Scraping Detroit off my shoes

This is off my usual topics but I am feeling ornery today after reading the paper.

Mitch Albom, the Detroit News writer wrote an article in Sports Illustrated some time this week defending Detroit. Its also copied in the D. News The News was gushing over it saying how Michigan people loved the article etc. Detroit needs to stop crying about the auto industry failing. That has hurt a lot of areas just as badly as Detroit. Detroit needs to wipe the auto industry, another institution that dug its own grave, off its shoes and walk on.

Hey Detroit, sports are not everything, who cares if your teams are losers. In the scheme of life whether the Lions win or not means absolutely nothing. It doesn’t get you a job or food to eat. Wipe them off your shoes too. Rename the team. Problem solved. If Detroit really knew what is important, and it’s not the auto companies’ problems or the sports teams, then they wouldn’t have to hang their heads in shame.

Albom doesn’t speak for all of Michigan that’s a fact. Many of us are sick and tired of hearing about Detroit and its woes, most of them brought on by greedy crooks the people of Detroit vote into office. I don’t see Detroit as humble and quiet, head down in shame, I see it with an arrogant smirk on its face demanding help and blaming everyone else for their problems.

Yes, the economy failing has hurt Detroit just like many other places. Yes, it has its share of good people, thank God for the ministers and others who care. And there are some bright spots of culture within its crumbling borders but a lot of us see Detroit as a whiny, greedy, corrupt, dirty and dangerous spot. There are many just as deserving and important areas in Michigan to be concerned about as Detroit.

I am tired of Detroit trying to represent Michigan and demanding that they are the most important city in Michigan. Detroit is so not Michigan. They are not the average Michigan city. The really important things and important places are all outside Detroit. Of course Detroit has for a long time tried to claim any good thing that occurs within 50 miles of its city limits as a Detroit achievement. Maybe that’s why the city limits cover such a huge amount of space compared to other cities with even more population than Detroit.

Detroit has been run into the ground by its leaders and the residents continue to fail to stand up and choose the right people to govern them. When a wealthy man tried to help their miserable, corrupt and decaying school system they turned him down. Their city council is a joke, as is the school board, most of their politicians inept or downright corrupt. That’s what people laugh and joke about. You can’t keep feeling sorry for people who choose leaders like that and don’t seem to want to help themselves.

Much of Detroit just needs to be leveled, all the downtown decaying infrastructure and probably half the homes. Detroit really isn’t a large city now, except in acreage. Redraw the city limits around the most populated and most used areas, the flashy arenas and skating rinks they sink their money into instead of schools. Make the rest parks, open land, grow crops or put up windmills. Give most of the land back to the county or let it become small cities or townships. You already have East Detroit as a separate city, why not North Detroit, South Detroit and West Detroit- or maybe some less ugly names. Maybe some of those communities can then elect people to run them that know what they are doing.

Detroiters need to give up the attitude that people in other parts of the state “owe” them something. The “rich” suburbs don’t need to support them because they are “important”.

Instead of people associating Michigan with autos and Detroit, we want them to think of the thousands of miles of shore line and great parks to visit. When they think of Michigan cities we want them to think Traverse City, Holland, Frankenmuth, and Mackinaw. When they think of Michigan industry we want them to think of alternative energy and agriculture, education and technology.

Detroit does have some good things, some nice museums, the waterfront area could be nice, the Eastern Market and other historic and cultural areas but it needs someone to get in there and do a good cleaning and re-organizing. Take care of the neighborhoods and basic services instead of building more bling like auditoriums and skating rinks.

I envision Detroit in the future living within its means as this quaint old historic area, a medium sized city of little but recreational and tourism value and certainly not as the mouth piece for Michigan. Obviously the people of Detroit can’t do it themselves, they have pretty much shown the world that, so maybe its time to appoint someone outside Detroit to do the job for them or rather make them do it. No, it is not everyone outside of Detroit’s responsibility to help them clean up their mess.

Detroit doesn’t need sympathy, although I do feel sorry for people without jobs anywhere and who are homeless and hungry. Detroit, ( as a city),needs a kick in the butt or a slap in the face hard enough to make it want to do something except sit around blaming everyone else.

Stop living with corruption and greedy officials. Elect intelligent, morally responsible people, even the poor can vote. Stand up on your feet, respect yourself, do right and you won’t have to worry about the world laughing at you.

Yep, its going to be hard these next few years but there are many places hurting just as bad as Detroit. Detroit has got to stop playing the victims part and change its way of thinking. Downsize, re-organize and work hard. And respect the fact the world has changed and Detroit will be a smaller, less important place.