I really hate having to write blog entries like this; I really do. For those of you, who actually read here; I was born and raised on the southwest side of Detroit. I left Detroit, with my parents, in 1989. Our house was burglarized by a family member’s friend and yes, he was involved too. As much as it greatly pains me to say this; the city and that part of the city, where I grew up, is not what it once was. I have very fond memories of growing up in Detroit; hanging with my buddy Joe, who now lives in Lima, Ohio —- going to Church over on Military Street off of Vernor Highway — just a good place to grow up. I realize some of you might find it hard to believe, that growing up in Detroit was a good thing; but, believe me it was. I would not trade my childhood for nothing at all.
The reason why I do not like writing blog entries like this, is because it just makes the City of Detroit and Michigan look bad. I always get my feathers in an uproar, when people, who do not even live around here, begin writing articles about this area, like they are some sort of expert on this area. The way I see it, if you have never lived here, worked here or worshiped here; you ought to just keep your mouth shut. I know, it sounds a bit gruff; chalk it up to a ghetto attitude, a Detroit attitude or just someone who is not to keen on outsiders running their mouths, when they ought to just keep out of the city’s business. Whatever it is, when I see the mostly woefully uninformed criticism, my defenses kick in. Yes, I know who runs and controls Detroit now; I do not like it anymore than anyone else. But to say that skin pigmentation has a thing to do with the city of Detroit’s problems is asinine at best. There seems to be a bit of that, on the right, at sites like this one here.
The Nation is in a horrible recession, some would even say a “double dip” recession. This is the thing that is causing Detroit’s fiscal problems; it is what is known as “kicking the can down the road.” America as a Nation, has done it for decades. Detroit has done it since about the 1970’s; and now they are at the point where the road that they have kicked said can down —- is at the gates of hell and they are now trying to figure out a method of escape. Sort of like what is happening in Washington DC at the moment.
So when I see this story in the Detroit Free Press, a very liberally biased paper; I have to smirk a bit. Because now, the socialists who have controlled Detroit for years are now at place of, “Where did all the money go?”
Quoting the Paper:
The emotions of labor leaders and city workers were eclipsed Monday by the harsh reality that there appears to be little that can stop a 10% wage cut and major changes to employment terms for Detroit’s unionized workforce.
During a nearly three-hour Detroit City Council meeting, Mayor Dave Bing’s administration laid out its case for $102 million in savings through cuts, including reduced pensions and higher out-of-pocket health care costs, in addition to wage cuts.
Officials painted a dire picture: Without savings from what the city now is calling employment terms, Detroit could run out of cash as early as October.
It really should not be of any surprise to anyone, but the usual gang of suspects are now lining up with the grievances; complete with class warfare and so forth:
Councilwoman JoAnn Watson said Bing’s administration made no effort to bargain with Detroit’s 48 unions as the city charter requires and is balancing the city’s debts on the backs of its workers.
Watson said she wants to see as much effort put into restructuring Detroit’s debt as Bing has put into reworking city labor contracts.
“You all want to get tough with the working people, but you don’t want to get tough with the Wall Street bankers,” she said.
As much as I hate to make a funny, at someone’s expense; but, did someone relocate Wall Street to Detroit? I do not recall the notice that stock exchange was leaving New York. Funny nonsense aside, I know the point she is trying to make, a rather moronic socialist argument, that somehow or another businesses in Detroit ought to be punished for the idiotic management of a socialist city. Which is essentially that same stupid argument that President Barack Obama is making as well. It is a flawed mentality and one that usually bankrupts a city and eventually a Nation. America’s clock is ticking and eventually, we are going to end up like Detroit — broke. Some would say that we are already broke and China is our real masters.
As always the Unions are having their say as well:
Al Garrett, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 25, the city’s largest union, said city officials “have gone too damn far,” and urged the council to reject the contracts and force Bing and the financial advisory board to impose them.
“It’s the only influence you have,” Garrett said, addressing the council. “Otherwise your sitting there serves no purpose. Please don’t vote for it. … Stand up and be accountable for the seat.”
[…]
Gerald Thompson, president of the AFSCME Local 1220, representing city clerks and security guards, criticized the council for approving a fiscal stability agreement with the state that left the council powerless to stop draconian union cuts.
“This is what happens when absolute power corrupts,” Thompson said. “This is not fundamental fairness in democracy. It’s tyranny.”
Mr. Thompson? You want to see tyranny? Try looking in the White House; if that is not a text book example of power corrupting someone, I do not know what is. Furthermore, I find it absolutely amusing that a socialist liberal would cry “Tyranny!” when the odds are not in his favor. It is a totally partisan hack move and I believe it should be condemned by the Mayor of Detroit. But, of course, we all know that will never happen.
Finally, in this story, a bit of sanity:
Chris Brown, Bing’s chief operating officer, acknowledged that the contracts, expected to be imposed no later than next month, were crafted with no union input.
“Things are not the same,” Brown said. “We’re not going to sit here and say we collectively bargained. We didn’t. It may not be fair, but it’s necessary.”
I highlighted that one, because I am amazed that someone in Detroit sees the trees, in spite of the forest around him. I pray that Detroit is able to steer itself out of the mess created by the downturn in the economy. Because as goes the City of Detroit; so goes the rest of the state and eventually the Country. I believe we can make it out of this mess, there just has to be some adults in the room. I just wish some of those adults were in the room in council chambers in Detroit.
