A vital but drastically under-reported political fight in the USA today is that of the unprecedented attacks on local democracy by the governor of Michigan. The 2011 expansions of the Michigan “emergency financial manager” law and the powers held by those appointed, by Governor Rick Snyder has led to a near-complete degradation of local democracy in some areas of Michigan. The basic premise of assigning an emergency financial manager is that an appointed specialist can assist a locale in fixing its budget issues more effectively than elected officials; this concept is not new, but it has been drastically expanded by the Snyder administration in Michigan In Michigan, wherever there is a severe budget deficit or “financial emergency”, an emergency manager can be put in charge of a city, town, or school district in order to take control and fix the crisis. In the past, such managers have been appointed over school districts and given broad discretionary powers to control spending. In 2011, the Snyder administration massively expanded the power and reach of emergency managers, while reducing oversight, accountability, and the requirements for a locale to be put under financial martial law.
Under the new financial martial law legislation, an “emergency financial manager” can be appointed over any locale declared to be in a state of “financial emergency,”; a financial emergency is a wide classification, determined entirely by the judgment of the governor, that could be something as simple as a single year where there is a substantial budget deficit. The emergency financial manager has broad powers yet virtually no accountability. He or she has the ability to relieve elected and appointed officials from duty, cut programs, summarily dissolve contracts between the state and other entities (unions, pensions, etc.), and sell off publicly owned goods to private entities.
These managers are appointed by the executive branch of the state, thus are not elected or accountable to the citizens of the state; they have no conflict-of-interest rules, nor are they accountable to any state or federal agency unless they blatantly break certain laws, (such as embezzlement, bribery, etc.). In compensation for their work, emergency managers receive six-figure salaries (Ex. The Pontiac emergency financial manager receives $150,000 annually, with benefits), which is odd, considering the fact that they are paid by “struggling” areas in need of emergency management.
Perhaps the best characterization of the entire Michigan financial manager situation came from the emergency manager of Pontiac, Lou Scimmel. When asked whether the EFM law in Michigan appointed tyrants over the population in an interview with a local radio station Schimmel answered, “I guess I’m the ‘tyrant’ in Pontiac then if that’s the way it is”. Regardless of whether or not a financial manager can actually improve a city’s financial status, the fact remains that the state government has taken virtually all power from local elected officials and given it to an appointed bureaucrat.
Apparently, with the entire furor over the White House “czars” (a media- created moniker for policy advisors), the public has missed out on Snyder’s appointment of literal Czars in cities across Michigan. In pre-USSR Russia, a Czar was an unelected bureaucrat given virtually absolute power over a locale; an emergency financial manager is merely a Czar under a different name, in a different country, and in the present day.
The primary problem with the appointment of EFMs is that they destroy the entire idea of the democratic process wherever they are appointed. Local elections are absolutely meaningless in the face of an emergency manager; elected officials have their decision-making powers revoked and, as in the case of Pontiac, are sometimes summarily dismissed. The destruction of democracy is antithetical to American values and creates massive disenfranchised areas. Democracy may be inconvenient and slow to work, but governance by dictate, as has been instituted here, is not consistent with American values.
As poorer areas are more likely to suffer budget issues and are more likely to be taken over, the poor are disproportionately disenfranchised. By virtue of living in a poor neighborhood, large swathes of Michigan’s population have control over their city taken away. Cities such as Pontiac, Flint, and Benton Harbor are currently under the control of emergency managers; these cities are all relatively poor, and majority black.
Detroit could potentially be put under financial martial law during early 2012, and if this happens, 51% of all black people in Michigan would be under emergency management. Regardless of whether this racial disenfranchisement is intended or not, it is imminent and discriminatory in an unacceptable manner.
A secondary, but vital issue is that emergency managers can be used to push an ideological agenda against the will of the people. Emergency managers can unaccountably cut pensions, nullify union contracts, defund local programs, and sell public goods into privatization, without worrying about what the public wants. As most of these policies are unpopular with the public, officials who want to push this agenda must weigh their views against the electoral backlash. Emergency managers are appointed, not elected and are accountable only to the governor, thus they can do unpopular things without worrying about public opinion; by giving a level of deniability to the governor, he can institute unpopular policy at minimal risk come election time.
Giving appointed officials huge power, with little accountability, as well as the ability to override elected officials, is antithetical to the idea of democracy. Why would the “Tyrant of Pontiac” worry about the little people whose union contract he destroys, health benefits he cuts, or schools he closes? He gets paid regardless of public outrage, and better yet, the guy who appointed him is shielded from backlash because he is not directly responsible for the policies carried out by his manager. As the governor appoints these managers, he can use them to do unpopular things without dirtying his hands.
Do we live in a country where our elected officials can appoint local dictators and nullify our votes in certain elections? No, we live in a constitutional republic, where voting is supposed to decide public representation. Dictatorship is un-American and cannot be tolerated no matter whether the dictator agrees with you or not.
For more information on this law, and the current campaign to fight it via petition and referendum, go to http://michiganforward.org/
Unfortunately, the U.S. Constitution says very little about what goes on INSIDE states. We need additional laws to protect the citizens in each state from such a fascist takeover by the wealthy.
Rehash of the “Busniess Plot” of 1934. Check out Dickstien-McCormack House Commitee On UnAmerican Affiars, Google USMC General Smedlay D Butler, a good book. “The Plot To Sieze The White House’ by Jules Archer. The goal then as today. Destroy all the social programsn, destroy unions and labor laws and make the US Government into a Fascist Corprate Government lead by a “Leader”. No civil rights nor Congress.
I believe our due process rights under the US Constitution are being violated. We are also being enslaved by our State Government with impunity. We need your help in getting other States, Media, and Government agencies to help us. We are hurting!
The communist Gov.of Michigan.Its noi different then russa or china.Take controle of the people and take away there freedom and wrights.So when you see Snyder give him the hitler salute.HILE SNYDER.He is one of the communist basterds.Lerts stop him now befor he destroys us and the state.
We the people have the wright to over trow the gov.We can tell the Gov.what we want what we want done.And if they dont do as we say we can over throw them.They are a Gov. of the people for the people.They work for us not them selfes.Look at the constitusion and bill of rights.Read them and you will see what we can do.
This is yet another Koch Brothers bought and paid for govenor who is doing their bidding. They want to take over the U.S. and rule with the old iron fist of Russia. It should concern everyone, everywhere.
As a former resident of Flint, MI (born and raised in Genesee County) I can tell you: Michigan has become a scary place to live. Jennifer Granholm, the former Governer, was on a fast track to destroying the economical stance of the state. Schools were closed, jobs were being outsourced, new jobs were brought in- but positioned in well-off areas most of us could not travel to due to lack of transportation or gas money. (You can’t keep a job if you can’t get there….1-2 hours from your home.) The first sign that Flint was in worse trouble than ever was when Don Williamson was elected mayor. He opted to clean up the city and to not recieve pay for his position. He sent his own trucks around to pick up trash waste management refused. He tore down and built new housing in hopes to draw in more homeowners in the poorer parts of the town. Granholm wasn’t having it. Who had ever heard of a mayor working for free and using his personal resources to better a town??? It was absurd! So, Williamson agreed to pay….$1.00 per year. However, because of Flint’s financial depravity, they sent in a “czar”. Williamson eventually resigned. During Granholm’s term, there was a law passed that anyone who had recieved financial aid from the state was limited to four years. Not a bad idea..except…. when the jobs are scarce and the unemployment line is getting longer by the day, what then? You have single mothers who can’t find sufficiant child care (that’s a whole other issue in itself) and don’t recieve child support due to a corrupt, backlogged system. Rick Snyder has enforced the law since he’s been in office; and though I don’t have an actual statistic, I can tell you last October an alarming number of families became financially destitute when they were cut from the financial assistance that paid the bills and fed the children. I could write an informative article myself about the state of Michigan from the poverty perspective, but I’ll save that for another day. The point of it all is that there is a running “joke” in Michigan: “The last one out shut the lights off.” Sad, but true.
I’m sorry to say that i live in Michigan,,,,and as a Vet this is the worst thing….the Goverment in michigan is saying that my vote are useless,,,,if the state goverment dosen’t like the local goverment then they just remove then…welcome to the USSRMICHIGAN….
Living in Michigan is unbelievable HELL on earth! There is no republican party here…the governor/house/senate/courts are all members of ALEC. This article just touches on the illegality of EFM’s…there is SO much more happening to us. Redistricting, remapping, voter restrictions, union busting, tax increases on the poor/reductions for wealthy. alecexposed.org tells you what we are up against and it’s already in all the republican states…just ours was a mess and an easy target for setting ALEC’s precedence, goals, and TAKEOVER!!
As a Michigander, I am so glad to see outsiders take interest. The only person I’ve seen report on all that’s going on here is Rachel Maddow and I have not been able to figure out why. Snyder (and the GOP in Michigan altogether) are probably significantly worse than Walker in Wi., but he gets all the press and public outrage. Michigan needs help and I’m afraid that it will get much worse before it gets any better. The republicans in Lansing are also putting laws into immediate action illegally, but they think its OK because….it just is? Definitely not a good time to be a democrat in Michigan.
The Governor and his Republican cohorts took K-12 funding and gave it to colleges and universities. This morning, Michigan State U and Central U are raising housing and tuition rates. What did they do with the K-12 money they received? This Governor has got to go. He and the Republicans are destroying us. The newest discussion they are having is if a child is caught skipping school, his parents welfare will be cut off for a month. That’s a good idea, heh (scarcasm?) Let’s take away the students food, heat, water for a shower, lights. . . That will teach them? This legislature is in control, but out of control. MICHIGAN NEEDS HELP!!!!
K-12 and higher education is a prime target of the ALEC organization. alecexposed.org
The coauthor of their ideas has the online education sysem. They want to REMOVE ALL IDEA children, open up Charter Schools and eliminate teachers. Charter schools are private thus IDEA children’s parents must pay for their education. Charter schools are EXEMPT from the laws/regulations of public schools. They don’t have to have the facilities; but, charge the same. Teachers can work there instead. No union and low wages. This happened due to Bush’s ALEC law of no child left behind.
this is why snyder must go and he will!!!
So, basically, if your child has autism. You will not be able to send them to public school. They will go to a school with other autistic children and you will pay for it. Higher ed is also under attack. Reduction of Pell grants. It just goes on and on. 300+ corporations belong to ALEC and all Republican politicians. With Koch brothers as leaders = subscribe to serfdom. Unite against the cause of ALL these attacks on Democracy…..Fight ALEC.
The Lt. Gov is no better. He rales against the federal health care that was enacted, but because his daughter has autism he pushed through a bill that forces insurance companies to cover autism treatment. So if you are unlucky enough to have a child with autism and are lucky enough to have insurance you can get help with your child. Otherwise, sorry. You and your child will be destitute for life. Couple that with the $1.2 billion that was given to corporations from schools, retirement pensions, etc. Now they want to change how they share money with local government by giving more tax breaks to corporations. Which will contribute to even MORE emergency managers. Welcome to gulag-Michigan where the rich get richer and the poor get screwed.
Blue Cross/Blue Shield are members of ALEC. They take care of their own and leave us to fend for ourselves. Look how much $$ they will save when all contraceptives are taken off insurance plans!!
I agree that Snyder must go. Michigan is fighting a battle that is far bigger than what people have come to recognize yet. We are fighting for democracy, not just in our own state, but as a whole. If snyder gets away with this here, people around the US will find that their town is next in line for a takeover… Democrat or republican, it should not matter. It won’t matter either- since right now the vote of many Michigan citizens means nothing, they voted for their officials, and those officials were tossed out by our governor/dictator.
Blue Cross/Blue Shied just dropped membership in ALEC! BUT, Humana and others have not. Now, Michigan has CUT funding for the Presidential Election, cut voting locations, increasing the odds to reduce Democrats from voting. I cannot understand why the Justice Dept is NOT helping us. ALEC laws MUST be repealed and the organization of ALEC must be stopped. Check sites like: Center for Media and Democracy, prwatch.org, addictinginfo.org, alecexposed.org and watchout, ALEC has gotten a site ALECexposed.org and a couple others. Secret organizations should be illegal.