Stephen Colbert skewers Michigan’s EFM law
On Monday, satirical comedian Stephen Colbert talked about Michigan’s anti-democratic “emergency financial manager” law on his show, The Colbert Report. The law, which dissolves local government and puts the town’s finances under the control of a single “EFM,” is currently being implemented in Benton Harbor, the poorest town in Michigan.
Watch the segment:
Colbert also points out the ridiculousness of combining the police and fire departments: “Everyone knows the best way to get a cat out of a tree is to shoot it.”
Earlier this month, Working America canvassers went door-to-door in Benton Harbor and found enormous, widespread—85% of people we talked to joined up!—enthusiasm for fighting back against Gov. Snyder’s autocratic initiatives.
There are several fb pages dedicated to this issue, like ‘Save Benton Harbor’ and ‘Recall Rick Snyder’ and so on. There is also going to be another big protest in Benton Harbor on June 18.
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Building Bridges: Your Community and Labor Report
National Edition
Produced by Ken Nash and Mimi Rosenberg
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The People versus the Corporations in America’s Rust Belt
The Coup in Benton Harbor, Michigan
with
Rev. Edward Pinkney, Community Activist & Leader in the Fight
Against The Takeover of Benton Harbor
For the residents of Benton Harbor, Michigan the question is will America have prosperity and democracy, or live in poverty under the heel of open corporate power. There’s been a coup in Benton Harbor, First, Whirlpool
controlled Benton Harbor and now the City of Benton Harbor has become the battleground for Michigan’s new emergency financial management law. The law gives an accountant, Joseph Harris, dubbed an emergency manager the right to tear up labor contracts. And, in Detroit district wide layoff
notices hit every one of its Public Schools. The 5,466 unionized employees called the move the largest “one fell swoop” firing of teachers in union memory. Additionally, the Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb’s
concurrent announcement that he plans to unilaterally modify the Detroit Federation of Teachers’ collective bargaining agreement is the first test of a sweeping new state law.
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Fighting Back
with
Frances Fox Piven, Professor of Political Science and Sociology,
The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Frances Fox Piven, a distinguished professor, legendary activist, and writer for more than a year has been accused by Fox news host Glenn Beck, who employees a graphic of a tree to do so of being an advocate of violence
and plotting since 1966 to overthrow the system. Well Piven now closes our programming, with our support, respect and affection as she addresses a national youth audience Teach-In. You’ll hear Piven reference the tree and rather use the metaphor to advocate organizing movements for peace and justice.
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To Download or listen to this 27:59 minute program,
go to http://buildingbridgesradio.blogspot.com/2011/05/coup-in-benton-harbor-michigan-2759.html
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