Newgrounds.com — Everything, By Everyone.

Edited at 2014-11-19 18:35:01

If I don't pay my utility bills, the utility gets shut off. This is not a difficult concept. Detroit had a moratorium on shutoffs so people could get on payment plans. Didn't bother getting on one during that period? Tough shit.

My bimonthly water bill runs anywhere from $70-$110, give or take time of the year and our water usage. For water bills to get into four-digit numbers, there has to be a long period of nonpayment. They're not shutting off the people who missed one bill. It's an extended period of time that these people haven't paid. On that note, EVERYONE who doesn't pay needs to have it shut off, whether it's a sports team or the house on the corner. Water, in and of itself, is free. But if you want water treated and piped to your house, that is a labor-intensive process that requires infrastructure that also needs maintenance. The people who treat the water and maintain the pipes should be paid for their work.

No, the banks and the auto companies did not ruin Detroit. What did was decades of mismanagement dating back to the '50s that came to a head a few years ago. Between embezzling government workers such as Kilpatrick, unrealistic pensions, and general refusal to be fiscally responsible, Detroit made its own bed and needs to lie in it. Then the problem with the Big Three is twofold. For 30 years General Motors refused to make cars that people actually wanted to buy. Then the UAW killed the golden goose. I think one of the reasons Ford is still doing well is they flat out told the UAW folks working for them that their demands were unsustainable and the company would not survive. Cooler heads prevailed and they're doing well under a renegotiated contract.

Because of this situation, all the "makers" who could left town, and the "takers" stayed behind. It's true that a lot of them can't pack up and move, but these are generations of people who have lived off government cheese and see no reason to be responsible for themselves. God forbid they actually have to pay their own bills. Why bother being responsible and mature when you can just whine and protest? (Of course, this goes for many folks worldwide, but the entitlement mentality is especially prevalent in Detroit.)

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If I don't pay my utility bills, the utility gets shut off. This is not a difficult concept. Detroit had a moratorium on shutoffs so people could get on payment plans. Didn't bother getting on one during that period? Tough shit.

My bimonthly water bill runs anywhere from $70-$110, give or take time of the year and our water usage. For water bills to get into four-digit numbers, there has to be a long period of nonpayment. They're not shutting off the people who missed one bill. It's an extended period of time that these people haven't paid. On that note, EVERYONE who doesn't pay needs to have it shut off, whether it's a sports team or the house on the corner. Water, in and of itself, is free. But if you want water treated and piped to your house, that is a labor-intensive process that requires infrastructure that also needs maintenance. The people who treat the water and maintain the pipes should be paid for their work.

No, the banks and the auto companies did not ruin Detroit. What did was decades of mismanagement dating back to the '50s that came to a head a few years ago. Between embezzling government workers such as Kilpatrick, unrealistic pensions, and general refusal to be fiscally responsible, Detroit made its own bed and needs to lie in it.

Then the problem with the Big Three is twofold. For 30 years General Motors refused to make cars that people actually wanted to buy. Then the UAW killed the golden goose. I think one of the reasons Ford is still doing well is they flat out told the UAW folks working for them that their demands were unsustainable and the company would not survive. Cooler heads prevailed and they're doing well under a renegotiated contract.

Because of this situation, all the "makers" who could left town, and the "takers" stayed behind. It's true that a lot of them can't pack up and move, but these are generations of people who have lived off government cheese and see no reason to be responsible for themselves. God forbid they actually have to pay their own bills. Why bother being responsible and mature when you can just whine and protest? (Of course, this goes for many folks worldwide, but the entitlement mentality is especially prevalent in Detroit.)

EDIT: Meant to clarify: The Big Three and UAW did not kill Detroit, but your largest manufacturers facing bankruptcy is not exactly the way to keep your city sustainable.