Detroit??
- Thread starter 57Brave
- Start date
kingphatcow
High School Draftee
let it go bankrupt. it's so liberal/union/corrupt that we might as well just set our money on fire.
zitothebrave
Connoisseur of Minors
Let it tank. Eventually hipsters will go there and gentrify the **** out of that place. Look at Brooklyn. 20 years ago place was a ****hole, now it's one of the richer areas out there.
57Brave
Well-known member
good point- but like one person above said, how do you attract people? Brooklyn has the highest real estate ranges in the country across the river --- to attract people
zitothebrave
Connoisseur of Minors
Hipsters find their way. It will happen. They find pretty much any other city. Heck a nearby Hipster haven of Minneapolis and Chicago would probably lose a few. Portland isn't by anything and it's arguably the biggest hipster city in the world.
zitothebrave
Connoisseur of Minors
Yup. Someone will buy up healthy chunks of the city then others will follow. If I had the money I'd buy up some of the old Detroit mansions. Not to mention eventually the city/state will make itself more corporate friendly moving jobs there.
57Brave
Well-known member
and this:
By focusing the blame for Detroit’s bankruptcy solely on workers’ pensions, rather than having a more comprehensive discussion that includes both pension benefits and corporate giveaways, the right can engineer the political environment for the truly immoral reality mentioned at the beginning of this article — the one highlighted this week by the Associated Press story headlined “Arena Likely Still On Track, Business As Usual For Sports Teams Despite Bankruptcy Filing.” Yes, that’s correct: at the same time government officials are talking about slashing the meager $19,000-a-year pensions of workers who don’t get Social Security, those officials are promising that they will still go forward with a plan to spend a whopping $283 million of taxpayer money on a new stadium for the Red Wings.
http://www.salon.com/2013/07/23/dont_buy_the_right_wing_myth_about_detroit/
By focusing the blame for Detroit’s bankruptcy solely on workers’ pensions, rather than having a more comprehensive discussion that includes both pension benefits and corporate giveaways, the right can engineer the political environment for the truly immoral reality mentioned at the beginning of this article — the one highlighted this week by the Associated Press story headlined “Arena Likely Still On Track, Business As Usual For Sports Teams Despite Bankruptcy Filing.” Yes, that’s correct: at the same time government officials are talking about slashing the meager $19,000-a-year pensions of workers who don’t get Social Security, those officials are promising that they will still go forward with a plan to spend a whopping $283 million of taxpayer money on a new stadium for the Red Wings.
http://www.salon.com/2013/07/23/dont_buy_the_right_wing_myth_about_detroit/
zitothebrave
Connoisseur of Minors
This is great
weso1
<B>Clique Leader</B>
I like that the writer invented a strawman argument from the right and then made a really long article bashing that argument. Seems like it would've saved him some time if he just wouldn't have invented that strawman argument in the first place.
acesfull86
Well-known member
That's just good journalism right there
bravesnumberone
Well-known member
Well Obama said he wasn't going to let it go bankrupt during the election campaign, so we should be good, right? Right?
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
I think the problem in a lot of American cities is that changing patterns of work and development have robbed cities of a ton of tax base and left them with a dwindling tax base to maintain the necessary funding structure. I can't remark about other states, but in Minnesota, public workers have long contributed to their own pension and health benefits which is different than in many other states/cities experiencing problems. But police and fire are necessary expenditures and pension costs are a legitimate part of that. That doesn't mean contribution rates and benefit structures shouldn't be explored, but I'm willing to provide incentives for those folks who want to put their lives on the line in service of the community.
The other side of the coin though (and here is where a ton of cities make a ton of mistakes) is the give-aways to corporations to re-locate into a city. With increasing competition for corporate presence, those deals rarely pay off as there is always someone willing to under-bid for a company or corporate reorganizations move a corporate presence before the incentives have paid for themselves. And stadiums, arenas, and other entertainment centers don't provide stable economic development past the construction of said facilities. What has saved us in the Twin Cities is that the "money" has stayed in town. There are strong middle class communities within the Twin Cities (and more than a smattering of rich folks) that are willing to pay for a certain basket of public goods. It appears to me (and I could easily be wrong) that all the "money" has left Detroit. The big bucks to the Gross Pointe family of suburbs and the middle class to places like Livonia, Novi, Taylor and other mid-priced venues. And when income leaves, property values dwindle. That hasn't left much in Detroit.
I don't know what to do, but the solution is going to have to go beyond the simplistic which both sides tend to employ.
CK86
Awaiting a Promotion
If you bail out Detroit, don't you risk setting the precedence of bailing out any big city that manages their money poorly? I'm guessing those in California will be eagerly watching how this is handled. I hope we don't bail out Detroit but with the current President and Congress, I just know it's coming.
Julio3000
<B>A Chip Off the Old Rock</B>
Yeah, Congress is really on board with the President's agenda.
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
NYC was bailed out in the 1970s, so there is a precedent. The problem is in this instance is that there is a difference in degree of the current state of affairs and the prospects for the future than what existed in the case of NYC.