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Topic: Is Governor Snyder a "ruthless" politician

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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

The Snyder administration has been watching the petition gathering to overturn the Emergency Manager law and wants to come up with a backup "plan b" to overturn the rights of the electorate.

Woodrow has some very good points, but on M-Live the "haters" came out in full force.



State Rep. Woodrow Stanley calls potential emergency manager backup plan a 'scheme'

Published: Friday, December 09, 2011, 11:51 AM Updated: Friday, December 09, 2011, 12:09 PM

By Kristin Longley | Flint Journal
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FLINT, Michigan — State Rep. Woodrow Stanley, D-Flint, said any attempt to create a temporary emergency manager law would undermine the will of the people.

Stanley said he’s opposed to the law, which he believes infringes on the democratic process of residents electing their government leaders.

Flint Journal file photoWoodrow Stanley

Opponents are gathering voter signatures to try to force an election aimed at repealing the law. If enough signatures are collected to make the ballot, the law could be suspended until the November election.

Republicans said Thursday they’re exploring possible backup plans in case the law related to emergency managers is suspended next year.

Stanley said that wouldn't be fair to the signature gatherers.


“If citizens through collection of petition signatures are able to get a measure before the public, that is a right that’s guaranteed by the state constitution,” he said. “Others who come up with some kind of scheme to undercut that, I think that’s one of the reasons some get disillusioned with the political process.”


Flint is one of a handful of Michigan cities in the middle of a state takeover. Emergency managers also have been appointed in Benton Harbor, Ecorse, Pontiac and Detroit Public Schools.

Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.
Post Sat Dec 10, 2011 1:26 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Andy Dillon has been reportedly meeting with some religious leaders and other groups in the area.

Flint has had mismanagement in the finances, but many are asking why there are no criminal prosecutions of the most egregious of the misappropriations of money and the flagrant miuse of federal money.

Some compare our financial misteps to the prosecutions going on in Detroit and see strong similarities.



Last Updated: December 09. 2011 10:32AM.

Lansing explores backup emergency manager plan

GOP looks for options fearing law could be stayed by ballot initiative

Karen Bouffard and Leonard N. Fleming/ The Detroit News

Lansing— Lawmakers scrambled Thursday to prepare for a possible suspension of the emergency manager law as state Department of Treasury personnel ended their three-day review of Detroit City Hall financial records.

State Treasurer Andy Dillon and Republican legislative leaders said they're considering what to do if backers of an effort to repeal the tough, new emergency manager law get the issue on the November ballot — and pre-emptive legislation is one option.
Mayor Dave Bing and the Detroit City Council are frantically searching for a solution to the city's fiscal crisis to avoid an emergency manager.

Dillon began a preliminary review Tuesday of Detroit's finances, the first step in a process that could lead to an emergency manager's appointment.

In a radio interview Thursday evening on WJR-AM, Bing said he has been meeting with union brass this week and will meet again with them Saturday.

"We've had good meetings thus far with all 48 unions," Bing said. "And I think we're going to hammer out some things that will keep an emergency manager out. I think we can get this done."

While Bing said he welcomes help from Lansing, "it's got to be the kind of help we can manage through and not bring in an emergency manager."

Treasury has 30 days to complete the preliminary review, but expects to complete the process sooner, Dillon spokesman Terry Stanton said Thursday.

The next step would be a formal 60-day financial review which could lead to a consent agreement or appointment of an emergency manager. Another option for the city could be filing for Chapter 9 bankruptcy.

"The review is under way and when staff finalizes the information that it's going to give to the treasurer they will do that," Stanton said. "They have 30 days, and the treasurer would like it to be done sooner than that."

Meanwhile, Dillon and lawmakers are planning for a suspension of the emergency manager law, Stanton said.

"We're researching what may happen and possible contingency plans in the event of a suspension of the law," he said. "We'll work with our partners in the Legislature and continue to discuss the issue and potential appropriate actions if and when that becomes necessary."

Though it might not stop a state takeover of Detroit, organizers say they're moving toward collecting the 161,000 signatures required to get the question on the November ballot. If that happens, the revised law could be temporarily suspended this spring, state officials say.

Greg Bowens, a spokesman for the coalition seeking to repeal the emergency manager law through the ballot drive, said it would be "outrageous" for lawmakers to pass a temporary law to replace one that has been suspended through a voter-driven effort.

Snyder spokesman Sara Wurfel said the consequences of repeal could be severe.


"But we cannot and certainly will not predetermine the answer of what needs to happen in response to a hypothetical event (signatures being submitted and certified).We will continue to discuss this issue and potential, appropriate actions if and when necessary," she said.

If the repeal is successful, Stanton said it's the "administration's position" the state would revert to its previous emergency manager law, Public Act 72.

That would mean an emergency manager still could be appointed in Detroit if needed — but without the power to sell assets and break union contracts. The emergency managers appointed for Flint, Pontiac, Benton Harbor and the Detroit public school district could also remain in office.


Ari Adler, spokesman for House Speaker Jase Bolger of Marshall, said members of the House Republican caucus have discussed introducing a bill to guarantee the old law will be temporarily restored if Public Act 4 is suspended.

Bolger issued a statement Thursday saying "chaos … could ensue if the emergency manager law is suspended."

"The fiscal collapse of a city in Michigan isn't just a hypothetical scenario without implications," he said. "Cities in emergency financial distress face the prospect of not being able to cover payroll checks and not providing basic services like police and fire."


kbouffard@detnews.com

(517) 371-3660

The Associated Press contributed.
Post Sat Dec 10, 2011 1:37 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

For some reason M-Live, the blog of the Flint Journal, seems to bring out a lot of people who just plain hate. After reviewing a number of writers who said our leaders are all lazy and corrupt and Flint voters "are not intelligent enough to make good choices for elected officials", I agreed with this author:

AmericanValues December 09, 2011 at 3:23PM


So the answer is to give TOTAL power to 1 person appointed by the Governor who can fix the problems?? Is the person fixing the problems or is the person serving a political motive. Let the actions identify the answer. These type of power needs to be restricted to a time period with a clear set of goals and timelines for correction. Otherwise, it is nothing more than a Marshall plan under the direction of a politcal party.
Post Sat Dec 10, 2011 2:08 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

I was so tired of the corruption in the Walling administration, I welcomed the appointment of an Emergency Manager. Now,the problem as I see it is that Michael Brown is too much a part of the "Old Boy Network" that is a strong part of the peripheral corruption that is currently permeating even the county government.

The national media has given little time towards analysis and discussion of Michigan's new Emergency manager law. This country was founded on the principles of self government- no taxation without representation and yet we find ourselves in Michigan being subjected to a our father in Lansing knows best logic from our state government. Just like the paternalistic attitudes that dominated early relationships between the Native American tribes and the federal government, we have lost our rights to self governance because we are unable to govern ourselves in a responsible manner.

The state and even the federal government had a role in this problem. I remember how, on more than one occasion, Alex Harris told Council that he had a friend in Lansing that believed Genesee County was one of the most corrupt in Flint. I have long held the belief that Flint and genesee County need the type of criminal investigations occuring in Wayne and Macomb County. For too long the federal investigators and the state have ignored the corruption and mismanagement in this area.

Democratic analyst Chris Savage, who has the blog Eclectablog, put together a chart that shows if Snyder takes over Detroit and Inkster that a total of 50.7 percent of African Americans in Michigan will be under the rule of an Emergency Manager.

Rachel Maddow used the chart on her show December 8th when making her comments on the takeover of Michigan cities following Ed Schultz and his commentary on the takeovers.

"For now the question in Michigan is who gets to have a local democracy? Who is seriously worthy of being allowed to elect their own local officials? And why is taking democracy away considered to be a prerequisite for fixing a broken place? Should your vote matter, even if the state doesn't like the decisions of the people you elect. Should your vote count?"

Maddow then showed the chart created by Savage that showed a possible state takeover for 50.7 % of Michigan African Americans.

" The Emergency Financial manager law has been a signature policy of Governor Rick Snyder's administration, the one he was willing to risk giant, Wisconsin-style protests over. A new poll this week shows that support for Governor Snyder has fallen by half even within his own republican Party. You can't say that what's sinking Rick Snyder's popularity is his Emergency Manager law just as you can't say Michigan Republicans passed this law so they could take democracy from more than half th African Americans in the State of Michigan. But you can say that Michigan republicans are on their way to doing that whether mean to or not .

On December 9th, the night after Ed Schultz of MSNBC did a piece just before Maddow, on the takeover of Flint, Savage posted this on his blog:

"One particularly interesting point made by Rev. Alexander Bullock from the Greater St. Matthew Baptist Church of Highland Park, MI and also of Rainbow Push Detroit was that Emergency managers can take control of the Clerk's office when thwy take over a city. Since the City Clerks run the local elections, that has ominous portent for the future of democracy in our state".

I don't know what to think about this statement as the City Clerk has to operate under State law when it comes to elections. However as Savage pointed out "it's because along with the national story of Republican legislators making it harder to vote in this country, Republican lawmakers in Michigan have rendered moot if your town falls on hard enough times."

It is interesting to note that US Attorney General Eric Holder is already reviewing whether the state of Michigan can legally appoint an Emergency Financial Manager to oversee Detroit's finances. This occurred even before Meteor Blades of the daily Kos reported Michigan Congressman John Conyers requested a review to determine if Michigan's new Emergency Manager Law PA4 because of Conyer's belief the law violates the Constitution;s Contract Clause (Article 1, Section 10) by allowing an emergency manager to end collective bargaining rights and whether it violates Article 4, section 4 on the requirement that states have a republican form of government, Savage pointed out that Conyers also believes the law also violates the Voting rights Acts.


Last edited by untanglingwebs on Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:08 am; edited 1 time in total
Post Tue Dec 13, 2011 7:45 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Eclectablog - eclectic blogging for a better tomorrow at Daily KosLast night, on his MSNBC show, Ed Schulz finished the evening with a piece about the Emergency Manager issue in Michigan. One particularly interesting point ...http://eclectablog.dailykos.com/ - 67k - Cached - Similar pages

Chris Savage (aka Eclectablog) « Blogging for MichiganEclectablog at Think Progress: Occupy Our Homes comes to Michigan http://t.co/ ... Chris Savage (aka Eclectablog) posted this on December 7th, 2011. My, my. ...http://bloggingformichigan.com/author/eclectablog/ - 163k - Cached - Similar pages
Post Tue Dec 13, 2011 7:51 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

The Republican view of the Emergency Manager law in oppostion to Rachel Maddow as presented by david Forsmark on April 28, 2011. Forsmark is a political consultant and President of the political consulting firm, Winning Strategies.

Calling Maddow the True Twit, Forsmark alleges Maddow plays the race card in Michigan and plays on words with his title "Not in the Black: Maddow plays the race card on Michigan Financial Manager". This was written after Maddow did her first piece on the EM law..

"One of her sleazy innuendoes has been to sneak in the word "overseer" instead of manager. There is no way in which this term is more accurate, as the EMF is very hands on, not just overseeing anything.

But of course when Jesse Jackson comes to town, it removes any need for subtlety or hinting around. It's time tto say "black" and "African American" a lot.

Now just imagine a Republican were to point out how many of the bankrupt schools and cities were run by black overseers..."

Forsmark challenges Maddow when she talks about reporting on the extraordinary things being done by the State of Michigan to the people of the state:
(DF) " You haven't said one word about what has been done to the taxpayers of the State of Michigan who have been bailing out Detroit with a huge amount of tax dollars for years while their schools pay millions for teachers they have removed from the classroom and the City Council live like feudal lords. You have cried about benton harbor, but you haven't mentioned they do the same thing on a much smaller scale. That is what is being done to all the OTHER "people of the State of Michigan".

When Maddow stated the elected government of Benton Harbor was basically "put on ice", Forsmarks stated Baloney. "Under the EFM law under granholm in Flint, Pontiac, and other cities, The City Council were stripped of all power to do anything but meet and gripe about the EFM. The difference is the increase power to deal with the union contracts that are strangling city budgets. That's why you largely see AFSME press releases on this-which Rachel is reading nearly verbatim as commentary "

Maddow: "Unilaterally, one person gets to decide, no appeal, no process, no local decision making whatsoever."

Forsmark: "This is also unadulterated bull/ The town still has a State Representative and a State Senator who are directly responsible to the voters and for the EFM. Nobody wants to do this and be called a racist dictator. But the state is no longer going to bail out these egregious contracts. If these communities would forswear all state funds...."

When Maddow says that democracy is part of the problem Forsmark doesn't pull any punches:" Who they elect is damn near ALL of the problem"
Post Tue Dec 13, 2011 8:32 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Eric Holder Vows To Use Justice Department To Enforce Voting Rights
www.huffingtonpost.com
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder vowed Tuesday to use the full power of the Justice Department to enforce civil rights protections for voters in next year's elections amid a flurry of activity by states to redraw political boundaries and impose requirements that could reduce voting by...
Post Tue Dec 13, 2011 10:57 pm 
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twotap
F L I N T O I D

Does that include keeping his pals the New Black Panthers away from the polling places? Rolling Eyes

_________________
"If you like your current healthcare you can keep it, Period"!!
Barack Hussein Obama--- multiple times.
Post Wed Dec 14, 2011 9:00 am 
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Dave Starr
F L I N T O I D

No, it just involves making sure nobody has to show ID when they vote.

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I used to care, but I take a pill for that now.

Pushing buttons sure can be fun.

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Paddle faster, I hear banjos.
Post Wed Dec 14, 2011 10:25 am 
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twotap
F L I N T O I D

When obumbles goes he will take holder with him. cmon 2012

_________________
"If you like your current healthcare you can keep it, Period"!!
Barack Hussein Obama--- multiple times.
Post Wed Dec 14, 2011 9:20 pm 
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