tax payers can only dream of.”
This is exactly what I am talking about; your wages have been going backward for decades while your bosses get richer and richer. And yet, who are you pissed at? Not the boss, which is exploiting your increased productivity while giving you less and less, and slashing your benefits. No, you attack your neighbors who are better organized, and have managed to keep the benefits that used to be ubiquitous before this epidemic of greed, and who have wages that have paced inflation better than yours (though they are still behind the curve.) Shouldn’t you be working with your better organized neighbors to get some of those record setting corporate profits into your pocket, instead of attacking them because they are not drowning like you are?
The government is and should be treated as an employer like any other. being a taxpayer does not give us the right to f*ck over our employees.
The same people calling teachers parastites are arguing to let stockbrokers give themselves bonuses with taxpayer money.
Smartalix–what you say is correct except that the government is NOT just like every other employer.
How much more than a simple negative highlight do you need?
Think about it and post back if you can’t take a clue.
In the US, labor unions were formed to remedy the inadequacies of State and Federal government, who weren’t looking out for the common man’s rights. But they were bowing to the needs (or greed) of the corporate entities. The labor unions thus became a sort of adhoc government, of the working class people. The problem is, these unions would eventually fall prey to the same corrupting influences that effect state and federal government. It was just a matter of time, before the union bosses would also bow to the power of big money. And screw over the rank and file membership, to accommodate more of corporate’s demands.
What we’re left with is a bunch of unions who aren’t much better than the governing bodies they replaced. And nobody can conceive of anything incorruptible (at least for a while) to replace them.
When I was in military service, there was some loose talk of a union for the service personnel. But of course, that would never happen. Congress, the Pentagon, the the President, would shoot it down in a flash. Arguing that the nation couldn’t afford to have defense personnel on strike, when danger was looming near. But still, some collective bargaining would have been nice, to get better pay and benefits. I’m sure the generals and admirals negotiate or lobby Congress to get their pay raises and bonuses. And then there are the defense contractors. Who can’t be sued. But can negotiate a huge price tag for everything they do. So once again, the people at the bottom of the system, who make up the majority of the workforce. Get no recourse to negotiate better pay, benefits and workng conditions. And I’ll never buy the explanation that the US military’s hundreds of billions of dollars in budget, gets spend largely on it 2 million service personnel and retirees. There’s just no way that most of Reagan’s defense budget dollars, trickled down to the rest of our wallets. In fact when I was getting out, they were cutting some medical benefits for dependents. And after waiting for five years, we only got a few cents an hour pay increase. While the generals got hundreds of dollars. Of course they said it was all based on percentage of pay scale. And to give us all the same dollar amount increase, would cost too much. Yeah, and the generals wouldn’t tolerate a measly two bucks an hour more, either. That wouldn’t be enough to tip their golf caddies.
Bobbo,
When it comes to contracting services, we should be. WE should get no special priviledges to underpay or exploit (that includes service personnel in the military) anyone working a job for the government. To pretend differently is disingenuous.
Democrat dream policies results in a Detroit.
Oddly enough, I’m a progressive but Democrats are not liberals but apparently disconnected from reality. Republicans have absorbed enough lefty values to appease my desires and are realists that know you have to balance a budget and that government largess just ain’t gonna cut it in these horrible economic times.
And Democrats plan is fricking denial ostrich reality … gimme a a freaking break. Michael Moore, Cowboy Poetry … you’ve gotta keep it real … you simply cannot live in a denial universe. Well, you can … it’s called Detroit.
How disconnected from reality is it to pretend we’re going to close our deficits and balance our budgets on teacher’s salaries? What a bunch of idiots.
#75, Mr. Baggins,
We are about 50 miles SW of South Bend. If you read recently of a large cock fighting bust, well, that is our county. Note that almost all the participants are from outside the county and even the State.
Most of what I’ve heard about BH came from WNDU.
Well, like Bush said: “Constitution just a DAMNED PIECE OF PAPER !!!” The Repukes JUST LIKE NAZIS !!!