So, I asked my Political Science professor about MI's new law.

[white_wolf]

According to him, while it is very undemocratic it might be constitutional and legal. The reason is that local and city governments are not sovereign entities, but are created by an act of incorporation by state legislates, so they might have the power to dissolve local governments. He said he wasn't sure because he hasn't been following it very closely,but based on what little of it he knows it might be legal, even if it is undemocratic.

[MineralMan]

1. It's possible that it could be legal.

I don't know. I do know that states have a lot of power with regard to stuff within their states. In my old county in California, the Board of Supervisors dissolved an elected Community Services District in the unincorporated town I lived in. They completely bungled a sewer project that had been mandated by the state. The County Board simply shut the CSD down, took over, and put the project back on track, more or less.

I suspect it has to do with state laws. MI may have a law that allows the state to take over a city or other local government in certain circumstances. If that's Constitutional in that state, there may be no recourse in the Federal system. We do have pretty strict separation of state and federal powers, and the US Constitution doesn't really speak about State governments at all.

It's very worrisome to me, this whole thing is.

[Jack Rabbit]

2. If a city can be dissolved by the state that creates it . . .

. . . so can any other artificial person. I can think of a few that need to be dissolved, starting with Monsanto, ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs and (least we forget the new poster boy for corporate interference with The People's government) Koch Industries.

[white_wolf]

4. I wish they would do that, but sadly corporations own this country.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. Yep. If anything, it will be the corporations dissolving state governments

not the other way around.

They're certainly working on it.

[Brickbat]

3. Legal?

Oh, well then.

[white_wolf]

5. Hopefully, the people will recall the GOP legislators who passed this

and Snyder as well. The fight isn't over, I'm just saying we may not be able to rely on the courts.

[tblue37]

7. Yep--just like slavery used to be! nt

[European Socialist]

6. I think it is legal, and not new here in MI.

The thing to watch is if Gov Snyder tries to take it to cities who aren't so troubled, and if the Repukes try to bust the Unions and repress minority voting.

[Left coast liberal]

9. I guess the real question would be: Why isn't he following it very closely?

[Festivito]

10. My city of Detroit has been around longer than the state of Michigan and even the USA.

To say we need to incorporate was some regulation for what, to give away our rights to another entity? No.