Rick Snyder has a follow-up to the proposal that his appointees be allowed to dissolve local governments and turn the job of governing over to his appointees, including a corporation.
Now, he would like the Michigan Legislature to drop this whole appropriating thing and just give him all the money, to spend as he wishes. Snyder doesn't want to be bound by anything the people's representatives think. Just give him all $45.9 billion and he'll decide how to divide it up among departments and the people can decide if they like the final product.
Snyder will decide, without any public input, how much should go to each program in each department, because he is always right and needs no oversight. No pesky lawmakers looking over his shoulder and asking questions. None of those "laws" tying Snyder's hands. A program that he or his unelected department heads don't like? It just won't get any money because they decided behind closed doors, without hearings or debate. No checks, no balances, just one branch of government in total charge.
Are you curious about how much the state spends on something? Can't look at the appropriations bill because it won't tell you. Maybe you can find out from the Snyder administration, sometime, someday, if you file a freedom of information act request and wait and wait.
What is the role of the Legislature in all this? You know, the members of the House and Senate that we elected last fall? Just sign the check. So much more efficient if we just do away with all that time spent debating and understanding the budget and where the money goes.
That way, lawmakers will be free to spend all their time on the important issues, like guns and immigration.
This is a naked power grab, facilitated by term limits which has dumbed down our Legislature. If the Legislature gives up this power, it will never get it back, and that means we the people will never get it back.
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