by Shields Green
The Michigan Dictator bill rationalizes imposing a dictator on cities and towns based on an alleged emergency to the public health , welfare and safety due to a budget deficit. However, a municipal budget deficit does not remove critical city services from the People, the citizens , the Electors. The deficit or fiscal stress causes a threat to the revenue streams that Wall Street sucks like blood as a vampire from the working class' wealth, but not to the well being of the great mass of the People. A moratorium on payments to Wall Street on municipal bonds would go a long way toward keeping full pay , benefits and pensions to city workers and retirees. Realistically, it is these city workers who keep the PUBLIC HEALTH , WELFARE AND SAFETY, NOT WALL STREET BANKERS AND HEDGE FUNDS. These government jobs are jobs. Real jobs. When we say we need jobs, jobs, jobs, to cut government jobs is an insane as cutting taxes on the rich and giant corporations , where the money is , to cut the deficit.
A moratorium or substantial forgiveness ( a Jubilee) on mortgage foreclosures and payments would keep tens of millions of dollars in the hands of the working class in the Detroit Metropolitan area, Detroit, Macomb, Oakland and Monroe..
It is to keep the People's money flowing to Wall Street and the Big Banks that the State of Michigan, the Governor , who is the real Dictator in the Dictator law, tells the Big Lie that he must impose himself as a tyrant on the City , through his agents the State Treasurer and an socalled Emergency Manager ( There is no emergency to the pubilc, but to the monied classes looting us) It must tell this Big Lie to justify the UnAmerican act of stealing a City population's fundamental democratic privileges to choose on its own the officials to control the City's wealth, assets, wages, benefits and pensions, all that is valuable to the People's municipal corporation. The State is training a corps of financial gestapo, all imbued with the money drunk philosophy of business accounting, Wallstreet technical minions to shift wealth from the working masses and their local government to the finance capital and Big Business.
This was the purpose of taking over the DPS when there was billion dollar bond sale years ago. This was the purpose in imposing the Dictator on DPS more recently: to take the People's money and give it to private enterprises, and crony capitalists. The DPS dictatorship is a pilot program, a test of the reaction of the People of Detroit as to how they will react to a dictatorial seizure of the City government. There have bee insufficient mass protests against the DPS dictatorship to deter a dictatorship over Detroit. So, the Powers-that-be are moving quickly to seize Detroit.
Only a protracted mass movement from the Bottom up of militant protest, state initiative and referendum petitions and votes, recall petitions and votes, of the Governor in the first place, and 2012 election votes with a tremendous increase in voter turnout , in Detroit in the first place, will stop the fascist, unAmerican attack from the tea-Republicans and their Wall street and Big Business masters.
See you at the protests at the Capitol and in Wall Street's face. All Power to We, the People ! We are one. Speak Power in the Streets ! Carry on ! Vote Democratic.