In this story The LA Times reports on the continuing saga of the bankruptcy of Detroit. In this sad tale we learn of a Sheilah Johnson, who is a city building inspector. She worries about her future because the city will have to go through the process of bankruptcy, in which the spending and taxation of the city government will no doubt have to change radically if the city is to survive. But this means that many people who had comfortable city jobs may have to go looking for other employment. And because the issue of pensions is also on the table, many people are soon going to find life far more difficult than they had planned.
Cities around the country are facing serious budget issues due to the poor economy and bloated spending and pension programs that are the favorite of liberals everywhere. When you combine this with a shrinking, poor and largely illiterate and unemployable population, you have serious problems. Those who are more educated and more productive have long since left the city to escape the exploding crime, corruption and dead weight of the welfare state population that makes up what is left of Detroit.
The problem for the black residents of Detroit is that they have become too dependent on government employment compared to other groups. Like blacks across the country, they have gravitated to a sector of society that now must change due to mounting economic pressure that cannot be avoided. Blacks in Detroit seem to think that they are owed a living from the state, even when the laws of economics tell us that the current status quo cannot be maintained. Thus we have the ever-present charge of racism. But, like the story of the boy who cried wolf, that charge is no longer taken seriously by many. Everyone else sees the situation for what it is; an economic tragedy that can only be solved by taking drastic measures to get the city back on track. If you are a government worker in this day and age, you may want to consider picking up skills that will make you attractive in the private sector, just in case.
