Face the Nation on CBS actually had a fairly compelling segment this morning for those who missed it. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder was on to talk about (what else?) the Detroit bankruptcy and where the state expects things to go from here. He covered a lot of the severe dysfunction the city has been experiencing for years, ranging from the massive number of abandoned and extremely dangerous neighborhoods to the fact that it takes the police, on average, an hour to respond to an emergency call. But the real meat of the conversation came when Bob Schieffer asked him about the possibility of either a state or federal bailout to get the city back on its feet.

Gov. Rick Snyder, R-Mich., said Sunday on “Face the Nation” that granting Detroit a government bailout would be the wrong way to help the bankrupt city.

“I do not view that as the right answer,” Snyder told “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer when asked whether he would ask the federal government for a bailout. “The right answer is, bankruptcy is there to deal with the debt question.”

Snyder said the state cannot bail out Detroit, and while the federal government will make its own decision on a bailout, he said, “I don’t expect one.”

“It’s not just about putting more money in a situation,” the governor said. “It’s about better services to citizens again. It’s about accountable government.”

Snyder doesn’t seem to be open to a state bailout of Detroit in any way shape or form. As to a bailout from Washington, he allowed that it was up to the federal government, but he didn’t feel that was the answer either. This is going to prove to be serious bait for liberal activists and union supporters to attack him, but he’s preaching the kind of tough medicine which will likely be the only long term solution rather than a band aid. If Detroit is to be restored, there will need to be drastic cuts in money going out, not only on a day to day basis but in terms of long term obligations. At the same time, they have to manage to pay for essential emergency services and develop a plan for how to clear the abandoned territory and prepare it for new growth and refurbishment. None of this is going to be easy if it’s even possible at all.

The video follows.