A SERIOUS, MEANINGFUL THREAD

[BillyJoe]

About  Detroit.......I am afraid that Billyjoe is 100% correct. the casinos have not had the beneficial impact they were initially hoping they would yield (although, Billyjoe, can you provide a link or address for that article you cited?)


http://metrotimes.com/covers/detroit-ba ... -1.1660478

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/should ... 2014-06-24

To be fair to Detroit, the people that live within the city limits have a fundamental problem with regard to finding employment. Prior to my retirement, I worked on a project with the City of Detroit Police Department. Over lunch one day with the Chief of Police, I asked him about the challenges that people face finding jobs in Detroit. He told me that, even though jobs in the auto industry, and the companies that support that industry, exist, they are at locations outside of the city limits. As such, you would need to drive to your work location every day. But without auto insurance, you are unable to get a driver's license. Without a job, you cannot afford insurance - hence, no valid drivers license.

The law enforcement agencies in the surrounding communities do not hesitate to pull over someone for the slightest reason, in order to help protect their communities from crime. Being caught driving without a license sends you right to jail.

The bottom line - skilled workers living in Detroit cannot find lucrative jobs, allowing them to upgrade their socio-economic position. Even those that want to work find it impossible, without risking arrest.

So without sounding TOO political - here are some facts:

The Egypt bilateral foreign assistance budget for FY2014 is approximately $1.5 billion and includes $1.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF)

Under the 2014 budget proposal submitted by U.S. President Barack Obama to Congress, Israel would receive $3.4 billion in total military aid, including $220 million for the Iron Dome anti-rocket system.

We know that the Palestinians procure weaponry from Egypt, which they use to bomb Israel. Israel is now in the midst of a ground offensive into the Gaza Strip to stem the tide of the thousands of rockets raining on their homeland. US tax dollars at work? Maybe that US aid could be put to better use here at home by assisting situations such as the one that exists in Detroit.   

[faygo]

Billy
Other then Hudson Motor Co. Chrysler is the only one to have an assembly plant in Detroit. They have had one there since they were using bodies made by Briggs. They built a new plant across the street to assemble Jeep Cherokees.
My wife grew up 1 block North the plant. Growing up she had a job with New Era potato chip co. which was located downtown. She walked to work.
Someday when me meet , I'll fill you in . The statements made to you by the Chief were self serving and just another long line of excuses by Detroit City officials.

[BillyJoe]

Detroit is a complete and utter mess and has been for a very long time, and in fact, Detroit is one of MANY cities who now stand out as a Cautionary tale about the so-called "BENEFICIAL impact casinos have on cities in economic distress."    It is now recognized that the DOGMA long repeated by the casino industry, that casinos yield economic growth and prosperity to the surrounding communities, is a bunch of self-serving hogwash. But somewhere along the way  (I myself am not certain as to what the exact date is or was)  CASINOS were touted as a way to revitalize Detroit's horrible urban scene, remove the blight of crime and gangs and drugs, and as a way to generate LOTS and LOTS of needed tax revenue to support other infrastructure and social projects which would, in turn, help lift Detroit up out of the hole even more quickly, thus creating a type of synergistic effect.  Casinos were to be the new economic and social "power generator" from which other sources of recovery would spring, and on and on and on.....Alas, it totally did not work out that way.......

Well, the data does not seem to bear that out in Detroit..
AGA: Casinos are among Detroit's largest employers

Detroit's three casinos employed 7,633 workers in 2013 and paid them more than $400 million in wages, according to the American Gaming Association. Gaming is among the top 10 private sector employers in the city, and as an industry employs more people there than Detroit's major energy, banking and insurance companies. "Casino gaming has created thousands of jobs in Detroit that pay well above the minimum wage and offer fulfilling careers in a range of professions that extend beyond the casino floor," said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the AGA. MLive.com (Michigan) (free registration) (7/16), The Detroit News (7/16)

It certainly has not 'saved the day', by any means, but casinos have been a positive contributor, job-wise, to a difficult situation.

[DaBurglar]

well lets back up.....you said "casinos have not saved the day" and that is the real talking point here.....sure they employ a lot of people COMPARED to everything else, but the 3 casinos in Detroit employing 7000 plus workers is NOTHING compared to what has been lost in the last 25 years, and since the casinos were brought in to try and stop the bleeding, or bridge the gap, or revitalize.....they have not done that.Of course, the situation as it exists RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT would be a lot worse if the 3 casinos were to suddenly "vanish", but the city is still a total mess and is NOT going to be saved or revitalized by these 3 casinos....ever.But kudos on the point about the money the US government BLOWS around the world and what that money could instead be used for here at home......I think Billyjoe and myself may have a lot more in common politically than we do in terms of video poker.  

[DaBurglar]

I did not say that Detroit was healthy. I do know that thousands of jobs have returned to Detroit; real estate is again being bought in Detroit; there are several large construction projects currently bring undertaken in Detroit and things are looking up.

But because you brought up the Detroit casinos, how many of those have filed for bankruptcy or closed?

I did find many of your talking points about Atlantic City in a couple Bloomburg News articles. Well except for the Civil War stuff of course. Do you ever have an original thought?What "thousands of jobs"?   What real estate?   What projects?  Looking up for whom?  Where is this MORE CURRENT INFO?    this is all empty BSAnd it is Bloomberg not "Bloomburg", and either way I NEVER read or watch it .....Dont ask any more questions you snot, learn to use Wikipedia like any 5th grader....

[Tedlark]

  So you have again lowered yourself to name calling. Do you call other 5th graders snots too?

[BillyJoe]

Sorry - a little more fodder for the Detroit fire. Using Detroit as a model for a city like AC to recover does not seem very palatable.

Since last year, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department has been turning off water at the homes of customers behind on their bills. The shut-off campaign comes at a time of crisis and hastened recovery for Detroit, which became the largest American city to ever file for bankruptcy last summer. The value of the bonds associated with the water department’s debt comes to $5.7 billion, which constitutes almost one-third of the amount estimated to have pushed Detroit into bankruptcy.

The campaign to crack down on overdue bills—which is aimed at customers who are more than two months behind on their bills or who owe more than $150—has been described by activists and scholars alike as an effort, pushed by the city’s emergency manager, Kevyn Orr, to get rid of the bad debt associated with the water department and prep the public entity for privatization.

In a city where the median household income is less than half the national average , 38 percent of residents live below the poverty line and 23 percent are unemployed, it comes as no surprise that at least 40 percent of customers are delinquent on their bills.

Many who could not afford to settle their debts instead chose to pay a local handyman $30 to have their water turned back on illegally. Detroiters in neighborhoods across the city who cannot face their accumulated water debts—even with the department’s offer to only collect 30 percent initially— are opting for the same solution.

http://news.msn.com/us/what-happens-whe ... 0-people-1

[DaBurglar]

Good post billyjoe< i remember reading about the water situation Detroit, but had not thought about it again until now.Let me throw this out as well.....two words:  Kwame Kilpatrick This guy, and his cohorts, were the final KNIFE in the heart to the city.....he may have been the single most corrupt, nefarious and detrimental MAYOR of any major American City in our entire history!!!    And that is saying a lot when one looks at our History!  He makes Boss Tweed look saintly.....

[DaBurglar]

  So you have again lowered yourself to name calling. Do you call other 5th graders snots too?Well gee, let's look at this objectively  <cue annoying voice effect of your choice> "Burglar, have you ever had an original thought?"   and then slip in a jab about stealing from a news source you cannot even spell.......No, that's not snotty, is it?   

[olds442jetaway]

[QUOTE=DaBurglar] Good post billyjoe< i remember reading about the water situation Detroit, but had not thought about it again until now.Let me throw this out as well.....two words:  Kwame Kilpatrick This guy, and his cohorts, were the final KNIFE in the heart to the city.....he may have been the single most corrupt, nefarious and detrimental MAYOR of any major American City in our entire history!!!    And that is saying a lot when one looks at our History!  He makes Boss Tweed look saintly....
   
     Yeah, even worse than Boss Hogg on the Dukes which reminds me how much I miss my built Charger 440R/T. though mine was blue. Never had a faster car. Even could walk right by my 442.