It's easy to forget about Detroit when you are in California. Different world... seems like different planets.
California has been blessed with a lot of natural advantages that enable an outdoor lifestyle and a focus on things other than heavy manufacturing... although there is some of that. This particular area along the coast is unusual in that it is relatively inexpensive [compared with other parts of the California coastline near large cities]. There are a lot of modest homes that line the few blocks between the ocean and the dusty hills.
So, it was an "I should have expected it" moment when my daughter-in-law handed me the October 5 issue of Time magazine with the Special Report... The Tragedy of Detroit. For those in the Detroit area, it was not a new story... a predominantly white, industrial, wealthy city that had a major influx of poor, less-educated blacks drawn to the industrial jobs after WWII, followed by rising racial tensions, riots, white flight, corrupt black government and, now, on the verge of dissolution.
Former Detroit Mayor and jail occupant, Kwame KilpatrickThe Time story was bad enough, but then the weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal showed up and, wow, right on page one was the story: In One Home, a Mighty City's Rise and Fall with the subtitle Price of Typical Detroit House: $7,100.
There have been a number of ideas about how to "fix" Detroit. My own perspective is that Detroit is not "fixable." It has too much geography, too little population, too many non-educated residents, too little knowledge and morality to run a city. Detroit is not salvageable.
Among other related posts:
- and going back to early 2005
But one a brighter note, the Detroit Lions ended a losing streak that lasted over three years. Now if Detroit could end a losing streak that has lasted well over three decades.
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