Bay 12 Games Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 35

Author Topic: The Dissolution of State Government  (Read 41309 times)

Aqizzar

  • Bay Watcher
  • There is no 'U'.
    • View Profile
The Dissolution of State Government
« on: March 09, 2011, 06:11:08 pm »

This thread was originally about the an extraordinary piece of pending legislation in Michigan.  Since I already had the thread, it morphed into a dumping ground of extraordinary legislation in other states.  On the whole, the theme of the thread is "State governments abdicating responsibility over businesses or their economy, seizing power over private citizens or in disregard of expected legal statue, or just plain being unsavory, especially if hypocritical."  It's a pretty general theme.  Feel free to contribute, but note that I'd prefer any stories of pending legislation to be bills that have a realistic chance of being passed.  And the hootenanny in Wisconsin already has its own thread with a more knowledgeable OP.

The headliner was March 11th's passage of Michigan's endorsement of corporatocracy, as seen in huge paragraphs below and expanded on here.

Michigan's Financial Martial Law reaches its logical conclusion.  Read, and call me a maniac, please.

As of March 9th, Pennsylvania has abandoned any pretext of environmental regulation, and declared the Energy Secretary to be Supreme Chancellor of "Jobs" and Drilling Permits.

The Governor of Maine loves seeing teenagers in the workplace about as much as he detests crappy artwork of labor strikes, and steals candy from children to take the edge off.

In Federal news, because it's my thread, Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) wants workers requesting food stamps who go strike to know they can pound sand and forget about it.

Governor Rick Scott's bold plan to clean up Florida: 1) Start a company that performs drug tests.  2) Become governor.  3) Drug test everybody.

Ohio's Man With The Plan says, lets combine the best of government money with the best of private investment knowhow, make sure nobody knows what we're doing, and pay for it with booze.



There's a trend flowing through state politics right now, on the back of the big financial recession in the American economy.  A whole bunch of people are out of work or making less, and the price of once inflated property has dropped considerably with rampant foreclosures.  So the three big sources of state revenues - income tax, sales tax, and especially property tax - have crashed through the floor.  Following the logic of lower taxes on business and upper incomes >>> more business and investment >>> economic improvement for everyone a bunch of (Republican governed) states are cutting business taxes.  But it's a little hard to justify massive reductions in state revenue when you're already in the red, so you have to make spending cuts somewhere.  Florida will cut business and property taxes to an estimated tune of $1.5billion, to be paid for with $1.5billion in public education cuts.  Wisconsin is already infamous for passing a corporate tax cut about a month ago, to almost the exact same estimated-dollar-cost of the cuts in public employee benefits now being argued over.  Wisconsin is also one of the states where the funding argument became a vehicle for political issues that don't have a specific dollar cost, if they cost anything; namely, public employee collective bargaining rights.  Ohio is slashing both business tax and public welfare and privatize some prisons, with a third-time's-the-charm ban on Gay Marriage attached to the budget for good measure.

Michigan is about to blow them all out of the water.  In one of the rare places in the world where civilization is giving way to nature, Pripyat style, in the face of total economic oblivion, the Michigan legislature has created a new bill that only a wildeyed leftist dystopian author could have dreamed up.  Known as HB 4214-4218, Amendment to Public Act 72, would grant the governor's office significant new powers in dealing with financially-strapped townships.  You can read some big chunks of description for the state financial offices here and here, but it kinda loses its impact in so many words.

Long story short - Michigan already has powers for the state government to looks at financial aid requests from local governments, and decide the locality is such dire straights that the state government must alter some of their financial practices.  HB 4214-4218 would send that power into overdrive.  The office of the governor, or any municipal-bond accrediting agency he consults with, can declare a recognized town (up to and including the city of Detroit, for comparison) to be in a state of "financial emergency", with no rubric on what that actually means.  Once declared to be in a "financial emergency", the governor or accrediting agency can appoint a Emergency Manager (or an accrediting firm acting as one) to oversee the town's finances and make some emergency decisions.  Decisions including: abrogating contracts entered into by the town, voiding collective bargaining agreements with local employees, removing from office elected or appointed town officials, redrawing/merging/dissolving public school districts, returning township land to county ownership, or if all else fails totally disincorporating the township's legal recognition and charter.


TL;DR - Let me spell that out in harsher terms, to make sure it sinks in.  The governor or a bank he likes can unilaterally declare any town or city in Michigan to be financially negligent at whim, unilaterally appoint a guy or bank to be Czar of the town, who would then be empowered to (say it with me) unilaterally void the town's legal and employee agreements, redraw the school districts to his heart's content, fire the Mayor or Chief of Police or anyone else he wants, or even literally wipe the town off the map right down to the postal directory.  The only enumerated check on this power would be the appointing-will of the governor's office, which is unlikely to disagree with any decision since they appointed him in the first place.  An Emergency Manager might be able impeachable like other appointees, but since he doesn't have to ask anyone for permission, he could totally redraw a town on day one with any problem.  That raises a lot of legal questions that are pretty sure to never actually be answered for in any court.  All in the name of whatever the governor or his favorite bank wants to call a "financial emergency".  The icing on the cake is the upcoming Michigan budget, already guaranteed to massively reduce local-government funding assistance.

You might be asking, "What lunatic scrawled this idea on a napkin?"  Nobody's exactly sure, but it may have been State Treasurer Andy Dillion (former Democratic house member) appointed by new Republican Governor Rick Snyder.  I actually have some prior experience with him - Snyder was formerly the CEO of Gateway Computers and an investment firm he founded, both of which he ran into the ground while pocketing millions, before he got a wild hair up his ass and ran for governor last year.  The bill was introduced to the house on his behalf.  Question, "How did anyone not hear of this before?"  The bill was drafted and introduced sometime in the last week of February (y'know 15 days ago), while everyone was busy watching Wisconsin come apart at the seams.  And question, "Surely nobody's stupid enough to actually vote for this, right?"  Not only did the bill already pass the State House, they expanded it - the original draft only gave appointing and managing power to specific humans, the House amendments included the language giving same authority to accrediting firms.  As of a few hours after this original posting, the bill has passed the Michigan Senate with ease.


I've always liked to think I'm a patient and reasonable man.  No really.  When I hear people saying the sky is falling, I always think, surely the details will explain how everything is barely different than it already was.  The wheels of change grind incredibly fine, and we can all see far enough down the road to change course.  Surely, I always think, whatever "it" is, it can't be that bad.  This time, yeah, it really is that bad.  Michigan is taking clearest step ever to the literal definition of corporatocracy, authorizing private financial agencies virtually unlimited power to unmake democratically-constructed local governments at their leisure.  The 19th Century wished it was that straightforward.
« Last Edit: May 10, 2011, 06:53:51 pm by Aqizzar »
Logged
And here is where my beef pops up like a looming awkward boner.
Please amplify your relaxed states.
Quote from: PTTG??
The ancients built these quote pyramids to forever store vast quantities of rage.

inteuniso

  • Bay Watcher
  • Functionalized carbon is the source.
    • View Profile
Re: The Dissolution of Michigan
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2011, 06:20:58 pm »

... Goddamnit politicians. Seriously. This stinks of political corruption. And of stupidity.

Well, I'm going to put any of my income that I have left over into private aerospace corporations, so I can easily emigrate to the moon. The world is going to shit, and I want to run away, like a sane person.
Logged
Lol scratch that I'm building a marijuana factory.

Earthquake Damage

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: The Dissolution of Michigan
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2011, 06:24:44 pm »

I disbelieve the illusion.  In part, anyway.  Surely the Michigan legislature (and, I hope, whoever wrote the damned bill) hasn't carefully considered the consequences in their haste to "get shit done" (you know, so the voting public doesn't continue frothing at the mouth because their government's failing to solve the financial crisis).  Surely the House didn't realize the scope of the bill then say "ah, fuck it" and pass it anyway.
Logged

Max White

  • Bay Watcher
  • Still not hollowed!
    • View Profile
Re: The Dissolution of Michigan
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2011, 06:25:02 pm »

The hell is wrong with your politics?

You know, down here in Australia, we have compulsory voting and I always thought it was a bad idea, but now I'm thinking we are much better getting whoevers name appears on the voting slip first, rather then the snake oil salesmen who can draw in enough fools to get into office. Really, however this happened, something is just bad, no two ways about it.

Taricus

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: The Dissolution of Michigan
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2011, 06:28:38 pm »

The hell is wrong with your politics?

You know, down here in Australia, we have compulsory voting and I always thought it was a bad idea, but now I'm thinking we are much better getting whoevers name appears on the voting slip first, rather then the snake oil salesmen who can draw in enough fools to get into office. Really, however this happened, something is just bad, no two ways about it.
Donkey voting, better then snake oil.

Still think this'll not pass. hopefully.
Logged
Quote from: evictedSaint
We sided with the holocaust for a fucking +1 roll

Tellemurius

  • Bay Watcher
  • Positively insane Tech Thaumaturgist
    • View Profile
Re: The Dissolution of Michigan
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2011, 06:31:25 pm »

WHY MICHIGAN!?!
*sob*
God is it really bad back there? I thought by now they could have fixed the problems that forced me to move from there.

scriver

  • Bay Watcher
  • City streets ain't got much pity
    • View Profile
Re: The Dissolution of Michigan
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2011, 06:31:56 pm »

I am... completely speechless. There are no words for this. Except maybe, "AAANAARCHYYYYY!"
Logged
Love, scriver~

Bauglir

  • Bay Watcher
  • Let us make Good
    • View Profile
Re: The Dissolution of Michigan
« Reply #7 on: March 09, 2011, 06:38:12 pm »

-snip-
« Last Edit: July 16, 2015, 10:31:57 pm by Bauglir »
Logged
In the days when Sussman was a novice, Minsky once came to him as he sat hacking at the PDP-6.
“What are you doing?”, asked Minsky. “I am training a randomly wired neural net to play Tic-Tac-Toe” Sussman replied. “Why is the net wired randomly?”, asked Minsky. “I do not want it to have any preconceptions of how to play”, Sussman said.
Minsky then shut his eyes. “Why do you close your eyes?”, Sussman asked his teacher.
“So that the room will be empty.”
At that moment, Sussman was enlightened.

Leafsnail

  • Bay Watcher
  • A single snail can make a world go extinct.
    • View Profile
Re: The Dissolution of Michigan
« Reply #8 on: March 09, 2011, 06:42:41 pm »

Not only did the bill already pass the State House, they expanded it - the original draft only gave appointing and managing power to specific humans, the House amendments included the language giving same authority to...
I honest to god expected the next word to be "horses" or "chimpanzees" or something.  That is the level of ridiculousness here...
Logged

lumin

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: The Dissolution of Michigan
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2011, 06:47:31 pm »

Ahem...

Aqizzar:  The only words I have for you, are your own.

Quote from: Aqizzar on March 23, 2010, 03:55:12 pm
Quote
... Don't come crying to me now, after we had a President and rubber-stamp Congress who said the executive branch has the authority to nab people off the street without trial by unilaterally declaring them enemy combatants. Turnabout is fair play and so forth, but at least left-winger dictatorialism nets you cheap healthcare.
...
Burrrns don't it?  Welcome to the world you created.  I hope you enjoy being a shat on minority of child-killing traitors for four-to-eight years.  Don't worry, you'll learn to tune it out soon enough, and enjoy a counter-cultural revolution in television and net-culture.

This is what you wanted, wasn't it?  "Turnabout is fair play", right?  You need to bend over and take it like a big boy.

toad-edit: lumin has been banned for repeatedly trolling like this while sockpuppeting with another newer acccount (GaelicVigil)
« Last Edit: March 09, 2011, 10:42:41 pm by Toady One »
Logged

white_darkness

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: The Dissolution of Michigan
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2011, 06:50:15 pm »

It'll probably pass, it's got several political hallmarks.

1.  It's stupid.  A requirement of anything cooked up by the majority of elected officials.

2.  It puts faith in the American corporation as "ethical".  I still fondly remember a long ago psychological analysis of the American corporation as an individual entity.  The findings in a nutshell, well, if they were individuals we'd call them psychopaths.

3.  Terminating any extant contracts will do wonders for the economy.  Those businesses getting those contracts will lose a revenue stream, and they won't need the employees.  Of course, government contracting is typically a waste of money for most things.  It costs more, it's inefficient and to quote an old coworker, "There's just something about managing people who make 3 times what I do that leaves my heart warm."

4.  There's actual language extant to remove elected officials and eliminate their benefits.  I'm rather surprised by that one.  Normally it's the overpaid people at the top who cause the problems.

Unfortunately, have to be able to login to the website to view your link, while not the actual text, there's a nice analysis of the bill from the House Fiscal Agency here.  Got to love the list of groups against this one.
Logged

Zrk2

  • Bay Watcher
  • Emperor of the Damned
    • View Profile
Re: The Dissolution of Michigan
« Reply #11 on: March 09, 2011, 06:55:05 pm »

Wow, holy fucking fuck.

...

Jesus H Christ.

I'm a right winger and I think this is total bullshit. What the fuck? I love dull old Canada. Good luck with that shit. Can't it be challenged as unconstitutional though?

This is so crazy I've lost all coherency.
Logged
He's just keeping up with the Cardassians.

Leafsnail

  • Bay Watcher
  • A single snail can make a world go extinct.
    • View Profile
Re: The Dissolution of Michigan
« Reply #12 on: March 09, 2011, 06:57:55 pm »

This is what you wanted, wasn't it?  "Turnabout is fair play", right?  You need to bend over and take it like a big boy.
Ancient and irrelevant quote is ancient and irrelevant?
Logged

Aqizzar

  • Bay Watcher
  • There is no 'U'.
    • View Profile
Re: The Dissolution of Michigan
« Reply #13 on: March 09, 2011, 07:00:56 pm »

This is what you wanted, wasn't it?  "Turnabout is fair play", right?  You need to bend over and take it like a big boy.

Hey, I don't live in Michigan for a good reason.  Surprised to see you've been all bitter and twisted about something for so long.

I am curious what you have to say about the law though.  Am I to take your endorsement of snarky comebacks as support for dictatorial power over townships?


I'm a right winger and I think this is total bullshit. What the fuck? I love dull old Canada. Good luck with that shit. Can't it be challenged as unconstitutional though?

Well, it would be challenged under the Michigan Constitution, and I have absolutely no doubt it would be.  No clue how that would turn out.  I imagine there's a statute or concept your try to appeal upwards to the Federal level, but it would be a legal battle taking place over most of a decade, and I certainly don't know enough to say what you could base it on.
Logged
And here is where my beef pops up like a looming awkward boner.
Please amplify your relaxed states.
Quote from: PTTG??
The ancients built these quote pyramids to forever store vast quantities of rage.

Sensei

  • Bay Watcher
  • Haven't tried coffee crisps.
    • View Profile
Re: The Dissolution of Michigan
« Reply #14 on: March 09, 2011, 07:03:01 pm »

Ahem...

Aqizzar:  The only words I have for you, are your own.

Quote from: Aqizzar on March 23, 2010, 03:55:12 pm
Quote
... Don't come crying to me now, after we had a President and rubber-stamp Congress who said the executive branch has the authority to nab people off the street without trial by unilaterally declaring them enemy combatants. Turnabout is fair play and so forth, but at least left-winger dictatorialism nets you cheap healthcare.
...
Burrrns don't it?  Welcome to the world you created.  I hope you enjoy being a shat on minority of child-killing traitors for four-to-eight years.  Don't worry, you'll learn to tune it out soon enough, and enjoy a counter-cultural revolution in television and net-culture.

This is what you wanted, wasn't it?  "Turnabout is fair play", right?  You need to bend over and take it like a big boy.
That makes no sense. Also Aqizzar isn't in Michigan. Also, triple ninja'd.
Logged
Let's Play: Automation! Bay 12 Motor Company Buy the 1950 Urist Wagon for just $4500! Safety features optional.
The Bay 12 & Mates Discord Join now! Voice/text chat and play games with other Bay12'ers!
Add me on Steam: [DFC] Sensei
Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 35