posted March 13, 2011 11:15 PM            

Michigan lawmakers are on the verge of approving a bill that would enable the governor to appoint "emergency managers" -- officials with unilateral power to make sweeping changes to cities facing financial troubles.

Under the legislation, the Michigan Messenger reports, the governor could declare a "financial emergency" in towns or school districts. He could then appoint a manager to fire local elected officials, break contracts, seize and sell assets, eliminate services - and even eliminate whole cities or school districts without any public input.

The measure passed in the state Senate this week; the House passed its own version earlier. The two versions of the bill are expected to be reconciled next week, and Republican Gov. Rick Snyder has said he will sign the bill the bill into law.

Democrats and their allies are decrying the legislation as a power grab and say it's part of a wider effort taking place in several states, such as Wisconsin, to weaken labor unions.

"It takes every decision in a city or school district and puts it in the hands of the manager, from when the streets get plowed to who plows them and how much they are paid," said Mark Gaffney, president of the Michigan State AFL-CIO. "This is a takeover by the right wing and it's an assault on democracy like I've never seen."

U.S. Rep. John Conyers, a Democrat who represents Detroit, said in a statement that in a given city, the governor's new "financial czar" could "force a municipality into bankruptcy, a power that will surely be used to extract further concessions from hardworking public sector workers."

He said the legislation raises "serious constitutional concerns." On top of that, he said, allowing an "emergency manager" to dissolve locally elected bodies "implicitly targets minority communities that are disproportionately impacted by the economic downturn, without providing meaningful support for improved economic opportunity."

Republican state Sen. Jack Brandenburg said several urban areas of the state, especially Detroit, are in "bad shape" and require "financial martial law," the Daily Tribune reports.

The emergency manager, he said, "has to have the backbone, he has to have the power, to null and void a contract." In response to concerns that local leaders will have to cede control, Brandenburg said, "I'll tell you what, I think that in a lot of these places there is no control."

An emergency manager would only be put in place if several other steps to save a city's finances failed, and Snyder has said in recent weeks that removing elected officials or breaking contracts would be a last resort for an emergency manager. In addition, the legislature would have the power to remove an emergency manager.

As the "emergency manager" bill nears final passage, state lawmakers are also considering Snyder's proposed budget, which would cut spending on schools, universities, prisons and communities, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Snyder has also proposed eliminating $1.7 billion in tax breaks for individuals while cutting $1.8 billion in taxes for businesses to spur job growth. Much of the $1.7 billion in new tax revenue would be "coming from retirees, senior citizens and the working poor," the Free Press wrote in an editorial.

posted March 16, 2011 03:01 PM            

since kings are governors it follows that governors are kings...

posted March 17, 2011 10:29 AM            

Next he is working on taxing pensions and eliminating tax credits for the working poor. I`m looking real hard to find out how tis is an overall benefit to the citizens of MI.
I certainly don`t mind sharing the burden but the money bags better get their share of "burden" as well

Gov. Snyder signs emergency managers bill

LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Gov. Rick Snyder has signed a bill giving broad new powers to emergency financial managers appointed by the state of Michigan to run struggling cities and schools, including the ability to terminate union contracts.

The Republican governor signed the bill Wednesday, the same day that thousands of union protesters rallied inside and outside the Capitol to protest the bill and others they say are anti-union.

Snyder says the six bills he signed will let the state offer assistance earlier when local governments are in financial distress, instead of waiting until they're on the brink of bankruptcy and give financial managers better tools.

Many Democrats and labor unions say it's a state power grab that could set up virtual dictatorships and strip power from local elected officials.
http://www.wzzm13.com/rss/article/158327/14/Gov-Snyder-signs-emergency-managers-bill

posted March 18, 2011 01:18 PM            

In essence it covers :

The state is facing an estimated $1.4 billion shortfall in the upcoming budget year that begins Oct. 1.

Snyder's budget proposal includes a $1.8 billion tax cut for businesses, deep cuts to public schools and universities and tax hikes for most individual taxpayers, especially seniors and the working poor who would lose tax breaks. He also has proposed ending tax exemptions for pensions, which would raise roughly $900 million for Michigan's state government.

His approval rating is slipping..... fast

Looks like he is cutting the head off the dog and still expecting it to wag it`s tail.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/03/03/general-mi-snyder-budget_8337557.html

posted March 18, 2011 07:09 PM            

Yes, it is indeed a big story in this land of MI. I guess it is a non issue when you look to other states and their news breakers.