If you haven't heard about what the republican governor has been doing in Michigan, take a few minutes, its scary.
Embattled Mich. emergency manager law threatened
By TIM MARTIN, Associated Press – 11 hours ago
MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) — Money problems are so severe in one Michigan school district that officials have given up hope of finding a solution themselves. They're ready for the extreme option: a take-over by a state-appointed "emergency manager."
A controversial law passed in Michigan last year gave the state expanded powers over foundering cities and schools and created this drastic possibility. Some local governments have responded by fighting desperately to keep their independence. Others have agreed to make painful sacrifices they long resisted. And at least one school district, Muskegon Heights, has asked to surrender local control as its best chance to avoid insolvency.
But as communities deal with the prospect of state takeovers— the latest consequence of Michigan's economic decline in recent decades — the fate of the law that empowered the emergency managers has now been placed in doubt. Opponents, primarily unions worried about managers canceling local labor contracts, have mounted a campaign to place the issue on a public ballot. If state election officials certify 161,305 valid voter signatures, the law would be suspended until the election was held in November. A decision is expected by late April.
A suspension would come as a severe blow to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who won legislative approval for the extreme measures as part of a program for putting public finances back on a sound footing. The new developments could throw into confusion the four cities and two school districts now run by emergency managers, as well as several more that could be candidates for intervention. And the issue would renew a fierce debate in Michigan about the limits of state authority and the rights of local democracy.
more:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gZSQkCOJCNmqgpkEkGbSOlWvhlGw?docId=ed2b5d20d72643c0965f46e19884b20c
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