POLITICO COLUMN: …If we’re going to advance economic opportunity for more people, building thriving, sustainable cities must be a central priority. The encouraging news from Detroit is that the city is turning the corner and its journey is worth examining because it points the way for other cities as they seek to build the foundation for economic growth and expanded opportunity.
Let’s start with a tough reality. Many outside Detroit comfort themselves with the thought that the city’s problems were of its own creation. Certainly, Detroit made grave mistakes. But those missteps and systemic problems may not have amounted to such a significant threat if not for the economic challenges that impact all American metros. Globalization drove many manufacturing jobs overseas or to different parts of the country. Technology replaced many low-skill jobs. What was left was an economy whose rewards increasingly went to the highly skilled and educated, while those with lower educational attainment and fewer skills were left behind. This shrunk the tax-base, disrupted communities and increased demand for social services…
That is not a Detroit story. It is an American story and a common challenge for many cities.
Putting our cities on a path to long-term success requires building a dynamic economic base – one that doesn’t rely upon single industries; economies that are able to grow and can adapt to changing global market conditions. That type of economy is defined by a number of critical attributes, many of which Detroit is currently cultivating… (more)
EDITOR: The USA will not be able to invest in our cities or in our nation until we get health care costs under control (a waste of 7% of our Gross National Product) and avoid unnecessary and other people’s wars (perhaps another 2%.)
It is as simple as that. The Affordable Care Act at least stopped the spiral of health care expense but only “Medicare for everyone” or a similar Single Payer System as other advanced nations use can bring down these expenditures.
Withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan and the Iran nuclear deal will help contain military spending.
We are a decaying nation that has been digging its own grave by wasting our wealth and thus ability to invest in the future.
President Obama realized this when he too office. When will the rest of us?
