WHAT?? MSNBC host Ed Schultz blames Republican policies for bankrupting Detroit.

reply to post by FlyersFan

They are putting up a new hockey arena by Comerica Park, Home of the Tigers. Both teams are owned by Mike Illitch, who is a MAJOR player in Detroit. He owns Little Caesars Pizza Chain and about half of Downtown Detroit it feels like.

Originally posted by DaMod
reply to post by Blaine91555

 

Well it's not just that.. I think the drop in population from 1950 to the present is a huge factor as well..

Detroit's population is 40% of what it was at it's peak.

Which was fueled by high crime and overbearing taxes. The same migration is happening in other Liberal, high-tax strongholds like California and New York. People want to keep what they work hard to earn.

reply to post by Blaine91555


Ford's decline wasn't solely to do with wages. Ford made some very poor decisions, particularly in the early 2000's, that dramatically affected their sales. Specifically, when gas prices began to rise dramatically in the early 2000's, Ford did not adjust and had, in fact, spent most of their marketing and R&D efforts in developing SUVs, which are not known for their fuel economy. It was a critical strategy failure and caused Ford and other American manufacturers to lose market share to Asian made vehicles due to their greater fuel economy. Basically, the gas market in Asia drove the Asian automakers to compete in terms of fuel efficiency while, int he states because we've had the lowest gas prices in the world, fuel economy wasn't as much of a market driver for our automakers. It was a critical failure on the part of the American automakers and one that they have been working very hard to rectify along with their legacy healthcare costs.

media.ford.com...

Another serious issue for automakers is that they are still lagging behind in terms of R&D and waste. Tata Motors is supposed to be hitting the American markets soon and it could very reasonably tank the American automakers even further. Tata has basically found the way to eliminate tons of waste so that the production costs of their vehicles are incredibly low. A Tata Nano sells for about $3000 and has a fuel efficiency of around 60 mpg. Compare that to what the US automakers are offering and that's a pretty extreme difference in a still tight economy. www.tatamotors.com...

So yes, in part the labor cots but a whole lot in part to inefficient production and falling critically behind in terms of R&D. Unfortunately, unlike luxury automakers, Ford is not synonymous with "luxury vehicle" and has largely appealed to the now strangled middle class. Ford isn't going to fare well.

Originally posted by Quoop
I went to Detroit last Thursday for a concert. My friends and I left our hotel to go to a restaurant about 5 minutes down the road and we were mugged. 3 black kids about 18-19 years old, sucker punched us and tried to pick pocket us. Luckily we can all take a punch and started swinging back. They ran away with nothing, but I will not be going to Detroit EVER again.

One of the many contributing factors to why Detroit is bankrupt. Who wants to take a vacation in murder city?

Sorry to hear about that. Hopefully Bon Jovi was good at least.I lived in the City my till 18th birthday and never had any real issues. Of course my head was on a swivel and I had "city smarts" to stay away from trouble when I saw it. And believe me, I saw LOTS of trouble.

I never saw any robberies except for the one time our Uncle came to town and we witnessed the security guard at the local grocery store get his gun stolen by two guys. My Uncle was like "This must happen all the time here, huh?" In reality, it was the only time in 18 years I witnessed something like that and we did not live in a very nice area of Detroit at the time.

I know you had a bad experience but unfortunately, if you are a visitor to the City and don't pay attention, the dredges of society will prey on you. It's like tourists everywhere, you have to be aware. I saw a couple get robbed of all their really expensive camera gear at the Colosseum in Rome by a pack of young Turks / Gypsies. They didn't pay attention and see what that group was going to do. They swarmed them and cut all their camera bags off at the straps and ran. I'm sure they got pickpocketed too. They didn't have a chance once they started to get approached. I saw that situation coming a mile away but couldn't do anything to help them in time as we were too far away.

It's not always like that in Detroit, only one in four tourists get robbed. or assaulted......... just kidding. Your situation doesn't happen all the time, really.

reply to post by NOTurTypical


I think we need to ask ourselves What would Jesus do? I think he would cast all the Democrats and Republicans into hell for lying, cheating, stealing and SCREWING AMERICANS IN THE REAR.

ONCE DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS ARE ELIMINATED, THEN WE WILL HAVE HONEST GOVERNMENT!!

Trust Jesus. He does not like them either.

Originally posted by jimmyx


all of us citizens need to be competitive with Chinas wages. if we can just get American people to accept those non-union jobs like they have in china, we would be a lot better off.
www.bls.gov...

I'm not in a union and I make good money...hmmm what failed there?

At least Ford didnt take bailout money.

Originally posted by SammyB0476
At least Ford didnt take bailout money.

What do you call the almost 6 Billion of taxpayer money they received in 2009...and haven't payed back?

Oh...a loan?

Ed Schultz is an agent of the elite. Please stop giving him your attention, because he panders to idiots.

reply to post by FlyersFan
Your right about not bailing them out, because then you set a precedent of having to bail every other city that is in debt out. And that bail out money is coming out of your paycheck. But I'm thinking that our country will be bankrupt soon enough..

Originally posted by sheepslayer247
Just another comment from someone with a partisan point of view.

It was both Republican and Democratic policies and mindsets that caused the trouble in Detroit...and can be seen rising in other areas as well.

On one side you had a party that pushed for manufacturing to be moved to the place it cost least to conduct business (exporting manufacturing to foreign countries), and on the other you had a party that pushed the unions too the extreme(outrageous pay/benefits for workers) and made it impossible to conduct business in a competitive way.

So either side can place blame on the other, but both are just as responsible.

Who was it again who signed NAFTA?? What was that republicans name again?? It seems to be evading me!

Wait.... That Republicans name was Clinton wasn't it?

reply to post by groingrinder


I think Jesus would go all Sodom and Gomorrah on Detroit's ass if he was really righteous!

Originally posted by SammyB0476
At least Ford didnt take bailout money.

One of the reasons I bought a brand new shiny Ford Focus!

Originally posted by Xtrozero

Originally posted by jimmyx


all of us citizens need to be competitive with Chinas wages. if we can just get American people to accept those non-union jobs like they have in china, we would be a lot better off.
www.bls.gov...

I'm not in a union and I make good money...hmmm what failed there?

since you provide absolutely no other information...nothing failed....warren buffet is not in a union and he makes good money....a little context would be helpful... if not?, what's your point?

Originally posted by Bearack

Originally posted by sheepslayer247
Just another comment from someone with a partisan point of view.

It was both Republican and Democratic policies and mindsets that caused the trouble in Detroit...and can be seen rising in other areas as well.

On one side you had a party that pushed for manufacturing to be moved to the place it cost least to conduct business (exporting manufacturing to foreign countries), and on the other you had a party that pushed the unions too the extreme(outrageous pay/benefits for workers) and made it impossible to conduct business in a competitive way.

So either side can place blame on the other, but both are just as responsible.

Who was it again who signed NAFTA?? What was that republicans name again?? It seems to be evading me!

Wait.... That Republicans name was Clinton wasn't it?

good point, I always hated Clinton for doing that, but let's not forget the republicans were all in favor of it, as always, when it involves making the wealthy, more wealthy .....too bad the working people can only rely on one party, the democrats..... and if they screw up, the working people suffer.
here's the congressional vote
clerk.house.gov...

Originally posted by jimmyx

Originally posted by Bearack

Originally posted by sheepslayer247
Just another comment from someone with a partisan point of view.

It was both Republican and Democratic policies and mindsets that caused the trouble in Detroit...and can be seen rising in other areas as well.

On one side you had a party that pushed for manufacturing to be moved to the place it cost least to conduct business (exporting manufacturing to foreign countries), and on the other you had a party that pushed the unions too the extreme(outrageous pay/benefits for workers) and made it impossible to conduct business in a competitive way.

So either side can place blame on the other, but both are just as responsible.

Who was it again who signed NAFTA?? What was that republicans name again?? It seems to be evading me!

Wait.... That Republicans name was Clinton wasn't it?

good point, I always hated Clinton for doing that, but let's not forget the republicans were all in favor of it, as always, when it involves making the wealthy, more wealthy .....too bad the working people can only rely on one party, the democrats..... and if they screw up, the working people suffer.
here's the congressional vote
clerk.house.gov...

Let me be clear, I'm no fan of how the republicans have handled themselves over the last 15+ years but for anyone to tie Detroit's failures to the Republicans is not only naive, but economically illiterate.

I actually heard a progressive analyst make a claim yesterday this is was the result of austerity by the republicans and that reduced spending caused the fall of Detroit... I nearly urinated myself from laughing so hard.

Originally posted by Tarzan the apeman.
reply to post by FlyersFan

 

Your right about not bailing them out, because then you set a precedent of having to bail every other city that is in debt out. And that bail out money is coming out of your paycheck. But I'm thinking that our country will be bankrupt soon enough..

. Correct, 62 US cities are facing the same fate as Detroit in the near future. We can't bail them out.

How about we stop trying to blame a party. Why don't we start looking at the policies that brought everything to where it is?

This us versus them mentality is really screwing the country as a whole. We have a congress that is more concerned with blocking anything the president wants to do just because he's a democrat.

Mitch McConnell even said that his first priority was to make sure that Barack Obama was a one term president. Partisan bickering and finger pointing is just childish and getting quite old. Both sides are to blame. I say abolish the parties so everyone is forced to think for themselves and not have to ride a party line just for the sake of the party

reply to post by Redden


So Republicans and Democrats are both cute bunnies then? and Republicans arent even responsible for the bankrupting of Detroit?

by the way what did Romney say in 2012? let Detroit go bankrupt remember that? could you imagine if was in charge at the white house? outcome of it would have being quite the opposite today. Even Romney wouldn't save Detroit. Both parties are to bame.

reply to post by acuna

Both sides are to blame.

Bullcrap how absurd. Both sides would be to blame if both sides would have had their turns in leading the city. If both sides had been implementing their respective ideologies and agendas. The fact of the matter with Detroit is the Democrat party had a 5 decade stranglehold on the city. The facts don't support your claims, Republicans haven't been in charge in that city since before 1962.