two quick vignettes from republican america in today's news. first from benton harbor, michigan, a town taken over after the new republican controlled legislature and michigan's new republican governor expanded and beefed up a law covering emergency financial managers. under the new law the state government can declare a local emergency, overrule local elections and replace any locally elected officials. republican governor rick snyder's administration will weigh in and do what they want in a town or a school district. they will override local democracy and local control. in april the emergency manager put in charge of benton harbor, michigan, declared unilaterally the elected officials of the city would hence worth be allowed to do three things. call a meeting to order, approve meeting minutes and adjourn a meeting. that's it. does not matter the town voted for these elected officials. they're not allowed to do anything now. despite that order, benton harbor's locally elected town commissioners recently decided to do something other than call