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I know that Detroit is not Chicago or New york but we are in the process of rebuilding this city. We have things to offer. No our downtown area is not what it use to be but it is on the upswing. With new businesses opening, Hardrock cafe', the compuware building, we have our summer festivals, clubs, restaurants, The Fox theatre, our beautiful riverfront. Not to mention ice skating downtown at Campus Martius, the Casino, Our sports arenas i.e.Ford Field, Comerica. We are trying to improve our city it may take a while but I have faith that it will happen.

As someone who has lived in downtown Cleveland, I've heard a lot about "revitalization."

Ball parks don't do it. Restaurants don't do it. Bars certainly don't do it. It takes people living there and it takes big businesses being headquartered there. Sports arenas, bars, and restaurants don't do that. They bring people downtown for a few hours and then they get in their cars and drive back to the suburbs.

It takes a serious, serious commitment to turn around a downtown--and, more importantly--it takes continuous commitment, especially in a place that isn't a "natural" population center (i.e., not New York, Chicago, or LA). Take Indianapolis, for instance: the city put in a lot of effort to bring back the downtown, only to let it go, so to speak, once the downtown had made it "back." As a result, the city is beginning to slip again.

I think Detroit (and Cleveland, for that matter) need major attitude changes before the city will become prosperous again. I frankly don't know how that will happen in either one because the voters are heavily democratic and the candidates who win elections will continue to deliver the same message that wins them election year after year.

And--seriously--this isn't a Republican vs. Democrat issue; I really don't care WHO it is that is going to make the hard choices that are required to turn around a major city, but it just has to be done and there is NO incentive to do so when people continue to win elections with lip service.

The definition of stupid is continuing to do the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Welcome to Cleveland (and, I expect, Detroit).

Downtown, as well as bricktown and Greektown isn't bad. I feel perfectly safe there, and have been there at night. There's still some good neighborhoods there, but they are high money areas. Rosedale Park, Indian Village, Palmer Park, and those areas always have been rich areas.

The big problems are jobs, schools, corruption in government, property taxes, and crime. The jobs is a regional problem here too. As far as schools go, Cass Tech and Renasannce should be the norm, not the exception. The corruption there between Wayne County and Detroit City governments makes me blush, and I've seen a lot. The taxes and regulations are so bad that it is cheaper for me to live in Grosse Pointe than the city of Detroit. As far as crime, it isn't as bad as it was, but still bad. My cousin was almost carjacked while working in Brightmoor (he floored his car). That area's been bad for 50 years, but my aunt and uncle's house were broken into in the Parkland area, and that's supposedly a good part of the city.

I hope your right, but I can't see Detroit making a comeback if they keep electing the same bums and their familes to office. I do have some hope for Ken Cockrel however. From what I can see out here, he seems to have a good head on his shoulder.