This November, Proposal S will grace our ballots. What is Proposal S? It is a bond referendum which seeks to take advantage of $500 million in stimulus funds that President Obama made available to build and modernize schools.
Those who oppose the Prop are doing so, but not for the reasons one might think. No higher taxes or an increased millage is not at the center of this issue, but that little thing called trust.
The people of Detroit have been burned more often than an albino living on the sun, so it stands to reason that they are skeptical when Mr. Bobb asks for our assistance in the passing of Proposal S.
A few years back, the citizens of Detroit passed a $1.5 billion proposal to help out the schools. That deal was racked with corruption, possible embezzlement, theft, pay-to-play deals and the Friends and Family way of life that has become so prevalent in Detroit.
The betrayal of public trust has jaded and disenfranchised the general populace of the city. As thousands lost their jobs and continued to pay taxes, the "entitled" few grew fat at the trough of DPS dollars and contracts.
I heard one angry Detroiter at one of Bobb's Town Hall Meetings exclaim, "Go after the money that was already stolen before you ask for more money." What came next silenced the entire auditorium.
Bobb explain that it would have been irresponsible to act on accusations and heresy in regards to the mismanagement of DPS funds and he has held depositions and interviews to get to the truth. He stated that he is now prepapred to hold hearings to act on what was discovered. He said and I quote, "I don't care if it was a penny stolen from DPS, if you were involved, I'm coming after you."
After hearing those words, I began to ponder. In this new age of change in government, when has Detroiters ever seen the kind if results Robert Bobb has produced in as little time? There are many Detroiters who still subscribe to the theory that only Detroiters can handle Detroit. I have a question for those people, how have Detroiters done by you thus far?
Here is a man who has provided positive results in a short amount of time. Okay I'll acquiesse that some of his decisions like some of the no-bid contracts were questionable. But when you consider the time crunch he was under to produce results, you can't argue with what he has produced. Also, the stimulus funds have a 2 1/2 year expiration date and will not cause a tax increase.
DPS will lose these funds if they are not untilized in 30 months. Mr. Bobb has a plan and a strategy to not only spend the funds wisely and created much needed jobs, but he also has a plan to oversee how the money and to who it is spent.
Mr. Bobb, I have just one question for you, what would it take to get you to run for mayor?
-- For the city I love, Detroit Dennis
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
What the liquor store crowd thinks about the city
There were three men ages Raymond 27, Marvin 38 and Antonio 42 at a liquor store in Detroit. I engaged them in conversation regarding the state of the city. There were three main topics for this discussion: The mayor, the city council and the current Cobo Hall expansion deal.
None of them are highschool graduates, all have children but only Marvin is married to his children's mother. All are unemployed.
Regarding the mayor: All three think Kilpatrick got a raw deal. The general consensus is that white politicians have been getting away with graft and misrepresentation for years, "it's about time a brother got some of the gravy." Regarding the current mayors race: The general consensus was that they don't care who wins as long as it is a "black man who can get that chedda."
On the city council: They thought Monica (Conyers) was "the shit." They commented on her what her sexual prowess must be like. Other than that they had nothing to say about the city council.
Regarding the Cobo deal: Only Marvin had understood that the suburbs wanted to buy Cobo but didn't want to pay the asking price.
All three men are registered to vote in the City of Detroit. The voted in the presidential election in '08, but did not vote in the mayoral primary. They are unsure as to whether or not they will vote in the special general election this May.
This is unfortunately an all too familiar scene in the citizenry of Detroit. I did attempt to educate these three men on the three topics we discussed without attempting to influence them in any way with my own politics.
It was clear that Marvin was the "Alpha Male" in this group and the other two followed his lead. None of them watch the news, read the papers, listen to talk radio or have internet access. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to combat this issue city ride in an effort to reclaim this city from the brink of oblivion?
-- For the city I love, Detroit Dennis
None of them are highschool graduates, all have children but only Marvin is married to his children's mother. All are unemployed.
Regarding the mayor: All three think Kilpatrick got a raw deal. The general consensus is that white politicians have been getting away with graft and misrepresentation for years, "it's about time a brother got some of the gravy." Regarding the current mayors race: The general consensus was that they don't care who wins as long as it is a "black man who can get that chedda."
On the city council: They thought Monica (Conyers) was "the shit." They commented on her what her sexual prowess must be like. Other than that they had nothing to say about the city council.
Regarding the Cobo deal: Only Marvin had understood that the suburbs wanted to buy Cobo but didn't want to pay the asking price.
All three men are registered to vote in the City of Detroit. The voted in the presidential election in '08, but did not vote in the mayoral primary. They are unsure as to whether or not they will vote in the special general election this May.
This is unfortunately an all too familiar scene in the citizenry of Detroit. I did attempt to educate these three men on the three topics we discussed without attempting to influence them in any way with my own politics.
It was clear that Marvin was the "Alpha Male" in this group and the other two followed his lead. None of them watch the news, read the papers, listen to talk radio or have internet access. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to combat this issue city ride in an effort to reclaim this city from the brink of oblivion?
-- For the city I love, Detroit Dennis
What side are you on?
All this week I've been bombarded with the question of, "Who are you for, Spartans or Wolverines?" as the big game approaches. One thing is painfully clear, and that is the dedication (borderline fanaticism) in which these fans support their teams.
It got me to thinking: What other fanatical splits do we as a society endure? Well there was Marvel Comics Civil War story line, there's the North and the South, there's even Democrat and Republican. Probably the most poignant for this region is city and suburb.
This is a rivalry that I don't quite understand. The majority of sububan citizens are either former city dwellers or the descendants of former city dwellers. Yet there is this passionate distaste between the two groups.
In trying to make sense of this dynamic, I discovered a few things.
1) There are quite a few Detroiters who feel like the used and jilted lover. There are quite a few city employees who earn their living in the city, but refuse to live there.
2) There are quite a few suburbanites who are just plain sick and tired. Sick of city government corruption and enbarassment. Tire of high taxes and poor services. Sick and tire of high crime (or the perception there of) and high insurance rates.
3) They are both right.
Under Dave Bing's admisitration, the city is facing massive and quite possibly permanent layoffs to right size a work force that is the same as it was when the city had more than a million residents. Suburban government leaders still publicly denounce and redicule the city, its residents and their leaders. The citizens of Detroit continue to see the suburbs and their citizens as the evil denizens from the ether.
For as long as I can remember I've always heard that how goes Detroit, so goes the region. The reverse is also true. Why is that some believe that one area has to fail in order for the other to succeed?
This devisive and ignorant mentality of separate but not equal is ludicrous in this day and age. I guess the question is, what side are you on? And the bigger question, when are we going to pull our collection heads out of our collective asses and start building a better Detroit and surrounding region?
It got me to thinking: What other fanatical splits do we as a society endure? Well there was Marvel Comics Civil War story line, there's the North and the South, there's even Democrat and Republican. Probably the most poignant for this region is city and suburb.
This is a rivalry that I don't quite understand. The majority of sububan citizens are either former city dwellers or the descendants of former city dwellers. Yet there is this passionate distaste between the two groups.
In trying to make sense of this dynamic, I discovered a few things.
1) There are quite a few Detroiters who feel like the used and jilted lover. There are quite a few city employees who earn their living in the city, but refuse to live there.
2) There are quite a few suburbanites who are just plain sick and tired. Sick of city government corruption and enbarassment. Tire of high taxes and poor services. Sick and tire of high crime (or the perception there of) and high insurance rates.
3) They are both right.
Under Dave Bing's admisitration, the city is facing massive and quite possibly permanent layoffs to right size a work force that is the same as it was when the city had more than a million residents. Suburban government leaders still publicly denounce and redicule the city, its residents and their leaders. The citizens of Detroit continue to see the suburbs and their citizens as the evil denizens from the ether.
For as long as I can remember I've always heard that how goes Detroit, so goes the region. The reverse is also true. Why is that some believe that one area has to fail in order for the other to succeed?
This devisive and ignorant mentality of separate but not equal is ludicrous in this day and age. I guess the question is, what side are you on? And the bigger question, when are we going to pull our collection heads out of our collective asses and start building a better Detroit and surrounding region?
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