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Michigan Close To Declaring 'Financial Martial Law'
A bill being reconciled between the Republican controlled Senate and House, which the Republican governor has said he will sign, permits the governor to impose "emergency managers" over cities and school districts.By declaring a "financial emergency", the governor could then appoint managers to fire local elected officials, break contracts, seize and sell assets, eliminate services - and even eliminate whole cities or school districts without any public input. The legislature would have the power to remove an emergency manager. Republican state Sen. Jack Brandenburg said several urban areas of the state, especially Detroit, are in "bad shape" and require "financial martial law." The emergency manager, he said, "has to have the backbone, he has to have the power, to null and void a contract." In response to concerns that local leaders will have to cede control, Brandenburg said, "I'll tell you what, I think that in a lot of these places there is no control." As the bill nears final passage, state lawmakers are also considering Snyder's proposed budget, which would cut spending on schools, universities, prisons and communities. Snyder has also proposed eliminating $1.7 billion in tax breaks for individuals while cutting $1.8 billion in taxes for businesses to spur job growth. Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-03-15 |
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