The American Badass Pontificates on Detroit's poor, uneducated

**Scottathew** · January-30-15, 09:31 AM

There are people that work with me that live paycheck to paycheck, with lots of debt. I'm looked at as a personal finance guru and cheapskate. I tell them what they need to do, and how they need to do it to improve their financial situations. But when they get their bonus checks and tax returns they just waste them, instead of eliminating high interest debt.

Some people choose to be in the situations they are in, and will gladly choose to stay in them, even when opportunity to improve comes.

As a society we need to concentrate our efforts on helping the willing improve, get educated, and get jobs.

**nain rouge** · January-30-15, 09:48 AM

Kid Rock is right, but if they were to figure anything out, it would be that it's time to leave Detroit. Metro Detroit was built up as a mecca of industry. That bet has gone sour in recent decades. Though the economy has adapted, I'm not convinced it's transitioned well enough to support the current metro population.

This is a completely non-scientific estimate, but I'd say there are at least 500,000 people that should just leave the Detroit area as soon as possible. I'm not sure if that's what the Kid meant exactly, but it makes perfect sense to me.

**Wesley Mouch** · January-30-15, 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by 48307

There are people that work with me that live paycheck to paycheck, with lots of debt. I'm looked at as a personal finance guru and cheapskate. I tell them what they need to do, and how they need to do it to improve their financial situations. But when they get their bonus checks and tax returns they just waste them, instead of eliminating high interest debt.

Some people choose to be in the situations they are in, and will gladly choose to stay in them, even when opportunity to improve comes.

As a society we need to concentrate our efforts on helping the willing improve, get educated, and get jobs.

7, you're dead on with your summary. Jobs are the result of education and willingness to improve. Energy spent on bitching about the 1% and about racism hold us back.

You've got to accentuate the positive
eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
But don't mess with mister inbetween

[[and they don't mean affirmative action!, just affirmative.)

**noise** · January-30-15, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

7, you're dead on with your summary. Jobs are the result of education and willingness to improve. Energy spent on bitching about the 1% and about racism hold us back.

This is maybe half of the equation. You may choose to focus on that, but you're simply missing the other half.

Inequality and racism absolutely does exist. Ignoring it or pretending it doesn't exist is absurd.

**Det_ard** · January-30-15, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by noise

This is maybe half of the equation. You may choose to focus on that, but you're simply missing the other half.

Inequality and racism absolutely does exist. Ignoring it or pretending it doesn't exist is absurd.

True, but when a job applicant with a Detroit HS diploma can't read a ruler, add or subtract, their most immediate problem is their lack of education and therefore lack of employability.

**Scottathew** · January-30-15, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by Det_ard

True, but when a job applicant with a Detroit HS diploma can't read a ruler, add or subtract, their most immediate problem is their lack of education and therefore lack of employability.

Not to mention the high percentage of children that don't even get that HS diploma and drop out. Not graduating high school is an inexcusable failure of parenting.

**nain rouge** · January-30-15, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by 48307

He has no discipline, complains about living paycheck to paycheck, but refuses to exercise any effort or restraint to improve his situation.

Sounds like he's not really impoverished, though. Many Americans live above their means by carrying tons of debt. Heck, our nation lives above its means that way. It's an entirely different topic.

**noise** · February-01-15, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by Det_ard

True, but when a job applicant with a Detroit HS diploma can't read a ruler, add or subtract, their most immediate problem is their lack of education and therefore lack of employability.

Certainly. And I'm not at all the type to ignore personal accountability in favor of systemic blame, but my point was simply that it's not all or nothing.

**Wesley Mouch** · January-30-15, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by noise

This is maybe half of the equation. You may choose to focus on that, but you're simply missing the other half.

Inequality and racism absolutely does exist. Ignoring it or pretending it doesn't exist is absurd.

I agree. Inequality and racism absolutely exist. It would be absurd to ignore or pretend that they don't exist.

They are a factor. So what can you do about them. You can sit, cry, complain, and discuss till you're blue in the face. Or you can just get to work. Get educated. Succeed. Or you can cry about how you been done wrong all day long. Whining doesn't solve problems. Whining distracts from problem solving. Spend the time building bridges. Stop wasting energy blaming racism and inequality for every problem.

**noise** · February-01-15, 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

I agree. Inequality and racism absolutely exist. It would be absurd to ignore or pretend that they don't exist.

They are a factor. So what can you do about them. You can sit, cry, complain, and discuss till you're blue in the face. Or you can just get to work. Get educated. Succeed. Or you can cry about how you been done wrong all day long. Whining doesn't solve problems. Whining distracts from problem solving. Spend the time building bridges. Stop wasting energy blaming racism and inequality for every problem.

Sure. But that leaves room for those of us with an education and good job to deal with these uglier issues.