I read the posts in this thread before I read Finley's op-ed. I was expecting something full of vitriol and mean personal characterizations of Detroiters. What I found was a clear description of the state of Detroit that most people, including Detroiters, would recognize as correct.

Unfortunately some people start to hyperventilate upon hearing Finley's name or the utterance of the word "conservative" and they can't seem to deal with the ideas being considered. Ignorance, illegitimacy and isolation. Is there a path out of this mess for Detroiters, or is it a death spiral?

My two cents -- "outside help" won't be accepted or offered in sufficient quantity, so its ultimately up to Detroiters to fix the ignorance and illegitimacy. It can be done but it will require a culture change which will only come if enough people are truly fed up. More likely in my view is we see pockets of progress and wide swaths of disaster for years to come.