The current leadership of the GOP is the most dangerous threat to America in the history of this country. Hyperbole? I wish it were. But the evidence clearly demonstrates that the GOP has mounted a concerted effort to circumvent the American people and install a modern-day feudalism that effectively abolishes the will of the people and their elected officials to allow our cities and states to be run by corporate-like CEOs – and there’s no telling where it will go from there.
In spite of the GOP claim that they believe in limited government, The Michigan Messenger has reported that newly elected Republican governor, Rick Snyder is poised to sign an emergency management bill that will hand total control of local governments over to “emergency managers” appointed by the government.
The Messenger reports:
“In a party line vote, and despite impassioned speeches of protest by the body’s Democratic minority, the Michigan Senate approved legislation that threatens to take ver and even dissolve local governments that refuse to balance their budgets by breaking labor contracts.
“According to the law, which has already been approved in the House, the governor will be able to declare “financial emergency” in towns or school districts and appoint someone to fire local elected officials, break contracts, seize and sell assets, and eliminate services.”
According to the Messenger, in a last ditch effort to protect the rights of the citizens, Democrats tried to add an amendment that would require “Emergency Managers” to hold monthly public accountability meetings to inform the citizens of how they are governing, but the amendment was voted down by the Republican senate.
Mark Gaffney, president of the Michigan state AFL-CIO is quoted as saying,
“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. In schools, the manager would decide academics or if you have athletics. This is a takeover by the right wing and it’s an assault on democracy like I’ve never seen.”
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