What killed Detroit? Let’s not forget the ‘who.’

Washington Post ^ | July 19, 2013 | Jena McGregor

[RayChuang88]

What killed Detroit was not only the awful rule of the Democrat-controlled city government, but the very fact the government refused to accept the fact that Japanese competition in the 1970's was destroying Detroit's economy and they should have aggressively diversified their economic base to compensate.

After all, until the end of the 1980's, the presence of Moffatt naval Air Station, Lockheed Space and Missiles, and FMC contributed hugely to the economy of the southern San Francisco Bay Area. But as their presence waned, new companies took their place, so today the economy of the southern Bay Area is now dominated by Apple, Google and to a lesser extent Facebook. Detroit--under the right governance--could transition from being dominated by the auto industry and replaced by being the main transit point for goods trade between the USA and Canada.

[Teacher317]

The unions?

The Detroit bankruptcy has been put on hold because a judge declared it unConstitutional. Apparently, the unions changed the state Constitution to mandate that public employee benefits never be diminished. Economic realities need not apply in the Progressive dystopia.

[Teacher317]

white flight to the suburbs rightly earn a place as a driver of the city’s blight”

Funny how the departure of 400,000 whites from Detroit to the suburbs between 1950 and 1960 are never mentioned, but the departure of the next 400,000 between 1960 and 1970 is indicative of a "white problem" even though whites were running in fear for their families' safety after the riots. When NINETY-FIVE PERCENT of a population departs a relatively small location, in just two generations, that's a really huge indicator of a problem... and the Left willfully ignores any mention of it.

(Just before the 1967 Riots, there were 1.1 million whites in Detroit. There are now 55,000. They peaked at 1.5 million in 1950.)

Another interesting stat: Despite a less-than-1% growth rate from 1970 to 2000, blacks went from 10% of Detroit's population in 1940 to 90% in 2010.

[princeofdarkness]

..and if they did, was the editor on vacation?

[cloudmountain]

Detroit today is 80% African-American, with a whole generation educated by a failed school system which produced an almost third world level of academic achievement. It has proven to be incapable of effective self government. The only hope of recovery is a long period of adult leadership in receivership, like DC had.

Sounds about right to me.
What a sad commentary about America's black population...and their TOTALLY misplaced belief and reliance on the liberals.

[Mad Dawgg]

Low information voters killed Detroit, just like they are killing the rest of the country.

But hey, at least they got their Obamaphones...

[Mad Dawgg]

"The author is mistaking a symptom for a cause."

No see, in the liberal lexicon White Flight is a major cause of Urban Blight. See whitey should have stuck around so the liberals could mine them for taxes and fees to keep the liberal paradises (solid voting blocks) chuggin along.

Its always Whitey's fault when the liberals fail.

[hal ogen]

Re: “...like DC had.” So from this am I to assume DC is “good government”? Aren’t most of the pols there under investigation, under indictment or in prison at any given moment?Is it possible to lower the bar any further, if that is the case.

[BeauBo]

The District of Columbia has “improved” government, not really good government. Under Mayor “Bitch set me up” Marion Barry, DC had notoriously corrupt and ineffective governance, becoming for a time the murder capital of the USA. The Federal Gov took direct control of their finances (because there is no State to do it) and appointed managers for years. The roads and neighborhoods are definitely improved, but the schools still are lousy union monopolies with abysmal performance.

[MasterGunner01]

Detroit is the American Zimbabwe. The difference is one’s a city and the other’s a country, but both are ruled by Africans.