The Reverend Jesse Jackson is reportedly heading to Benton Harbor, Michigan, today, the first city to have its elected officials sat down under the state's new emergency financial manager law. Local people tell us they're expecting Reverend Jackson to speak at noon, at the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, about what's happening in Benton Harbor.
Last night on the show, we heard from Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, who ran against Governor Rick Snyder last year and lost. We opened the mic, and he just started talking:
Our Founding Fathers are rolling over in their graves at what's happening in Michigan. It is dire, and it is sad -- a sad day for democracy. It's really everything you said. It is taxation without representation. You know, it is the corporatization. We're seeing the corporatization of our Democratic process.
Today, in Michigan, they trained something -- the government is training 200 EFMs, emergency financial managers. This is an industry now that the administration is going to be in. They have lowered the bar for taking over cities.
It used to be -- EFMs were very rarely used. Their powers were circumscribed. They were to go in and deal with the finances and work with the powers that be.
Now, they are in charge. Now they can fire elected officials. It is unprecedented in Michigan and I think in America and it's dangerous.
More on the emergency manager training here.
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"Take back America!" Will the GOTP's next step be the reinstatement of slavery? When was our democracy overthrown?
Anyone remember the midterm elections otherwise known "you voted for us, not we are going to make you pay" and we do mean pay!
Milt, you are right about that...read this if you have the time.
It wouldn't let me post the link, so here is the article.
How the South finally won
By Ed Quillen
The Denver Post
Posted: 04/17/2011 01:00:00 AM MDT
The sesquicentennial commemoration of the American Civil War began last week with the 150th anniversary of the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in South Carolina, and the observations will continue for the next four years through the defeat of the Confederacy as its generals surrendered to Union commanders in 1865.
But one might make the argument that if you take the long view, the Confederacy actually triumphed. We can start with the Republican Party, founded in 1854 to oppose the Dixie way of life, but now a reflection of Southern attitudes. In capturing the Republican Party, the political descendants of the Confederates are accomplishing through politics what their ideological ancestors failed to accomplish on the battlefield.
To be sure, chattel slavery has long been abolished in this nation. But you could consider slavery a form of cheap labor with no legal protections for the laborers. Now consider the GOP current efforts to bust unions, cut wages and benefits, and reduce workplace safety regulations.
In other words, one essence of the antebellum South's economic system is becoming part of the national economic system.
One might also ponder income distribution in pre-war Dixie. It was extremely skewed with a few rich folks, mostly planters, sitting on most of the wealth, and outside of their slaves, lots of "poor white trash" scrounging for a meager livelihood at the bottom. It was close to feudal, sort of like the country you get with continued tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, ensuring there isn't much for the folks further down the ladder, especially after you privatize Medicare and cut Social Security.
Lincoln and the Republicans of 1861 supported protective tariffs, not just to help finance the federal government, but also to support domestic industry and raise wages. The South supported free trade — South Carolina's first secession threat came in 1832 in opposition to "the tariff of abominations" — and today's GOP is a big supporter of free trade.
The Old South also opposed federal spending on "internal improvements" — canals, railroads, turnpikes and the like — in the first part of the 19th century. That is, investment in national infrastructure, and where does the anti-investment rhetoric come from today if not the GOP?
Nor was the South big on spending for education. Southern senators and representatives blocked early efforts to establish state land-grant colleges. As for the local common schools, the illiteracy rate in Dixie, even among whites, was much higher than in the North, which supported public education. The Southern heritage of poorly funding public education is now a national Republican policy, which also involves taking money from the public coffers to support private religious schools.
When it comes to foreign policy, the South was expansionist and imperialistic, with designs for a "Golden Circle" of a slave-holder republic surrounding the Caribbean after the acquisition of Cuba and the rest of Mexico. The idea was to control their resources and bring "the blessings of republican government" to an unruly part of the world. If that bears any resemblance to recent American foreign policy, well, perhaps it's just a coincidence.
When you look at contemporary culture, those who fly the stars and bars and esteem Nathan Bedford Forrest are somehow considered patriotic, rather than admirers of treason.
Add all this up, and there's a strong argument that the Confederacy actually won the Civil War — not by force of arms, but by taking over the political party that had once been dedicated to its destruction.
Thanks for the article! I tried to live in the South about fifteen years ago; but, after only a year, I left just because I felt so uncomfortable with the attitudes there.
Outrageous...this law must be challenged in the courts...I can't believe that it would be constitutional for a state to just throw out the lawfully elected representatives....that's just beyond the pale!!
I'm somewhat conflicted, MI voted for these bullies. Surely they knew what they were in for. Typical repugs. Are they doing recalls?? At least WI is fighting back and I dont see any evidence that MI is.
It is all so very appalling and frightening.
It's called lying about your platform, getting elected and then turning things upside down and implementing programs to screw anyone who either disagrees with you or has rich contributors to curry favor to or for. It's called facism, without the election or the charm, it's who can do what for you and it's spelled KOCH, and how the rich pay LESS tax now than they ever have.
I live in Michigan. They didn't run on a promise to defund cities, then have EFMs take over, and sell off all the assests of the city for pennies on the dollar. The Republicans ran on job creation. However another thing they have done since taking office here is to chase away Michigan's Second Largest Industry after the Automotive Industry (the movie industry). The state of Michigan was just starting to reap the benefits of all the movies that had been produced here. I guess that is why the Republicans told them we no longer want them here.
To Miriam.
I was going to move to Michigan because of the Film Industry. I really like the state. As it is, I'm trying to scrape a living with what I can get between works in Chicago and Minneapolis, MN.
We didn't vote for these traitors, for this despot and his friends. and we don't have to wait for the courts to rule or a recall petition to be submitted.
We simply don't have to obey, this is not a dictatorship yet. We have a moral responsibility to not obey unjust laws, but to resist and fight back. All governments rule by the will of the people, if the people refuse to be ruled, there is no government.
THE QUESTION FOR TODAY IS : HOW ARE THEY GOING TO FORCE US TO OBEY? WE SIMPLY REFUSE TO OBEY THESE LAWS, TO ALLOW ANYONE TO RULE OVER US THAT WASN'T ELECTED BY US. DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE ORDER SAYS, THE MAYORS, AND COUNCILMEN DON'T HAVE TO STEP DOWN, TO STOP DOING THEIR JOBS OR RELINQUISH ANY POWER TO ANYONE AT ANY TIME!
WHAT DOES SNYDER THINK HE CAN DO, SEND IN THE STATE NATIONAL GUARD TO REMOVE THE DULY ELECTED MAYOR? HAVE THEM BREAK UP A COUNCIL MEETING? DRAG OUT THEM MEMBERS FOR DOING MORE THAN OPENING OR CLOSING A MEETING?
WHO IS GOING TO ENFORCE UNJUST LAWS?
EVEN IF SNEAKY SNYDER DECLARED MARTIAL LAW, HOW DO YOU ENFORCE UNJUST AND ILLEGAL LAWS? WHO IS GOING TO FORCIBLY BACK HIM? DID HE FORGET THAT THE STATE NATIONAL GUARD LIVES HERE TOO?
Recall Rick Snyder. He didn't run on what he's doing in MI. We've all been duped.
You too huh? Over here in Walker-land (Wisconsin) we're watching and waiting until recall time--hope you get that idiot out of office and throw him and Walker in prison too...good luck!
Signing that recall petition on Walker will make next Christmas season the best ever. I can't wait.
Mayor Bernero is the first politician I have witnessed speak about the crisis in terms of the principles of the Founders. He is articulate and dead on the money. Well said. He should become an MSNBC commentator. We Americans need more straight talk, beginning with our nation's first and ONLY principles.
Rachel's show last night brought out what the so-called "less government" Republicans are actually doing...it's quite clear that they want to take state government out of the hands of the voters, and eventually do it on a national scale. Thanks, Rachel, for bringing this out in the open so we can see what's happening elsewhere.
Cheers from me also. Keep up the SUPER work!
Anybody notice that all the republican governors and puppets are say the same thing, like reading from the same script? Word for word, it's all the same!
All of the governors are trying to do the same things, bust unions, kill any help to the unemployed, give back money to the rich, and grind the middle class to dust. Instead of guns to push the program, they are using new laws THEY just made up and passed IN SPITE OF WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT DONE.
And we are supposed to believe that this is free and open government at work?
The right loves to complain about the 'nanny state'. The idea of government that protects and promotes the general welfare is anathema to them. That is too much like nurturing, which is feminine, and the right hates everything feminine.
What they want is a daddy state. A patriarch who tolerates no dissent, no back-talk, and who employs corporal punishment as the sole means of discipline.
Of course, where corporations are concerned, it's a sugar-daddy state that they're after. But for everyone else, it's the big, mean, oppressive daddy.
Is it suddenly getting all Sylvia Plath in here?
I called it. I said so in another thread and look at what's happening. Benton Harbor is the pilot, the rollout of an incredibly toxic product that is sure to be introduced in other states. And the bar will just get lower and lower. What you are looking at is a direct attack on representive govt. 200 Emergency Financial Managers? That means they will be able to shut down 200 municipalities AT ANY GIVEN TIME. Just how many does Michigan have, much less how many are in trouble?
My wealthy city in Michigan is in financial trouble because the State of Michigan cut significantly the percentage of tax money that all the cities received. If my city is hurting then the majority of Michigan cities were completely crippled by this action of the State in withholding tax money.
We have 83 counties in Michigan, that's about 2 managers per county, that covers the whole, entire state.
Or he can just appoint 83 and pick and choose which town gets taken over with MF's to spare.
Tell this isn't a plan that would have made Hitler jealous! Snyder does look a lot like Herman Goerring.
YOU make a law, get it passed and then use that law to take over against the people.
It's about to get real interesting this side of the Lake!
It certainly sounds that way. Some of us are watching.
How is this unconstitutional?
Sure it's very, very big government that, hello 10thers?, supersedes the will of the small for the will of the larger, but how is what Snyder doing unconstitutional - either by Michigan State standards or by the US standard?
???????????
I am in no way, shape or form, a constitutional scholar, but the U.S. Constitution, in Article VI, Section 4, guarantees to every state a "republican form of government," which is defined as "a form of government in which supreme power is held by the citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives governing according to law."
In my opinion, the governor is taking the power away from the citizens of Michigan and their local elected officers and representatives.
The bat@!$%# crazy division of the conservative movement will love this until an EFM does something they don't like or takes away something they care about, and then it will be facism, socialism, or whatever "ism" they're against that week.
Sorry - that's Article IV (not VI). I'm not Roman . . .
Thank you. I wanted that for the record - couldn't find it, myself, nor heard anyone 101ing it.
This is not the Soviet Union, it didn't move to Michigan! No one can, at will, take over local governments, cities, towns or counties from DULY ELECTED OFFICIALS! NOT EVEN THE GOVERNOR HAS THE POWER TO OVERTHROW ANYONE WHO WAS ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE BY EXECUTIVE ORDER, FOR ANY REASON!
It's in the state constitution, there are procedures for the removal of elected officials, even his sorry ass has to be properly removed.
THE GOV DOESN'T HAVE THE POWER. CREATING AND PASSING A NEW LAW TO GIVE HIM THAT POWER DOESN'T MAKE IT LEGAL OR ENFORCEABLE, IT'S NOT IN THE STATE CONSTITUTION. AT BEST IT WOULD HAVE TO BE PUT ON THE NEXT BALLOT AND THE PEOPLE VOTE FOR IT OR SHOOT IT DOWN!
APPARENTLY, either snyder didn't read our constitution, or has no clue what the limits of his powers are!
There has been no public debate, no public input, no notice to the public that such a bill was being pushed thru the our congress at all. If it had been it never would have seen the light of day. Those that voted for this bill will be held accountable too, don't think they will get away with treason against the people.
It brings a whole new spin to the concept of the consent of the governed.
This is going to go way off into an obscure area, I'm afraid, but I'm reminded of an exchange that took place during the Senate hearings over whether Reed Smoot of Utah would be seated as a Senator for that state. I don't want to get bogged down in the details of the whole business, but part of the hearings concerned Mormon polygamy. A Mormon witness said that for a man to marry additional wives, he first had to obtain the consent of his first wife; but if that consent was withheld, he could still take those additional wives. So what, the witness was asked, did the first wife's consent amount to? Her consent amounts to her consent, was the answer.
And I think that this is what the consent of the governed would amount to if the GOP manages to get its way in all things. We'll be free to give or withhold our consent, but that will have absolutely no bearing on governance.
Citizens and municipal governments need to push back on the Financial Martial Law (FML!) by refusing to follow any of the orders given by their assigned dictators. Some fascist tool shows up in Benton Harbor spouting fiats "you must do this, you must not do that, I hereby abolish your city and all its elected officials" and people just do whatever he says? How about telling him he has no authority and to take a hike or be arrested for disrupting city government? Show him the tar and feathers and escort him out of town! What will Snyder do, send in the National Guard? Let him! Then the people of America will be able to see Snyder imposing a military dictatorship and crushing American democracy at gunpoint. That should should play well on the nightly news!
Wow! Very well said. If only we hadn't become so afraid of our Government, this might have been possible.
Here's the Recall Snyder web page. All of us here in Michigan need national attention to this overthrow of democratic prinicples and the selling of public resources and local govenment to corporate facists.
It appears this blog does not allow links to be posted!
and the Republican Reich marches on. open your history books and read the progression of the Third Reich and the Nazi party and tell me that what the Republican party is trying to do throughout the land is not what they were doing throughout Germany and eventually the whole of Europe. Women's rights, demonization of Islam, re-criminalization of homosexuality, destruction of labor unions, ramming through laws and legislations contrary to constitutions and without proper procedure.
Seriously Brian, Hitler got rid of the governing powers of his day(Reichstag) so he could take over and increase his power. Removal of rights and demonizing humans is an extremely slippery slope which should be watched with close scrutiny.
I LOVE IT!!! HAHAHAHA!!! You libs don't like when people use your big government schemes against you do you? What I find to be even more abhorrent is that this mayor has the audacity to reference the Founding Fathers in his rant, as if the they would somehow support the Socialistic and Communistic beliefs and edicts of today's liberal.
By the way, did anyone else notice that the EFM appointed to handle the Detroit school system was appointed by then DEMOCRATIC governor Jennifer Granholm? You seemed to leave that out Rachel.
As always Rachel, you are forever the hypocrite. You conducted this interview with the graphic "Really Big Big Big Government" as if to say that is NOT everything you and your follows to stand for. You're a joke.
So you, at least, have finally given up on the lie that Republicans are the party of small unintrusive govt? When elected officals are being stripped of their offices, representive govt is under attack. And you chortle and clap your hands in childish glee. I thought Michigan was chock full of militia groups dedicated to the violent overthrow of such tyrannical overreach. But I guess since they like the tyrant in question and it is only poor black communities being stripped of their representation, then its all good yeah?
You laugh now, but will you be laughing when they come for your town?
You fool are the JOKE!
Tommy - Yes, it was Gov Granholm who first placed the EFM in Detroit Public Schools, Ecorse, other cites AND Benton Harbor. But it was Gov Snyder who signed the current version of the EFM law that broadened the powers to allow the EFM to strip locals governments and commissions of all their power except to 1) call a meeting 2) approve minutes 3) adjourn the meeting. Benton Harbor's EFM is the first to take advantage of the new power. Insidious, IMHO.
Tommy, I have always been pro big Federal Government and rely on them to protect me from insane state and local governments, corrupt employers, whacko neighbors, imbicilic special interests and unconstitutional infringements on my rights. I hope the people of Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and other radical Gop state governments fight these Stalinists tooth and nail and use whatever resources are available to them. Laughing like a hyena as I imagine you were, does nothing to advance your views or discredit freedom loving liberals.
Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh have wooed you quite nicely Tommy. They are just like sex predators grooming their victims so that they(victims) don't recognize rape when it comes. Very Sad.
Rachel, can't you get at least one Republican to come on your show and justify or rationalize their recent actions? E.g. the EFM's, the overriding of voters' choices and the reduction of corporate taxes. Let them qualify their actions vis-a-vis any despot in the world. Corporate greed has no physical boundaries, yet some of them are now giving away their acquired wealth because they are now sated. Is there no conscience in that world? The status quo of Americana is rapidly changing; it's a paradigm shift. (Robin Hood, where are you?)
I'm sure Rachel would *LOVE* to get somebody like that on the show. Finding one willing to is another story.
Please visit Recall Governor Rick Snyder on facebook or www.firericksnyder.org
Thanks from
A Michigan Citizens United Volunteer!!!
Rachel,Â
I would love to know what provisions in the Michigan state or US constitution allows for this. Â Conservatives are in an uproar about the legality of Obama's health care law, but dissolving towns for insolvency and removing elected officials?
I'm wondering about this, too. Actually, I think the State has the authority to dissolve, or un-incorporate, a town. But stripping the elected government of their ability to function while the town remains a legal entity is a separate issue. That is something new in this most recent EFM law. We'll have that question answered eventually.
 RECALL SNYDER and his supporting senators and representatives. Great job Rachel please keep up the pressure in Michigan, I think we are going to need it. Â
Amen!
I would love to know the free lunch that took place on that golf club that got built using in part the park of Benton Harbor. I have a feeling there was a huge give away program in tax breaks, funding and of course taking away a lake side park, with zero renumeration that went into that project. I'm sure a flag was waved about all the jobs and prosperity that was being introduced to the area by the new project? And it was built with out of the area contractors, and the low wage jobs that moved in are probably costing tax payers tens of thousands a piece. Republicans just do not believe the crap they spew, they say it for effect and do what ever they want for their cronies.
Is there a comparison between Sharia Law or the motives and the conduct of the Taliban that can be made to the behavior and decisions of the Republicans involved in this fiasco? This is facsim!
You get what you pay for. Buyer beware. This is why I no longer live in Michigan. I live in a red state where at least I know I'm screwed, and they don't try to hide it.
LOL
Amen brother!...I'm in Texas and as my 'ol grandad used to say...'Son, we're surrounded by idiots'.
... and then the family reunion was over...LOL!
I just don't get it. We protested this kind of corporate @!$%# during the 70s. Now they are back in force and worse than ever. Why aren't people protesting?
People are protesting. The media barely covers it. They think covering the lead-up to a marriage several timezones away is more important than securing democracy.
Time for the Feds to declare an emergency in Michigan, swoop in and take control - putting the Governor and the State Assembly out to pasture. What's good for the goose is good for the gander!
This is what I've been wondering. Can the Feds do something here? This just can't be constitutional, can it?
It's the Tea Partiers who go around talking about "2nd Amendment solutions," and I hate it when they say that, but good grief, what's happening in MI seems to actually be the kind of thing the Founders were talking about when they referred to "well-regulated militias." To defend against monarchists, right? What else is the Snyder administration, anyway?
I'm not advocating the Benton Harborites take up arms, and Lord knows the gov would just smash them with the Natl. Guard or something. But what CAN be done? Somebody please tell us what recourse there is for this!
Yes put them in a pasture with horny wild bulls.
We need to give Snyder the boot, A.S.A.P.
Call a general strike against snyder!
HOW IS SNYDER GOING TO ENFORCE HIS ORDERS? WHO IS GOING TO OBEY HIM? HE'S GOING TO BE THE FIRST GOVERNOR TO SELF IMPLODE HIS OWN OFFICE TERM! (in the first 6 months)
He best remember he's against the unions and firemen and policemen. Should what he has done cause any rioting, he has no back up, no protection. Is he gonna put out the fires by himself? Who's gonna protect him from those trying to tar and feather him and run him out of town on a rail? He better pray that non-violence is adhered to! Hope he's training those 200 new EMF's for combat duty! Who's gonna stop folks from breaking down the doors and dragging them out of their new offices? Nobody!
Maybe he better call ghost busters, they are the only ones he hasn't turned against him!
How is gonna call out the police to stop protesters when last week he signed bills screwing over the police, unions and the unemployed? Maybe he has his own goon squad ready to roll and enforce his crap?
How is he gonna make the mayors step down? How is he gonna make the Benton Harbor obey his orders or any other town? He already shot himself in the foot! Maybe he'll take us all to court and sue us for civil disobedience! What judge will rule for him? How is he gonna get us all in jail? Sounds like the Civil Rights days are back again!
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink!
I'm hoping for a BIG backlash in the next election, If they haven't taken that right away from us by then.
They're working on it. And how. Not only the voter I.D. laws, but see Rachel's segment on birther laws in many states, the point of which will be to try to keep Obama off the ballot in those states in 2012.
There is no depth to which they will not stoop. Vigilance, people.
This is what happens when you fall asleep at the wheel and allow other to make your decisions for you. We as a people better take heed and wake the hell up before it is too late.
Amen to that.
Thank you for keeping this story alive. So this is the America the right wants. Scary! This story should be on every network and every newspaper in this country. The American people would be outraged if they were made aware of what is going on in Benton Harbor. Starve the small towns of state money then let a corporate friend of the Governor fire the towns leaders and take it over for their own profit. Yep, that sounds like democracy to me. A lot of towns could be taken over or just eliminated.
there certainly is a recall effort-ever though he won the elction many feel deceived, bait and switch, there are quite a few Reps that are helpful move this recall forward.
For those of you that are interested please visit and volunteer and find information and #!/pages/Recall-Governor-Rick-Snyder/113418962065885
and join the effort! This is a united effort that included dems, reps, independant, and many many other are joining the effort to take our state back!
See you there
can you repost the website? the one you provided is not valid--thanks!!
Would whoever posted the Mussolini quote on fascism and corporatization a few days ago please repost it?
Is this it?
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini