Comments on: Is Detroit the Outcome of Liberalism? http://www.mrclay.org/2010/01/15/is-detroit-the-outcome-of-liberalism/ Steve Clay on programming, music, public policy and other junk Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:26:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dana John Hill http://www.mrclay.org/2010/01/15/is-detroit-the-outcome-of-liberalism/comment-page-1/#comment-102662 Dana John Hill Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:20:32 +0000 http://mrclay.org/?p=539#comment-102662 The rush to blame liberalism for Detroit's very real woes demonstrates very weak logic, and neglects to consider, as you observe, an entire causal series of events. Remember: many major American cities were experiencing "White Flight" in the 1960s and '70s, as urban poverty and social unrest, coupled with easier highway access, prompted many middle-class white families to move out to the suburbs. Detroit was a nightmare, but so was New York City, and almost every other major metropolis. But, unlike NYC, Detroit's fate was inextricably tied to the American automobile industry, and that was in precipitous decline. So, while New York and other American cities got back on their feet by the mid-1990s, spurred by any number of economic factors, Detroit lacked the catalyst required for rebirth. New York has a million other industries, a millions of people still living within its city limits, which all provides a strong tax base. Detroit has nothing. In fact, Michigan as a whole is a mess. Look at how the Pontiac Silverdome sold for less than $600,000 in 2009. Nobody wants to be there. But I don't think it's liberalism that ruined Detroit any more that it was liberalism that made mining towns in the Old West fail. The rush to blame liberalism for Detroit’s very real woes demonstrates very weak logic, and neglects to consider, as you observe, an entire causal series of events.

Remember: many major American cities were experiencing “White Flight” in the 1960s and ’70s, as urban poverty and social unrest, coupled with easier highway access, prompted many middle-class white families to move out to the suburbs. Detroit was a nightmare, but so was New York City, and almost every other major metropolis. But, unlike NYC, Detroit’s fate was inextricably tied to the American automobile industry, and that was in precipitous decline. So, while New York and other American cities got back on their feet by the mid-1990s, spurred by any number of economic factors, Detroit lacked the catalyst required for rebirth. New York has a million other industries, a millions of people still living within its city limits, which all provides a strong tax base. Detroit has nothing.

In fact, Michigan as a whole is a mess. Look at how the Pontiac Silverdome sold for less than $600,000 in 2009. Nobody wants to be there.

But I don’t think it’s liberalism that ruined Detroit any more that it was liberalism that made mining towns in the Old West fail.

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