DETROIT - IS THERE HOPE?

Recently, a Detroit newspaper printed an article where the Federal Government accused Detroit's Housing Department of squandering or mismanaging Federal HUD (Housing and Urban Development) funds. They want Detroit to pay them back 20+ million dollars. They accused Detroit's Housing Department of being incompetent and suggested that the people appointed by the Mayor of Detroit have no idea what they are doing.

May I suggest that this is exactly what the problem is in Detroit. Detroit mayors have given people jobs as political gratitude and not because they actually know how to perform that specific job. For this reason, nothing seems to work in Detroit and nothing seems to get done in Detroit.

New mayoral elections are just around the corner. Hendrix, a serious sort is running against Kilpatrick, a big kid that likes to have fun and has a proven history of fuckups as the mayor of Detroit.

Hendrix appears to have an edge BUT does he have what it takes to break the mold of incompetence that has plagued Detroit since Coleman Young was mayor. I don't really think so.

The Makinac Center, a conservative economic think tank, made some specific suggestions as to what it would take to turn Detroit around. One was to sell Belle Isle to an agency that can actually develop it, keep it clean and attract families again. Hendrix immediately dismissed the idea but hinted he may favor charging an admission fee - $1.00?

Hendrix is already showing that he is not able to make the hard, unpopular but fiscally sound decisions. Maybe that was just a ploy to get elected and he really does have the balls to do what is necessary. We shall see but I don't think he can get elected with again, promising high positions to his political supporters who are also totally incompetent to be placed in any position.

My money is on a State of Michigan receivership. The city will run out of money and the State will have to take over. Yes, cries of racism and dictatorship will ring out but how else is a parent suppose to teach a child how to behave and be responsible?


Janusz