A few words on a lot of things. I have a lot I have been thinking about but no time to write about. First- Gardening Granny’s idea of what should be done with Detroit. I have a wonderful idea for making the oozing sore on Michigan into a tourist attraction. There are literally miles, many square miles of property in Detroit that are essentially abandoned. The square mileage of Detroit is like three times that of most major cities. So we offer the few remaining homeowners in some of those abandoned stretches homes of greater or equal value in areas where the neighborhoods are a little more populated. The state or city owns many such homes.

Then we bulldoze miles of abandoned houses and stores, pour a few loads of manure on the land and plant native prairie plants and plants like switch grass. We also put up several wind turbines to produce energy which won’t affect the rest of my plan. After the prairie is established we add some buffalo. Of course we will need a huge fence around Detroit, sort of like the one they are building on the border with Mexico.

Now with buffalo grazing on the restored prairie we hire some Detroiters to act like they are buffalo soldiers- remember them? Or Native Americans and then they can lead horseback tours through the prairie. People can stay in Detroit’s big hotels, visit casinos or sports stadiums and have an outdoor adventure too. Maybe we can set up some French trading posts along the river and take people on canoe trips down the Detroit River too. Turn Detroit into one big amusement park. Something to laugh in, not at.

Ok, that’s done. Now on to my dislike of ruling by committee. Nothing gets done. Look at our senate and Congress and just about any city council or school board. Everyone is out to make sure their interests are covered and nothing gets done. Or bad things get done- here’s another Detroit reference- look at their city council or school board. People should vote for people they believe can lead them- choose a leader- and let that person make decisions. If the decisions are wrong then vote out the leader. Of course every leader needs advice and suggestions. But this crap about everyone having their say and let’s not offend anyone ( at least those we like) . All the time and energy spent arguing and posturing, pretending to study issues and look important is wasted time and money.

Leaders have to be strong enough to stand up and lead and to take the blame for bad decisions if they make them. We could save a whole lot of time and money for our country if we got rid of most of the senate and house. Maybe allow one person from each state as a representative and maybe one from each region for the house. Even that is probably enough to slow things down but this country demands such a scheme. At least now, maybe in the future people will see what a mess we have created. Get rid of political parties and just vote for the best person for the job. Small committees if we have to have them, where all the people know who represents them.

And school boards and city councils? I’d eliminate them and choose a leader. Someone who can work swiftly and decisively. He or she can have advisory committees if he or she doesn’t let them drag down decision making. Most businesses don’t work by committee, they have a boss. The most successful businesses generally have a strong leader.

Now on to the furor over the AIG bonuses. If the furor was back when they received the bonuses it would be one thing, but it was months ago when they got those bonuses. We are asking people to give back money they expected to get and probably spent already. Was it right? NO! but it was the governments mistake, they handed our money out without any rules. Learn from the mistake and move on. Make sure no company receiving money from taxpayers gives out bonuses until the money is paid back. Stop hounding the rich idiots who received the money and get mad at the government who gave it to them. Another one of those stupid committee decisions.

Now my plan to cure the mortgage crisis. Demand that all banks lower interest rates to 5% on all mortgages under $500,000. ( Primary residence only). This would lower the mortgage payment for most home owners, leaving more disposable income and allowing people to pay for health care etc. Now go over all of the mortgage holders in trouble and determine if they have the means to pay the lower payment. If not, banks should offer to trade the current home for one that the bank already owns where they can afford the payment. Some people will still lose a home but most would be helped. It’s simple and effective. Yes banks would lose some profit. Maybe they should drop bonuses. Better some mortgage payment coming in than none. Maybe the 5% rate could be allowed to rise for new mortgages after a few years.

Another fix would be to set the limit on current mortgage payments to 30 % of a family’s income, re-evaluated each year. Yes, some people would get really good deals on big houses they couldn’t afford in the first place but remember the banks greed allowed them to get those bad mortgages. And new mortgages would be exempt.

Nothing about the farm here. I’ll save that for the next time when I am feeling mellow.

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.