Why Detroit Won’t Elect a Black Democrat to Congress
Detroit, as you know, is a city without a Democratic Party of any kind. No one talks about that, and no one, except perhaps the current mayor, would care to do so; they see our current mayor as a political wannabe, a buffoon, a fool whose antics and incompetence don’t qualify him for the city hall. Well, he might as well get a job now as to wait for the Democrats to call. I know all about the current administration, of course. I have been to Detroit quite a bit over the last eight years, and I’ve seen the city’s deterioration. I’ve seen the decline of the automobile industry, from Henry Ford’s day on down, and the city’s response has been to sell off the remaining parts of that industry and use that money to pay down its debts. Detroit has spent the last eight years doing what most of us would consider reckless things to try to make money in the midst of a city suffering from years of neglect and poverty. There’s a lot to criticize about the current mayor, from the failed attempts to make money by selling off public assets and then the attempt to put the blame on poor kids for not having cars. But then we have to take into account that Detroit is the poorest big city in America, and that is why it’s in the state of emergency, and that is why, with all of the other cities in America, the politicians there are trying to hold back the tide. Detroit is a city of despair, and I understand that.
So, what’s to be done? Well, here’s the short list I suggest:
First, have the city sell off most of the city-owned assets. Then the public could turn that money into a revenue stream to the city’s credit, and it would allow the government to do things like build new schools and build a new bridge.
Second, get rid of Detroit’s emergency manager,