NYC Mayor Bloomberg: Move Immigrants to Detroit

**Zacha341** · May-01-11, 04:46 PM

Yeah, the specificity of them being immigrants got my attention... like WHO else would come to Detroit? Which may be true at this time when you remove all the polite rhetoric. So agree or not perhaps Bloombergs' bluntness is based IHO on where we really are? But an immediate infusion of revenue is needed, now! The loss of the moderately upper and middle-class base in Detroit, ala home owners, people with a work ethic, tax payers and the like is the problem... That's a hard one to square and resolve especially with the lack of city services and crime as it is right now.

Originally Posted by Vox

Well, duh. Think about this for a second. Why just immigrants? Why not everyone?

The reasoning is simple, Detroit needs taxation to survive. Not free rides.

**Zacha341** · May-01-11, 04:51 PM

Whoa! That was a rough but compelling comment there BAJD! We want it all fo' sho'! BTW, let me go drive off to Walmart right now? Opps, I cannot afford the drive to get there. I think I'll just go around to the local store.... oh wait, where's that...?

Originally Posted by BagAJellyDonuts

What's more important to you? Jobs for the people you live with or getting the most crap at the cheapest price? You can't have both.

**Zacha341** · May-01-11, 04:54 PM

Let me add to that darling list:

- Broken water mains that leak for months
- Slow EMS service
- Under staffed fire department
- Slow bulk pick up of trash
- Horrendous wait and useless bureaucracy for any thing related to city hall - permits et al.

I'll stop now....

Originally Posted by Bishop

what non-existent services are people always complaining about? police/ems?

Let me help you:

-what about residential streets that are in horrible shape
-poor lighting on residential streets - takes months to to replace a burned out lamp
-barely passable thoroughfares in the winter months
-unkept grass along the Lodge Fwy
-slow response by police dept.

edit: I did see a police officer on a horse about two weeks ago going through the neighborhood - but haven't seen one since

**Zacha341** · May-01-11, 04:58 PM

Hah! Now say that! Tell us how you really feel!

Originally Posted by BagAJellyDonuts

Heck, go over to Japan and recruit over there. Pass out plane tickets to anybody who's house got swamped or glows in the dark. Chances are they won't come here to steal copper or strip grave markers to sell as scrap.

**Zacha341** · May-01-11, 05:01 PM

Yes, certain areas fair better than others but tucked away off of Linwood and Taylor or Dickerson and Mack or Puritan and Hamilton Rd.: a totally different scene...and lifestyle.

Originally Posted by michigansheik

what non-existent services are people always complaining about? police/ems?
my trash gets picked up every week. bulk pickup happens on the date its supposed to. the last couple winters the effort to get rid of the snow was ok...in fact better than canton or farmington hills on some days. most streets are in decent shape and drivable. bus stops are well marked with route signage for once. water is supplied whenever i turn on the faucet. i have electricity 100% of the time short of a mother nature issue. true the police are slow to respond but that seems to be improving slowly albeit...are the ems crews well managed not yet but thats fixable with good mgt/leadership...
who knows maybe some of the immigrant's home countries may not even offer these services to the regular folk at all...detroit might be an improvement.

edit: i live in lafayette park

**HistoryNotHisStory** · May-01-11, 05:17 PM

Mayor Bloomberg has a wonderful idea!

I love it!

Let's put a replica of Lady Liberty at Belle Isle.

**jtf1972** · May-01-11, 05:40 PM

Bloomberg is term-limited [[again.) I'm sure he could rent a condo on E. Jefferson & make a run for mayor...

**East Detroit** · May-01-11, 05:56 PM

How about if the Feds give Detroit companies free money instead of loans, like they did for NYC companies? Then people will move here for all the new jobs we create.

**p1acebo** · May-01-11, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by East Detroit

How about if the Feds give Detroit companies free money instead of loans, like they did for NYC companies? Then people will move here for all the new jobs we create.

This.

Funny how the world works, actually no it makes me sick.

lilpup · May-01-11, 06:09 PM

Bloomie just doesn't want them in NYC, too close to himself and his monied cronies.

**davewindsor** · May-01-11, 06:15 PM

Originally Posted by Bishop

"you can't simply throw whatever immigrants come to America in Detroit and think it will just fix itself".

Bloomberg wasn't talking about just allowing anyone in to set up shop. He specifically, suggested it would need to be under certain parameters, i.e. those that want to start their own business etc. Immigrants coming to Americi is certainly nothing new, but in Detroit it could be real catalyst with
a directed effort.

Really, because the above article quoted him saying, "you pass a law letting immigrants come in as long as they agree to go to Detroit and live there for five to 10 years, start businesses, take jobs or whatever,"

Wanting to start their own businesses and having the money to do it are two different things and he did say "take jobs". Where are they gonna get the money to start their own businesses? And, where are those jobs? I like the last part "or whatever". Great, so when they don't find those jobs, they're going to turn to crime and start their own underworld businesses stripping copper, trafficking drugs, prostitution, redistributing wealth to pawn shops, etc.. Why not increase Detroit's crime problem instead of New York's, right?

**iheartthed** · May-01-11, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by Fnemecek

Could it possibly be that immigrants don't like high taxes and almost non-existent services anymore than most Americans do?

I know it's a radical concept. I'm just throwing it out there for discussion.

I doubt the tax burden in most of those cities is much different than Detroit's. But a far smaller percentage of residents in those cities pay property taxes than in Detroit [[since Detroit has a much higher homeownership rate).

**jtf1972** · May-01-11, 06:45 PM

The current immigrant group in the area seems to have plenty of money to buy/start businesses & to buy houses that are on par or better than the average native-born resident. Where do they get the money from?

lilpup · May-01-11, 07:03 PM

They help each other a lot. Some live as family groups instead of everyone shelling out for their own place. They also do business and spend their money amongst themselves and what they spend their money on tends to be somewhat different...

**Fnemecek** · May-01-11, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I doubt the tax burden in most of those cities is much different than Detroit's. But a far smaller percentage of residents in those cities pay property taxes than in Detroit [[since Detroit has a much higher homeownership rate).

I could ask you to put some money on that assumption of yours. I have credit cards, student loans, and a mortgage to pay. However, I'll refrain this time.

According to a survey by Forbes, the average American pays $1,180 in property taxes. This includes city, county, and schools. Most Detroiters are paying somewhere around $2,000 in property taxes.

Detroiters are, therefore, paying almost double the national average for taxes and getting a level of service that can, at best, be described as minimal.

There are, of course, cities that have a tax burden far greater than Detroit's. NYC and Boston immediately come to mind. However, those cities have a level of services that are well above national averages.

**Fnemecek** · May-01-11, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by jtf1972

The current immigrant group in the area seems to have plenty of money to buy/start businesses & to buy houses that are on par or better than the average native-born resident. Where do they get the money from?

They pool their money. Each person has a small amount of money, but when a couple dozen people with a small bank account get together they quickly form a sizable amount of cash.

**iheartthed** · May-01-11, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by Fnemecek

I could ask you to put some money on that assumption of yours. I have credit cards, student loans, and a mortgage to pay. However, I'll refrain this time.

According to a survey by Forbes, the average American pays $1,180 in property taxes. This includes city, county, and schools. Most Detroiters are paying somewhere around $2,000 in property taxes.

Detroiters are, therefore, paying almost double the national average for taxes and getting a level of service that can, at best, be described as minimal.

There are, of course, cities that have a tax burden far greater than Detroit's. NYC and Boston immediately come to mind. However, those cities have a level of services that are well above national averages.

Well, the cities that I cited were NYC, Boston, Chicago and Philly. So I think we're talking about the same thing.

ETA: My point is that I personally doubt it's the tax rate alone that makes Detroit undesirable. It's the tax rate, the level of services, and probably even the high ownership rate factors into it too [[high home ownership rates are correlated with large population declines in industrial cities).

ETA 2: Detroit will never be able to level out its tax rate to balance the surrounding burbs. But Detroit's trump card is in the services it ideally should be able to provide due to being a large population center.

**Fnemecek** · May-01-11, 07:40 PM

Originally Posted by lilpup

Bloomie just doesn't want them in NYC, too close to himself and his monied cronies.

There are plenty of immigrants in NYC. Far more than in Detroit, even on a per capita basis. The problem is that they are quickly being priced out of the NYC real estate market.

**skyl4rk** · May-01-11, 07:44 PM

Shack and a Shotgun Program

Get a free shack in Detroit, a free shotgun, and if you live there 5 years, you are eligible for citizenship. Detroit's population would grow quickly, especially with people from Mexico, Central America and the Middle East.

**canuck** · May-01-11, 07:58 PM

Okay, now is the time to glue the rest of Joe Louis to that arm and fist, do a Statue of Liberty spin on it and stick it on Belle Isle.

lilpup · May-01-11, 08:58 PM

Originally Posted by Fnemecek

There are plenty of immigrants in NYC. Far more than in Detroit, even on a per capita basis. The problem is that they are quickly being priced out of the NYC real estate market.

No shit - I'm aware of that. Bloomie only wants the monied in his city and that doesn't include new arrivals looking for a better place to live [[or low to middle income natives). The core of NYC has the exact reverse situation of Detroit.

**Detroitej72** · May-01-11, 10:20 PM

We've been doing this immigrant thing quite well here in Hamtramck for damn near 120 years now, and we seem to have the right idea. Our population has seen a[[albeit) slight increase, despite the surrounding area's decline.

GUSHI · May-01-11, 10:38 PM

We have immigrants already here, as a 1st generation American I don't think this will work, so pump Detroit with Immigrants so they can take the little job opening we have here. I aleady know a few of my buddies who are painters that bytch about the low bids that are placed by immigrants on jobs.

**Zacha341** · May-01-11, 10:43 PM

Yep, and in some case a medium or larger immigrant family will consolidate to live together in one larger house, sharing resources, cars etc. They may choose to live in tight quarters for the short term so as to build up finances to later move into more independent dwellings/ apartments. We're all going back to that in general as more people share housing to save money, and college age youth are more likely to stay at home, or move back home...after college due to the economy. Get out the air mattress folks! We need to share expenses!

Originally Posted by Fnemecek

They pool their money. Each person has a small amount of money, but when a couple dozen people with a small bank account get together they quickly form a sizable amount of cash.

**Detroitej72** · May-01-11, 10:59 PM

Most of my immigrant neighbors in Hamtramck are hard workers. Many have bought restaurants in Detroit that would have otherwise closed and are stable, mom and pop businesses. Other neighbor's work 10-plus hours a day doing hard labor and construction that many "American's" don't want to do because it's "too hard", and they feel it doesn't pay enough. All the while, they are contributing to and keeping Hamtown a vibrant community.

I say, give us your poor, give us your tired...

Detroitej72, grandson of immigrants