WhatFinger


Largest Chapter 9 filing in American history

Detroit declares bankruptcy



This is surely uncharted territory, but as Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said, it was 60 years in the making.

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That's how long Detroit leaders wallowed in denial as poverty and crime drove two-thirds of the city's population away, leaving just over 700,000 people but a government built to serve many more than that - until it became little more than a mechanism to serve itself. Snyder, who had to authorize the filing by emergency manager Kevyn Orr, explains why he did so: There is so much to this story, it's hard to know where to start. Conservatives love to point out that Detroit has had nonstop liberal government since the 1950s, and yes that's true, and yes it's a huge factor. But a lot of big cities have been run by liberals for a long time, and while they certainly have their problems, they haven't sunk anywhere near the depths of Detroit. Detroit's devotion to unions and to the auto industry made it dependent on a dying industry that simply couldn't provide the employment base or the tax base the city had come to expect a generation ago. Community leaders made horrible decisions. Mayors, city council members and chiefs of police became mired in corruption. The school system spent big on perks for administrators and elected officials (at one point, school board members were being taken to meetings in chauffer-driven limousines . . . I kid you not), while actual instruction became a sad joke. Kids who could scarcely read were being given high school diplomas. Crime exploded. Murder. Drugs. Car thefts. The police didn't have the manpower to respond to dangerous situations quickly and the crooks knew it. One report pegs the adult illiteracy rate at 47 percent. And in the midst of all this, the mayor and the Council just kept right on spending. In 2005 they began floating municipal bonds just to pay day-to-day expenses, even as 38 cents on the dollar were going to legacy costs like retiree pensions. Now it's doubtful the pensioners or the bondholders will get their money. It's a horribly sad situation, and maddening if you could actually hear some of the nonsense that comes from Detroit's elected officials. To give you a taste, I now present to you, Councilwoman Joann Watson: My wife just watched this video with me and made a great observation: "That's nuts, but that's the most honest thing that lady will ever say, because that's how they think." Yep. That's how they all thought for the longest time. Until today came and there was no more delusion to entertain. Detroit is bankrupt. The jig is up. Snyder hopes Detroit can emerge by fall 2014. I hope so too. Our entire state operates like it's got a millstone around its neck when Detroit is like this. We need a viable central city, and we haven't had that for many years. My biggest concern is that Detroit finally emerges from bankruptcy, only to see the same electorate send another slate of unserious poseurs to the City Council and the mayor's office, and the whole thing starts again. But that's for a later date. For now, as sad as this is, bankruptcy is the only way out of this mess for Detroit. At least the Tigers are in first place.


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Dan Calabrese -- Bio and Archives

Dan Calabrese’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain

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