The Fear of Poverty

I guess that this post is born out of the times in which we live, and the times in which I came from. To understand the times, I have to take you back to my hometown of Detroit, MI. Motown has been a leader of industry and entertainment and that is what we grow up with, the legacy that was. The legacy that is within the city outside of the mystery and glamour of the hay day is one based in bad politics, weak commerce and faith. Today in Detroit, violence employs more than half of her citizens, the church is second and finally we have beauty (Detroit is a self proclaimed hair capital of the world) products which is run by the Asian constituents of metro Detroit (a.k.a. the suburbs).

It is a city over stricken with poverty and lack of good jobs, education and human services. Detroit is my example of why the US government is afraid of poverty and unsure of how to focus our resources (US tax dollars) to fix these situations and give people power and pride that the American dream is all of ours to share and thrive in. Now don't get me wrong, somehow, people who have refused to leave Detroit do thrive, although the ever present spirit of poverty and desperation rule the day. It is a heavy faith based city where 80% of the residents are involved or are community based in the Church, and through that it a powerful network of assets and access for people of all walks of life. But if you are a native like me, you leave and you are weary in your decision to return.

Some of our problems as a city could be fixed easily with the funds to put back into fixing the city and maintaining the visual beauty of the city. Money dedicated to streets, sanitation, revenue, police and a recycling programs is a small, simple start that the people of Detroit can get involved with. US tax dollars in a blue collar city with blue collar programs that will spark the economy before big business realizes the gold mine that is Detroit. Since the fall of the city our main focus has been the Casino business, when Windsor-Ontario, Canada opened it's casino, Detroit saw a lot of money leave the country and strengthen the power of the Canadian dollar. Casino's are not going to revive the city, just push it into further poverty and violence.

There are two schools in Detroit that push out academic stars: Cass Tech and Renaissance high school and they are the only two in all of my years living and visiting that have had city funded rehabilitation's. My own high school, Murray-Wright was closed and renamed as Fredrick Douglass high, which in my youth was the school for violent boys.

Putting money in people and not business is the only way that we can make it through the days that we are in. It is people who make business move and successful, not business itself. It needs consumers to fund it's ventures, successes and failures.

We will have to have a very strong voice for the future to get what people need done, to get people in a place where we believe that we can push forward with our government. But we have to, WE MUST, get our government to believe past the sometimes sure thing of big business and back to us. The people, who make it what it is.