Detroit, Michigan EFM Plan: Get the Teachers

Detroit Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb sent layoff notices to all Detroit teachers. Bobb has the dictatorial power granted by the Michigan legislature, and signed by Snyder weeks into his first term, to undo the collective bargaining agreement in the teachers' contracts, and Bobb said he will do it. The math behind targeting teachers has never, and will never, add up. The rationale for these actions is reprehensible, and will not fix Detroit's problems. This is more union busting. As Gloria Steinem said, "if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, but you think it's a pig - it's a pig." Can we educate these politicians and their minions that teachers represent the future: for our cities, our governments, our growth and, of paramount importance, for the success of our children? Politicians are notoriously learning impaired. They could all have made better use of their time with teachers.

GOP Has Its Roots in Michigan: Can We Unroot It?

There is a grand tradition of the Grand Old Party in Michigan. The name was launched by Horace Greeley. A Republican was someone who cherished liberty, and didn't want to be called a Whig for opposing slavery. In 1854, the first Republicans took the state of Michigan, and by 1855 held a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. The majority we have in the House of Representatives today is not the same Republican Party we found forming "Under the Oaks" in Jackson, Michigan. The demonstration - and arrests - in Lansing today bear that sad news. Republicans value local and state government, less centralized, less federal government and yet, in Wisconsin and Michigan and Ohio, there has been a hostile takeover legislated of cities, municipalities, townships and school districts. This is not the Republican Party I knew, the candidates the party fielded that I voted for, or the party that held the finest goals of the United States first in their hearts.

Michigan Legislature Continues Hostile Takeover of State

Who are the people poised to take over school districts and municipalities in Michigan and what emergency finance manager training is underway? The Tribune reports that dozens of recruits are involved. We apparently just missed having the EMFs be corporations, but I am not comforted. An AP story in the Washington Post reports an amendment to ban local elected officials who are canned by EMF from running for 10 years was removed. But the power to remove local elected officials remains. What entity is authorized to remove incompetent emergency finance managers? Michigan's legislature gave each other absolute power over that process as well. The power to sell city assets remains. The power to dissolve legal contracts remains. There are already emergency drones in place in Pontiac, Ecorse, Benton Harbor and Detroit Public Schools. Michigan Messenger is the only source I found for information on who emergency finance managers might be, and how they will be trained. The first training was February 9 through February 10. A day and a half. Is that adequate training to take over a city? A troubled school district? No scheduled second training is announced. The trainers are accounting firms. Plante & Moran, Plunkett & Cooney, Miller Canfield, Foley & Lardner. Who is paying these invoices? Do Michigan voters have the clout to demand transparency, as the state requires of cities? Michigan's Treasurer Andy Dillon has experience as a corporate restructurer, but unlike liquidated corporations, Michigan citizens remain. Eric Scorsone coordinated the February event. What's to prevent an EMF from dismantling a city as a first step? "It's unclear to me how that would actually work," said Scorsone "how services will be provided." With budget cuts to programs targeting schools and revenue sharing for cities, the lethal combination will force municipalities into insolvency, creating a job opening for an appointed emergency finance manager. Are EMF positions the jobs Michigan is creating? How does this grow the economy? And who are the people queuing up for EMF jobs in our state? Who are the current posted emergency finance managers?

Michigan Legislature Grants Governor Dictatorial Power

The Michigan Senate passed legislation today allowing government-appointed emergency finance managers with no salary restriction, and no guidelines for behavior, to take over municipal government and school districts in financially distressed cities and towns. This bill mimics the House bill passed in February. With budget cuts across the state, reduced tax base due to unemployment, dismal sales figures, and corporate desertion, there is no municipality in Michigan that is entirely solvent. Emergency finance managers will have absolute power to repeal union contracts, reverse local ordinances, dissolve school boards and city councils. Finance managers will be given power over curriculum and staff in school districts. When an amendment was introduced to cap the finance managers' salary at the wage allowed Governor Snyder ($177,000), the Republicans turned it down, with Lt. Gov. Calley casting the tie-breaking vote. The cuts being made in school funding and revenue sharing will push many cities into bankruptcy, neatly creating plum targets to appoint more dictators. This is a hostile takeover of the State of Michigan. Any bets on whether Governor Snyder will sign this travesty?

Michigan Budget: Ditto

The newbie governors have gotten their IT set-ups, made State of the State speeches and are now hunkered down with budget planning. Governor Snyder has a $1.8 billion budget shortfall to reverse, a double digit real unemployment rate, and businesses and people leaving Michigan. Rumors of tax cuts for business gather applause at meetings. Getting rid of the Michigan Business Tax may be a good idea, but it will subtract $1.5 to $2.2 billion from the plus side, and thus add to the deficit. Closing special interest tax credits may be good, but will we say good-bye to the film industry? Snyder will look at the education system as well. We'll see. Watch for the budget Feb. 17. Watch for The Dashboard. Snyder was Gov. Engler's MI Economic Development Corp. appointee in 1999. How'd Snyder do with that? Engler closed Lafayette Clinic, other institutions and put hundreds of mentally ill people on the street. Engler ended licensing of day care centers, inspections of nursing homes, he knifed education in the back. We'll see if Snyder does better. Snyder wants to cut from the prison system, too. Are we headed for privatizing prisons? The Governor wants to remove antiquated laws and regulations - thinks we don't need to put price stickers on products. WalMart's idea; only two States do it, but there are other consumer protections in that law that are useful. Not to WalMart, but to consumers. Meanwhile, Lt. Guv. Calley is being his usual quotable self.

Michigan Pinched

Michigan's new governor of one whole day has indicated public sector workers will live with reduced benefits/wages, citing comparability with the private sector. State workers have already had wages suppressed since 2001. Snyder said it's more of a "problem" at the local and school levels. Oh goody. The governor also claims he won't raise taxes. Watch him pull a rabbit out of that hat. But the fabulously, privately well-to-do new governor still hasn't decided how much to pay himself. How about stepping into Michigan workers' shoes - those who are left working, Governor? Show us what real sacrifice is. How about no pay at all?