"Detroit Is Dead. Long Live Oakland County" interview with LBP

[Hermod]

"That is entirely different from a situation where there is a school for black kids and a school for white kids in my own district. Or a situation where I can not move to the city with good schools because of my skin color."

Are we supposed to pretend that in the early 1970s, African-Americans could move to any district they wanted? Even if such discrimination was illegal, it still happened in most communities. How did that work out in Dearborn?

"If I don't particularly like the schools in my neighborhood... should I be able to send my kids to the next district over, where I don't pay taxes, but where they might have better schools? No. I need to move there, pay in, and then my kid can go. that is how the system works."

No, that's how the system used to work. Ironically, it's Republicans who have embraced "school choice" in their effort to dismantle the public school system.

Busing wasn't "school choice" allowing motivated black kids to go to suburban schools if they could get there. Under busing [[and my kids went through this in Prince George County, Virginia), they would take an elementary school in the predominately black area and pair it with a school in the predominately white area. The black school would become 1-2-3 grades and the white school would become 4-5-6 grades. Thus, a school like Hosmer Elementary in Detroit would be paired with a school like North Hill Elementary in Rochester. Half the students in the North Hill District in Rochester would be bused down to Hosmer in Detroit and half the kids in the Hosmer district would be bused up to North Hill. Lots of bus riding to fulfill the strange idea that neither black children nor white children can learn in a non-diverse classroom [[the same people point out how wonderful Finland's schools are).

[Detroitnerd]

You people all hate segregation, but then you don't object to the fact that Finnish schools are almost 100 percent Finnish! Obvious hypocrites!

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

LBP's brand of divisiveness is the one of the biggest impediments to the growth and healing of the entire metropolitan area. I think he and Coleman were just flip sides of the same coin.

[Hermod]

LBP's brand of divisiveness is the one of the biggest impediments to the growth and healing of the entire metropolitan area. I think he and Coleman were just flip sides of the same coin.

Why, because he won't send money to Detroit for the clownsil to piss away on friends and family?

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

Why, because he won't send money to Detroit for the clownsil to piss away on friends and family?

No, because he is an unrepentant racist. As well as a proponent of unregulated sprawl that makes Phoenix look well planned. He's a relict from the past - many other "suburban" counties have realized that smart growth and sprawl are at odds.

[Wesley Mouch]

You want to work on your reading comprehension? I wrote:

"Please tell us what government LBP provides to most county residents? I can't think of a single service the county provides that the average OC resident would notice."

You then proceed to list a half-dozen different services provided by entities other than Oakland County government over which LBP has no control. Having pointed that out, you continue to insist, incorrectly, that certain services are provided by the county with the oversight of LBP. Let's review:

County Sheriff is County [[LBP) - The only say LPB has in the operations of the Sheriff's department is in setting the budget. Otherwise, the Sheriff reports to the County Board of Commissioners, not LPB.

Oakland Water is in 16 communities and County [[LBP) - The only say LPB has in the operations of the Water Resources Commissioner's department is in setting the budget. Otherwise, the Commissioner reports to the County Board of Commissioners, not LBP. Of those 16 communities, most of them involve the county handing main sewer line operations. Many of them maintain their own water and sewer staff, like West Bloomfield as an example.

OCC and ISD are not overseen by LBP, but are county-specific services. - They provide services county-wide. Otherwise, they have no association with Oakland County government and LBP has no oversight of those organizations.

Road Commission is separate from County governance but the Oakland County Board selects the Road Commission members. - Correct, selected by the BoC, not LBP.

My original point was that for average county resident, there are no services that the county provides under LBP's oversight that they would notice on a daily basis. Your list only reinforces that point.

So after an enjoyable jaunt into minutiae, still appears that OC is a highly functional entity that delivers quality services to its residents -- and Detroit is not.

Leadership matters -- both CAY and LBP had significant impact on their communities.

[mwilbert]

You people all hate segregation, but then you don't object to the fact that Finnish schools are almost 100 percent Finnish! Obvious hypocrites!

Actually, Finnish schools average about 10 percent immigrants. Of course it varies a lot from school to school.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Good post, Poobert. L Brooks is fooling himself thinking OC doesn't need a viable Detroit. The whole state does.

[313WX]

Brooks needs to retire ASAP and pray that Obamacare helps him in his ongoing medical issues--- no thanks to his own state party colleagues, who keep trying to scuttle the exchange program..

^^^This post right here is spot on. This guy has only kicked Detroit while it's been down over the years. I would even go as far as to say he is the white/suburban equivalent of Coleman Young. His moving on can't do anything but help the city in its "come back."

[313WX]

And yes, other folks such as Poobert, Detroitnerd and mwilbert are also spot on in their analysis of Oakland County and LBP. We will learn as Detroit progresses through bankruptcy that as the city goes, so does the state. It's a shame it had to come to this, but sometimes you just can't fix stupid.

[coracle]

Good post, Poobert. L Brooks is fooling himself thinking OC doesn't need a viable Detroit. The whole state does.

Not sure how you reckon that Kid. The State hasn't had a viable Detroit for 50 years.

[mwilbert]

Not sure how you reckon that Kid. The State hasn't had a viable Detroit for 50 years.

And how has Michigan been doing during that time?

[daveyarm]

Was leaving out the "cross-district" part about the busing inadvertent or is it an attempt to make it look like he was like George Wallace standing in the school house door?

This article contains a serious error.


Patterson was not County Prosecutor at the time of the cross-district busing dispute, he was just an ordinary and somewhat unknown attorney. He rose to fame as counsel to the outspoken Irene McCabe, the woman who led the anti-busting movement.


Although Patterson himself was never seen "standing in the schoolhouse door", the people he was counseling did lie down in the street in front of buses to stop them from rolling. And, of course, ultimately the KKK bombed the bus yard. While Patterson was not personally responsible for this, he was the figurehead and spokesman for the entire movement, and it should've been a tipoff as to his racial beliefs.

[daveyarm]

This article contains a serious error.


Patterson was not County Prosecutor at the time of the cross-district busing dispute, he was just an ordinary and somewhat unknown attorney. He rose to fame as counsel to the outspoken Irene McCabe, the woman who led the anti-busting movement.


Although Patterson himself was never seen "standing in the schoolhouse door", the people he was counseling did lie down in the street in front of buses to stop them from rolling. And, of course, ultimately the KKK bombed the bus yard. While Patterson was not personally responsible for this, he was the figurehead and spokesman for the entire movement, and it should've been a tipoff as to his racial beliefs.

[coracle]

And how has Michigan been doing during that time?

Well it didn't go bankrupt.

[poobert]

Well it didn't go bankrupt.

"Michigan: At least we're not bankrupt"
"Oakland County: At least we're not Detroit"

Yeesh, those are the standards you guys have? I'd hate to see the women you bring home.

[coracle]

"Michigan: At least we're not bankrupt"
"Oakland County: At least we're not Detroit"

Yeesh, those are the standards you guys have? I'd hate to see the women you bring home.

At least we don't have to make them up, like your weak slogans. But you are right about our women; however each lady and I will regain our beauty the next morning; whereas Detroit'll still be bankrupt.

[mwilbert]

At least we don't have to make them up, like your weak slogans. But you are right; neither the lady nor me will look so beautiful the next morning; but Detroit'll still be bankrupt.

And, presumably, Michigan will still be declining. I hope for better things, but it is going to be difficult until people get their heads out of the sand.

[Wesley Mouch]

And yes, other folks such as Poobert, Detroitnerd and mwilbert are also spot on in their analysis of Oakland County and LBP. We will learn as Detroit progresses through bankruptcy that as the city goes, so does the state. It's a shame it had to come to this, but sometimes you just can't fix stupid.

Hence, state action to address Detroit's avoidance of reality is necessary.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Not sure how you reckon that Kid. The State hasn't had a viable Detroit for 50 years.

Detroit was more viable in 1963 then it is now. Explain how it wasn't.