A Magical Mystery Tour of American Austerity Politics
Something is rotten in the state of Michigan.
One city neglected to inform its residents that its water supply was laced with cancerous chemicals. Another dissolved its public school district and replaced it with a charter school system, only to witness the for-profit management company it hired flee the scene after determining it couldnt turn a profit. Numerous cities and school districts in the state are now run by single, state-appointed technocrats, as permitted under an emergency financial manager law pushed through by Rick Snyder, Michigans austerity-promoting governor. This legislation not only strips residents of their local voting rights, but gives Snyders appointee the power to do just about anything, including dissolving the city itselfall (no matter how disastrous) in the name of fiscal responsibility.
If youre thinking, Who cares? since what happens in Michigan stays in Michigan, think again. The states aggressive balance-the-books style of governance has already spread beyond its borders. In January, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie appointed bankruptcy lawyer and former Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr to be a legal adviser to Atlantic City. The Detroit Free Press described the move as a state takeover similar to Gov. Rick Snyders state intervention in the Motor City.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/a_magical_mystery_tour_of_american_austerity_politics_20150610