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Just a week ago, my colleague Laura Conaway noted that Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) was "on the verge" of appointing an emergency manager for the city of Detroit, despite the opposition of local officials and the will of local residents. Today, Snyder went ahead and took the next step.
Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan on Friday declared a fiscal state of emergency in Detroit in a move that could lead to the appointment of a financial manager who could file for the largest municipal bankruptcy ever.
Snyder's decision allows the city a 10-day grace period to formulate a plan to fix its finances before the governor reconsiders appointing an emergency manager who would likely drastically reduce services.
Rachel will have more on this on tonight's show, but for refresher on why this autocratic, undemocratic move is so offensive, take a look at last week's segment on the subject. Also take note of Laura's important piece from two weeks ago: communities that have seen emergency managers imposed on them generally are not pleased with the results.
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And who will be on Gov. Snyder's short list for the position of Detroit Dictator? -Kevo
He could appoint a Czar. Follow Obama's lead.
Letting them go bankrupt, in which many don't get paid and many get fired, is really a MUCH better option!
Ain't it funny? Rachel has never run a business, never held office, never been a CPA, never done any financial work, never been a bankruptcy attorney, never lived in Michigan, let alone Detroit, but, she knows exactly what is wrong!
Oh one thing I forgot to mention. John Conyers has been representing Detroit in Congress for 47 years, Snyder has only been governor of Michigan for TWO. Who do you think contributed more to this mess?
I would love to introduce you to the Congressman's wife Monica, former president of the Detroit City Council, but unfortunately she's in prison right now for taking bribes. But at least she will have friends there like fomer mayor Kwame Kilpatrick who is also seriving time for tax evasion and mail fraud, among other things.
Banne- interesting, but stating facts on here will do nothing but get you called a troll or get you collapsed. Liberals do not really want to hear any side except their own. I can believe what you say, as a resident of Illinois. Dominated by democrats and dirty as could be. And msnbc would rather focus on Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, etc.
rusty:
I think they should appoint the Conyers family emergency managers, because stealing the old fashioned way has apparently gotten too dangerous for them.
when the pos gov continues acting like momar or bashar, who is going to defend the u.s. from his terroristic acts?
Michigan isn't in the greatest shape fiscally.
Imagine if President Obama dissolved the government for the state of Michigan and put Rahm Emmanuel in charge.
I still can't believe that this is legal.
D- so exactly how could President Obama or any president or any congress dissolve at state? Not possible. Of course it is legal, most states have structure to take over troubled cities. After all it was the state that created the city in the first place. No "right" to live in a city- these are not "city states". Detroit has a history of policitcal corruption, graft and poor financial management. The city "fathers" of Detriot brought this on themselves.
ST54,
Okay, I'll play you're game.
Remember something called taxation without representation? Remember what it means?
When the governor "takes over" a city, he has just taken away the citizen's RIGHT to elect their own representatives, etc. That's the part you seem to be missing. Just as the citizens of Alaska got to vote in a governor who couldn't complete her term, the citizens of Detroit have the RIGHT to vote in whom ever they please. Snyder has just usurped their votes. The citizens of Detroit did NOT vote Snyder in as mayor.
EVERY thing that you've mentioned is equally applicable to the state of Michigan. The federal government created the states just as the states create the cities. Keep in mind that there was NO Michigan when the Constitution was written.
"Rachel will have more on this on tonight's show, but for refresher on why this autocratic, undemocratic move is so offensive, take a look at last week's segment on the subject."
Detroit, just the city itself, has a budget deficit of over 300 million dollars, and is over 14 billion in debt. They can only pay bills right now through a special bond issuance.
Yeah, taking away their financial power, is really the most offensive thing imagineable
This is one scary story that needs to be told as often as possible. Is there no end to the lengths these Republicans will go to usurp power? Nothing low enough or destructive enough to the country that they won't stoop to do? Now they are cancelling Democracy in the cities in Michigan and no one is doing anything about it? WTF?
If this continues, just write America off as a failed country, done in by its own people.
How can this happen without it being all over the news?
India
What is your answer?
look at israel - the same @!$%#. declaring Palestinians as "less than" in a 1000:1 ratio per racist facist "modern day terrorist" in charge, netanyahu. secret police and all. killing people on a regular basis because they are different or cannot be allow to live their lives or even own them.
First off how is any of this legal, and why isn't this considered racist as most of the communities affected are those of color? If nothing else, this is further proof that rethugniCons are usurping our democracy for their own fascist controlling agenda.
Zora- there is no US constitutional or federal law claim to live in an incorporated city. Cities are usually created by the state statute- i.e. the state legislature. What the state legislature creates it can "un" create. Not a complicated legal principal. Whether motived by race- who knows, but not relevant.
ST54,
You are incorrect.
when so-called leaders steal the democracy from the people - they are terrorists. when a terrorist gets elected to office and seeks to steal your land and homes, what is the remedy? the founders of the u.s. had a remedy for that - the 2nd amendment.
How much of Michigan is now being run by Snyder's cabal?
snyder is moron. the deomcracy in the u.s. is not a ruling object - IT IS A PROBLEM SOLVING ALGORYTHYM. but the moronic @!$%# for brains snyder hasnt the sense nor courage to know and ascribe to that. really, he is the type of person that would be a desciple of bashar al-assad or joseph stalin. it is a shame that people would elect terrorists like him.
We should really stop calling them republicans and gop, and call them what they really are: NeoFascists.
I agree but most people these days probably don't know what fascists are
Indeed they are neo-fascists. This has to end. This story needs to be all over the news. It is a dangerous precedent.
What is happening to this country? Is there no limit to what the GOP can do without being stopped? Come on, this is wrong!
"Democracy, we don't need no stinkin' democracy!" - Rick Snyder
he also wants you to bow before him, kiss his hands and lick his boots. then, the piece of @!$%# wants you to pay for doing so. he would be very delighted if you would simply work for him for free to help pay off your debt to him. bashar al-assad sends him his best wishes.
I agree with the assessment that this should not be something a governor of a state can dictate. Does anybody know if it's been challenged in state or federal court? Also, Micheganders refresh my memory, how is Snyder getting around the referendum that was passed to do away with emergency managers?
They immediately passed another emergency manager law shielded from referendum.
Oh, Md born, you must have blinked when it happened. The people of Michigan did indeed pass a referendum that prevented the emergency manager takeover, but then the Michigan legislature passed another law in the days that followed that revived that process and made it immune to future referenda. How's that for democracy in action?
And BTW, aren't Republicans the ones who stand for limiting government? So how are they in favor of using government fiat to disregard the will of the voters and impose new management? I suppose it's anarchy when you don't like Democrat legislation (ACA, Lilly Ledbetter, assault-weapon ban) and dictatorship when the elecorate won't go along with your program. Perhaps they could furnish us with a scorecard so we know which is in play at any given time.
snyder has a criminal mind. he also has a pathological grandiosity vision of being the savior of whatever. he will soon declare that if you oppose him or speak against him - like here - that you are the enemy of his self righteous ass. trouble is, @!$%#s like him arent inclined to shoot themselves.
I can see some great sweetheart deals going down.
I must be missing lots of other possibilities.
exactly. STUPID-SNYDER is too stupid to realize what sort of operating environment leads to such larger corrupt and terroristic practices. he figures he can kill democracy for a period of time and replace it with tyranny which will simply give itself up. SNYDER IS A STUPID @!$%#ING MORON.
Detroit bonds have been rated Junk since 1992. They have no idea what they are doing. At least someone with some financial sense is taking charge. You people complaining about this can keep living in neverneverland.
you are an idiot. valuation of money has NOTHING TO DO WITH SELF GOVERNANCE. thats why we have bankruptcy laws - not dictators. but fools like you would rather retreat to cave days because fools like you do not have any idea what the follow through is. so your fool solution is to jump tracks - to leave democracy and go to tyranny because fools like you gravitate to power - you know, the club-and-hair-grab-thing? and you figure this is a good an opportunity as any to steal that and whatever comes next.
When you look at this combined with the Voting rights challenge in the supreme court and the election rigging schemes you can really see just how much we are in the middle of a full court press to disenfranchise people from their rights based on their race.
Welcome to the war folks
to steal their lands and homes.
Wow, the electorate voted this practice down, so how is he getting away with this?
Seems the GOTP does what it damn well pleases with no repercussions, gerrymandering, voter restrictions and ID laws, fiddling with the electoral college, do "We The People" allow this?
Not long after the vote down, the Republican controlled legislature passed a new law, with provisons to ensure there would be no future referendum to repeal it again.
because he is a monster with monster friends and a population unwilling to remove him.
With Governor’s Snyder’s announcement that an emergency manager is on the way, the time for navel-gazing and re-litigating the past is over. It’s time to finally take strong, even radical, action to fix Detroit.
So, what to do now?
I do not pretend to have a magic formula. But I think a new mindset is needed — one that starts with accepting where the city is and a willingness to confront its problems without fear or preconditions. Here are some ideas for where to start:
- First of all, we need to all agree that apocalyptic predictions of ever-worsening doom are not helpful. Of course Detroit’s problems are solvable. It might be hard to solve them. Solving them might require a lot more courage and innovative thinking than we have mustered so far. But Detroit’s predicament was brought about by human beings and can be solved by them.
- See more at: http://blogs.detroitnews.com/politics/2013/03/01/what-detroit-needs-now/#sthash.qSAjuueF.dpuf
EVIL. Evil is not simply physical torture. Evil is the taking of one's life, or life support, or ownership of life and one's future endeavors with respect to what God provided the human being upon this planet. Evil is to deny one the respect he inherits upon birth (not conception).
Not sure what any of that has to do with the topic, Joseph Common.
dig deeper. the topic has to sit on something.
Sorry if this is rambling but I think I probably have a better understanding of Detroit than most. I love this damned city.
First, there is no constitutional right to local-governance. It sucks but it's true. That said, the EM is bad law and bad precedence.
To understand why Detroit is in the shape it is you need to understand it's history. When people talk about "Metro Detroit" you should look at the funny - it's a very superficial understanding. It's better to think of Detroit as the center of a donut, with all the jobs, opportunities, (potential) tax base, etc. in the suburbs. White flight was a very complicated, and often sordid affair - it's more like white people following industry and cheap housing but also of communities who wanted to remain largely homogenous.
The caption above in Steve's post says "blacks potentially disenfranchised." They were already disenfranchised and it's been a 70 year process involving industry, unions (note: union leadership was dedicated to equal rights but the rank and file, aided by decentralized/localized hiring patterns, were not), and housing (note: Detroit's public housing was centralized rather than dispersed, you can thank Albert Cobo in the 40's for that).
What is left is the donut, and it's been a particularly hostile donut, refusing to "share" with their neighbors, fighting, tooth and nail, things like public transportation (how do you get to where the jobs are if you don't have a car?), and basically having the means, that Detroit does not, to attract new business. So what will an EM do? Cut services further? How is that going to attract business and people? Unless there is a massive and sustained influx of cash Detroit is 30-40 years away from a comeback. Which is a damned shame. I could talk more about it but my spacebar is literally broke making typing a chore.
thank you for commenting from an inside perspective , along with the other poster above , older large cities face this issue eventually , and what gets lost in the full telling of the story , is the migration of the black community looking for decent jobs who ended up there , without dismissing the immigrant and white working class who also ended up in Detroit of course
IMO this is a federal issue , because we never really addressed helping the black community advance after slavery and jim crow , this is a wealth disparity issue , when your pay people less FOR DECADES , the whole community never gets a chance to move forward , so you end up with large swaths of people just paying the bills , with nothing left over , which is how you end up with a doughnut like Detroit
How about a Marshall plan for Detroit instead of another gop cut all taxes , and destroy the local economy plan? Or instead of a trickle down to caymen island bank accounts plan?
There is a massive GOP disconnect between COMMUNITY and WEALTH , some how to them THE INDIVIDUAL can not have both , they want the success and wealth that communities can bring , but then they want to live on an island far away from the responsibilities of taking care of each other , in their christain nation
Detroit's problems can be solved with money. I would suggest that if all of the liberals on these sites who are aghast at this move would let their pocketbooks do the talking- do two things: 1) go buy a Detroit area made auto, and 2) buy Detroit bonds.
Or, carp and moan...
Please, tell me what cars are actually built IN Detroit. Not the suburbs, but Detroit.
yeah- wonder why?
Because of ignorant racist a$$holes like yourself.
ack ack ack
You just made your point for the Libs. Ignorance is your idea. No brains to figure it out. Just take from the hard working successful people while jerks like you yak on your free Obama phones. Just go to your local Unions and ask for the money A!!!!
You just made our point for us. There are NO Obama phones. They are BUSH phones. Look it up. You just spew and spew. Be ready to take your parents and in-laws in very soon. Before the Republicans are finished there will not be enough for these senior citizens to live on and no medical for them....Oh, I forgot - you will just throw them out in the cold. It is their fault they got old.
HORSEPISS! You rambling sounds like you are having to spit out a lot of trash after being buried in "your version of trash" without a full appreciation for what you have and why it is "failing" in your opinion. What is failing? You have NO IDE WHAT IS FAILING. But don't get despondent - your ignorance is common and fixable.
When you bother to take the time - which you are seemingly prepared to do, you will discover that financial failures are mostly do to the current capitalist system that seeks to hike prices and nuture profits as opposed to sharing life support services, establishing an acceptable level of comfort, and placing alarm bells on profiteering and price fraud.
So read. Understand how the fed is a private capital rigging price rigging owner ridding loan rigging debt rigging profiteering con job that jerks like snyder want to swim in and use to steal more from you.
ps... when things dont work out, and after snyder and his crew of pirates have robbed you, he will then be in a position like Putin to get his inheritees to keep blaming you and he will also pay police services to prevent you from taking back what he has stolen.
Cars made in Detroit, not in the suburbs:
When the time comes for me, I will buy a Chevy Volt. The price is out of reach right now. But, if gas prices remain on the current track (I believe they will) it will make even more sense. I'd much rather pay for this car being built that drilling, transporting, refining oil and the bonus of cleaner air.
That is my choice, that foundational thing in America. But these supply side manipulators wish to deny us that choice.
I have a goal of buying one before I die, but I hope sooner than that. The false fights that keep economy down (to hurt the president in the future).
And the governor's first words were ...
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/10/petoskey_batman_arrest_makes_i.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096895/quotes
http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/flint/index.ssf/2012/04/meet_michigans_superheroes.html
Confounds me why the people of Michigan voted this dictator into office. What is wrong with them?
lol! one has to wonder. my guess is the piece of @!$%# lied from the start. he is a con man. that's what repubes are, REPUBER-CONS. (aka thieves)
this is insane! Detroit has had a democrat mayor since 1962. the city is a disaster.
I remember when ny was a complete cesspool. Gulliani came in a cleaned it up.
yeahbut. snyder is a thief.
Really disappointed in the report. You missed the outrage or should be outrage. An EFM system that was repealed by referendum by the people of the State. And then legisl gave the ppl the finger, reenacted the law without possibility of appeal. EFMS sold the $50mn Pontiac stadium for $528,000. Quit the position and then went to work for Canadian compnay who wants to turn it into a gambling casino. In Benton Harbor they sold the Only pulbi access to the lake, to the WHITE owners of the nearby golf course. There was no outrage in your voice Rachel. There was no emphasis on the abuses of power, you need to go deeper into what has and is happening in those cities against the peoples will.
She has covered those situations in depth in other shows.
wake up. she is the only one covering this situation in depth! what i would like to see her do is to look behind the curtains, read between the lines, look at the situation for what it is and compare the relationships to other despotic regimes. PREDICT!
Thank you Rachael for speaking about what is happening in Michigan!
If.. this was a Democrat led idea is there any doubt the Tea Party would be using slogans like "No taxation without Representation" ? Is that concept only valid on one side of the aisle?
OMG, when are people going to stop voting for the Governors and other state officials that just keep grabbing power away from the people? The TPubs are acting very, very undemocratic.
Sandy- did you get angry with the bailouts in 2008 and 2009? I did. I'd get even angrier if my tax dollars were used to bailout Detroit.
the constitution and bill of rights have a flaw - that being no immediate remedy that would prevent thieves like snyder from doing what they do. that needs to be changed.
Anybody want to bet the emergency manager will try to "privatize" the water treatment plant in Detroit. The suburbs of Detroit have been trying to get their hands on that facility for years.
Lol- sounds like Detroit could use a little privatizing.
I watched Rachel's commentary on the Detroit Emergency Manager idea tonight. To Rachel and Rachelites: the point of the emergency manager is to put someone into power who can make necessary but unpopular decisions without fear of the next election. Voters, by-and-large will not see the big picture and realize that they need to make some sacrifices to get back to fiscal health. This is the point. She mentioned how the Emergency Managers in Michigan were primarily in black areas, well surprise surprise. These were the struggling areas that were going to be difficult to turn around. The fact that there hasn't been much success in those areas is not an indication that the EM failed, but rather that the area was struggling from the beginning. There are cultural differences between black people and white people. Black people as a whole are far less likely to value sacrificing today for a better tomorrow. I've seen this time and time again. The live-for-today feeling amongst black and Hispanic people is a definite cultural thing. I'm guessing Rachel and many others would call me racist, but I really doubt she actually spends much time with Detroit and Chicago black and Hispanic people. I have dated more black women than white, and more Hispanic women than white. My sister is married to a black man and I've spent lots of time in both cultures. But I've got to make an honest observation of what I see on average. We've got differences. Sorry to say, but white culture is simply better at managing a government on a whole. That's not to say their aren't capable people in every race, but go check out the recent history of Zimbabwe and South Africa to see a couple good examples of what happens to the economy when you let people who don't know how to run a government rule.
Take this racist crap somewhere else.
you are full of @!$%#.
Maddow left out the WHY takeover all these cities. Just that they are all in debt. The state has done nothing to improve the situation in Emergen y Management since 2009. Massive tax breaks to the wealthiest residents for some reason has not helped Detroit or Flint. Go figure.
What they have done is grossly exploited a tool to destroy public union bargaining, union finances for Democrats is now less, and are free to sell off public works to their rich cronies for a pittance.
Who profits off this extremely un-Democratic mess, Rachel?
names, faces....
If they not a democratic state anymore, Do they have to pay taxes?
Where is the Tea Party when you need them?
alert your friends, the objective of privateers like the thief snyder is to steal everything and...... END VOTING COUNT FOR 2014/6. WATCH.
Why hasn't michigan citizens protesting, marching, waging a war...Don't they have guns?
Detroit is getting the effects of what Union and Obama ideology is all about. Drove thru Detroit stopping at a restaurant I was watching a Union Job Construction Site. 3 Watching with 42 inch Waste Line and 1 working built like the Hulkster. Funniest thing I've ever seen. You Libs voted for the big O, now live with it.
25.1 Cool story bro
Funny thing bronzestar77....I see a lot of lazy rich fat cat republicans doing absolutely nothing but taking from the poor and giving to the rich. Amazing what one sees from different perspectives.
something in the water?