Allowing "Bad Things" that Destroy Our Public Institutions be Dignified as "Revolutionary / Re-inventive" Public Policy - Why?

Why are we allowing “bad things” which destroy our public institutions to be dignified as “revolutionary/re-inventive public policy” such as is now being ram-rodded into law by radical /hard core TeaPublicans presently in power?

Political tools, in and of themselves, are neither innocent or guilty.

We use our politics in whatever way we choose. There is power lust, ambition, privilege and preference, the possibilities of reprisals and self-seeking and much more...

Where does the danger of malfeasance enter in? Do they derive from the attributes and tools of politics or from the character of the politicians and their twisted principles.

Some in our society, because of their inherent civic weakness and proclivity for manipulation and skullduggery, cannot be trusted with public office, and cannot be allowed the use of public office--which brings with it the powerful tools of politics. You do not allow children to play with dynamite! Nor should tyrants and bigots to be allowed the power to abridge democracy as with Snyder's dictatorially enhanced Emergency Finance Manager Act.

In addition to the merely untrustworthy "them"--the self-serving, or power groveling puppets of moneyed interests--there are the obviously evil subversives, corrupters, etc. What might they do with the tools of political power? They probably would not do much differently than they are already doing in the business world or as crafty religious shaman. If they are really successful at being manipulative, they already have their own techniques which work very well. But these personalities, given power in a weakened democracy, in a time of deep economic crisis; where citizens by default and ignorance have capitulated their franchise (to participate in civic affairs): there we find the unscrupulous politicians play on indifference and will constitute a real danger.

If by chance radical revisionists are using the influencing tools of the press, media, and the bullypulpit afforded their high office, they either do it unconsciously or they already have acquired the necessary techniques of undue influence and propaganda.

The country is well on its way to a showdown of conflicting values: it's all part of the "cultural wars" lusted for by the demagogues and hard-core religionists and anti-tax wingnuts. The power of persuasion is the key to the kingdom for these folk. 3/4 of all Republicans watch FOX Cable news exclusively!

That takes care of the politicians and the ideologues, but what about the ordinary citizens?

This is where "useful" fear creeps in.

What are we doing about this aggressive power play promoted by the use of fear as a political tool?

The power to effect change and make the necessary improvements, the power to stop the abuse and the divisiveness still resides with the citizen.

The voters must overcome their disbelief that American politician can act in such destructive ways as we see some now behaving. Overcome fear with action. Fear is both the root cause and the strength of this radical cultural backlash and "slash and burn" techniques of the Hard Right.

Once you have lost your fear of their ability to manipulate, you are well on your way to taking corrective civic action. Unveiling the demagogue--for the small mind he is--destroys the illusion of power and cuts off his ability to carry forth-empowered by the opportunity our fears present him.

C. G. Jung wrote,

"The evil that comes to light in man and that undoubtedly dwells within him is of gigantic proportions ...He does not deny that terrible things have happened and still go on happening, but it is always "others" who do them..."

"This strengthens the opponent's position in the most effective way, because the projection carries the fear which we involuntarily and secretly feel for our own evil (desires to go) over to the other side and considerably increases the formidableness of this threat."  

-- C.G. Jung, The Undiscovered Self, New American Library, New York, 1957.

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Snyder's Re-Invention: A Right-to-Kill-Jobs State Called Michissippi (Michigan)

A civic crime has been committed. Extravagant power plays by Rick Snyder and the Union Bashing and Anti-public service reprisalists, now holding power, as in the manner of the TeaPublican SuperMajority; have crippled the state's economy and gutted the very systems that have to power to restore the economy.

Gone are good pay jobs with benefits. The loss is equivalent to the loss of a Michigan city the size of Bay City. Were Bay City swept away by a Joplin, MO type tornado it would be a humongous tragic disaster. It is an economic disaster. One would have to assume that these state workers (38,000) did nothing to support or service the state and that their dismissal is inconsequential. It is not. The loss of health coverage, money to meet the mortgage, food for the table, transportation and a myriad of other essentials, these public servants are in deep trouble. Each of the 30,000 also represent a multiplier effect. It isn't just one person out of a job, it's a direct blow to their domestic units.

Fanatic forces such as the Koch Brothers Americans for Prosperity and Richard D. McLellan's Mackinac Center major influence have acted quickly and early on in the Snyder tenure to set things in compliant order to further their own cronies' profit-centered agendas. Therefore Snyder has killed positive upward economic trends that were there coming from Granholm's years of pro-active leadership. Jennifer worked to create jobs, Snyder is a JOB KILLER!

Snyder is a jobs killer genius.

Michigan can't wait for things to work themselves out utilizing the results of politics centered on revenge and retribution so endemic to the Mackinac/AFP playbooks. These things don't work out on their own.

Snyder should take an honest look at his regressive, negativist, and anti-jobs Engler-holdover team: Stratified/Highly-paid payrollers with no vision for the positive. They are little more than Corporate favoring saboteurs-who care nothing for the Middle Class and public service and who's "expertise" amounts to taking the State down destructive dead-ends.

Snyder is too mired in his own narrow concept of corporate management details to provide the vision Michigan needs. Rick has actually taken the economy from Critical to Fatal.

The Nerd's relations with massive numbers of Michigan citizen sectors is totally disastrous.

Snyder isn't a political operator who can negotiate with the workers of this state in good faith nor can he build stronger ties to officials in state and county governments-whom he has put under great pressure to do the real dirty work of inflicting suffering and job loss on those who actually run the state and local units of government service day to day.

Snyder is disdainful of other politicians who do not see him as an omnipotent CEO but as a governor with limited constitutional power, and it's cost Rick key allies in the fight to restore the Michigan Economy.

It was a huge mistake on Snyder's part using scare tactics, exaggerating the state's revenue short fall and the condition of pension and health care funds to frighten residents into thinking that cutting a gigantic slice of the business taxes would be the best route to jobs. The loss of over $3 billion dollars of citizen buying power and discretionary spending will even blow back on the joyful business lobby so pleased with their Snyder Bail Out.

A temporary (emergency) rise in the state's income tax of about 1% would have tided the state over and provided the basis of recovery and done so without reducing the state to economic rubble with Snyder's infamous "Atomic Bombing" of state infrastructure and operations, the revenue starvation of local units by the complete cut-off of state provided Revenue Sharing-the give back of local tax dollars to operate local service and maintenance of infrastructure.

By killing roughly 38,000 jobs, encouraging municipal leadership to kill or axe nearly every city service the populace depends on, The Nerd comes off as petty and aloof and MORE PRONE TO "DICTATORSHIP" THAN LEADERSHIP. Top-down state control of every detail of local community life is not sustainable nor advisable.

Reshaping the state's weaken economy is a decades-long process, Michigan residents should have confidence that it's progressing. But that is not the case. THE GOAL IS JOBS, GOOD JOBS, JOBS THAT RESULT IN REAL PROGRESS AND STEADY OUTCOMES ARE THE TARGET.

Doing pro-active things, being collaborative and not combative with public service, would convey the message Michigan has a future. In the same light, killing jobs and therefore putting families off health care (multiply 38,000 by the average size of a state employee household for those dismissed, fired, state employees and realize this is a HUGE ECONOMIC HIT). State employees are summarily out of work in a jobless economy, many will be facing foreclosures, and bleak desperation.

SNYDER HAS JUST CREATED AN ECONOMIC DISASTER OF THE FIRST ORDER. Worse yet, killing state jobs, only to deliver those same jobs to for-profit operators handpicked by Snyder to substitute in lower quality and irresponsible and unnecessary middle management (not directly answerable to the community) is a tragic civic blunder.

All this mistakes one would naturally expect a Certified Nerd to make.


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Nerdonomics 102: The Big Lie - "We all Benefit" Says Rick Snyder

The Big Nerdonomics Lie

Tricky Rick sez, "We all benefit" from his Proposed Budget Plan so he will "just keep pounding the positive side of why it has to get done and why we all benefit."

"We all benefit" is the BIG LIE representing the greedy/selfish wishes of pro-Snyder business and such grudging propaganda mills as The Mackinac Center (now organically close-knit to the Detroit News on its new "The Michigan View.") These trolls have ridden a decades' long bitter campaign to this now capitalize on our tragic economic "opportunity" made possible by the Great George Bush creation: Michigan's "ONE STATE DEPRESSION."

These difficult economic times are "perfect" setting the stage for Snyder-led wolf pack to take huge bite out of public sector employees.

Anti-public schools wonks are pitching woo directly to the astro-turf Teapartisans in Michigan; appealing to the baser greed of ill-informed Tea Partiers who have joined the anti-civil curmudgeon, Grover Norquist, (in dutiful service to the greedy selfish elites.)

Norquist bragged he would crudely drown the public's necessary government-shrunken down in size- in a bathtub of red ink. Snyder is helping by riding on the backs of state employees being pushed by Norquist's suggestion into red ink of Snyder's making by going too far with an 86 drop in business taxes which gut state revenue. SEE Fact Sheet on Proposed Tax Changes.

Rick Snyder's cuts in public compensation will directly result in hundreds of millions of fewer dollars making THE ALL IMPORTANT REVENUE CYCLE THAT LOCAL SALARIES AND BENEFITS PROVIDE IN VITAL SUPPORT OF A "NEEDY MICHIGAN CONSUMER ECONOMY."

New business, as projected by Snyder's plan will be a long time in start-up, meanwhile Michigan's vital local economy will actually worsen because of his flawed shaft and shift tax plan. This is a risk we should not allow Tricky Rick to impose on us.

Therefore it is not true, as Snyder proclaims, "We all will benefit." However, it's important to note Snyder believes his own BIG LIE.

Tricky Rick:

"I'm an advocate of relentless positive action. I'm not here to pick fights, I'm here to solve problems," Snyder has said. "And the way you solve a problem is just keep on pounding the positive side of why it has to get done and why we all benefit."

Tricky Rick has hidden his savage attack ("just keep pounding") upon teacher and school employees in his advocacy and support to for his H.B. 4215, 2011, which legislatively creates a bitter and acrimonious local fights with school employees-- the "BIG LOSERS"-- even before the "I'm-not-here-to-pick-fights" fight begins under passage of H.B. 4215 fast-tracked; without proper exposure, explanation, and statewide hearings. Should it pass, H.B. 4215 will given immediate effect by the Michigan Senate this week.
3.)Tricky Rick Sez: "If I can solve a problem by being proactive, constructive and working well with people, that's the approach that I'm going to take."

Nothing about Snyder's plan of covert "Cut and Scrap" empowered by H.B. 4215 is pro-active for kids or their mentoring teachers. Snyder will be empowered to act pro-negatively against unions and collective bargaining by pushing down to the individual units:

1.) Severe cuts in revenue, dictated by Rick's decision, give Michigan businesses the largest single business bonanza in tax breaks in the state's History via his Proposed Budget.

2.) Financial Default Will Happen: While forcing local units to do more with less-to the point of impossibility-as with the $470 per student cuts in education.

These cuts, mandated by Tricky Rick, coerces the local school boards to go to its employees and demand huge concessions or else. The "or else" is the imposition of a virtual DICTATOR and destruction of local civic capital-a literal sell off of neighborhood assets.

3.) Everything negotiated in "good faith" prior to the Snyder regime; under the current Michigan collective bargaining rights and agreements are at risk.

Teachers will be forced to give up salary and/or salary and benefits (health care) as the way to balance the Snyder induced shortfall or face the drastic and unprecedented step: Having an "Emergency Financial Manager" appointed by Andy Dillon or a "firm" " high fee, high profile Plunkett/Cooney-tear the district piece by piece to "steal" the desired cuts from teachers and school employees in order to "gift" business. It's Wisconsin only harsher!

Tricky Rick Snyder is starting down the same path as the much hated John Engler and loses all his ability to re-invent Michigan in any positive way, in spite of the great need he recognized for recovery and healing. How Sad!

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