Simple Truths

• Police are public servants. In a democracy (at least this one), the people decide how they are to  be policed. One of the cornerstones of our democracy is that the military is commanded by civilians. The same principle applies to the police. There is a term for the alternative: police state.
• The voters of Michigan rejected Michigan's emergency manager law in November 2012. Within a few weeks the Michigan legislature passed--and Gov. Rick Snyder signed--pretty much the same law. They also attached a sham appropriation to the law to make certain that the Michigan voters couldn't overturn it again. (Apparently Michigan Republicans aren't crazy about democracy.)  With the Flint water crisis we see what can happen when democratically elected city officials are stripped of their authority and replaced by "managers" whose primary responsibilities don't seem to include the welfare of city residents.
• I agree with Kevin Drum: Donald Trump has really been a fairly mediocre businessman.  That's what the Democrats and his other opponents should be focusing on.