Posted on 05/29/2012 9:56:31 AM PDT by jwsea55
Detroit, whose 139 square miles contain 60 percent fewer residents than in 1950, will try to nudge them into a smaller living space by eliminating nearly half its streetlights.
As it is, 40 percent of the 88,000 streetlights are broken and the city, whose finances are to be overseen by an appointed board, can't afford to fix them. Mayor Dave Bing's plan would create an authority to borrow $160 million to upgrade and reduce the number of streetlights to 46,000. Maintenance would be contracted out, saving the city $10 million a year.
Other U.S. cities have gone partially dark to save money, among them Colorado Springs; Santa Rosa, California; and Rockford, Illinois. Detroit's plan goes further: It would leave sparsely populated swaths unlit in a community of 713,000 that covers more area than Boston, Buffalo and San Francisco combined. Vacant property and parks account for 37 square miles (96 square kilometers), according to city planners...
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
This is like something out of Ayn Rand.
To be honest, it is a smart move. Why have lights where nobody resides? I mean this guy seems to want to save the city money.
Perfect summary.
Scary to think what it took to get to this point and the condition that city is in...and the decent people who live there and yet they keep voting for the path that has led to this.
Will the air conditioners turn on in SoCal this summer with all the coal capacity shut down the last couple years? Depending on usage SCE's rates are from around 11 cents to 26 cents per kilowatt.
Indeed. I have to say that my initial reaction is, “it’s about time!”. Let’s see the movie of an always expanding government and welfare state run in reverse for a while.
There must be something wrong with the way you developed that picture. All the light usage just stops at the North/South border. Could you try developing that again so we can how prosperous NK is?
Detroit today is “Escape from New York” made real.
“will try to nudge them into a smaller living space”
Bingo.
South Korea will be Windsor
Why are there huge concentrations of lights in the ocean?
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"Other U.S. cities have gone partially dark to save money, among them Colorado Springs; Santa Rosa, California; and Rockford, Illinois. Detroit's plan goes further: "
Ah.... THIRD WORLD, HERE WE COME. 
Boys being taught to skateboard by neighborhood mentors. 
Drum and bugle corp at the Pentagon. 
Read the sign. 
Michelle on vacation, again. 
American Diplomat at G8 Meeting. 
Everytime you see the word “nudge” you know that Leftist Utopian Planners are trying to force you into doing something that you otherwise would never do.
Obama Czar Cass Sunstein wrote a book about this.
Maintenance would be contracted out, saving the city $10 million a year.There's a long, long story behind that simple, 12-word sentence.
Looks like the NorKs are hoarding carbon credits. LOL
Those are swarms of fishing boats. A Japanese fishing flotilla has so many lights, it looks like a major US metropolis at night.
Exactly. Personally I suspect Detroit will do better in the coming economic collapse than many cities. They’ve been there and done that and at least a little initiative is being taken.
Unfortunately Detroit is a favorite FR whipping boy, never mind the 40 shot and half a dozen killed in Chicago over the weekend.
Personally I’d rather walk in a Detroit blackout than many American cities during the day.
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