Sunday, July 21, 2013

Bankruptcy of Detroit: A Painful Lesson

For years the once automobile capital of the world has been in decline and people have looked on like they were looking at a slow car wreck unfold. During the decline people asked; "What will save Detroit?" Meddling politician after meddling politician tried to stop Detroit's economic decline and all failed. No matter what some slick political opportunist says, the laws and realities of the market will always win the end.

After so many years of trying to delay the inevitable, the motor city finally had to say to the rest of the country "We're broke." While declaring bankruptcy is Detroit manning up and taking it's medicine sort of speak it's not completely doom and gloom.The bankruptcy shows what doesn't work;

1. Increasing taxes
2. Government red tape for starting up businesses
3. Strict laws on gun ownership
4. Crony Capitalism

Oh and for side note which related to Detroit specifically; the blaming of immigration/minorities moving in the cities by Paleoconservatives which serves nothing as a pathetic distraction from the real issues. 

Among other issues

Way before the bankruptcy reports came out that the city couldn't afford to pay their local government thugs to provide "safety" for it's citizens. Some people think that if we don't have a government monopoly on force that pure chaos and anarchy will rule the day. I spit on such notions and so do some citizens of Detroit.

To fill the gap of inadequate (and most likely incompetent) peace officers, people have decided that it's much better to band together to watch each others backs than let the state do it.

In addition not only that, once again the free market has come to also fix this problem. In enter Dale Brown of the Detroit based Threat Management center. The Anti-Police Abuse organization Copblock.com did an interview on Mr. Brown and his organization back in May of this year. I urge you to watch the interview, Brown goes into detail on how his organization handles various situations and what type of people they look for in his organization.

Cop Block's Interview with Dale Brown

Threat Management Center's Website 

Now if only firearm ownership wasn't as strict as it is here and in many other cities and states I would have a feeling people would be in more favor of Mr. Brown's company and others like it.

Of course thats not all, when cities are strapped for funds, public transportation tends to be a victim of either fare hikes or reductions in services sometimes one leads to the other. It was no different for Detroit but once again the free market comes to the rescue. Karen De Coster reports on her blog on a small bus company to go against the government monopoly. Hopefully Mr. Didorosi's company takes off due the government vehicles not being able to pay it's own bills.

While these are only two examples of the market stepping in to fill the gap that the government leaves because of lack of service and if not lack the poor quality of said service it's a start in the right direction. Nothing was going to reverse the course that Detroit went expect bottoming out and starting again. If politicians learned their lesson (I doubt it) they should let more Didorosis and Browns pop up from the populace to raise the city back from the ashes. If not then Detroit will continue to be the state that it's in.