Naked Capitalism Link of the Day

Today's link: Gov. Scott Walker Reportedly Planning Financial Martial Law in Wisconsin, at Forbes:

Reports are surfacing that Scott Walker is now preparing his next assault on the democratic political process in the State of Wisconsin. Following the lead of Michigan GOP Governor Rick Snyder, Walker is said to be preparing a plan that would allow him to force local governments to submit to a financial stress test with an eye towards permitting the governor to take over municipalities that fail to meet with Walker’s approval.
According to the reports, should a locality’s financial position come up short, the Walker legislation would empower the governor to insert a financial manager of his choosing into local government with the ability to cancel union contracts, push aside duly elected local government officials and school board members and take control of Wisconsin cities and towns whenever he sees fit to do so.

What is the deal about Midwestern governors attempting to top each other as the biggest asshole?  Prior to the 2010 election, this was a civil, but struggling region.  Since then, it has become a competition amongst the governors of Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania to create the most dysfunctionally operating, regressive, cruel to the poor third-world model failed state.  And the competition is pretty fierce.  The privatization, slashing of environmental regulatory enforcement, cuts to social programs and tax cuts for the wealthy, along with runaway centralization of power in the governor's offices is absolutely terrifying.  Never vote Republican.  They always will screw you.