Sunday, May 22, 2011

Takeover of Benton Harbor, necessary?

This article takes about the Emergency Manager Bill being passed in Benton Harbor, MI. This bill is a new law that allows the governor to appoint Emergency Managers with virtually unlimited authority over local governments. Some agree with action stating this is the beginning for what will come for Michigan in the future, others think that Benton Harbor is just a test case and this bill is not giving the city any say.

http://michiganmessenger.com/48333/benton-harbor-takeover-sparks-furious-reaction


which side are you on?

10 comments:

  1. I think that giving an external organization complete authority over local government is not the right way to go except for the most extreme of circumstances.

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  2. I don't like this idea. Government is not a corporation and the government shouldn't be thinking about just making profit from a city.

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  3. Theoretically, I'm very against this whole city takeover business. However, I heard from a friend who went to a protest in Benton Harbor that a newspaper in the area did a poll, and actually the majority of residents of Benton Harbor are alright with the plan. And to me, I guess that matters most...if the residents of Benton Harbor find it necessary and ok, then I guess we might as well give it a try. Don't quote me on that poll though, I didn't look at any actual data myself, but supposedly it's from a fairly decent source. Either way, I was surprised by that finding!

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  4. Benton Harbor is $6 million dollars in debt. They have a population of 10,000 people. Clearly, their current government was not taking the necessary steps (even if they involved austerity measures) to fix the problem. I think this is the right idea. Giving all the power to one individual will grant him the ability to make swift and necessary corrections. Although, I do not agree with dictatorship, in the long-run this sort-term change is absolutely necessary.

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  5. Has anyone been to Benton Harbor recently? It needs all the help it can get.

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  6. It's certainly not pretty, but Benton Harbor has proved that it is unable to manage its own finance. I am, however, hesitant to endorse appointing a single man to over-see an entire municipality-there is too much potential for abuse of power. I think that an appointed committee of financial professionals would ensure that one man cannot make all the decisions for the town, but that Benton Harbor's finances are managed responsibly.

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  7. It is not a coincidence that 92.5 of the residents of Benton Harbor are African American. Capitalist hegemony reinforces a racist systems. Benton Harbor does not need corporations--(rich white CEOs? Really?)--to step in an fix things. What it needs is the greater Nile-Benton Harbor Metro area, including the 93 percent white St. Joes where the average resident earns $20,000 more than a resident in Benton Harbor, TO CARE. More than economic reform, the area needs SOCIAL CHANGE.

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  8. If the people's elected voice has run the city, that cannot run a deficit, into ruins, why keep them in place? I find it hard to believe that the community had no idea of the takeover until after it happened, I did.

    It is not an issue of race, rather poor management. A cooperation of the larger metro area would be a good way to utilize economies of scale.

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  9. I'm not sure how I feel about one person being given full authority (Martin's council concept sits better with me) but the overall idea is good. The town leaders have failed, and if they entered into bad contracts or agreements that are dragging the town down, then get out of them. When there's this much debt, you need to solve the financial problem, period.

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  10. Looking at the statistics and average of income of $10,000 in Benton Harbor, a change is needed.I agree that a government should not be run as a corporation and social needs of a city should be taken into account.But in such dire circumstances and economic crisis the government has to be run like a corporation. Corporations which run efficiently because of competition and self interest. As harsh it may sound, to me Benton Harbor's takeover seems necessary as long as it is in safe hands.

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