MIping
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Posted on 04/16/2011 1:55:21 AM PDT by tcrlaf
The Emergency Financial Manager of the city of Benton Harbor has issued an order striping all city boards and commissions of all their authority to take any action.
The order, signed Thursday, limits the actions available to such bodies to calling a meeting to order, approving the minutes of meetings and adjourning a meeting. The bodies are prohibited under the act from taking any other action without the express authority of the Emergency Financial Manager, Joseph Harris.
Actions such as Harris’ are explicitly allowed under a newly approved law which granted sweeping new powers to emergency financial managers. That legislation had drawn large protests, including attempts by some protesters to take over the state capitol building. The sit-in resulted in numerous arrests.
Harris’ move comes as Detroit Public Schools’ emergency financial manager Robert Bobb announced that he would use powers granted to him under the act to change union contracts.
(Excerpt) Read more at michiganmessenger.com ...
We would drive north, cross the river and eat in St. Joe, the community was "affluent", meaning you didn't get mugged going from the car to the pub.
“And the left is going absolutely INSANE over this, calling it RACIST, an end to Democracy, fascism, etc.etc. “
It does appear to be a version of fascism.
Anyway, why can’t these towns go bankrupt? Call it self purging. Once bankrupt, the city would no longer be able to borrow. It would have to learn restraint.
You should always encourage your friends to look at Detroit. It is what decades of progressive politics can bring to the country.
“Yes, what has been done to blacks is criminal.”
Booker T. Washington is probably turning in his grave over blacks’ acceptance of welfare state.
Maytag moved out and the bulk of the citizens applied for unemployment rather than move to GR, Lansing, BC, or Jacktown to find a job.
BH turned into a tribal entity and, just like the 15th/16th century African tribes, the War on Poverty made them slaves.
What no one mentions is that these emergency managers don’t just go in and force their will. Certain criteria must be met and permissions given.
People can scream “DICTATOR” all they want but its not quite factual.
Emergency manager laws have been used in America before and have shown themselves to be quite successful at cleaning up messes and nudging neighboring cities into action.
MIping
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An Emergency Financial Manager is less of a dictator than a judge. He, at least, is responsible to the elected state government, and he cannot act in ways that the people of the state, as a whole, find unacceptable.
A bankruptcy judge might just deal with the situation by issuing a court order that the state pay the bills. And don't claim it can't happen.
One fix is to change the welfare system such that “financial gov’t assistance” is terminated to all residents of any locality which has over 10% of the residents on “financial gov’t assistance”. And have "being on the government payroll" count as “financial gov’t assistance”.
I would also have a state investigative group go into the locality to check for welfare fraud.
Under our Federal system, the state is sovereign and the cities happen to be chartered under them. Cities do not have a Constitution which reserves power to them.
I know a woman who sits on one of our city councils and she tells me it isn’t as widely opposed as you might think. She says it has made those in the pocket of unions pretty uncomfortable but some feel a sense of relief.
Sounds pretty much like big MAC (Municipal Assistance Corp.) that was used in NY state for NYC and Troy during the 70’s.
I remember hearing a LONG time ago that the K-mart in Benton Harbor was closed because the total amount of theft exceeded their total sales.
“crime and corruption ridden mini-Detroit” is absolutely true
It also makes it next to impossible for the city to borrow money for 7 years. Then you have city schools that are funded by taxpayers statewide. The EFM law is better for state and local taxpayers.
Well, it is good to know then that some states are making the judgement that bankruptcy HAS to be an option. It will be interesting to watch the fate of current union contracts as well as pensions. I am guessing that many gold plated pension arrangements are about to become tin plated.
I found the comments revealing as well - people jumping all over the poor guy from Indiana, who sounded like he knew a lot more about the city than most of the libs posting. I’m sure they’d love me, living in Hawaii.
I grew up in Berrien Springs (10 miles from Benton Harlem) in the late 50s/60s. I remember going to some of the department stores downtown Christmas shopping with my mom when I was very small. By the time I was a teen though, the place was to be avoided at all costs. All the stores were boarded up, the downtown area seemingly more of a ghost town.
Benton Harlem has had every social program the libs can dream of showered upon it, and it sounds like it’s deteriorated even further than it had in the 70s, the last time I was through there.
...limits the actions available to such bodies to calling a meeting to order, approving the minutes of meetings and adjourning a meeting. The bodies are prohibited under the act from taking any other action... under a newly approved law which granted sweeping new powers to emergency financial managers. That legislation had drawn large protests, including attempts by some protesters to take over the state capitol building. The sit-in resulted in numerous arrests... Detroit Public Schools' emergency financial manager Robert Bobb announced that he would use powers granted to him under the act to change union contracts
“Where Mayor Bing is considering bringing in an emergency manager to clean up a mess that’s too big for him alone”
Exactly. Look what years of progressive government have made necessary.
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