[nfbmi-talk] low crimes and misdemeanors at mcb

[joe harcz Comcast]

Low Crimes and Misdemeanors

 

Colleagues:

 

 

Note the following section from the RSA Fiscal Year 2009 Monitoring Protocols: 

“While only RSA staff will carry out monitoring activities, the review process is supported and strengthened by collaboration with key state agency staff, as well as other stakeholders.  Input will be solicited from the State Rehabilitation Councils (SRC), SILCs, Client Assistance Programs, consumer groups, service providers and other stakeholders whenever appropriate.”

 

Now, I’d like to openly ask if there is even one consumer let alone any consumer organization that was involved with the Michigan Commission for the Blind monitoring? In fact the answer is: “No”. and, to this very date, even the members of the Michigan commission for the Blind board are still clueless let alone not engaged. In fact in the so-called Special Meeting of the MCB Board of May 3, 2010 where the commissioners went into closed session for the purpose of discussing their rolls and responsibilities among other illegal and inane things everyone commented in open session later that they haven’t even seen the preliminary monitoring report issued in September of 2009 by RSA let alone be engaged during the process. Moreover they clearly are in the dark about the required action plans and other “rebuttals” to that monitoring, let alone any real budgetary information or issues with same. 

 

Now, the public at large has been illegally prevented from seeing this critical information through numerous abuses and violations of the Michigan Freedom of Information Act. And these people also include the very consumer groups referenced like say the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan, or Advocates for the Blind, or the Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired for that matter.

 

A commission by law, and I’m speaking of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is supposed to be “autonomous” and “consumer driven”. Ours isn’t even “re-active”, because it generally doesn’t even request timely and accessible information in which to exercise its responsibilities or it doesn’t get it even when requested. In fact it just dawned on the Commissioners at this May 3 meeting that they have a roll in developing and actually writing policy. Wow, what a revelation eh?

 

Moreover, watchdogs and consumer organizations once again are routinely denied public information.

 

By the way these are more than civil matters or allegations for knowing violations of the Freedom of Information Act by public officials and violations of the Michigan Open Meetings Act (which MCB also has violated) are also misdemeanors and thus criminal acts.

 

It certainly is a crime in the truest sense of that word what Patrick Cannon has done in denying access to the process and even information which in turn has led to firing of qualified staff who are blind, fundamental violations of civil rights of consumers, and the whole plethora of activities that have now jeopardized the very existence of the Michigan Commission for the Blind.

 

Fundamentally though the exclusion of consumers and consumer organizations from the beginning through the conclusion of the monitoring process to this very day on its findings and actions to date is typical of the abuse of power that has been going on during the reign of terror by this agency director against the very people he is charged to serve with a $118,000 plus salary to boot. Well I guess he figured out how to get one man who is blind quality employment with only an Associates Degree and a whole lot of spin as credentials.

 

Since he is grossly  unqualified by the fact that he has no frontline experience with the rehabilitation of people who are blind, let alone only having a passing acquaintence with skills of blindness like say Braille or independent travel,  I’m surprised that he didn’t appoint himself as the new director of the MCB Training Center and hog up that position and salary for himself.  Along with his duties as MCB Director and State of Michigan Americans with disabilities Act coordinator position this could be just another job he can’t do to add to his resume, and, of course precious pension, let alone his benighted legacy 

 

Wow, why doesn’t Cannon just fire everyone on the Commission and staff of the Commission and cut out all that nasty middle person stuff? Oh, no he couldn’t do that for then he wouldn’t have some convenient scape goat to blame when the bovine scatology hits the proverbial fan.

 

Joe Harcz

 

June 2, 2010

 

(Still awaiting openness, transparency, inclusion, accessibility, and accountability.)