Chernobyl? Sarajevo?
No ...
Detroit.
Posted on 07/25/2013 12:13:07 AM PDT by No One Special
Of all the depressing facts about the once great City of Detroit, this to me is the most upsetting: In 1950, there were about 296,000 manufacturing jobs in Detroit. Today, there are less than 27,000.
Government -- federal, state, and local -- made this happen. I know this from experience. Government corrupted the Detroit work force. That corruption drove away my company too.
Until 1984, I was a business owner in the city, employing about 20. I moved my business 60 miles away. I didn't want to leave, but I was, in effect, forced to.
Many think that crime spurred the exodus of business out of Detroit. Not in my case. To combat crime we would build a stronger "fort." We called it "fort building" because if my neighbor put heavy wire screen on his windows, the thieves would break into my shop. If I bricked up my windows in response, my neighbor might be broken into. This escalated to the point where many businesses eventually put fencing topped with barbed wire around their buildings. Still, although "fort building" was expensive, it was far cheaper than moving.
Detroit's abysmal educational system did not drive me away either. As it happens, my particular business did not require highly educated people. So I could hire high school graduates not literate enough to fill out an application form.
As for taxes, true, Detroit's were the highest in the state, but real estate costs were half of those in the suburbs. Besides, there were hundreds of suppliers of parts and services for all types of industrial purposes within a short drive.
What really killed Detroit and what drove me away was ...
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
That was a great read. Well worth the jump.
Wonderful article!
Thank you for posting it.
I grew up in Detroit and I remember once going to a Red Wing's hockey game at the old “Olympia” ice arena. There area was bad and people had been murdered in the parking lot. My buddy and I timed our exit from the automobile precisely. The doors flew open on either side of the car simultaneously, we literally ran through the parking lot to the arena entrance. Whew! We made it inside. We were safe!
Now, was that anyway to go to a sporting event?
Worthy read - not long
“print version” is easier on the eyes - excerpt above continues in the 7th paragraph
Quite the inverse of what Democrats say, here we see; The greater the economic disparity between rich and working poor, the more job opportunities for the working poor.
really good article
Bump
Good and informative read. Here’s an old clip of the Detroit City Council hard at work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhF1iZIwwYM
Having run a small business for the last 20 years, I can relate to the everything the author describes as it mirrors my own experiences.
The unemployment, eeoc, and workers comp costs are the straw that broke the camels back...for him.
It partly explains why there are so many abandoned houses.
Once you start seeing burglar bars you know it is time to hit the road.
> “But perhaps the scariest thing that could happen to an employer was being summoned in front of the Civil Rights Commission, to face charges of “Wrongful Discharge.” Here you had to prove a negative, that you did not violate someone’s rights. This happened to me three times.”
I have had 15 or 16 EEOC complaints filed against me over the last 10 or 12 years (that is not as impressive as it sounds — 9 were from the same person). I have won every complaint. It takes a lot out of you though.
Chernobyl? Sarajevo?
No ...
Detroit.
His “fortress” mentality gave him a false sense of security because the enemy was already inside the walls in the forum of government with its insidious regulations, reports, fees, and taxes. The story told is definitely not unique to Detroit and many manufacturers in multiple places can report similar system failures.
When an employee left my employ, whether by quitting or being fired, they immediately ... were given unemployment payments.
My understanding is that people who quit their jobs DO NOT get unemployment
Have video of an employee stealing a customer’s property. Fired them but did not file a police report. They, of course, immediately filed for unemployment and can’t understand why we are fighting it. This just happened- I can only assume that if they don’t collect that next week they’ll be employed by the TSA as a consolation prize...
The key to why this destroyed Detroit is that the government began to selectively enforce these things automatically in favor of the employee. The government became black and began to enforce the law as a welfare program for blacks. It is biased enforcement of law that destroyed Detroit, not the criminals, or worthless workers.
It is exactly why the IRS scandal is so serious. The self destruct bomb has already been placed in every business, all they have to do, is turn it on and the entire USA becomes Detroit.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.