I was asked the following question by another commenter.
the UAW work force is full of high school dropouts.
How many of these workers ever signed up to do a
community college class, let alone a BS at UM Detroit?
how many of the people in detroit said
"Hey, GM and Ford are dying, let's start encouraging new business?
let's clean up the riverfront, encourage new investment, new
business?"
and Bob Kearns? My dad knew him, he got fucked out of
millions by Ford and GM.
There are lots of other people who invented advanced auto
technology who got screwed by GM and Ford.
Why didn't Detroit attract software industries, aircraft industries,
materials industries, etc???
Now, I almost ignored the whole question. The exchange had gotten a little 'snarky', in local parlance, I don't know who Bob Kearns is (although the name does sound familiar), and I would have felt justified in just forgetting about it. But I decided not to.
Instead, I wrote the following reply - quite lengthy, and it's what I've been wanting to write for a while, so I made it into a diary. I realize it doesn't cite any real evidence, but I feel that it accurately portrays what my experiences have been growing up in the Detroit area.
Read More