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Name: us
Ages: various
Occupations: various
Last Seen: everywhere
Bee-otched For: killing Detroit--
Motown. The Motor City. Rock City. The D. Hockeytown.
The list goes on and on.
It gave us the automobile assembly line. It also gave us Vernor's, the original Lone Ranger, Dick Tracy, unions, Faygo and Little Caesars Pizza. It also gave us the likes of The Supremes, Eminem, Casey Kasem, James Earl Jones, Ed McMahon, Gilda Radner, Soupy Sales, Bob Segar and too many more to mention. Three out of its four sports teams have won championships in the past 30 years and they were once one of the most-powerful cities on the planet.
As a matter of fact, a lot of my family's from the Detroit area.
But now, Detroit is a shadow of themselves and it shows. Dilapidated buildings line up the city and some of them have been that way for over 40 years. Once-bustling factories have left town and in the past 50 years, about 1.3 million people. It's no real wonder as to why this past week, the city of Detroit did the thinkable: file for Chapter 9 Bankruptcy.
Years of abandonment and poor management by city leaders have left the city in nearly $20 billion in debt and over 100,000 creditors. As usual, people are pointing fingers as to who is responsible for Motown's downfall. The Democrats blame Republicans like Ronald Reagan for killing unions and allowing companies like GM to downsize. The Republicans point the finger at the fact that the last time the city had one of their own running the city, it was indeed 50 years ago and the mayors the city has had since then have been almost all corrupt. The whites blame the blacks for virtually taking over the town and not keeping it up and the blacks blame Whitey for not giving them enough welfare money when jobs left town.
But the real person to blame for Detroit's downfall is simple: walk into your bathroom and look into your mirror. That's right. The real reason for Detroit's transition from powerhouse to poorhouse is simply because of us.
The other day, I posted on Facebook and Twitter that BOTH Democrats and Republicans deserve equal blame for Detroit's tumble. And guess who put those people in office? US. We elected Ronald Reagan who like I said did his union-busting and allowed companies like Toyota to grow while Detroit was making junk. We even shook our heads when we realized that Kwame Kilpatrick - a VERY good reason for Detroit's foibles - was nothing more than a cash-stealing thug.
Look, I like black people. I think for the most part, Barack Obama is doing a good job as president. But with the notable exception of Dennis Archer, Detroit has had nothing but horrid mayors since Coleman Young became mayor in 1974. Archer helped revitalize downtown in the 1990s with new stadiums and casinos that have created many, many jobs.
But when it comes to the issue of white vs. black, it is a sad one, especially since the 1967 riots. I know a lot of people who now live in northern Michigan who used to live in the Detroit area, but "got away from the n*ggers". Yet, there's a lot of towns up north that resemble Detroit with abandoned downtowns (ie Harrieta) and no operating businesses. Not to mention, eyesore after eyesore.
I think the thick of it is simple: we just don't know how to work out a plan to save this once great city. The people who once lived in Detroit won't go back there and the people who do don't have the money to move. True, the Republicans will cry that it's time for a conservative white mayor, but that won't happen. The only way to save Detroit is to find a way to pay the creditors off and move on. How are they going to pony up the $20 billion? True, they can raise some taxes, but not with our Republican governor.
We wish we can turn back time and save this great city. We wish we could go back to do things such as re-elect Jimmy Carter, ban slavery in the beginning, stop the gunman from killing Martin Luther King, Jr., stop foreign automakers from invading America or so many different things.
Maybe that's what Detroit needs to make: the time machine.
---
Got a Bee-otch to nominate? E-mail us @ chuck69dotcom@gmail.com. All suggestions (except for me) are welcome!
Bee-otch of the Day Archives can be seen on http://beeotchoftheday.blogspot.com!
Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
Ages: various
Occupations: various
Last Seen: everywhere
Bee-otched For: killing Detroit--
Motown. The Motor City. Rock City. The D. Hockeytown.
The list goes on and on.
It gave us the automobile assembly line. It also gave us Vernor's, the original Lone Ranger, Dick Tracy, unions, Faygo and Little Caesars Pizza. It also gave us the likes of The Supremes, Eminem, Casey Kasem, James Earl Jones, Ed McMahon, Gilda Radner, Soupy Sales, Bob Segar and too many more to mention. Three out of its four sports teams have won championships in the past 30 years and they were once one of the most-powerful cities on the planet.
As a matter of fact, a lot of my family's from the Detroit area.
But now, Detroit is a shadow of themselves and it shows. Dilapidated buildings line up the city and some of them have been that way for over 40 years. Once-bustling factories have left town and in the past 50 years, about 1.3 million people. It's no real wonder as to why this past week, the city of Detroit did the thinkable: file for Chapter 9 Bankruptcy.
Years of abandonment and poor management by city leaders have left the city in nearly $20 billion in debt and over 100,000 creditors. As usual, people are pointing fingers as to who is responsible for Motown's downfall. The Democrats blame Republicans like Ronald Reagan for killing unions and allowing companies like GM to downsize. The Republicans point the finger at the fact that the last time the city had one of their own running the city, it was indeed 50 years ago and the mayors the city has had since then have been almost all corrupt. The whites blame the blacks for virtually taking over the town and not keeping it up and the blacks blame Whitey for not giving them enough welfare money when jobs left town.
But the real person to blame for Detroit's downfall is simple: walk into your bathroom and look into your mirror. That's right. The real reason for Detroit's transition from powerhouse to poorhouse is simply because of us.
The other day, I posted on Facebook and Twitter that BOTH Democrats and Republicans deserve equal blame for Detroit's tumble. And guess who put those people in office? US. We elected Ronald Reagan who like I said did his union-busting and allowed companies like Toyota to grow while Detroit was making junk. We even shook our heads when we realized that Kwame Kilpatrick - a VERY good reason for Detroit's foibles - was nothing more than a cash-stealing thug.
Look, I like black people. I think for the most part, Barack Obama is doing a good job as president. But with the notable exception of Dennis Archer, Detroit has had nothing but horrid mayors since Coleman Young became mayor in 1974. Archer helped revitalize downtown in the 1990s with new stadiums and casinos that have created many, many jobs.
But when it comes to the issue of white vs. black, it is a sad one, especially since the 1967 riots. I know a lot of people who now live in northern Michigan who used to live in the Detroit area, but "got away from the n*ggers". Yet, there's a lot of towns up north that resemble Detroit with abandoned downtowns (ie Harrieta) and no operating businesses. Not to mention, eyesore after eyesore.
I think the thick of it is simple: we just don't know how to work out a plan to save this once great city. The people who once lived in Detroit won't go back there and the people who do don't have the money to move. True, the Republicans will cry that it's time for a conservative white mayor, but that won't happen. The only way to save Detroit is to find a way to pay the creditors off and move on. How are they going to pony up the $20 billion? True, they can raise some taxes, but not with our Republican governor.
We wish we can turn back time and save this great city. We wish we could go back to do things such as re-elect Jimmy Carter, ban slavery in the beginning, stop the gunman from killing Martin Luther King, Jr., stop foreign automakers from invading America or so many different things.
Maybe that's what Detroit needs to make: the time machine.
---
Got a Bee-otch to nominate? E-mail us @ chuck69dotcom@gmail.com. All suggestions (except for me) are welcome!
Bee-otch of the Day Archives can be seen on http://beeotchoftheday.blogspot.com!
Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
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