The Anger Blog, Public Laws that Threaten Democracy

Public Laws that Threaten Democracy. It seems that the conservative movement in this country wants and intends to get rid of, not only most of our forms of government, but democracy as well. A perfect example of how this can be accomplished is currently taking place in the state of Michigan. There, in 2011, the Republican controlled legislature passed the Public Act 4 law, also known as the local government and school district fiscal responsibility act.

This law gives Republican Governor Rick Snyder the power to appoint an emergency manager to make sure that local school districts and governments are financially stable. Any town, city, or school district that is having financial difficulties, regardless of the cause, whether it be poor economy or anything else, is fair game for a government 'takeover.' (It makes you wonder by whose standards the state of "financial stability" of these entities is determined.)

The emergency managers in Michigan have the ability to strip power from democratically elected officials, to privatize government services, and to cancel any ongoing collective bargaining arguments. They can sell off public assets and cancel contracts with police, firefighters, etc. Any debt they accrue is to be paid by taxpayers, even without their approval. To add insult to injury, the local taxpayer is responsible also for all expenses incurred by the managers' review teams, consultants, and any technical advisors that they hire.

Furthermore, the managers have the power to make decisions regarding wages, health insurance, jobs, and pensions. However, the money that is owed to bondholders and other creditors is not allowed to be dealt with by the emergency manager.

Several controversial sales of publicly owned real estate made by these emergency managers in Benton Harbor, Flint, and Pontiac have enraged many citizens in the state and elsewhere. The Detroit city schools are also under attack, thanks to this law. The populace is so angry that they are trying to repeal it. They garnered 226,000 signatures (only 161,000 were needed) to place the Michigan Emergency Manager Referendum on the ballot. However, the Republican members of the Boards of Canvassers have been trying to prevent its being placed on the November ballot, saying the font size of the referendum document was too small.

What is happening to Democracy in the United States when unelected officials appointed by a state's governor can take over a city? Is this not disenfranchising the voters who elected these government officials? The hypocrisy is staggering. Although Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate, stated that the auto industry (in Michigan) should have been allowed to fail, the Republican lawmakers of that state feel that cities and school districts must be "rescued" by appointed managers.