Daily Grit by Wes Thorp

Is Wayne County, Michigan more corrupt than Chicago with the late Mayor Daley?

I was sickened when I read this story and watched the accompanying video from the Detroit Free Press about the political fundraising being done in the Wayne County Executive's office.  Citizens in the area and around the state need to start howling for an official investigation and for a response.

Look at the evidence gathered by M.L. Elrick and his team of reporters  that shows what seems to be a "pay to play" culture in Wayne County for anybody who wants to do business in Wayne County.  

Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano says he has done nothing wrong.  Is that true?  Read and watch.  What's your conclusion?

The Michigan Legislature and the Michigan Attorney General need to provide some effective oversight and take action.  

How many other local governments in our state are suffering from the same ailment?  

The Detroit Free Press deserves our praise.  This is journalism at its best.  The news media needs to be our eyes and ears.  Give us the facts and then let us react.  They did that.

 

Can the city of Detroit be saved from its free fall crash into bankruptcy?

It's easy to ignore what's happening in the city of Detroit as it struggles for its life, especially if you don't live there.  But there are lots of reasons to follow what's happening there.

There are hundreds of thousands of people who live there and whose daily life is affected by a city on the edge of being ungovernable.  The state is a few hours away from taking control of a city that doesn't want to be controlled.  The state is on a path to appointing a financial manager to supercede the mayor and the city council.  The manager will have the power to do just about everything.

How will the Motor City react when the state of Michigan comes marching into a city that has gone through hell in the past several decades with crime and with public corruption and the loss of a whole lot of jobs?  

Read this story from today's Detroit Free Press about everyday people and how they are reacting.  Also check the mention of city streets where street lights don't work because the city can afford to fix them. Here's the Detroit News story summarizing the city's and the state's positions and their next moves. 

We all have a stake in what's happening there.  What other cities in Michigan are heading towards bankruptcy?  

Detroit News shows how the Motor City is on the cusp of going bankrupt

Have you been wondering about the financial status of the city of Detroit?  This column by the Detroit News' Nolan Finley shows how the Motor City is tottering on the edge of bankruptcy and may not make it financially to the end of the year.  Look at the debt and how fast it's growing and look at how only 50 percent of its vendors get paid each month.  Talk is that up to 500 police officers might have to be eliminated.

Would you want your young, single-daughter moving to the city of Detroit?

Sit back in your chair for a moment and think the word "Detroit."  What's the first thing that comes to your mind?  Is it a place that you'd want your single daughter to move to?  It might be, according to this story in the Detroit Free Press this morning.  Is this true or did the reporter take too many happy pills or maybe write it from a Starbucks in Birmingham?

Have Michigan leaders thrown up their hands in defeat over Detroit Public Schools?

Read this story in today's Detroit News about the new state-appointed emergency manager for Detroit Public Schools and you are left with one question:  Has the state of Michigan given-up on fixing the Motor City's school system?

The new guy, Roy Roberts, says that to save money for the troubled city schools, he's not willing to expand high school class size to 60 students as had been talked about by his predecessor.  Every teacher who has been in the classroom for more than a day knows classes should not even be half that size for effective teaching and learning.

Look at the Michigan Legislature, Gov. Rick Snyder, the Detroit newspapers and you seem to see one conclusion:  They have thrown up their hands and are punting on the learning future of Motown kids. 

What's the answer?