RowBearToe Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 I used to be one of the top posters. Now people don't even know who I am. wait, who are you again...?haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futures Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 I've been here since April 2012 I think... I didn't start posting regularly until maybe December 2012? Idk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abovetheearth Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Detroit is $20 billion in debt and can't afford pensions for city workers and manufacturers that built Detroit from the ground up. It has 78k abandoned buildings and 4 out of 10 street lights are defective. Hmmm. $20 billion. That's how much the U.S. taxpayer spends fighting a war in Afghanistan in about three months. Still think our war budget is "moderate"? Its insane how much we spend on our war machine. Smitty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futures Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Accurate. We're in trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Detroit is $20 billion in debt and can't afford pensions for city workers and manufacturers that built Detroit from the ground up. It has 78k abandoned buildings and 4 out of 10 street lights are defective. Hmmm. $20 billion. That's how much the U.S. taxpayer spends fighting a war in Afghanistan in about three months. Still think our war budget is "moderate"? Its insane how much we spend on our war machine. It's definitely a case of the rest of the US saying "not my problem" but considering the war in Afghanistan to be "their problem". I really think bankruptcy was the way to go. I mean look at the auto industry. 2 of the big 3 went through bankruptcy in 2009 (I believe that was the year) and they are kicking ass now. Hiring a ton in the metro-detroit area. I went to school in Detroit for 8 years. Would walk by leaking fire hydrants that wouldn't get fixed for YEARS. The city council is retarded if not corrupt. State offered to rent Belle Isle to turn it into a state park, which would have saved hundreds of millions of dollars for the city and the council voted it down. Police don't come unless someone dies. Houses burn before the fire department can get there. City's footprint is HUGE. You could fit Manhattan, San Francisco, and Boston inside the city of Detroit and there are only about 800k people, with a lot of them not paying taxes. There's just no way to make it economical to police an area that big with so few taxpayers. They've knocked down some abandonded buildings but the property isn't worth the cost to knock anything down. And it still doesn't shrink the city's footprint. Just turns a half burned down building into a grass field. I don't know. Feel like I'm kinda rambling. I guess my point is that Detroit is SO fucked and pretty much only getting worse as is that the bankruptcy is needed. Same thing as the auto industry was in '09 (and hopefully they can have the same kind of turnaround). Just paying Detroit's bills wouldn't fix any of the core problems. It's like a band aid on a bullet wound. They really need to get it into bankruptcy court and figure out a drastic plan for how to run the city differently. I don't want anyone to lose a pension they have earned. I just don't think there was any other way to make things change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 There's just no way to make it economical to police an area that big with so few taxpayers. Ohhhh, there's a way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abovetheearth Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 It's definitely a case of the rest of the US saying "not my problem" but considering the war in Afghanistan to be "their problem". thats the majority of what the talk/feel is in my neck of the woods. im not saying 'not my problem' or the war to be 'their problem' just wanted to clearify my standing point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steventangent Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 People are talking about pensions for municipal employees in Detroit like everyone is retiring young and living lavishly. It's fucked up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 thats the majority of what the talk/feel is in my neck of the woods. im not saying 'not my problem' or the war to be 'their problem' just wanted to clearify my standing point. Yeah man. The Detroit bankruptcy just hits close to home because, well, I live 3 miles from the city so I wanted to share some thoughts. It's a nasty call to make but they gotta start selling some of the DIA's art. I believe the D Free Press estimated it at $2.5 billion in value. Can't really default on pensions so that Detroit can have a Van Gogh. Same thing, though. Gotta get to the point were the city is at least taking in as much as it is spending or it will be in the exact same place in 5 years without the Van Gogh to bail them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futures Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 People are talking about pensions for municipal employees in Detroit like everyone is retiring young and living lavishly. It's fucked up. I was thinking the exact same thing. Yesterday on CNN, Wolf Blitzer was like "So all they need to do to get out of this is cut the municipal employees wages and benefits." & I'm thinking, 'oh, is that all?' Really messed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steventangent Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Union workers and democrats are solely to blame, as Kevyn Orr takes bankers on bus tours through the city to beg them to be gentle. Also gotta love that they changed the date on the petition from today to yesterday to beat lawyers from the pension funds to the courthouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futures Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 CNN is reporting: Michigan Circuit Court judge rules that Detroit's bankruptcy filing is unconstitutional and orders the case be withdrawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 CNN is reporting: Michigan Circuit Court judge rules that Detroit's bankruptcy filing is unconstitutional and orders the case be withdrawn. It's a weird situation. It's unconstitutional by the state's constitution to cut pension funds, but federal law supercede's state law and it's a federal case. Hopefully this just goes right up to the supreme court (they can do that, right?) and doesn't mess around at the state level. The rest of our state is obviously in better financial situation than Detroit but we really don't need a giant clusterfuck legal matter draining funds we need elsewhere. It looks like a supreme court issue anyways. Just send it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 My autistic cousin sent a text: 1) My friends and cousins this summer, I have a quest and I will be part of it, our mission is to go to garage sales during weekends to find the sacred TY beanie babies of the zodiac to which I replied "good luck bud" and got this: 2) Your part of it, Ed, to me you are sneaky. You get the snake. Cracked me up. My sister got the rooster because "she get's up early". So now I'm bidding on a freaking beanie baby on ebay. At least these things are like 2 bucks plus shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Tea Papi Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 I picked up my first 10 Inch I feel like a true collector now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhook Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 I don't know the whole story but why is the blame always on the retired city worker. I know some cheat the system but what about the person who works 30+ years and retires with a full pension? Are they not allowed to have one? It kind of bums me out. As a city worker myself I feel that if I put in the time I should be paid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steventangent Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 I don't know the whole story but why is the blame always on the retired city worker. I know some cheat the system but what about the person who works 30+ years and retires with a full pension? Are they not allowed to have one? It kind of bums me out. As a city worker myself I feel that if I put in the time I should be paid. The short version is because it's easy and because the people that control the message have only to gain by it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhook Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 There has been a lot of complaining around here (Ma) about city workers wages. I can understand some of it but most of it is BS. Last year a news station did a "man on the street" segment where they approached towns people and informed them that some custodians at the local schools made more money then some of the teachers. Of course the regular Joe gets all worked up. What they failed to report is that the custodians are hourly and work 12 months a year. They sometimes work 12+ hour days and sometimes more that 5 days a week. NO SHIT THEY MADE MORE MONEY. I am just sick of seeing the working man getting fucked over and over again. Oi Oi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Did you all know we got 4 spots on the top 10 most dangerous cities in the United States this year. one being my city. Jesus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steventangent Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Did you all know we got 4 spots on the top 10 most dangerous cities in the United States this year. one being my city. Jesus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steventangent Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 Hopefully this just goes right up to the supreme court (they can do that, right?) and doesn't mess around at the state level. The rest of our state is obviously in better financial situation than Detroit but we really don't need a giant clusterfuck legal matter draining funds we need elsewhere. It looks like a supreme court issue anyways. Just send it up. Each side still has to follow due process of law. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 Each side still has to follow due process of law. Looked it up. When there are disputes between 2 states or when it is between a state and the US, the case can originate in the Supreme Court. As the article the future killer posted briefly mentions, the case of the state construction of MI conflicting with US bankruptcy law over whether pensions are secured debt could easily fit this bill. Especially considering the widespread repercussions it has on how other civil bankruptcies are handled. But yeah, lot of stuff to happen before that (if it does make it to Supreme Court). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henster311 Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 a dq just opened up about a mile from me...ive had 10 blizzards already. SpazzyMcGee and cbbrew22 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Hundred Fifty-Two Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 a dq just opened up about a mile from me...ive had 10 blizzards already. Welcome to 5th grade for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokimedo Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 ive been craving dairy queen so hard the last couple of days and it BLOWS my mind so hard that theres not even 1 location in all of new york city! wtf! there are 6,200 dairy queens in the world and not even one. fuckers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.