Detroit is the perfect demonstration of Margaret Thatcher's quotation, "Socialism is great, until you run out of other people's money." Well, the Other People are out of money, and the party's over.
Entitlements and unions, they killed Detroit.
Really? I'd say it was more like competition from the Japanese, who were wise [ok, it was more their culture of treating guests politely] enough to pay attention to W Edward Deming's ideas. The ones he took to the "Big 3' first, and got laughed out of each exec's office for his trouble - they actually told him to "take it to Japan, because they need help - we don't."
Remember when 'made in Japan' was synonymous with cheap, disposable, not worth fixing? Deming promised to turn that around in 3 years, and did it in two.
Toyota and Honda became what the 'Big 3' had a chance to be, and the only entitlement that blew it for Detroit was the CEOs who believed they would always have a 'captive audience' for their product, so why change anything?
It is really tragic that Detroit has become what it is, but blaming the unions is just ignorance, because they didn't make the decisions that doomed automotive manufacturing as it existed when the 'Big 3' ran the show.
As for learning from history, the CEOs flying to DC in private jets to ask for a handout says they still hadn't learned a thing about hubris.
In today's world, it'll take a miracle to restore Detroit, and that makes me mad, cause I used to love visiting there, and it's just GONE.
I was born in Detroit and grew up in the area. I WATCHED it happen. Yes, competition had it's effect. It was the companies AND the unions that brought down the auto companies. Competition SHOULD bring out the BEST in a company.
I worked in an auto plant for a short while, what an education to say the least.
I saw union workers destroy company property. One guy used to put pop bottles into car doors prior to the finish pieces being put on. Another used to 'cave in' the roof of every tenth car that came down the line. He was a teacher who worked there when off for the summer. Yet another like to put a handful of nuts into the gas tanks of cars.
I saw a company that could care less. On my first day was to be trained by a union guy. He was drunk and went off to sleep. I had NO idea in the world as to what to do, SO, I did nothing. Watch the cars go by, not getting the part needed at that station. After 3 hours a 'foreman' came by. I explained the situation. His solution? Just put anything in for now. By the way, the drunk union man was not fired, the union protected him. REAL smart, eh?
As to the hand outs, you need to spend some time down there, as I have, working trying to rehab the city. It is a total waste of time. It is a fact that ten's of thousands, or more, people are more than willing to sit back and be cared for. All races, colors, religions and education levels. They are just butt ugly lazy.
Those who prey on them, drug dealers, 'community leaders and organizers', will goes as far as to kill to stop any improvement of their lives, it would hurt their drug sales.
Nothing will change until those who live there decide to earn their way. Until then, the cesspool will continue to expand. The system is designed to enslave and demean. It works. Detroit is the shinning example of what will be the end result of the 'Nanny State'.
