This page was last updated on March 11, 2010.
Managing decline; Editorial; Beaver County Times; March 11, 2010.
Most of the editorial is a regurgitation of the subject AP article “Detroit wants to save itself by shrinking” by David Runk (3/8/10).
Other than a single sentence in the article stating, “The riots of 1967 accelerated an exodus of whites to the suburbs, and many middle-class blacks followed,” neither the article nor the editorial explored the root cause of Detroit’s plight. I believe it’s tough to plot a correction course when you don’t know - or ignore - how you got where you are.
The editorial concludes with “Like Detroit, these municipalities don’t have the resources to manage decline. They need much more state and federal aid - and they deserve it. They helped build America and make it great. They will never be what they once were. It [sic] time to recognize that and adjust accordingly at the local, state and federal level.” What a shock - not, the Times solution is government spending of taxpayer dollars. As a reminder, the Times cries crocodile tears about deficits and debt while concurrently advocating more spending. The Times position raises a few questions.
First, what has been done to address the situation to date? As with the root cause, this is another point not mentioned in either the editorial or the AP article.
Second, what alternatives to “much more state and federal aid” have been considered and why are they no longer under consideration?
Third, why do Detroit and municipalities in a similar situation “deserve” “much more state and federal aid?” While it’s true “They helped build America and make it great,” so did most other municipalities and they are not in a similar mess. Let’s also remember these locales benefited greatly themselves during their heyday. Perhaps we’re simply seeing a variation on the “The Ant and the Grasshopper” fable.
Is giving state and federal taxpayer dollars to municipalities to tear down buildings and pay (not force) residents to move the right thing to do? Though without all the facts and history I don’t have enough information to take an informed position, I have serious doubts because I believe we’re better off as a country when we (individuals, municipalities, states) take care of our own responsibilities and problems.
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