Detroit is an example of economic dynamics being cruel over the course of 40 years to a large population. It has nothing to do with right wing or liberal policies. Unions have their pros and cons. It takes skill politicians to make anything work, doesn't matter what their ideology is. It's about pragmaticism. You can keep blaming all that is bad on liberals and see how far that gets you or anyone else. But until you realize that the solution to our countries problems isn't more guns and isn't about supply-side economics and letting industry go wild, you are just one of the voters who is preventing us from transitioning into a 21st century economy.
Maybe but I'd use where I live (Minneapolis/St Paul) as a counter-example. The weather here is far worse in the winter than Detroit, yet there has been positive immigration to the cities for sometime. I'd say the MSP metro is an example of what a well run city and state can do. Minnesota (and the Twin Cities in particular) ranks at the top in terms of education and an educated workforce. Unlike the South which is attracting a lot of manufacturing because of its lax labor laws and lower wages, you're seeing a lot of high wage job growth here (especially in technology) Invest in education and create an educated workforce and the jobs will come in spite of the weather. Detroit can absolutely recreate itself but its a process that can't be done instantly. Coming from Houston, I can see such a huge difference in urban planning and city management here. Not to bag on Houston, but the city just isn't run as well and the state definitely is run much more terribly than Minnesota.
Why didn't the come anywhere? Because they were at your mom's house. Seriously this is stupid even for a complete idiot like yourself. Commodore - do you have a job?
I'm not an Obama fanboy by any means but people taking the Detroit bankrupt quote out of the context and believing they have a point is pretty dumb.
http://m.theatlantic.com/national/a...were-predicting-detroit-would-go-bust/277946/ Even a Half-Century Ago, Journalists Were Predicting Detroit Would Go Bust CONOR FRIEDERSDORF JUL 19 2013, 9:20 AM ET Reuters News that Detroit has officially declared bankruptcy inspired me to dig into old newspaper and magazine stories to relive the city's glory years, and perhaps reread the stories of decline I remember from my childhood, when the nation was panicked about the Japanese taking over industry. What I hadn't realized is how long there have been warning signs that all was not well in Motor City. Three examples are sufficient for purposes of illustration. The Outlook, June 15, 1921 Although this piece long predates the high point of Detroit's rise, the snapshot it provides of the city is a reminder that the automotive industry has always been prone to sudden booms and busts, and that busts have the capacity to affect Detroit like natural disasters affect other cities: The Reporter, October 31, 1957 What struck me about this piece was the journalist's wonder at plant growth making incursions into urban life -- and the fact that most of what the city is suffering today was laid out more than 50 years ago, right down to a silver lining still being echoed today: The Reporter, April 17, 1958 In "Detroit's Great Debate: Where Did We Go Wrong?" Eric Larrabee wrote: Perhaps in our lifetime, the sea will rise, America's great coastal cities will be beset by flooding and hurricanes, and the once great cities of the mid-West will rise again. Meanwhile, Detroit is going through a bust that, looking back at the factors cited in decades past, seems almost inevitable.
Keep deluding yourself that it had nothing to do with liberal policies and especially union control. What is killing blue states across the country are the unfunded pension liabilities that municipalities and state governments are stuck with - a result of wildly outlandish pension and government employee benefit programs. The union same dynamics made the US auto industry uncompetetive in relation to foreign producers, but God Forbid anyone tries to do anything about it. They ignored it for decades until it literally brought this down on them. Keep blaming sane government and sane budgeting all you want, your socialist utopia can ONLY ultimately result in bankruptcy. Detroit is the first big Blue city. It won't be the last.
And just to illustrate... Ingham County judge rules Detroit bankruptcy be withdrawn; Schuette appeals http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130719/METRO01/307190099/Ingham-County-judge-rules-Detroit-bankruptcy-withdrawn-Schuette-appeals Her reasoning? The judge said state law guards against retirement benefits being “diminished,” but there will be no such protection in federal bankruptcy court. The city needs to be able to restructure the pension system in order to become solvent, but it can't because the unions won't allow it. They'd rather see the city go broke than see any benefits cut. This is the liberal mindset in action. It's like watching a snake eat its tail.
Kudos treeman!!!! Thanks for being a voice of common sense around here. Common sense is in very short supply on this liberal dominated forum.
Abysmally ignorant statement. There is no mechanism for a state to file for bankruptcy. Chapter 7 is for individuals and businesses, Chapter 13 is a personal reorganization, Chapter 11 is a reorganization for businesses and individuals that exceed the Chapter 13 debt limits, Chapter 12 is for farmers or fishermen and Chapter 9 is expressly limited to municipalities. In short, there is no chapter under the Bankruptcy Code for a state to file a bankruptcy case. There never has been. You would have known that had you bothered to run a quick Google search before posting your drivel.
You are correct but what will happen when poorly run liberal states go under? Will the federal government come rushing to bail them out when they themselves are rushing towards 20+ trillion in debt? Who will bail out the federal government when they go under?????
The US Trustee will oversee the drafting of the Chapter 9 plan and the judge will determine whether it meets the statutory requirements for confirmation. Often, the confirmation process allows for real negotiation in order to avoid a protracted and costly confirmation hearing in open court. The reality is the judge is unlikely to reduce the pension benefits as those are claims entitled to a priority under the code, but restructuring those benefits is a real possibility.
I see no credible evidence that this is likely to happen. In other words, the sky isn't falling. Even if it were, there are things that states can do that municipalities cannot do unilaterally. Sates generally can adjust their budget much more easily than a city. Likewise, states can adjust their tax rates, etc. municipalities are constrained by state laws as part of their municipal charter. States are not...they make the laws.
Refman, as long as the dollar is the worlds reserve currency we will be okay because we can just keep on printing more and more and more and more etc...... How long will the world stand for the dollar being the world currency when the US is SOOOOO irresponsible with its own finances??? We are screwed when the dollar is no longer the world currency. There is no doubt "if" this will happen , it is only a matter of "when".
Per the ling I posted a Michigan judge has already put the brakes on the bankruptcy. But that is only a bump in the road. Restructuring the benefits plans is the whole purpose of declaring bankruptcy. The unions are not willing to negotiate so it's the only way the city can reduce its costs. Don't be surprised if the benefits do end up getting reduced to some extent, either. It'll be really hard to avoid that if future solvency is the goal.
Never mind, of course, that those collapsing blue states are consistently the most productive states in output. Or that, thanks to their wealth, they subsidize the "healthy" red states. Or that red states have just as deep and significant budgetary problems as blue states. Pensions are certainly a major problem - but it's only one of many that affects state budgets. The majority of red states that are economically successful are the ones blessed with tons of natural resources. Beyond that, the blue and purple states are consistently where the majority of wealth in the country is generated. Blue states aren't "dying" by any stretch of the imagination.
Show me some numbers please. Sounds pretty. For most states and municipalities (especially the latter) unfunded pension liabilities are THE largest contributor to insolvency. That is certainly the case with Detroit. It is a problem that many states face - red and blue - but it tends to be worse in blue startes and less of an issue in right to work states. Natural resources are fine and dandy, and they certainly help, but that is not the only factor. Policies matter. Create a business-friendly environment like Texas has and you will stimulate economic activity in your state and draw businesses and workers away from less competitive states like CA and NY. Limit the power of unions and you will be able to balance your budget as they did in Wisconsin after decades of liberal mismanagement and a union stranglehold. Blue states like CA and NY have enormous amounts of wealth and are going to take a while to wither, but the writing is on the wall. Excessive taxation and regulation does not create a business-friendly environment, and businesses and people have leaving those states in droves for the past few years, mostly for red states. Texas gained 4 congressional seats, NY and CA both lost seats, as did other blue states. The blue model is not doing well.
