GMs ghosts

Since 1950, Detroit?s population has fallen from 1.85 million to around 900,000, and approximately one in three lots in the city are empty lots or abandoned homes. Detroit has been victimized by serious depopulation and disinvestment

Sounds like they need to raise taxes, raise fines and license costs, impose strict environmental regulations, and impose onerous permit fees. And have the police write more tickets so they can hire more police. That should bring them quite a haul. They can hire more government workers that way.

I think that would be a death blow.

My work is USA wide and it seems that the poorest states / cities / towns have the highest taxes and the most police.

The union controlled states up north are just as bad. Few companies want to locate there and many are leaving.

Next are the Pacific coast states. I have never seen anywhere as anti-business as Washington and Oregon. California is better than either of those two.

It is interesting to note that people who drink/eat diet something are the ones who are really obese and nothing like the advertizements.

More and higher taxes is not autoamtically a recipy for better government.

There are some simple laws of economics that say

- interest on money 4% - taxes max 10% - inflation between 0-1% - company profit and growth 10%

makes for a healthy economy.

Inflation below 0 is bad as well as too much of any of the above

You may notice that the higher you fill a pig's trough, the more he roots out onto the ground.

Look at Libya.

The pig there took everything and there are several other similar pigs around.

Mind you the biggest pigs are usually with heavy US support to the very end

US, Russian, Chinese, etc... Lots of pigs to bribe. So much of the time, the foreign aid that our politicians brag about goes first and foremost to the pigs, just as Orwell conceived.

it is a sad state; but comparing Michigan to other states demonstrates (in my mind) the need to ensure the environment and infastucture is well maintained. company managers and workers do not want to live in a hell hole. transportation of goods becomes problematic, and this inefficiency causes further problems. it will take money to rectify the roads etc. but there would be no hope for the community if the investment is not made. perhaps this reluctance to invest in detroit is because most citizens there are black poorly educated and poor- it is a failure of the government that has the responsibilty to it's constituents.

"raamman" wrote

Why are the citizens there poor and poorly educated? The auto industry provided lots of good paying jobs and opportunities to get an education. IMO, Detroit should have been a thriving middle class city with at least high school education. I don't see it as a failure of government, but a failure of the citizens to take responsibility for their own lives. Walter Reuther was going to take care of them wasn't he?

Sure, it has fallen on hard times with the loss of jobs, but the present residents are probably the leftovers that did not take advantage of education when they could. This ravage did not take place just last week or last month. Instead of trying to fix the infrastructure, plow it over and plant corn and soybeans.

This is not the first town to be abandoned but it may be the biggest.

This has been happening over a long time and noone know how nor where this will end.

you know, I do agree with you, that the people do have a responsibility to enrich themselves when and where possible. I can't say what happened and or conjecture why- fairly idle speculation and moot at this point. And it is a valid point that where youth are capable of enriching themselves from impoversed places in africa and india that youth in detroit should be quite capable of doing the same. I am not trying to prendend to have the answers; I am just stating my opinion based on what I have observed in other states and countries. Investing in good roads and infrastructure seems to result in better lives all around.

addendum: I doubt the soil in the detroit area is safe for any agricultural intent

"raamman" wrote

Good point. Flood it, freeze it, make an NHL training camp.

Having good paying jobs sometimes reduces the desire of the working people to become better educated.. Why should they? They can make good money and retire well by driving in screws. I think you see this a lot in communities where there are traditional good paying jobs.

I asked a girl if she knew the difference between a bolt and a screw and she said she had never been bolted.