The Right Wing was out in the streets for the last couple of years protesting the imaginary loss of unspecified and nebulous freedoms.
But as soon as the Republicans got into power they immediately began to take away American's REAL RIGHTS.
There is the attack of women's rights making it impossible to get an abortion in half the country.
They striped the rights of workers to have any say in their working conditions by eliminating collective bargaining rights.
They attempted to strip citizenship from millions of children born in the country if their parents were undocumented.
There is an unprecedented attack on the voting rights of Americans with harsh new voter ID laws even though there has been essentially NO voter fraud.
The list goes on and on. Any time constitutional rights intrude on their extreme ideology, the Republicans are willing to throw the Constitution under the bus.
One of the most blatant abuses of the Constitution is now taking place in Michigan where Republican legislators and a Republican governor have signed legislation that allows State-appointed Emergency Financial Managers (EFMs) historically broad and sweeping powers.
This law allows an appointed official to strip any and all power from any locally elected or appointed governments, commissions , boards or any other representatives.
In effect it allows one person to declare martial law and overrule the will of the people. Now they have exercised this power.
What was the Emergency? Benton Harbor has had a much beloved park that was donated to the community with the intention of it's being enjoyed by the communities youth forever. Big corporate developers want to turn this park into a gulf course.
Joseph L. Harris had a big stake in this golf course and also had a big stake in designing the new law and he was able to get himself appointed the Emergency Financial Manager.
Joseph L. Harris was upset that the local residents in Benton Harbor didn't share his vision of a golf course so he essentially dissolved their government, leaving them with no say in the matter.
http://networkedblogs.com/gI5P5Republicans have little use for Democracy and if unfettered corporate power means disenfranchising all Americans of their rights, so be it.
They began their attack on our Democracy with the notion that corporations are people with the right to bribe officials and spread propaganda protected as a first amendment right. The Citizens United Case allowed these corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money without disclosure to influence elections. The attempts to kill all unions, is an attempt to eliminate the right of Democrats to raise funds to compete with the corporations.
The Corporate interests have taken over in Michigan. Will Wisconsin be next?
http://www.care2.com/causes/politics/blo...Now in Blanton Harbor we see what the future of America will be if Republicans have their way. Americans will have no rights and no say in the government. If they have their say there will no longer be a constitution and elected officials. The Corporations will just tell you what is best for you, and who is to live and who is to die.
UPDATE - 13 months ago
"Rachel Maddow had a segment on her show last evening looking at the controversy over the Emergency Manager in Benton Harbor nullifying election results and forbidding elected bodies in that city from taking any actions whatsoever. She specifically cited the Michigan Messenger."
"Maddow specifically mentioned the Jean Klock Park situation, a story that the Messenger has been following closely for years — and most of the media in the state have been ignoring. A large chunk of that park, deeded to the city on the condition that it remain a public park forever, was leased to private developers to be made into a golf course."
"The land was swapped for land owned by Whirlpool, property that turned out to be highly contaminated; taxpayers are now paying for the cleanup of that land through a Brownfield redevelopment credit worth millions of dollars." Quote from the Michigan Messenger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-420LU_O...Note this is the you tube video I had intended to have on the post. Why can't we actually edit the rants and change anything but the picture?