Ohio Chatter DEV

Dr Winston O'Boogie

Globalization and unions killed Detroit. What's there now is not the cause of the demise, but the result. When policy made it possible for manufacturing to go overseas without penalty, it was inevitable to avoid the very expansive and difficult union issues. Industry exodus led to massive white flight and now the city is left to a black underclass that will continue to elect black democrats who will ensure government entitlement payments are made. The situation is tragic.

reclegend22

It's astonishing to think that at the dawn of the last century, Detroit was considered the Paris of the West. While there are very few remnants of that Detroit left, if you look beyond the decrepit streets and tired buildings, past the filth and squalor and detritus, and really pay attention to the details of the vibrant city that once was, to the Gilded Age architecture of the churches and cathedrals and old three-story mansions, you can at least imagine a time when the place was one of the great metropolises of the world.</SPAN>

My mom was a huge Tigers fan during her youth, and she spent many of her summer days at The Corner. After the games would end, they would go downtown and shop at the large department stores that lined main street. She always remarks how sad it is to drive through there today.

If you're from Detroit, this has to be a pretty depressing thread. Lol.
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BoatShoes

It's really just a perfect storm against the former pro-labor cities of the midwest. The situation in which the midwest unionized labor found itself in; corruption of the Detroit unions in particular, globalization; the overly strong dollar after foreign devaluations; the Federal system in the United States wherein Unions are essentially ensured to be extinct in southern states; the economic growth of the sun belt region, etc.

Germany with almost double the rate of unionization as the United States is still a manufacturing/industrial powerhouse. However, Germany's nearby competitors also have high rates of unionization and pro-labor laws and are now tied to the Euro (Germany wouldn't put up with French anti-unionism and Italian currency devaluation like has killed the U.S....that's why Italy got into the Eurozone despite being a fiscal profligate).

the midwest pro-labor states have to compete, not just with foreign countries, but with the southern (and now midwestern states) that have enacted anti-union laws and have seen those jobs go to the south, if not across borders, predictaby. In addition, the midwest is fighting a losing battle with many people choosing to live in warmer weather as those states become wealthier. California is pro-union especially with the Screen Actor's Guild but it hasn't stopped people from moving to that beautiful mediterranean climate.

But personally, for all the problems of these midwestern cities, I still think they're better than a fair amount of southern cities that their wealth has been transferred to.

The most ironic thing I think, is that Detroit crowd-funded a Robocop statute and this emergency manager thing is almost like a "Delta-City" light. lol

justincredible

Damn.

Belly35

My daughter when to UDM (University of Detroit Mercy) for Architecture.
Note: I will say that the School of Achitecture is wonderful and UDM is a very good University it is a shame that UDM is not in a better location. She go a great education and training and being in Detroit she was able to study some of the great building and understand the problems facing intercity development.

Laley23

If you guys like the pictures of Central Station look up the Packard Plant in Detroit. It is a freaking gold mine of a run down plant...

Gblock

jerome bettis is from detroit

justincredible

This took far too long. Reps.

Classyposter58

The city is so spread out it's unreal, you can fit San Francisco, Boston and Manhattan all into the city limits, yet only 850,000 live there to this day. The real knockout punch to the city was the creation of suburbs, which continued to grow and grow and slowly money left the city. With the amount of wealth people had, they were able to own many cars and drive out to their new houses on some of the first stretches of freeways ever built. Then when they had their own houses in these newer towns malls sprang up, and then there was no reason to go to Detroit for shopping either.

When the riots came, that officially drove the money out of the city and within maybe 20 years the city was shit and the burbs became some of the wealthiest in the nation. Also contributing to Detroit's struggles is it is 100% democrat basically and this created a steal from the rich attitude. Taxes are absolutely insane in the city, income tax is 2.5% so no one with cash wants to live there when it's far cheaper to live in a safer city outside Detroit. Also when the bottom essentially falls out of your biggest industry, the area tends to get affected and with fewer and fewer people making cars the worst it gets for the area.

But this is why Detroit is so racist really, because those race riots drove almost all the white people out. I mean come on 43 were killed, 467 injured, 7200 arrested and 2,000 buildings were destroyed. The riots were as bad the Draft Riots in the Gangs of New York, and why would anyone want to live in a city that basically was in a war? Black people essentially ruined what was a great city

SnotBubbles

SnotBubbles

Mohican00

SnotBubbles

SnotBubbles

SnotBubbles

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Mohican00

Mohican00

Mohican00

dlazz

This happens to virtually every large city.

4cards

...Detroit is sweet! They have "American JEWelry & Loan" just off the 8 mile!

ernest_t_bass

Lol

BORIStheCrusher

[video]http://i.imgur.com/qOP392q.gif[/video]

Gblock

Raw Dawgin' it