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I am excited about this after getting into a nice debate with some friends here at UCLA, and yes I am from somewhat your neck of the woods orginally, (Fort Wayne, IN) so I feel this striking home. The world is turning more and more with urban technology and Detroit stands poised to be the BEST city in the United States of America, as it once gleamed as a production homefront...
Here is why...and let me know your thoughts...
I see this as an opportunity to bring minds from the West Coast side (bear with me on this before you raise your finger!) and bring the next Seattle/Portland to the Midwest...The results could be amazing, a city that could grow and prosper more than anyone could imagine. Yes, I know it takes political willpower, money, but it also takes a dream, which is something I could see right now.
So what do I mean making it like the West Coast? Well, we have a hard time in the Midwest admitting it, but the West Coast is the most popular area like the East Coast (in our region to live anyway) and there is a reason for that beyond mild weather. It's also the planning aspects. No, not everyone needs to be hippies, but the principles and aspects of urban sustainability could make Detroit a LEADER in LEED certified technology, a proposed NEXT ALL AMERICAN FUTURE CITY of the country, and you, my friends are poised in the perfect aspect for this attack...why?
1. You have been dwindled, and complete re-design is imminent and prospective. Bear with me on this, if I had no pride in my Midwest Mecca, I would not be talking about you, but instead just inflating the ego over here. You will need to import some of the mentality of this side, and grow, there will always be pain with growth...but it could change the world. Imagine, if the city of Detroit could (and I believe it could) BOUNCE back like that, how would that effect be portrayed to the other excuse-makers in the world?
2. You can re-invent yourself. Wow, what an opportunity, and SO hard to accomplish in this post-industrial society. You have that opportunity. You can make yourselves everything or nothing...but I prefer to see everything. I do not wish for gentrification, but renewal, that provides EVERYONE opportunities. Sadly, if the city does not step up as a whole, you are awaiting just that poor aspect of city rebuilding, gentrification. It can be a blessing, but let's be honest, in the beginning, before the results fan out, it represents the elitists, and those with investment income to make it a "better" place. I think you are the "better place" just not personified.
3. That Can-DO spirit of the Midwest...oh man, what I miss about back home, is people are so lazy out here. It's not just the liberal aspect of taking care of people (which I am for, by the way) but my blood boils to see people taking advantage after being taken care of...how fair is that? Instead, we do not need socialist aspect, but rather, a different look. Environment design and structured city away from fabled madhouses like LA (which I live in and people still steer into) would be a mistake. Instead, forefronts should be there to mimick great cities like Portland and Seattle. Why? Not because they are all mostly liberal cities, that is just a side-effect to the acceptance level, but becuase of the planning aspects that make these cities great. You can replan to make it just that.
4. Who am I to run my mouth? Well, for one, I am a Midwesterner, who wanted a liberal education on the West Coast to combat my more conservative upbringing, and make me a better-rounded person. I found myself on that path, and that is my choice. But I am also a veteran of 8 years, and I have served the country with the aspect of wanting to see it grow. I really wish the best for you, crime or no crime. But really, it's going to be all up to you. Attractive is not just in the sense of beauty, but also in the formation of beauty, and seeing potential. Draw, harness, and kidnap if you have to the best urban planners in the world, work together, see your unification beyond the distance of hardship and realize the struggle is one for the entire city, create the positive identity that is assocated with change and growth, and you will RULE the country in the next 20 years...
I feel strongly to have shared this with you...delete it, hate it, call me out, state some un-intelligent stupid remark, or cheer yourselves on...this is your choice. You are DETROIT...Can this please be a positive post?
UCLA Junior and 8 year Navy/AF Reserve Vet,
Born in Fort Wayne, IN...
I love your attitude about the city. Positivity = progress, negativity = nothing. I see Detroit's issues but I do not choose to live my life thinking about the negative and thinking about how much better NYC's transportation system or how many grocery stores is in the LA city limits ect. That is not going to help Detroit get back on it's feet unless someone plans to bring ideas from other places to Detroit (which in that case I am ALL for). New ideas are what created great places and that is what the city needs. Thanks for your post. If Detroit can realize they need to invest in a new economy then we may be back on our feet in no time.
The simple fact is you are in a position to be changed completely, in a forever-sustainable way. Eco-technology could bring American Production back to 1950's American Automobile status...if we try for Automobile status, we have too much competition. Gretsky said it best...skate to where the puck is going... (I know...you guys are wings fans)
What do feel it is about Detroit that will make it succeed whereas it has not up 'till this point and whereas other cities are also trying to become the NEXT BEST?
It seems to me that a city needs a certain "synergy" to become the NEXT BEST. Detroit is a perfect example of this. The automobile industry made Detroit great because we are between the iron and copper (brass was a major component in early cars) deposits in Minnesota and Northern Michigan on the one hand and the coal industry (vital component in steel-making) in West Virginia and Pennsylvania on the other. Also, Michigan had a plentiful supply of wood, which is what car frames were originally made of. And Detroit already had a well established metallurgy industry (cast iron stoves, predominantly). So these and other factors (many immigrants for cheap labor, location near US population center, access to Great Lakes, well established horse carriage and rail car industry, etc.) combined to make Detroit an ideal location.
I'm not sure that that could be said to be the case for any "new" industrial revival. Our labor is expensive, thanks to the unions. The crime is out of hand within the city proper, thanks in part to the huge wave of southern immigrants during the WWII manufacturing boom. The climate is less desirable since the advent of air conditioning made southern climates more so. Metal mining and milling can't compete with low cost imports. Manufacturers can't compete with imports. Coal is taboo. Capitalism and big business are "evil". Poor people rather take the government hand out than work their asses off in a sweatshop like their Asian counterparts. The information technology industry is highly mobile and really does not depend on geographical advantages of certain locations.
Need I go on?
It's great to dream and I appreciate you giving Detroit consideration, but Detroit didn't become the Motor City because Henry Ford woke up one day and said "Gee, Detroit is a deserving city, let me think of a way I can bring it to greatness".
Also, LEED technology needs an active construction industry in order to create and implement advancements. Detroit has a more active demolition industry than construction industry.
So what do I mean making it like the West Coast? Well, we have a hard time in the Midwest admitting it, but the West Coast is the most popular area like the East Coast (in our region to live anyway) and there is a reason for that beyond mild weather. It's also the planning aspects. No, not everyone needs to be hippies, but the principles and aspects of urban sustainability could make Detroit a LEADER in LEED certified technology, a proposed NEXT ALL AMERICAN FUTURE CITY of the country, and you, my friends are poised in the perfect aspect for this attack...why?
No. It is pretty much just the weather and geography that attracted people to the West Coast. That and space, plus cheap ocean front real estate, and opportunity (gold). Then when tons of people moved there, it became the economy that attracted people. It is certainly NOT the government, nor the conformity ("planning") that attracts people. It is certianly not the greenies or the LEED garbage. LEED, like many similar things is a nice idea, but pretty impractical and stupid and absurd in its execution. One thing fairly common to midwesterners and less common on the west coast, we like practical things more than lofty ideas. Rather than imagining and then legislatively requriing a vehicle that flies, uses no fuel, is 100% safe, and makes everyone love each other, we prefer to make something that actually works and does something. The same is true of city planning. Nice words and lofty ideas can remain on the coasts. Bring a practical idea, a strong back and calloused hands and we will pitch in (oh you better bring some cash too, people need to eat).
Detroit is not a place for the kind of people arracted to Hollywood or San Francisco. It is a place for tough, hardy people. It is a rugged place with extreme weather that is sometimes dangerous. Living here is not easy, it is challenging. It is not comfy, but it is also not boring. Its attractions are the surrounding outdoor opportunities and the open opportunity to work hard, take risks and struggle to success. People who want to think about what a great city Detroit could be if only they thought like them, can stay on the coasts. We need doers.
1. You have been dwindled, and complete re-design is imminent and prospective. Bear with me on this, if I had no pride in my Midwest Mecca, I would not be talking about you, but instead just inflating the ego over here. You will need to import some of the mentality of this side, and grow, there will always be pain with growth...but it could change the world. Imagine, if the city of Detroit could (and I believe it could) BOUNCE back like that, how would that effect be portrayed to the other excuse-makers in the world?
We have been dwindled? WTF?? We are still 100% full human beings and no more "dwindled" than anyone on either coast. Parts of the City have been abandoned, but the people of Detroit Metro have not been "dwindled" (except maybe in the haughty opinions of the media wonks).
Detroit can bounce back wihtout the mentals (mentality?) from the West Coast. Although we cannot change the weather, there is a lot to offer in this area. Actually complete re-design would be a mistake. Many cities have suffereed from attempted "re-design" rather than working with the history and assets of the city and building on them. Detroit has a fabulous history and historic core to build on. THere are some great assets and some great people (unfortuantely too many of them move away from the city as soon as practical) The problem is not re-design, the problem is an outlying expanse of broken empty neighborhoods and factories and a large number of broken empty people occupying them. Re-design of the City offers no solution for the current problems. The City is simply too large for the number of people here. The concentrated areas like Mid-town are doing well, but much of the rest of the city is empty, abandoned and decaying. The buildings in those area are past the point where they can be restored, so someone has to pay the cost of teearing them all down before the empty land can be used again. The city has hundreds of miles of roads, sewers and power lines to be maintained, partolled, and repaired, but few taxpayers to generate the money for this. Many areas have only a few people living amongst hundreds of abandoned houses, apartments and factories. The first step is to concentrate those people into core areas so the mostly abandoned areas can be cleared. However, it is not even that simple. The areas that are not abanoned are scattered, they are not grouped in a specific location, thus it is necessary to maintain the roads, sewers, water lines power lines etc that run between the surviving viable areas. However there is no money for this. Further the City has consistntly resisted outside help other than gifts of cash. If the City does not want interference, even in the form of help, and does not want "outsiders" moving in, it is a bit difficult to change much. Importing a handful of surfer dudes will not do anything about this problem. Your solution?
2. You can re-invent yourself. Wow, what an opportunity, and SO hard to accomplish in this post-industrial society. You have that opportunity. You can make yourselves everything or nothing...but I prefer to see everything. I do not wish for gentrification, but renewal, that provides EVERYONE opportunities. Sadly, if the city does not step up as a whole, you are awaiting just that poor aspect of city rebuilding, gentrification. It can be a blessing, but let's be honest, in the beginning, before the results fan out, it represents the elitists, and those with investment income to make it a "better" place. I think you are the "better place" just not personified.
"You can make yourselves everything or nothing..." You must be a philosophy major, or maybe poetry. What do you think that means? Nice flowery words here, but what is the substance? What are you really saying you want to see the city become? A city cannot become "everything" Everything includes a waterfall, a bumble bee, a sewer pipe, and the Salton Sea. Detroit is not going to become any of those things and we would not want it to. Nor will people or the city ever be "nothing" That is a really awful thing to say. "If you do not accomplish what I think you can and should, then you are nothing."
There is amazing opportunity in parts of Detroit. That is why small numbers of creative young people are moving to downtown and mid-town. There is a chance to actually steer the community, to make a real difference. You could even end up with a street or bridge named after you.
Gentrification is a silly name for wealthy people returning to a city or other location that has become impoverished. Call it what you will, the City needs people with money to come live in the city. The City could probably use some racial diversity as well. A city canot thrive without a diversity of people from differnt income levels and possibly it needs a diversity of races and cultures too. Both facts mean a lot of white people (and asian and hispanic people if you do not include them as white) need to move in. Detroit has almost no diversity at all amongst its residents. No finacial diversity, no racial diversity, no cultural diversity and very little diversity of ideas. I somewhat doubt the need for racial diversity for a city to succeed, if you could find a way to attract ever middle and upper midle class black person to Detroit, the City woudl probably thrive equally as well as if it became a diverse city. However I do not think there are enough middle and upper middle class black people that could be attracted to the city. The simple fact is it cannot revocer without attracting middle class and upper middle class people from the pool of all races. To attract people of all races, it cannot continue to make itself a place for black people only. That means it cannot continue to do things like reject a qualified and lowest price contractor simply because he is based in a town where 20 years ago, a member of the klu klux klan once lived nearby and held rallies on his farm. It cannot continue to fight an offer by the state to take over a park you cannot afford to maintain as racist and stage angry protests. It must accept that the decision to repair roads used by 200,000 people a day and and allow roads used by 12 people a day to decay is an economic practicality, not racism. The City must learn to accept that most white people are not racist and many would like to help the city and all of its people to thrive.
Now, you have a virtually all black city and city government. How is it going to go over to tell the mostly impoverished people of Detroit "We need to cough up money so we can develop and market the city to attract more white people so we can be diverse" ? As it is, when people from the State or from the suburbs try to help the city or move into the city (like downtown), it creates an uproar. "You are tying to take our city away. You are taking over. This is our city, keep out you racists." What is your plan to combat that attitude?
3. That Can-DO spirit of the Midwest...oh man, what I miss about back home, is people are so lazy out here. It's not just the liberal aspect of taking care of people (which I am for, by the way) but my blood boils to see people taking advantage after being taken care of...how fair is that? Instead, we do not need socialist aspect, but rather, a different look. Environment design and structured city away from fabled madhouses like LA (which I live in and people still steer into) would be a mistake. Instead, forefronts should be there to mimick great cities like Portland and Seattle. Why? Not because they are all mostly liberal cities, that is just a side-effect to the acceptance level, but becuase of the planning aspects that make these cities great. You can replan to make it just that.
It is true coasters seem to be generally lazier than midwesterners. Of course that is a generalization and therefore wrong and stupid, but it is somewhat founded in fact. Some West Coast businesses try to recruit youngsters from the midwest becasue they believe them less likely to be lazy. Not sure why that is, maybe the water?
However the midwest is also full of people taking advantage of being taken care of. There is a huge concentration of such people in Detroit. Probably a hundred thosand of them, maybe more. People will scream about that, but it is simply true. There are a whole lot of welfare recipeints in Detroit, and a lot of welfare recipients take advantage of the system. That is equally true regardless of whether the recipients are black white or green. Becasue Detroit has a concentration of poverty, it has a concentration of welfare recipients, and therefore a concentration of welfare recipeints who take advantage of the system. It is simply the odds, nothing to do with Detroit in particular. Where you have lots of welfare reciepeints, oyu will also have lots of welfare abusers. There are generations who have never known any life but the welfare life. What would you suggest be done with those people in your revitalization? Chicago spread them out into the nicer neigborhoods around the city so they woudl not be concentrated. Detroit cannot do that. The nicer neighborhoods are outside the city. Lets call it 250,000 multigenerational welfare recipeints who have become lazy and will not do anything but collect their check and never will. Where are you going to put them? How are you going to pay for their sewers, water, power, fire protection, police protection, streets, street lights, and the like, without a base of middle and upper class taxpayers to flit the bill? The City cannot pay for them anymore. No one knows what to do except blame others for the problem and argue about why proposed solutions are impractical, or racist. What do you propose?
What planning aspects are present in Seattle or New York that make these cities "greater" than Detroit? What about Detroit is not well planned? Detroit was a pretty well planned city actually. It was and is better planned than Seattle. It was not built on a tide plain. It was actually laid out, rather than simply allowed to happen. Great cities become great by working with what they have, not by re-design. Neither Seattle or New York are the way they are by design. They evolved to be what they are. Not long ago, New York was horrible downtown. Worse than Detroit is now. Times square was filled with porn shops, head shops, drug addicts beggars and criminals. It was a terrible place. That was changed, mostly through strong leadership and money. Unfortunately, Detroit has neither right now.
4. Who am I to run my mouth? Well, for one, I am a Midwesterner, who wanted a liberal education on the West Coast to combat my more conservative upbringing, and make me a better-rounded person. I found myself on that path, and that is my choice. But I am also a veteran of 8 years, and I have served the country with the aspect of wanting to see it grow. I really wish the best for you, crime or no crime. But really, it's going to be all up to you. Attractive is not just in the sense of beauty, but also in the formation of beauty, and seeing potential. Draw, harness, and kidnap if you have to the best urban planners in the world, work together, see your unification beyond the distance of hardship and realize the struggle is one for the entire city, create the positive identity that is assocated with change and growth, and you will RULE the country in the next 20 years...
Thank you for your service., good to hear you survived that survice apparently unscathed.
You are free to expouse your ideas, but do not be upset if people do not think they are amazing and new. Do not get bent out of shape when people say this thinking involved no concrete ideas and no understanding of the problem. Instead develop your ideas. What do you really mean? Go beyond the flowery words and come up with some concrete ideas and practical thinking. What would you re-design? Streets? Buildings? Parks? Most of those were well designed. Detroit was once considered the nicest city in the USA. Learn why, learn what happened, then see what you can come up with for solutions. Cheer leading - we we have plenty of that. What we need are good practical ideas and leadership (plus a change in attitude).
Good luck with that philosophy major. You do realize the extreme liberals on the west coast are crazy do you not? This includes 90% of the State liegislature. Stay away from extremeists on either side of the liberal conservative battle and you will do a lot better. You do realize that California has basically failed as a governmental entity do you not? They are $55 billion short of their spending with no solution except to borrow more money and increase taxes. The West coast is not a model for Detroit to follow in reinventing itself. SOme aspects of New York's revitalization could be a model to follow, but not all. The big problem is attracting bright creative thinkers and leaders. What would it take to get you to move to Detroit? What brought you to LA? (For me it was the sunshine and UCLA cheerleaders I saw on the rosebowl broadcasts)
Because of the opportunity here, it would not be hard to interest the best urban planners in the world, but then when their planning brought out protests, lawsuits and riots, they would leave. BEsides no one woudl ever agree who the "best urban planners" are. The "best urban planners" of their day came up with suburban sprawl and were much lauded for their ideas, which turned out to be very bad ideas for cities and for the environment. However no one knew that until they were dead. In addition, the best urban planner for Madrid, or even for New York is not necessarily the best urban planner for Detroit.
The problem with the flowery words is that you do not really understand the problem Detroit faces. It cannot be solved by recruiting urban planners. Planning is not the source of the problem. It is a problem with prejudice, fear, misunderstaning, lack of funding and impracticality. Detroit as configured is an impractical city and will remain so until things change. It needs to be concentrated into a core and then rebuild outward as it succeeds. To do so the city and City governement must shed the "This is mine" attitude. I do not know whether that is going to change. However even this is only a part of the problem/need. The problem is conplex and multifacted. It is not simple. There are about 50,000 things that need to be done or changed for Detroit to come back, not one or two.
I feel strongly to have shared this with you...delete it, hate it, call me out, state some un-intelligent stupid remark, or cheer yourselves on...this is your choice. You are DETROIT...Can this please be a positive post?
UCLA Junior and 8 year Navy/AF Reserve Vet,
Born in Fort Wayne, IN...
Well it is a positive post and it is good to know you have positive thoughts about Detroit, but liberal theories do not solve problems. Hard practical plans solve problems. That and good leadership. The problem is it seems every time Detroit finds someone with either, they get run out of town, or just worn down b the constant resistance. Got any practical ideas? Are you a leader? Why not move here and work on a solution?
Have you ever been to Detroit? What the media depicts is false. It is necessary to understand the problem and the assets before proposing a solution.
I am excited about this after getting into a nice debate with some friends here at UCLA, and yes I am from somewhat your neck of the woods orginally, (Fort Wayne, IN) so I feel this striking home. The world is turning more and more with urban technology and Detroit stands poised to be the BEST city in the United States of America, as it once gleamed as a production homefront...
Hope all works out for you.
Quote:
Here is why...and let me know your thoughts...
I see this as an opportunity to bring minds from the West Coast side (bear with me on this before you raise your finger!) and bring the next Seattle/Portland to the Midwest...The results could be amazing, a city that could grow and prosper more than anyone could imagine. Yes, I know it takes political willpower, money, but it also takes a dream, which is something I could see right now.
It would also be an opportunity to bring minds from all over the USA. Becoming the Seattle/Portland of the Midwest, something nice to strive for. The West Coast isn't the only place to find great minds like this. I live in the South, but I used to live in the Seattle area. I have ideas from looking at how Seattle and Portland were made. I also have ideas based on how cities like Amsterdam and Paris were made too.
I'm also a geography major, with a concentration in GIS, so I might have a few things to offer.
Quote:
So what do I mean making it like the West Coast? Well, we have a hard time in the Midwest admitting it, but the West Coast is the most popular area like the East Coast (in our region to live anyway) and there is a reason for that beyond mild weather. It's also the planning aspects. No, not everyone needs to be hippies, but the principles and aspects of urban sustainability could make Detroit a LEADER in LEED certified technology, a proposed NEXT ALL AMERICAN FUTURE CITY of the country, and you, my friends are poised in the perfect aspect for this attack...why?
The was Detroit was laid out, it has something solid to build on. It has a solid grid pattern, and there are many buildings that could use the LEED technology. Detroit could become a great leader because there are buildings that could be rebuilt.
Quote:
1. You have been dwindled, and complete re-design is imminent and prospective. Bear with me on this, if I had no pride in my Midwest Mecca, I would not be talking about you, but instead just inflating the ego over here. You will need to import some of the mentality of this side, and grow, there will always be pain with growth...but it could change the world. Imagine, if the city of Detroit could (and I believe it could) BOUNCE back like that, how would that effect be portrayed to the other excuse-makers in the world?
2. You can re-invent yourself. Wow, what an opportunity, and SO hard to accomplish in this post-industrial society. You have that opportunity. You can make yourselves everything or nothing...but I prefer to see everything. I do not wish for gentrification, but renewal, that provides EVERYONE opportunities. Sadly, if the city does not step up as a whole, you are awaiting just that poor aspect of city rebuilding, gentrification. It can be a blessing, but let's be honest, in the beginning, before the results fan out, it represents the elitists, and those with investment income to make it a "better" place. I think you are the "better place" just not personified.
3. That Can-DO spirit of the Midwest...oh man, what I miss about back home, is people are so lazy out here. It's not just the liberal aspect of taking care of people (which I am for, by the way) but my blood boils to see people taking advantage after being taken care of...how fair is that? Instead, we do not need socialist aspect, but rather, a different look. Environment design and structured city away from fabled madhouses like LA (which I live in and people still steer into) would be a mistake. Instead, forefronts should be there to mimick great cities like Portland and Seattle. Why? Not because they are all mostly liberal cities, that is just a side-effect to the acceptance level, but becuase of the planning aspects that make these cities great. You can replan to make it just that.
4. Who am I to run my mouth? Well, for one, I am a Midwesterner, who wanted a liberal education on the West Coast to combat my more conservative upbringing, and make me a better-rounded person. I found myself on that path, and that is my choice. But I am also a veteran of 8 years, and I have served the country with the aspect of wanting to see it grow. I really wish the best for you, crime or no crime. But really, it's going to be all up to you. Attractive is not just in the sense of beauty, but also in the formation of beauty, and seeing potential. Draw, harness, and kidnap if you have to the best urban planners in the world, work together, see your unification beyond the distance of hardship and realize the struggle is one for the entire city, create the positive identity that is assocated with change and growth, and you will RULE the country in the next 20 years...
I feel strongly to have shared this with you...delete it, hate it, call me out, state some un-intelligent stupid remark, or cheer yourselves on...this is your choice. You are DETROIT...Can this please be a positive post?
UCLA Junior and 8 year Navy/AF Reserve Vet,
Born in Fort Wayne, IN...
I've thought about what you've mentioned. You hit one nail on the hammer. Detroit has declined alot, and it is due for redesigning. Detroit can bounce back, but it needs alot of work. Detroit has alot of places that are either abandoned or are about to be demolished. Detroit can be re-invented. There is the potential for that to happen. There are many places where new buildings can be put up, with LEED technology, and a new school of urban design.
However, before this can happen, there are so many other issues that need to be solved. Detroit has the potential to come back. However, half of the battle is getting people to come to Detroit. Detroit has been bleeding out population since the 1960s. Years of racial tension, crime, corruption, and the industrial demise have basically bled Detroit to epic proportions. Detroit can come back, but first the crime needs to come down.
Detroit can become an example of futuristic architecture. First it has to get other problems under control.
I'm also a geography major, with a concentration in GIS, so I might have a few things to offer.
. Detroit has declined alot, and it is due for redesigning.
Detroit can become an example of futuristic architecture. First it has to get other problems under control.
Moderator cut: this is not a grammar/spelling forum
Making detroit an example of furturistic architecture would be a disaster. Detroit is one of the few large US cities with awesome calssic architecture. Some of the buildings are amazing and cannot be duplicated. Tearing them down or diluting them with "futurisitic" crap (which is only futuristic for a few years and then it is outdated junk) would be a disaster. In any event, architecture is not going to solve any probelms in Detroit.
Have YOU ever been to Detroit?
Actually, Detroit had a program for decades where the City hired contractors to re-insulate homes and otherwise improve their heating efficiencny. It really accomplished nothing, but it did provide some jobs. Turning the homes into LEED buildings was not practical LEED is ridiculous and inflexible. However they did improve the insulating properties in some homes. It did nto make any difference however. THe program was terminated because due to red tape, the City did not spend the money on time and lost funding.
3. That Can-DO spirit of the Midwest...oh man, what I miss about back home, is people are so lazy out here. It's not just the liberal aspect of taking care of people (which I am for, by the way) but my blood boils to see people taking advantage after being taken care of...how fair is that?
We have less of that here. The population here is demoralized. The can-do spirit is not dead, but it's numbers are not enough to do anything meaningful. The can-do spirit of the locals goes something like this: See that your neighborhood is getting rundown (usually a bit of paranoia but crime seems to be up), yes, you can leave, and you do, moving a few miles north. In most of the area people don't stay to fix what's wrong.
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