There is an interesting book by Thomas Sowell called “Black Rednecks, White Liberals”. In it he describes how the blacks from the southern states brough the Scots Irish culture of “honor culture” to the inner cities. Also how white liberals “excused” this culture of low achievement. It is very persuasive and believable. I have lived in SE Michigan since 1987 and witnessed the collapse of an industry/region. I am part of it since I lost my pension when my company reorganized. Oh by the way I am $40K underwater with my mortgage making relocation very prohibitive.
The interesting thing is to see how many people here in SE Michigan are still in denial. They still think/believe that the US owes them something for being the arsenal of democracy back in the 40′s. No lie. They can’t compute that since GM closed the Moraine plant in Dayton that HONDA makes more cars in Ohio than GM. OHIO!! Not Alabama, not Mississippi, not South Carolina. OHIO!! In GM there is a saying about SE Michigan workers. They have the Flint mentality. Simply put it is “GM owes me a living.” And “socially aware” management allowed it to happen with 30 and out retirement and the most egregious benefit of all…..JOBS Banks. How anyone could think that you could pay people not to work is a viable economic model shows just how “socially aware” management that cares for it’s employees can kill a company. They knew what would happen and didn’t take the tough hard steps to correct it. As Drucker said “a company that doesn’t make a profit is socially irresponsible.” It is so very true.
White liberals make excuses for avoiding hard decisions. They don’t want the be judgemental. They are “soft bigots” believing that brown skin people just don’t have it. Detroit is the result of their policy decisions. Michigan cursed with weak leadership has suffered for 9 years what the rest of the US is dealing with.
How to solve it. Simple. Expect, no demand everyone, white, black, brown or red to excel. That “society” is not to blame for your problems but yourself. The good news is that because Detroit is so broke all the thiefs have left because there is nothing left to steal. That the schools are so bad that even the most apathetic people are angry. The state appointed a special administrator named Robert Bobb to fix it and he is cleaning house. Right now he is so popular that he would be elected governor if he wanted t be. All by not accepting the status quo and calling people to account.
Is it enough? One thing for sure power has shifted from SE Michigan to the Western part of the state. This state has lost population so that is it now has less people than in 2000. Only one of three states to post such a record. The others Rhode Island and Maine has managed such an ignoble deed.
