Hummer HQ: Detroit or Auburn Hills?

[detroitsgwenivere]

Dude, this IS like listening to a Limbough rant! Everyone in town knows whats going on in Oakland county besides this guy. And who cares anyway? Troy SUCKS.

[crawford]

And who cares anyway? Troy SUCKS.

And this is a pretty solid encapsulation of the intellect and logical reasoning for the pro-Detroit rhetoric on this thread.

[ziggyselbin]

Dude, what century do you live in? Prefer to work in Oakland Country than Detroit!! Hello, can you say recession? Lost jobs!! Companies leaving the state!!! Frankly, I doubt ANYONE would care where they work at as long as they have a job.

Glenn Rush Jr., your attempts to pit Oakland County against Detroit is so silly, I'm struggling from laughing myself to death. Oakland County is catching hell just like Detroit. Houses are being lost, jobs are being lost and companies are either closing up shop or leaving the state just like Detroit. Salary will be higher!!! Has Oakland County turned into Silicon Valley? Dude, you're the greatest. Keep up with the postings.

You r wrong on this one rrob. OC is more than holding it's own. No county lay offs triple AAA bond rating[[as of now) Patterson has dome a great job. I linked a column from Phil Powers from the center for Mich on another thread. It was from February. Powers pointed out the contrast from the state of the state speech and the state of the county speech from Patterson.

Allowing for the obvious differences; OC has a balanced budget and actual plans other then trying to survive. Patterson has very capable financial people working for the county.

Of course we all[[ including OC) need and want a revivied Detroit. But OC is more than holding it's own.

Btw I live in Washtenaw co.

[R8RBOB]

You r wrong on this one rrob. OC is more than holding it's own. No county lay offs triple AAA bond rating[[as of now) Patterson has dome a great job. I linked a column from Phil Powers from the center for Mich on another thread. It was from February. Powers pointed out the contrast from the state of the state speech and the state of the county speech from Patterson.

Allowing for the obvious differences; OC has a balanced budget and actual plans other then trying to survive. Patterson has very capable financial people working for the county.

Of course we all[[ including OC) need and want a revivied Detroit. But OC is more than holding it's own.

Btw I live in Washtenaw co.

I suppose the purpose of this post was to state that Oakland County is surviving and thriving during this recession. If you have read the numerous comments before you responded to me you would discovered that no one is saying that Oakland County has kicked the bucket but that it is not the same Oakland County that crawford sees in his dreams every night.

I have two words for you: cutting salaries. That was what the Oakland County Commission voted for yesterday because Lord Patterson said that if they didn't cut the salaries of the county employees they have would to lay-off employees and then do the "F" thing. You know furlough. The tax base they enjoyed is slowly decreasing. Should I remind you of Troy, crawford's Emerald City?

[R8RBOB]

And this is a pretty solid encapsulation of the intellect and logical reasoning for the pro-Detroit rhetoric on this thread.

I believe this site is called DetroitYES, right? Sounds like it should be pro-Detroit. You should find a Oakland CountyYes site so you and your fellow Oakland County citizens can shed tears on the fall of Troy. Who would have thought they would fall for the trojan horse thing TWICE? LOL

[iheartthed]

Sorry, but from the most recent available data, your number is wrong. Oakland County is the third wealthiest county in the nation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highest..._United_States

Your number is from 2003. Mine is from 2005. Everyplace online shows this 2005 number.

If you can find something more recent, then post it. Otherwise, Oakland County is the third wealthiest county in the nation. I can find nothing more recent online.

And everyone here is ridiculously defensive of Detroit and completely missing the point.

Who gives a crap if Oakland is first, third or fifth richest? The fact is that it's damn rich, and weathering the economic storm remarkably well. It's Michigan's economic powerhouse, and fares best in good times and bad.

No it isn't perfect; no place is. These silly "gotcha" posts [["Gee, Troy has budget issues, therefore Oakland County = Detroit!") are completely nonsensical.

Nowhere in your link ranked Oakland County as #3 of anything. Oakland County wasn't even still ranked at #3 when I was still living in Michigan. Your numbers couldn't have possibly come from 2005, since Oakland County's own website cites that they were number 4 in 2003. Oakland County has not gotten more wealthy since 2003; that was before K Mart and Volkswagen left, let alone all of the white collar jobs lost through downsizing at the Big 3.

And your postings have been among the silliest on this entire thread by even trying to suggest that somehow Oakland County is immune to the economic conditions in Metro Detroit.

[Detroitej72]

Nowhere in your link ranked Oakland County as #3 of anything.

I checked the links as well and failed to find a #3 ranking for the OC. I guess our man Crawford should check his own links before preaching his false truths.

BTW, anyone have any more thoughts about the actual thread, the Hummer HQ location?

[R8RBOB]

I checked the links as well and failed to find a #3 ranking for the OC. I guess our man Crawford should check his own links before preaching his false truths.

BTW, anyone have any more thoughts about the actual thread, the Hummer HQ location?

Since I believe in making Fridays fun and get another dig at crawford, I have a comment about Hummer's HQ location.

Since Hummer is currently located at the Ren Cen, they should stay there since is lots of leasing space available. That said, if they move to Auburn Hills then they are moving there for the spacious parking lots that they will get for their 20 or so employees.

[Gistok]

... and to think that things have gotten better in Oakland County in 2005 vs. 2003 is laughable at best.... all someone needs to do is look at Troy's "crown jewel" on the NW corner of Big Beaver & Coolidge Rd. [[although Troy is still ahead of most other metro Detroit cities).

[crawford]

Nowhere in your link ranked Oakland County as #3 of anything.

No, you either aren't looking at the website, or you don't understand my statement.

I said Oakland County is the third richest county with over one million residents, which is true, and which the website confirms [[per the U.S. Census).

Go to the ranking of per capita incomes [[halfway down the page), and Oakland County is ranked 3rd among counties over one million.

I really don't know how I can make this any more clear.

Your numbers couldn't have possibly come from 2005, since Oakland County's own website cites that they were number 4 in 2003.

Uh, so Oakland County was 4th richest in the country [[per U.S. Census) before, and 3rd richest in the country now [[again, per U.S. Census). What's your point? Argue with the Census.

Oakland County has not gotten more wealthy since 2003; that was before K Mart and Volkswagen left, let alone all of the white collar jobs lost through downsizing at the Big 3.

This is completely nonsensical. First thing, Oakland County doesn't have to be richer to move up the rankings; it just has to do better than what was formerly the third richest county.

Oakland County could theoretically be in a Great Depression of epic proportions, and could still move up the list of wealth. It would just have to perform less worse than its immediate competitors on the wealth list.

Whether or not KMart is in the county is irrelevent. Companies open and close or relocate all the time, and KMart had relatively small front-office operations.

And your postings have been among the silliest on this entire thread by even trying to suggest that somehow Oakland County is immune to the economic conditions in Metro Detroit.

I never made such a claim of economic immunity. That's absurd.

I wrote that Oakland County performs strongest in both good times and bad, is the economic engine of the region, and is no longer reliant on Detroit [[rather the reverse is true); all of which are facts.

[crawford]

Since I believe in making Fridays fun and get another dig at crawford, I have a comment about Hummer's HQ location.

LOL, the next dig you get at me will be your first.

And if they're looking for acres of parking, no reason to stray from the RenCen.

I doubt there's a parking expanse in Troy or Auburn Hills that can rival the barren, cracked moonscape east of the RenCen.

[ziggyselbin]

As someone living in Ann Arbor I can not for the godamned life of me figure out why there is such venom toward OC. How naive are some of you? You seem to take pleasure in OC facing difficult times. You childishly seem to want to blame others [[especially) OC for Detroit's horrible condition.

Are you all that dense that you do not realize that OC is really one of the great features of the area? Lowell is constantly saying that outsiders see the whole area as Detroit. That means they see OC as Detroit. And like it or not most if not all will find OC very attractive.

The viciousness toward OC is especially disturbing since we all should be supporting the area.



http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/...-for-michigan/

[R8RBOB]

Whether or not KMart is in the county is irrelevent. Companies open and close or relocate all the time, and KMart had relatively small front-office operations.

Your posting are comical but I caught this about KMart and I have to ask a question.

As a former KMart employee who worked at the KMart Headquarters back in the day, I would like to know what do you mean by small front-office operations? I'm prepare to follow your statement but I will give you a chance to explain "small front-office opeations."

[R8RBOB]

LOL, the next dig you get at me will be your first.

And if they're looking for acres of parking, no reason to stray from the RenCen.

I doubt there's a parking expanse in Troy or Auburn Hills that can rival the barren, cracked moonscape east of the RenCen.

The first dig was "Glenn Rush Jr." Keep up son, you are too slow.

[R8RBOB]

As someone living in Ann Arbor I can not for the godamned life of me figure out why there is such venom toward OC. How naive are some of you? You seem to take pleasure in OC facing difficult times. You childishly seem to want to blame others [[especially) OC for Detroit's horrible condition.

Are you all that dense that you do not realize that OC is really one of the great features of the area? Lowell is constantly saying that outsiders see the whole area as Detroit. That means they see OC as Detroit. And like it or not most if not all will find OC very attractive.

The viciousness toward OC is especially disturbing since we all should be supporting the area.



http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/...-for-michigan/

Stop whining......

[crawford]

Are you all that dense that you do not realize that OC is really one of the great features of the area? Lowell is constantly saying that outsiders see the whole area as Detroit. That means they see OC as Detroit. And like it or not most if not all will find OC very attractive.

http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/...-for-michigan/

The reason they hate Oakland County and wish for its demise is they think O.C. is responsible for Detroit's plight.

Even more ridiculous, they think that if Oakland were somehow economically hobbled, that all the wealth and prosperity would flow back into the city, instead of moving to other counties or regions.

Pretty hard to have a reasonable discussion with people holding such outlandish views.

[R8RBOB]

The reason they hate Oakland County and wish for its demise is they think O.C. is responsible for Detroit's plight.

Even more ridiculous, they think that if Oakland were somehow economically hobbled, that all the wealth and prosperity would flow back into the city, instead of moving to other counties or regions.

Pretty hard to have a reasonable discussion with people holding such outlandish views.

I am wondering if you and ziggy are one and the same. This nonsense about hating Oakland County is insane and funny as hell. Let's kick this dog a little harder and see where it goes.

Since it is nearly impossible to hate acres of land which Oakland County is then Detroiters and supporters of Detroit must hate the people of Oakland County and what they represent. This is just an opinion so step in and correct me if you feel I am dead wrong.

I suppose the same thing could be said about Oakland County hating Detroit. Again, since you can't hate acres of land then the citizens of Oakland County must hate the citizens of Detroit.

Time to hang the dog now.

Black city, White suburbs.....I guess the Black citizens of Detroit blindly hate the White suburbanites of Oakland County and the White suburbanites just hate Black folk, so there you go. The hate continues on......

[ziggyselbin]

Stop whining......

Thats the best you can come up with?

Did you read the link? I don't really care if you did but it is an objective observation by someone who tells us right in the piece it is not an endorsement of Brooks Patterson.

I don't care if you do or do not hate OC. It is so damned obvious the resentment of OC here that any BS about how OC is doomed has to be recognized as just that resentment.

[Gistok]

Geeze Ziggy & Crawford... anyone with at least 50 posts and half a brain knows that Macomb County and NOT Oakland County is the whipping boy on this forum.... just because one thread discusses Oakland County, you change the subject to Oakland bashing... which it really isn't.

... and speaking of bashing... Washtenaw County... home to one of the worlds greatest institutions of higher learning... and yet they still can't grasp the concept of snow removal... Worked in Ann Arbor for 4 years... and you could always tell when you left the Wayne County line into Washtenaw Co. [[besides the signage)... it's where winter time snow removal ended...

[iheartthed]

Thats the best you can come up with?

Did you read the link? I don't really care if you did but it is an objective observation by someone who tells us right in the piece it is not an endorsement of Brooks Patterson.

I don't care if you do or do not hate OC. It is so damned obvious the resentment of OC here that any BS about how OC is doomed has to be recognized as just that resentment.

I don't think most of us who participated in this discussion "hate" the OC. Heck, most of us lived there at one time or another! But for what this forum may have in OC detractors, there is an equal or greater number of OC heralders who point to it as the holy grail of municipalities and overstate its capabilities of being the region's center. That is what we are arguing against. Do I hate the OC? Of course not! Do I think that it can be the hub of Metro Detroit? Of course not!

[R8RBOB]

To ziggy,

I dont' think anyone hate Oakland Co. but some of us understand that Oakland Co. is going through the same hardships as the other counties. Lord Patterson can get on TV boasting about his triple A rating but he knows that the money that OC used to get isn't as plentiful as it once was. Thanks to foreclosure and lost industries, families are leaving Oakland Co for greater pastures. Remember when Comerica moved their headquarters from downtown Detroit to Dallas what was the excuse for them leaving? No one wants to move here. Since Detroit is in the crapper, that leave places like Oakland County and that is not enough.

[digitalvision]

R8RBOB,

I don't know. I've heard some nasty rhetoric both ways about OC vs. Detroit proper.

I've heard both sides talk about the other should be torched. How the other lives in a disgusting manner. How it's unfathomable to be like that [[whatever that is).

I've heard both sides call the other an inhumane place to live [[for different reasons).

I've heard both sides call the other racist.

In short, I've first-hand witnessed all kinds of vitriol, almost as if the other is unhuman.

So yes, I think it's a hate of the people's lifestyle. But you're not going to win people over that way - there's people who worked their whole lives for their suburban house. And they're going to tell you to go fuck yourself if you tell them what they worked for is worthless - and not help you. And vice versa.

This is DetroitYES - but it used to clearly state it's about the international metropolis of communities. Maybe Lowell should bring that byline back in the header. This thread only reinforces the provincial thinking we're stuck in - and the consistent attitude from both sides' "leadership" that status quo is okay.

Both Detroit and Oakland County have gotten kicked, and it's collectively our damn fault for embracing economic strategies based on one industry, and social policies that are divisive playing on the worse angels of human character for power.

The problem now is that so many people who are trying to do something from everywhere are fed up, that if they can't work together, which the track record has proven there's too many obstacles from attitudes to arcane state laws, the only choice most have is to do it on their own. Hence you see downtowns and duplicate efforts everywhere - and misguided efforts like the mass suburbanization of Detroit [[including downtown, frankly) throwing away the ace card downtown Detroit has.

[ziggyselbin]

I don't think most of us who participated in this discussion "hate" the OC. Heck, most of us lived there at one time or another! But for what this forum may have in OC detractors, there is an equal or greater number of OC heralders who point to it as the holy grail of municipalities and overstate its capabilities of being the region's center. That is what we are arguing against. Do I hate the OC? Of course not! Do I think that it can be the hub of Metro Detroit? Of course not!

I agree it is not the hub; Detroit is. My point or points is there is a callow sentiment among some to somehow want to pit OC against Detroit. Why?

I see OC and Ann Arbor and Washtenaw county as attractive features of the greater area. If it need be said by me then I also consider Detroit an attractive [[needs help) feature as well. If Detroit ever gets back on track this area could rival anywhere.