More on "financial martial law" from Big Government Conservatives

Big Government Conservatives are conservatives who don't want anyone in government to have power until they control government; then they want to rule like kings.

The latest example is what's happening in Michigan, where the new Teabag-enabled GOP governor has been given "financial martial law" powers. Our discussion of that subject is here. Rachel Maddow has been on it as well.

First, on Monday, she did one segment on state-by-state GOP overreach, and another on Michigan's ability to use "financial martial law".

Tuesday she followed up stunningly, with more on what's happening in Benton Harbor, Michigan, a poor, black community next to wealthier, whiter St. Joseph. The Benton Harbor story starts at 1:10, after her generalizing intro. (About that intro, see below.)



Amazing, isn't it? Benton Harbor, 85% black, with an average income of $10,000/year, is home to Whirlpool. A Whirlpool heir, Fred Upton, represents Benton Harbor in the U.S. House, and his former staffer, Al Pscholka, represents Benton Harbor in the state house. Pscholka's the guy who introduced the "financial martial law" bill. And thanks to that law, Benton Harbor is first to get it in the neck. Full circle.

What do the big boys have their eye on? Fiscal health for Benton Harbor? Not quite. They want to turn Benton Harbor's beautiful lakefront park into part of a beautiful rich-man's golf course and housing development, and with sweeping dictatorial powers, they can do it in a blink. (Much more at this Daily Kos link and in this earlier Maddow segment on Benton Harbor.)

Privatizing a public resource so that only the rich can use it — isn't that always the way? And don't let that "non-profit" tag on the development agency fool you; I'm sure where there's money, there are ways to get at it.

Don't forget to check out the list of similarly intrusive laws before the states (8:15). Stunning in its reach.

These aren't Teabaggers, folks; they are corporate Republicans, representing your basic Billioinaire's Coup. The only Teabaggy thing about them is the crowd that puts them in office. This is the authoritarian big-money right, a pack of crazies it seems, and the political retainers and henchmen who serve them. (The rewards for those retainers and operative, like Scott Walker for example, will be huge; count on it. Walker is set for life.)

Things are bad, and I'm afraid they won't get better till they get a whole lot worse.

About that opening, she gets it almost right. She says this is "single most telling thing" about the choice between the two parties and how we shall be governed.

Almost, I think. What she says about the Republicans gets it exactly. The hard-right is loaded with authoritarian power-worshippers, and the "freedom-loving" masses who enable them. But the Dems? She doesn't really tell that side of the story, and I wouldn't assume that the organized left is the mirror inverse of the organized right. Progressive Democrats may be the opposite side of the GOP coin. Can we say the same about corporate Democrats? I don't think so.

In fact, the fact that we can't say the same about corporate Democrats is the very reason things won't get better until they get worse.

Nevertheless, an excellent segment. This is what's coming, folks, from the Teabag-enabled corporate Right. Social control with boots on.

GP