How Bad is Detroit’s Detroitification?

Michigan Capital Confidential ^ | January 21, 2011 | James M. Hohman

[I still care]

That is so sad.

[RobinOfKingston]

An interesting series of photos:

http://detroityes.com/home.htm

[Oldpuppymax]

TRANSLATION: Taxpayers are funding and supporting an entire city full of Obama voters.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

You don’t get it?

When a bureaucrat says they will “create” jobs, they mean that they will double the size of the current Government.

[Calvin Locke]

A guy I worked with in MA. He said his town was the "Carriage
Capital of the World" back in the day, and an old timer's story
was that the town fathers told Henry to take a hike.

I came across his town in Reader's Digest, and sure enough, "ghost
trains" (empty) would arrive at night and leave loaded with
carriages. Something like 50 manufacturers.

Off the top of my head, Boston has Assembly Square (Ford was once there), and GM had an Oldsmobile plant West of Boston.

[I still care]

BTW, Whenever I see a show based in Detroit I always get a shock of recognition - it must have been growing at the same time Long Island was. The houses and architecture are so similar.

Long Island has a lot of beautiful homes. A lot were built in the twenties and thirties in a neo tudor style. Lots of plaster and stucco work, bricks beautifully placed and patterned. Unfortunately Detroit is losing it all.

I’d hate to see Long Island go the same way. Average taxes on a house are about $10K, and I had to leave because I couldn’t pay them.

[I still care]

http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Houses-Twenties-Loizeauxs-Plan/dp/0486273881/ref=pd_sim_b_5#reader_0486273881

The houses in this book are all on the street next to mine on Long Island.

[1raider1]

Are you saying that Indiana was not in the forefront of the US auto industry? Maybe I should do more research and not just rely on information I was given 50 years ago

[EyeGuy]

That’s roughly 75,000 government workers complete with blue ribbon pensions, health care, WAY too generous paid “sick”, vacation and holiday benefits, all nearly completely unsupported by the tax base of the city in which they “work”.

So, who is paying?

[Calvin Locke]

Not at all. Ford probably went looking for experienced craftsmen, and
checked out many places.

With carriage manufacture, you got woodworkers, metalworkers, and
leather workers. And the railroad distribution experience of
some thing other than "commodities".

[Darren McCarty]

Unless the welfare parasites are moved out to say Chicago to kill that “host” - nothing will ever improve. Detroit could be turned into an adventure park for CCW people to explore on the People Mover. They could ride through, explore the city and have shootouts with gangs.

The people mover areas are actually fairly safe. For the shootouts, go down Dexter or Gratiot.

[agere_contra]

True. It’s like necrotising fasciitus.

[IamConservative]

Ford's 4th qtr and Full Year numbers for 2010

Meet or beat estimates do you think?

[Debi911]

And on any given day, 1/3 of Detroit employees call in sick and get paid anyway. That's the way it works and that's Detroit for you. And because of the union none of them get fired, they just work the system.

Oh and almost 1/3 of all foreclosures in Detroit are due to people that cant pay property taxes, not mortgages. Anyone with a half baked brain can see why this city is in ruins.

[taildragger]

Not investment advice but My guess? Meet for sure, but Mulally often exceeds. I think the Volvo Sale and partial sale for Mazda hits for an extra 2 billion plus one time to the bottom line minus one time charges for bond-buy-back refinancing but the revenues should show it. I bet it is at or just over 2.00 per share in earnings for the year. That is huge, 2 bucks on almost 18 / share =’s 11% / share when you consider many thought in March of 09’ they were DOA as a company just like the other two.....

[patton]

The house in your second photo was once a beauty...

Tragic.

[Last Dakotan]

The answer to the question "how did this happen?"

[Lazlo in PA]

The major difference between LI and Detroit is that there was major white flight in the late 60’s and early seventies that decimated the tax paying population. MI has lost something like 1 Million in population over the last 15 years. There are just not any people living in Detroit to take care of it. I was up there 10 years ago when the big three still were employing people and it was still a run down dump. Now no one has jobs.

It will take a long time for LI to become Detroit. What amazes me is that this was one of our most productive industrial hubs. Now it is a ghost town. Here is another fascinating site with pics. Half way down is a Hobo frozen in ice.

http://detroitiscrap.com/detroit-picture-gallery/

[Lazlo in PA]

If you add up the population totals at Detroit’s peak in the 50’s and compare it to today you can see why everything is abandoned. There is almost half the people living there than 60 years ago. That is a lot of houses and businesses that are not needed. Also the quality of citizen living there isn’t what it used to be. Living in a 3rd world Apocalypse is just standard operating procedure.

[Last Dakotan]

There is almost half the people living there than 60 years ago.

Put bluntly - the whites left.