It was in 1981 Detroit when GM took over the East Side. Or could it be 2013?
This situation is special to me because it was taking place in my neighborhood. My home and the church I was baptized in was destroyed. I recall feeling that whatever the pros and cons of GM building a Cadillac plant, something was just not right on the East side and the whole city. White flight, urban blight. Gangs. Rampant unemployment. Our values were all wrong.
Obviously, GM won. Or did it? Did Detroit win? From the news nowadays, Detroit is making another lousy trip around the same lousy mountain. What do we take from this?
Ponder Anew 
🙂
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I like your take on this, Kassey.
Thanks for sharing your history with us.
“He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory,”
I think the government is very involved in what is happening in Detroit today. Was it that way when you were growing up?
God’s blessings…
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Hi Chris, yes the gov outlook is not good for Detroit. I read that it received 100 million grant from some fed program to bulldoze abandoned homes. Experts say it will cost closer to 600 million to clean it up to the point where people will want to move back in. & before the city does anything like attracting business it is going to have to pay its 20 billion debt..
When I was in high school, unemployment was around 9 %, and in 1982 it spiked to 20%. The cause? I think the UAW unions over padded themselves with too costly benefits and pensions, driving the car industry to hit rock bottom. The Big 3, which made Detroit great, is no longer a friend of Detroit. Sad….
blessings to you! Kassey
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It is a very sad situation. How is Detroit going to be able to pay back 20 billion? I don’t think it can or will, similar to my thoughts on the national debt.
I am curious. I know the government must have been involved in the industry when you were young, but how would you compare then to today?
Hope you are having a great weekend.
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Hi Chris. When I lived there, Coleman Young held office as mayor. He was in for 20 years from 1974 to 1994. He was a democrat, and take note that the last republican mayor for Detroit was in 1860!. The last mayor, Dave Bing, was also a democrat who left office at the end of his term in May as Detroit was filing for bankruptcy.
As we speak, there is a hot dispute over ballot counts in the current election for mayor- between a white republican and an african american democrat. (argh!)The republican has won well over enough votes, but there is some dispute over ‘hash marks’, as the republican is a write in candidate.
that all said, I don’t think much has changed, Chris. Detroithas a history of corrupt politicians and is determined to go left, despite alot of evidence that the unfortunate city needs fresh vision.
and thanks, I worked today and it went well. hope yours did as well.
Kassey
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Thanks for the info, Kassey.
The more I “hear” about Detroit, the more it sounds a lot like Chicago.
I wonder if Dave Bing is the basketball player that I remember when I was a kid.
Nvm..I just looked it up…” Bing played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a guard for the Detroit Pistons ” He was an all-star on the court.
So far so good on the weekend. Thanks for your kind wishes.
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yes, Chris, he was, good catch! & thank you for your interesting perspectives, Kassey
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