Thursday, March 10, 2011

Amid Democratic Revolutions Abroad, Authoritarian Revolutions at Home


By Jackie Smith
As Egyptians and other democracy advocates around the Middle East celebrate their gains in winning concessions from authoritarian regimes, at home we are witnessing a revolution of authoritarianism. Republican governors across the country are seeking to simultaneously seize authority from state legislatures and undermine the ability of ordinary citizens to affect the decisions that shape their lives.


In Wisconsin, Scott Walker’s controversial legislation proposes not just to eliminate worker rights and benefits but also to undercut legislative oversight of key decisions. Similarly, in a highly under-reported development, the Michigan legislature just advanced a bill that would allow the state to take over struggling municipal agencies. Emergency financial managers trained in corporate management logic would be empowered to end existing contracts, take over pension plans, reorganize departments, restructure debt, and dissolve or consolidate fiscally troubled towns and schools. The justification for their decisions is based on economic efficiency, not community well being. But as a writer in the Michigan Messenger asks: “What values will guide these individuals or firms as they work to balance budgets? How will a manager decide whether to sell off an ice rink or a library?” (http://michiganmessenger.com/47013/bill-offers-no-guidelines-for-use-of-emergency-managers-powers)

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Labor Rights in Mideast and Mid-West Are Key to Counter-terrorism

by Jackie Smith

As popular groups around the Middle East challenge authoritarian rulers long supported by the West, U.S. officials are resisting our own democratic movements to defend basic rights and freedoms. The simultaneity of these struggles is no coincidence. Along with militant fundamentalism, they are responses to the current moment of crisis, which grows from the basic limits of U.S. power.

The United States and its allies have supported dictators in the Middle East in order to ensure stable and secure supplies of cheap oil. Low-cost energy fueled the industrial growth that allowed many in the rich countries of the world to enjoy rising standards of living. But we’re now seeing the limits to this economic expansion in the form of peak oil, water scarcity, rising food prices, and chronic unemployment.