As the emergency manager bill is signed into law, its supporters are pooh-poohing concerns that the measure is an autocratic overreach that allows for the end of local control in many communities in Michigan, wiping out at the whim of the governor the right of people to vote for their representatives, reinstating taxation without representation.
Don't worry, supporters say, Rick Snyder wouldn't do that. It'll only be used sparringly, they say.
News flash! Rick Snyder won't be governor forever. This law will outlast his term in office and that of many others. Can the supporters of the power grab guarantee that some future governor whom they don't like won't abuse the power? Of course not.
Can supporters of the law guarantee that it won't be used primarily against Democratic cities and townships and counties, eliminating local offices that are the training grounds for candidates for higher offices and thus weakening the party? Of course not.
Can supporters of the law guarantee that all contracts will be scrutinized carefully for expense and now only those of working people organized into unions? Of course not.
There are no guarantees. There are no checks and no balances.
We just have to trust our constitutional rights to unknown governors of the future forever.
What could go wrong with that?
2 comments:
Gee, wasn't Gov. Grandmole the only one so far to appoint EFMs?
What else would you do with the corrupt hole that is Benton Harbor?
Elections have consequences.
The problem is not the EFM, it’s the broad, dictator like power the EFM now has. He can completely dissolve a city, village or township, like the “corrupt hole” that is Howell, Brighton or Grand Rapids.
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