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Detroit Symbolizes America's Decline
by Stephen Lendman
Media scoundrels suppress the truth.
America's economy is sick. It's getting sicker. Coverup and denial conceal reality. Census data say record numbers of US counties are dying. It's over one in three.
It reflects population shifts and Depression conditions. America's decline gets little attention.
Since 1981, 42 US municipalities declared bankruptcy. Ten did so in the past four years. Expect more to follow. Hard times getting harder assures it.
Detroit once symbolized industrial America. Might Motown resembles a ghost town. It's dying. It nears bankruptcy.
Fifty years ago it was America's fifth largest city. It's now 18th. In the last decade, half the population left. It's America's ghetto. Its neighborhoods are in disrepair. They're decaying and dying.
Half or more working aged residents have no jobs. Those with them have low-pay part-time or temp ones. They don't pay enough to live on.
Poverty is extreme. It's increasing. Nearly two-thirds of Detroit's children are impoverished. They're out of sight and mind.
Dozens of schools were closed. More closures are planned. Teachers were fired. Kids aren't educated. Nearly half the population is functionally illiterate.
Public services are eroding en route to eliminating them altogether. One-third of Detroit's 140 square miles lies vacant or derelict. Heavily blighted areas are increasing.
Tens of thousands of homes remain vacant. The median home price is $9,000. Many are much cheaper.
Property crime is double the national average. Violent crime is triple. Many areas aren't safe. Police are unapologetic. Go out at your own risk, they warn.
In the last decade, half the force was laid off. So were hundreds of firefighters.
More austerity cuts are planned. It's official policy. On March 1, Governor Rick Synder declared a financial emergency. Appointing a financial czar followed. He named bankruptcy attorney Kevin Orr.
