Too busy seeking to punish to see the opportunities to build and strengthen.
The Detroit issue is a perfect example of an opportunity that most "conservatives" would rather let slip away so they don't lose a favorite whipping boy. They simply declare it to be the result of liberalism and move on but Detroit is not a terribly liberal city. The real problem is corrupt politicians and an apathetic population. That apathetic population provides a great opportunity for a conservative message of hope.
Now that Rick Snyder has appointed a top notch man (Kevin Orr) as financial manager which is a good start but it doesn't address the social ills of Detroit. However, Ben Carson is going to be giving a speech in Detroit next week to talk about rising above his less than ideal beginnings. What we need to be doing is encouraging more conservatives to take Carson's lead and get to Detroit and talk to the people about the foundations of faith and family. I don't like playing race politics but they'll probably need to be black conservatives in the beginning. Herman Cain, Alfonzo Rachael, Star Parker, Allen West etc.
I'm not even suggesting that conservatives need to dump money into Detroit, private money is being invested anyway. What I would like to see from conservatives is moral support and promotion of a conservative revival of Detroit. It seems like a small thing to do for a chance at a spectacular coup for conservatism and republicans. A regular old conservative moon landing.
I don't love cities but I'm smart enough to know that Sarah Palin nor Ronald Reagan would never say "Let it rot".
