An Exchange with Progressives

Progressive 1:

Let's hurry and elect a republican governor here in Washington state

Emergency financial manager takes power, raises tempers in Benton Harbor
www.mlive.com
New law is already leading to a showdown in Detroit Public Schools.


Progressive 2:

yeah, cuz *our* republicans would *never* do such things...

Progressive 1:

Never.

Progressive 3:

yes, yes, my state is screwed, democracy is apparently overrated, if we didn't feel like unimportant cattle before we sure do now

Gay_Cynic:

Well, I suppose it might be kinder to simply force insolvent state/county/muni/etc gov'ts into bankruptcy , and have them dissolved with their assets sold at auction and their employees terminated by a federal bankruptcy judge rather than try to save them...

Progressive 2:

Gay_Cynic, would you feel comfortable if Gregoire was taking this kind of executive authority? be honest.

Gay_Cynic:

If you look at the law, it's fairly tightly defined in terms of when and how it can be employed. And it's far from a unilateral exercise of executive authority - the MI legislature *gave* the MI Gov this authority.

Under the strictures of this statute (that I'd like even stricter), I might not be thrilled, but if a county/muni/etc gov't entity is insolvent - I *really* like the idea of some intermediate step before leaping directly to "forced bankruptcy, sale of assets, termination of employees, and dissolution of insolvent body", or some of the other less obviously ugly alternatives.

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/snyder/EMF_Fact_Sheet2_347889_7.pdf

http://www.michigan.gov/treasury/0,1607,7-121-1751_51556-198770--,00.html

Meh.