Michiganians (or as some of us prefer, Michiganders) have a HUGE ballot to consider on November 6, 2012. National, State and local offics to be determined, Judgeships, State University elections, and of course the issues that are getting more TV advertising time than even the Presidential race, the State Proposals.
First, Proposal 12-1 which is called the 'Emergency Manager Law'. I'm in favor of this proposal. Units of government that can't maage their finances will eventually need to be bailed out by the State. That means EVERY residet will be affected, not just the residents of that municipality or school district. Opponents claim that it strips local control of elected officials and for that reason should not be allowed.
I would prefer that those residents keep an eye on the local governments, speak loudly when things are not going right, and not wait until there is a financial emergency. But of course, that takes time and effort. You might have to read the local paper, attend meetings, or take valuable internet and entertainment time to stay abreast of these things, then call or write the appropriate officials to make your feelings known. Hmm, I guess that is a lot of work. Easier to zone out and watch the tube.
Personally, if my municipality (actually a Charter Township) were in an economic situation as bad as some Cities and School Districts are now, I would welcome an Emergency Manager.
Without going into long details or essays on the remaining proposals 12-2 through 12-6 (which I'd gladly do if I thought anybody were interested), I'll summarize using the commonality of them. I'm voting "NO" on Proposals 2 through 6 because none of these warrant inclusion into the Constitution of the State of Michigan.
Our Constitution is a very 'clean' document, even though it runs 80 or so pages in length. A Constitution is a set of fundamental principles by which we are governed. Regardless of the other merits of these proposals, none of them should be added to the Constitution. They are best handled by creation or revision of State Laws. If you think that repealing a law or recalling an elected official is tough, wait until it's necessary to amend a portion of the Constitution. (Look at, or better yet actually READ, the Michigan Constitution here.)
And let's not forget how a badly worded ballot proposal can create havoc - legalized medical marijuana ring a bell, anyone? It makes me cringe to think what a badly worded amendment to our Constitution would do.
Showing posts with label emergency manager. Show all posts
Showing posts with label emergency manager. Show all posts
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Big Shaking in Michigan
Nope. Not the earthquake type, although we do occasionally feel a small temblor around here. I’m talking more about the political shakings. And right now, that’s mostly about Detroit’s financial crisis.
An ill-considered statement by a Detroit minister leads the news reports. “Before we let you take over our city, we’ll burn it down first,” said Malik Shabazz during an open meeting of the financial review team in Detroit. Hold the quips, it’s too easy. Certainly there’s a lot of emotion surrounding the Governor’s necessary intervention into the affairs of a municipality that can’t keep its street lights on, its citizens safe or even in collecting its own income taxes.
Yes, things have come to a head in the last few years under Mayor Dave Bing. They may have happened regardless of who was mayor. The groundwork for this crisis has been laid over a couple of decades at least. And there’s plenty of blame to go around.
Detroit has a Department of Human Services that was totally ineffective, even irresponsible, in its duty. It misspent monies badly needed by the residents and had to forfeit millions of dollars in federal aid. Emergency response times are deplorable and the bus system is totally, totally broken. The list could drag on, but I’ll stop there.
The real issue now is the culture of denial – ‘We can still run the city ourselves’. It’s followed closely by the culture of entitlement – ‘Just give us some money and we’ll make it all work.’ The Governor is wise to not just open the pocketbook. There has to be a third party that will be responsible for management and oversight. It doesn’t matter what you call him or her - emergency manager, court appointed receiver, or even pillager of the democratic rights of the citizens (as some activists insist).
And why, if the citizens are so concerned about their city did they show up in such embarrassingly low numbers (10%) for a ballot that decided whether there would be a new City Charter? I don’t get it. But I do get the fact that in this country you are always allowed to complain. And there’s no shortage of that commodity around this issue.
Detroit has a long and proud history. I hope we’ll once again see it as a vibrant urban center.
On a brighter note, Michigan tourism was up 8% in 2011. It’s estimated that for every dollar spent in the ‘Pure Michigan’ advertising campaign, $4.90 came back to the State. I thought the reduction of the Pure Michigan effort was short-sighted and I’m glad to see that the increased budgeting has paid off. And that was in a colder, wetter summer than normal.
An ill-considered statement by a Detroit minister leads the news reports. “Before we let you take over our city, we’ll burn it down first,” said Malik Shabazz during an open meeting of the financial review team in Detroit. Hold the quips, it’s too easy. Certainly there’s a lot of emotion surrounding the Governor’s necessary intervention into the affairs of a municipality that can’t keep its street lights on, its citizens safe or even in collecting its own income taxes.
Yes, things have come to a head in the last few years under Mayor Dave Bing. They may have happened regardless of who was mayor. The groundwork for this crisis has been laid over a couple of decades at least. And there’s plenty of blame to go around.
Detroit has a Department of Human Services that was totally ineffective, even irresponsible, in its duty. It misspent monies badly needed by the residents and had to forfeit millions of dollars in federal aid. Emergency response times are deplorable and the bus system is totally, totally broken. The list could drag on, but I’ll stop there.
The real issue now is the culture of denial – ‘We can still run the city ourselves’. It’s followed closely by the culture of entitlement – ‘Just give us some money and we’ll make it all work.’ The Governor is wise to not just open the pocketbook. There has to be a third party that will be responsible for management and oversight. It doesn’t matter what you call him or her - emergency manager, court appointed receiver, or even pillager of the democratic rights of the citizens (as some activists insist).
And why, if the citizens are so concerned about their city did they show up in such embarrassingly low numbers (10%) for a ballot that decided whether there would be a new City Charter? I don’t get it. But I do get the fact that in this country you are always allowed to complain. And there’s no shortage of that commodity around this issue.
Detroit has a long and proud history. I hope we’ll once again see it as a vibrant urban center.
On a brighter note, Michigan tourism was up 8% in 2011. It’s estimated that for every dollar spent in the ‘Pure Michigan’ advertising campaign, $4.90 came back to the State. I thought the reduction of the Pure Michigan effort was short-sighted and I’m glad to see that the increased budgeting has paid off. And that was in a colder, wetter summer than normal.
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