“That about sums it up, man”
By Tom Quiner
The fruits of liberalism’s fifty year experiment in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is dead.
The city was a laboratory for liberalism. As I recounted in a recent blogpost, “How to destroy a city,” liberals have had their way with Detroit.
Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society programs were lavishly unleashed on the Motor City.
One party, the Democrats, have been in complete control since 1962.
Unions, public and private, have gotten every perk they ever dreamed of in their labor negotiations, and more.
Yet despite the dominance of the U.A.W. and liberal Democratic politics and federal bailouts (paid for by taxpayers throughout America, and with borrowed money from China), the city has been reduced to rubble in one neighborhood after another.
The state of Michigan has been forced to intervene. Governor Rick Snyder said,
“There’s probably no city that’s more financially challenged in the entire United States.”
The governor has appointed an emergency city manager to try to fix Detroit, since Detroit does not have the political will to fix itself. Liberal insistence on lavish benefits for city employees have resulted in $14 billion in unfunded retiree and health benefits. In addition, the city has accumulated a $327 million deficit, which the Detroit Free Press says could grow an additional $100 million by July.
It gets worse.
47% of properties are late in paying their property taxes.
It gets worse: $245.5 million of taxes and fees went uncollected.
Some taxpayers are not paying taxes intentionally. The Detroit News reports as follows:
“Why pay taxes?” asked Fred Phillips, who owes more than $2,600 on his home on an east-side block where five owners paid 2011 taxes. “Why should I send them taxes when they aren’t supplying services? It is sickening. … Every time I see the tax bill come, I think about the times we called and nobody came.”
Think about this for a moment. Democrats are the party of government. In a city that has been created in their image, government is systematically failing its citizens.
They can’t blame Republicans, hurricanes, or sun spots. They have had their will with this city for half a century.
Vice President Joe Biden went to Detroit on a campaign stop last year and famously said,
“Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive. That about sums it up, man.”
The smug vice president won his reelection bid. In the meantime, this liberal utopia is dead.
That about sums it up, man.
This is so sad. Detroit is a lesson that liberals refuse to learn from.
So true. Thanks for writing.
I did a bit of research and found out a bit more on the DePaul University vandal case.
The article that printed the copy of the names was actually written by Kate Edwards. The list was obtained by Kris Del Campo. How he got it is questionable as this was considered an ongoing case and was not public record. In it, they do admit they tore down the flags and acknowledged they shouldn’t have. Guilty as charged. Apparently, no one at YAF wanted to wait to see what the university’s ruling was.
Kate Edwards preceded to post a copy of the list on the Young America’s Foundation web site announcing them GUILTY in big letters and “Action must be taken against these students or other liberals will have free license to continue to squelch the ideas of conservatives on campus.” It is unclear specifically what actions she was referring to, but others picked up the challenge.
Being the largest Christian college in America, people responded from Facebook taunts (the female vandals were referred to as carpet munchers) to “I hope individuals make every student on this list regret their actions in a harsh way!” and allegedly very direct death threats. They also listed their personal addresses, phone numbers, and class schedules on line.
As for Kris Del Campo, he legally broke the rules of the Student Handbook and he was punished per the university’s code of conduct. I see nothing of him being kicked out. I assume that would have mde the news.
I am all for free speech and I am against abortion, but I think this crosses the line. Others may think they got what they deserve, but don’t forget the abortion doctor who was shot down while attending church services. The killer in that case was riled up by web sites that listed all the information needed to track the man down. As recent history hasshown, it only takes one crazy person with a gun.