The Neoliberal Technocrat’s Michigan: Oh It’s “Special” Alright

by Scott Creighton

“You have buses that are running again. Streets that are well lit again. New homes and businesses getting off the ground again. There is still plenty of work, but can you feel the difference. You can feel something special happening in Detroit.” President Obama, Jan. 19, 2016

Back in 2009, as a direct result of the banker’s economic terrorism activities of 2008, Michigan was handed over to state-appointed neoliberal technocrats who served as “emergency managers”. They were given complete control of the purse-strings of a number of troubled cities making decisions like “where does the city of Flint get their water” and “how much funding does the Detroit city school system really need”.

In order to wrap your head around this, you have to understand the privatization model:

1. defund public institutions that could be used to generate profits
2. screech about how the public institutions are falling apart
3. save the day with a call to privatize the public institutions so they can be run by Big Business for a profit and of course, increase spending to the Big Businesses back to the level it should have been kept to start with.

Otherwise known as:

1. problem (create one)
2. reaction (oh my goodness, WONT SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN)
3. solution ($$$$$)

As we all know, the powers that be in the emergency manager’s office knew damn well that the lead spiked water they were pumping to the folks in Flint in order to “save money” would also deteriorate the entire infrastructure of public water supply leaving it useless in the future even after they “found out” how dangerous it was. These people aren’t stupid.

This is the neoliberal model. Just look at what we do in all those countries we save with our humanitarian bombing campaigns. Look at what we are bombing in Syria. Public infrastructure. Public water systems. Electric grids. Pipelines.

It’s special, right?

We do that because it:

1. creates a problem
2. destabilizes the communities making ready the public for regime change
3. and presents an opportunity to rebuild the infrastructure for our private companies like Halliburton for example

Do I need to write it again?

1. problem (create one)
2. reaction (oh my goodness, WONT SOMEONE THINK OF THE REFUGEES)
3. solution ($$$$$)

In Flint, they are going to have to spend tens of millions of dollars replacing the entire water system of the city. All it took for that Big Business payday was a couple dozen cases of Legionaries Disease and the poisoning of the entire inner city population with lead. Anyone remember how Halliburton electrocuted all those US soldiers with their ramshackle plumbing work they did in Iraq a little while ago? You think they’ll get the contract?

In Detroit, the neoliberal technocrats who have been running the public school system into the ground have set the stage for Rep. Gov. Rick Snyder to put out a call for the complete privatization of the school system ala New Orleans after Katrina and Chile after the CIA-backed junta of Augusto Pinochet.

Makes you fucking proud to be an American (cus at least I know I’m freeeeeeee) doesn’t it?

Quick passage of legislation to restructure the cash-strapped Detroit Public Schools was urged Tuesday by Gov. Rick Snyder in his State of the State address.

Snyder also announced he’s appointing a commission on 21st century education to identify how to improve education governance, funding systems and career and college readiness in Michigan schools. Mlive

In the wake of all of this neoliberal wrangling of the poor people of Michigan, President Peace Prize zipped over to Detroit so he could pretend to give a shit about them.

He patted himself on the back for “bringing back jobs” to the auto industry and making the buses run on time while the kids of Detroit stomped on cockroaches and brushed dead rats off their desks while inhaling moldy air so they could try to learn something in their school.

The jobs he ‘brought back” were at about half the going rate for auto workers in America which made Big Business very happy after they received a bailout from ObamaGod.

As for the elephant in the room, he addressed that. He said he met with Flint Mayor Karen Weaver on Tuesday and had a message for her.

“I told her we would have her back and all the people of Flint’s back as they work their way through this terrible tragedy,” he said. “The only job that’s more important to me (than President) is the job as a father. And I know if I was a parent up there, I would be beside myself because my kids health could be at risk,”

President Obama declared an emergency for Flint last week, which gets the city money and resources. That’s not enough, according to Governor Rick Snyder, who is asking for a disaster declaration, which would free up even more money and far more resources. Fox News

So the neoliberal technocrat emergency manager “saved money” by fucking up the school system in Detroit and the water supply of Flint (notice none of the affluent areas are mentioned here? Anyone notice that? Anyone?) which really didn’t “save money” because somehow the school system in Detroit is in even more debt than it was back in 2009.

Now they have to spend EVEN MORE MONEY THAN THEY “SAVED” by fixing the problem caused by the neoliberal emergency managers.

Do I really need to write it again?

1. problem (create one)
2. reaction (oh my goodness, WONT SOMEONE THINK OF THE SUFFERING)
3. solution ($$$$$)

Yes, something “special” is happening in Michigan folks. Get used to it. Affluent or not, eventually every segment of society is going to be made to suffer on behalf of Big Business. Right now it’s these poor bastards in Flint and Detroit. But this “special” treatment is coming to your home, your school, your water supply soon enough.

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