Quote Originally Posted by professorscott View Post
This whole thread is ridiculous. Of course there was an alternative, proposed and agreed to, then absolutely ignored. It was called a "consent agreement". Go read back issues of the papers. The City and State agreed on several changes that might have delayed or removed the need for a bankruptcy filing, I believe in all there were twenty-one specific items the City agreed to act on. If the number's wrong, correct me.

As of the date of the bankruptcy filing, the number of those items with which the City in fact complied as it had agreed to: zero.
+1

i would add that too often certain folks speak of Detroit and its residents as one in the same. I think they are different and one has not always treated the other with the deserved respect.

the small clutch of Orraphobes conjure up long-done hurts in order to blind others from the realities of the non-functioning city services. To wit: your gggrandfather whipped my gggrandfather,so that is why the streetlight is broken. While there can be truth in the grim residue of historical servitude, it can also be argued that an equal number of gggrandfathers fought to end that most heinous of institutions.

But the real truth is that to discuss the crimes of history doesn't get the streetlight lit. It doesn't make the fire trucks work. It doesn't make the police show up. But it does help the Orraphobes keep on keepin on.

Instead of getting things done, let us conflate issues, let us raise our fists and fret about being disrespected. That always solves problems.