Discuss Detroit » Archives - Beginning January 2006 » Laura Ingraham Discussing Detroit 12/8/05 « Previous Next »
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Karl
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Username: Karl

Post Number: 582
Registered: 09-2005
Posted From: 24.221.99.227
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 11:51 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

On her radio show today, Laura Ingraham is discussing her drive around & thru Detroit yesterday. She spoke of "the utter devastation" "had no idea how vast" and other concerns.

Her drive took her to the Packard Plant and the "inside parking" at the Michigan Theatre, among other places.
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Machoken
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Username: Machoken

Post Number: 1068
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 65.86.12.2
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 11:58 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Just the fact that you listen to that whack job shows what kind of a nut you are Karl. I thought you didn't give two shits about Detroit anyhow?
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Mrjoshua
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Username: Mrjoshua

Post Number: 568
Registered: 03-2005
Posted From: 69.209.151.21
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 12:04 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

There must be a lot of 'whack jobs' in Detroit. Her MI audience is quite large. Whether it be in print or on the airwaves, Detroit is getting a long overdue slap across the face. Negative attention is better than no attention at all. Things are beginning to change because people like KK have the national spotlight on them and finally have to hold themselves accountable.
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Karl
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Username: Karl

Post Number: 584
Registered: 09-2005
Posted From: 24.221.99.227
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 12:08 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Machoken's post reflects the "openmindedness" that has been sooooo helpful to Detroit over the years - and will continue to be (not)

Machoken - either do something useful or crawl back into your hole.
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Machoken
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Username: Machoken

Post Number: 1069
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 65.86.12.2
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 12:11 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Darnit Karl, your level of confusion is so vast Laura Ingraham should do a show on you. Go back to your abortion threads.
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Vas
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Username: Vas

Post Number: 459
Registered: 01-2004
Posted From: 69.246.29.72
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 12:12 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

nothing like a beautiful, Ivy league grad and former Presidential speechwriter railing against the "elites."
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Craigd
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Username: Craigd

Post Number: 1979
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 205.157.244.33
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 12:22 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Laura is right. Those of you that have been to other cities would realize that Detroit is and has been in in decline since the 50's. The the real drag is there is little chance of complete recovery. Detroit still has its nice restaurants, events and the like. Some of the people are cool too. But the future of Detroit is grim at best.
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Jams
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Username: Jams

Post Number: 2354
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 68.250.41.56
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 12:42 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)


quote:

But the future of Detroit is grim at best.




I guess those of us who have lived here most of our lives, should pack our bags and leave ASAP.

Sorry, I love where I live and work. I know my City has many problems but I haven't given up on her.

At least we don't have hurricanes and earthquakes are rare, and I like the water.
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Lilpup
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Username: Lilpup

Post Number: 728
Registered: 06-2004
Posted From: 66.89.12.30
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 1:26 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

yeah? did she mention what kind of car she was driving? has anyone asked her where the fuck she's been the last 40 years or so?

is the national media finally waking up from their incessant coastal navel gazing?

WE know what Detroit's like - we know how it came to be as it is - where the hell has everyone else been? oh yeah - covering the easy stories that don't take any work or require insight
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Shave
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Username: Shave

Post Number: 973
Registered: 06-2005
Posted From: 216.69.223.249
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 1:34 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Great post, Mrjoshua! Could not have said it better myself.
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Hagglerock
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Username: Hagglerock

Post Number: 178
Registered: 03-2005
Posted From: 12.214.243.76
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 1:36 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

so what kind of car was she driving?
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Atl_runner
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Username: Atl_runner

Post Number: 1728
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 68.209.118.72
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 1:58 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)


quote:

The the real drag is there is little chance of complete recovery. Detroit still has its nice restaurants, events and the like. Some of the people are cool too. But the future of Detroit is grim at best.




I couldn't disagree more.. as if it's destiny or fate or something. Detroit is as it is simply because of failed leadership. Get the right leadership in place, both Detroit and MI, and things will change. It will take time, but it will happen.

That being said, the national attention is nothing new. Ask your average man on the street what they think of Detroit, and you will get one answer over and over. Real or Perceived. It doesn't matter. Both affect the total outcome.
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Craigd
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Username: Craigd

Post Number: 1982
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 205.157.244.33
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 2:42 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Atl, It takes money. Something Detroit doesn't have an over abundance of.
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Mrjoshua
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Username: Mrjoshua

Post Number: 576
Registered: 03-2005
Posted From: 69.209.151.21
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 7:03 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

She drives either a Toyota RAV4 or a Ford Escape, I can't remember which.
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Jjw
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Username: Jjw

Post Number: 14
Registered: 10-2005
Posted From: 68.33.206.90
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 8:03 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Ms. Laura isn't very insightful or bright for that matter. She took the easy way out. All cities have troublesome areas that need recovery and we know that Detroit may even have a bit more than the average. But, Ms. Laura decided to skim the surface taking the easy way out. The media in this country really should be ashamed of itself. Where is the news?? Not that Detroit has unresolved issues but the fact that change is on the horizon.
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Citylover
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Username: Citylover

Post Number: 1426
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 4.229.123.35
Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 10:27 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

As much as I don't like to say it she probably spoke the truth.Most visitors would agree with her take.
Detroit is trying but frankly it is an almost insurmountable task and someone such as Laura Ingram coming thru and making an objective observation is not a matter of insight or how smart she is(she is obviously very smart).
Truth is she is just making an observation.I don't think it will deter anyone from doing the things they do to make Detroit a better place.
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1953
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Username: 1953

Post Number: 623
Registered: 12-2004
Posted From: 65.54.97.152
Posted on Friday, December 09, 2005 - 12:57 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

..another reason to confine visitors to the downtown area.
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Michigansheik
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Username: Michigansheik

Post Number: 37
Registered: 09-2005
Posted From: 69.242.215.232
Posted on Friday, December 09, 2005 - 1:32 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

It's too bad she didn't take a drive through the city 10 years ago, then she'd have more to talk about. A friend of mine moved away 10 years ago and came back for Thanksgiving. He couldn't believe all the change, it just has be put into perspective. I'll support these baby steps towards 'real' city status until we're there!
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Bobj
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Username: Bobj

Post Number: 259
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 68.40.89.238
Posted on Friday, December 09, 2005 - 2:49 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Good point sheik, when you think about the early 90's in Detroit, things looked much more bleak.
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Alexei289
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Username: Alexei289

Post Number: 898
Registered: 11-2004
Posted From: 68.61.183.223
Posted on Friday, December 09, 2005 - 3:14 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

If anyone doesnt think Detroit can recover... Also remember what Detroit's population was in 1920 (469,000) and what it became 20 years later in 1940 (1,525,000)... Thats more than a million people.... in less than 20 years. 20 years ago today puts us back to aprox 1986... Im sure we all remember that year... Imagine 1 million new residents just poping up out of nowhere...

Now tell me Detroit cannot make a full recovery when the conditions are right.
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Jerome81
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Username: Jerome81

Post Number: 854
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 64.142.86.133
Posted on Friday, December 09, 2005 - 5:35 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

alexi-
you're right. couple problems though.

1) back then, when people came rushing to an area, they lived in the city. today, many would, but I am sure most would choose to live outside the city.

2) what kind of industry would be capable of such a thing? back then it was all about brawn and the number of people creating it. today, its brains. thats a lot of brain jobs that would need to be created.

I believe Detroit can recover (and appears to be, slowly) and be a much much healthier city than it is today. I'm not very confident AT ALL that Detroit will ever again see anywhere close to 2 million residents...at least not in my lifetime. Unless something drastic changes that might suddenly make long commutes by automobile prohibitively expensive. That's about the only chance I see. When cities like Chicago or San Francisco or Seattle can barely move the needle upwards, I can't see Detroit exploding anytime soon. Places like Phoenix and Las Vegas are growing rapidly. But this isn't so much because people are moving within the city limits but rather they live outside the city and then get annexed. Sorta like if Detroit annexed most of its suburbs, it'd still be a huge city too.

Anyway, I am excited about the progress. But I don't hold hope for Detroit to hit its glory days like ~1950. But who knows.
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Irish_mafia
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Username: Irish_mafia

Post Number: 281
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 68.248.2.48
Posted on Sunday, December 11, 2005 - 2:41 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Her comments are just the tip of the iceberg.

Those of us who travel around the rest of the country on a regular basis know what the other cities look like and the city that we love doesn't measure up very well.

The national media don't know or care what Detroit looked like 10 years ago. They are going to come into this town and see the same empty buildings, vacant lots and abandoned factories that Laura Ingram saw and it won't be a pretty report.

Getting mad at them, of course, won't do anything positive for the city.

Setting a pro-business environment like the one that spurred the huge growth in the early 20th century will.

So let's talk to our politicians about lowering taxes (think Single business tax), reducing the the size and costs of the city's govt. and creating incentives for businesses to locate in SE Mchigan and Detroit, and focusing on truely reforming the educational opportunities for the children in the City of Detroit so that they can grow up with real opportunities in their lives (even if this reform is contradictory to the desires of the teachers unions that have these politicians in their pockets).
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Lilpup
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Username: Lilpup

Post Number: 744
Registered: 06-2004
Posted From: 152.163.100.195
Posted on Sunday, December 11, 2005 - 3:09 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)


quote:

Setting a pro-business environment like the one that spurred the huge growth in the early 20th century will.




I don't agree with this assertion at all. My thinking is along Jerome's line. The huge growth in the early 20th century was due to manufacturing's demand for labor. I doubt we will ever see that again. Aside from labor-intensive industries moving overseas many newer plants are mechanized to the point that they just don't need as much manpower. High tech jobs have no where near the staffing requirements. The city will never have the population density it once did, even if it achieves better economic status. I suspect the same it true of almost all the old major northern and eastern cities (NYC, Chicago, Philly, Boston, Baltimore, etc.).

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