So typical...

[bisontuba]

This is so typical in today's culture.. A city declares bankruptcy and owes $18.5 BILLION but let's build a new sports arena...
Mark

http://m.theweek.com/article.php?id=247406" target="_blank

[tbn.al]

Let's see how the general obligation debt is treated in the bankruptcy first. If it is thrown out with no recourse, what finance company in it's right mind would loan them a cent. Such a loan would amount to nothing more than gift.

[windshieldbug]

Red Wings hockey is probably the only thing that actually draws any money TO Detroit, eh?

[bisontuba]

' always thought of you as a "big gov't" type of guy, Mr. Jones...

...so what if they had built a brand new orchestra hall (as that serves and even lower percentage of the citizenry). Would that have been "OK"...??

bloke "who moved away from a city with THREE basketball arenas, a non-educating/super-expensive school system, and endless other insanity and patronage...another city top-heavy on employees, taxation, fraud, a shrinking population (particular of the productive and tax-paying), headed towards bankruptcy...

...and even more city employees per capita than Detroit: http://washingtonexaminer.com/exography ... 2308200400"

Joe-
A new music hall wouldn't be Ok in a City Bankruptcy--and, BTW, how much is the owner of the Red Wings worth?
Mark

[tofu]

Whether some team owner is a multi-billionaire or an orchestra is flat broke has nothing to do with whether any city should force its citizens to pay for either of their facilities.
Disinterested citizens should not be forced to pay for either of these individual-interest pursuits' facilities - whether a city is bankrupt or whether a city is rolling in dough.
Yes, "big government" has the power to do "big good". Most often, though, it seems to excel in "big stupid" and "big evil".

I certainly agree.

It is really sad to see these great old cities literally just going to ruin. I just watched "Detropia" which came out in 2012 which is about the decline of Detroit. It's done through the eyes of a UAW local leader, a blues club owner, a couple of performance artists who moved there from Hawaii as well as the Detroit Opera. It is very interesting and very visual. One of the things that struck me were the great old houses and cultural places that were vandalized, full of random garbage and defaced by graffiti. You can still see the grandeur and the potential of the places and what once was. While the documentary definitely leans in one direction (a Sundance film festival winner) the thought struck me that the garbage/graffiti/vandalism is directly the fault of the inhabitants alone. You can still throw your trash in the garbage can and not just out your window, you don't have to damage and set buildings on fire etc. -- just because you are poor. Animals don't defecate where they sleep - how do some of these people think they improve their lot in life by burning down houses/stores/community buildings in the neighborhood. You can't just blame bad corporate decisions and bad government policy for what is happening in these places - you also have to point the finger directly at the inhabitants - which nobody seems to ever want to do. '

[Biggs]

"big stupid"

You rang?