Detroit is a BIg Class Project

[MrDetroit]

In a conversation I had yesterday about the city; I started to drifted off into thought about how Detroit in it's current conditions as a huge class project. One huge class of 700,000 students enrolled in the class, all working on the same project; Detroit. Of course people are working in different groups; I tend to think of these groups as different organizations, corporations, non-profits, small business, college students, young professionals, movements, community groups etc.

With this project, no one is right or wrong, everyone gets and "A" because you simply participated and contributed in some way to make things better.

[401don]

I'm just glad somebody slapped you and brought you to your senses.

[corktownyuppie]

In a conversation I had yesterday about the city; I started to drifted off into thought about how Detroit in it's current conditions as a huge class project. One huge class of 700,000 students enrolled in the class, all working on the same project; Detroit. Of course people are working in different groups; I tend to think of these groups as different organizations, corporations, non-profits, small business, college students, young professionals, movements, community groups etc.

With this project, no one is right or wrong, everyone gets and "A" because you simply participated and contributed in some way to make things better.

This would be a great thing if it were a class project, because everyone would be working on it. The reality is that people are working more for themselves than for the greater good. Think Survivor. Unfortunately in order for the greater good to survive, people -- lots and lots of people -- will all have to feel endure economic suffering.

And the worse thing is that the ones who have the least talent, least ability, and the lowest standard of living...will be the ones who will have to suffer the most in order to right the ship.

[ordinary]

The reality is that people are working more for themselves than for the greater good.

Maybe that's what needs to be happening. Didn't some guy named Adam Smith mention that?

[corktownyuppie]

Maybe that's what needs to be happening. Didn't some guy named Adam Smith mention that?

That's exactly what should be happening in an economic sense. But this isn't just an economical problem. It's a political problem. The city is not a "rational actor" in a free market, because it's hamstrung by the political process. Would a rational actor pay someone $25,000 one time in order to move them to a new neighborhood in order to save $10,000 per year *every year* in structural costs? Of course. But they aren't allowed to freely do so, for good reason...but with bad results.

[ordinary]

I was being a little sarcastic. I see your point.