Gingrich vs. Detroit

Manny Lopez had a great op-ed in the Detroit News Sunday, debunking the critics of Newt Gingrich’s criticism of Detroit. 

 The fact of the matter is – we have to face the music about Detroit.  Whether the criticism comes from within or without – the reality of the problem is staring us in the face.  Outrageous taxation, failing schools, police and other public services, the onslaught of the gambling industry — all of these issues are real. 

I don’t know if anyone else has thought of this  – but perhaps we should applaud Mr. Gingrich for stepping up to the plate and proposing some solutions to the problems.  The first step in fixing Detroit must come from the rest of Michigan acknowledging that its not just Detroit’s problem.  We should all be concerned with lending a hand in the constructive solutions – rather than writing Detroit off as a failure or blindly believing that everything is fine. 

I will have to disagree with Mayor Kilpatrick’s office when they say that people should live in the city before they talk about Detroit’s problems.  Often the best answers come from those who are outside the frey – and able to make more clear judgements. 

The first step in Detroit’s improvement must come from an admission that there actually is a problem -  and that people other than the city council and school board might just have some better solutions.