A thousand people a month are leaving what has been called “America’s fastest dying city.” There used to be almost 2 million people in Detroit; today the city’s population is just under a million and 85% Black: 1 in every 3 people live below the federal poverty level. Almost half of the children live in poverty. (2004 figures) The unemployment rate among Black people, especially the youth, is over 30%—city officials say it is actually closer to 50%.

There is NO public hospital for the uninsured and, due to budget cuts, public health departments have largely eliminated programs providing direct health care services.
29 schools were closed the summer of 2009. An additional 32 schools—almost 20% of the city’s schools—were closed the summer of 2010.

Detroit’s dropout rate of 68% is the highest in the country (along with Indianapolis and Cleveland) and illiteracy is close to 50%.

Michigan state spends more on prisons than it does on higher education and has the second highest incarceration rate in the country.

For many decades after World War 2, big auto plants and other factories that once hired tens of thousands of workers moved to the suburbs and overseas. And more recently, over the last 15 years, U.S. imperialism has forged a globally integrated cheap-labor manufacturing economy, with huge labor reserves from China, India, and other parts of the Third World.

These larger workings of global capitalism/imperialism have deeply impacted Detroit, leading to further de-industrialization, loss of jobs and many people moving out of the city. In 1992 the big Chrysler plant moved, and overnight 4,500 people were left unemployed. More recently, when the sub-prime bubble burst, a wave of foreclosures displaced an estimated 5,000 people.

Today, Detroit has at least 80,000 empty houses. The federal and city government has responded to all this by basically throwing the city and the people to the dogs. And meanwhile all kinds of schemes are being proposed to find new ways to exploit the people and “rebuild” the city in a way that will be profitable. The twisted and cruel logic of current federal and city policy in Detroit is that since fewer people now live in the city, everything must be “downsized”—which means cutting back on health care, education, city services, etc., and abandoning whole neighborhoods where people still live. And in line with this, DTE Electric has been heartlessly cutting off power for non-payment to tens of thousands of people in poor neighborhoods even in cold weather—making it even more difficult and dangerous to remain in these areas.

The Obama administration has an “urban policy” to deal with “shrinking cities” which the Mayor of Detroit, David Bing, is following. Bing is using a $40 million federal award for “renewal work” to carry out a plan which amounts to expelling poor people from “desolate” neighborhoods and promising to relocate them to more “stable” areas. According to the Detroit News, “Brookings Institution, local foundation leaders, several national funding groups and the White House offered financial support of up to $100 million a year for downsizing the city.” The vice president of the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program, Bruce Katz, said, “There is a nothing-left-to-lose quality in Detroit, much like there was in New Orleans after Katrina.”

Mayor Bing has said he will use studies to determine who the “winners and losers” will be and put it this way: “If we can incentivize some of the folks that are in those desolate areas, they can get a better situation. If they stay where they are I absolutely cannot give them all the services that they require.” The city is reportedly planning to use eminent domain laws to physically remove people who resist and then seize their homes and bulldoze them. The city’s argument is that a single house in an abandoned neighborhood is “blighting” the city because it requires fire and other services to the detriment of the larger community.
Bing explains: “There is just too much land and too many expenses for us to continue to manage the city as we have in the past… You can’t support every neighborhood. You can’t support every community across this city. Those communities that are stable, we can’t allow them to go down the tubes. That’s not a good business decision from my standpoint.”

Think about it: The city and the people are dying an accelerating death and the Mayor justifies massive cutbacks and the abandonment of whole communities by saying these are “good business decisions.”

Good business decisions is what has led to tens of thousands of people in Detroit losing their jobs. Good business decisions is what’s behind the killing cutbacks in healthcare and education. Good business decisions is what is killing the city and the people of Detroit.

This is a system that develops and brings together vast productive forces, including masses of working people. It organizes and utilizes great resources that have great potential to benefit society and people. But when these things and people cannot be profitably used by the capitalist system—factories are shuttered and left to rot, people are tossed aside and left with no way to feed their families. Cities are devastated and left to decay.

Just think about the fact that the “dying city” of Detroit is overwhelmingly Black. The USA arose on the foundation of the genocidal theft of Native American (Indian) lands, and the enslavement of African people. Since that time, the oppression of Black people has been essential to the functioning of this system, changing as that system has changed, but always deeply woven into the very fabric of society. For generations, Black people in Detroit have faced vicious discrimination in all spheres of life—and this continues in old and new ways.

This doesn’t necessarily mean a place like Detroit will be left to completely die. But as long as capitalism is running the show, any “re-invention” or “revival” of the city will be because new ways have been found to extract profit from the people and the city.

The productive forces in society—natural resources, technology, the creativity and knowledge of the people—are all held back and constrained, by the private and exploitative nature of capitalism. They are fettered by the need of capital to constantly produce for profit—not to meet the needs of the people.

This basic rule of capitalism—that the whole point of production is to make profit—means that people are treated as things to be used or tossed aside. It means the system considers thousands of Black people, especially the youth, as just so much surplus that can’t be profitably employed. It means the system, through its armed enforcers, must come down with even more repression against this socially combustible and potentially rebellious section of society. And it means poisonous ideological assaults that justify such attacks and blame the people for the oppressive situation the system has put them in.

Detroit is a painful and clear example of how we need a whole new way, a whole new system, a whole new society. And we need revolution to bring this into being.

Li Onesto i
[author of Dispatches from the People’s War in Nepal and a writer for Revolution newspaper (revcom.us). Contact her at: lionesto@hotmail.com

What is clearly an initiative by the Coal Industry, they want to only pay for emissions post coal being burned.

What is it?

• Combating climate change is an urgent global issue.   This is Correct
• ETS A) are being considered in most major developed countries and B) are being phased in sensibly in Europe.  A) is Correct and B) Incorrect; the whole life cycle process must be included when working out the contamination known as global warming; financially punishing drug addicts rather than the people making the drugs makes as much sense.
• Aim to reduce greenhouse emissions over a time.  Incorrect, by the time self regulation or a watered down ETS takes effect, it will already be too late.
• However, the government’s proposed scheme (called CPRS – Carbon Pollution reduction Scheme) is flawed. It’s the only scheme in the world that taxes emissions produced during coal mining. Incorrect, it is not flawed, it rightly appropriates energy consumption and the wastes from that consumption as part of the whole process (see drug analogy above).

Who will it affect?

• It is projected this new tax will result in 16 mines closing prematurely. It will cut thousands of jobs in the coal industry.  Fact; what this clearly demonstrates is that the coal industry knows the emissions from these 16 mines is far in excess of any environmental / financial benefit. Do we really want mines with old technology to pollute the environment ?  While this may result in some job losses, the required land restoration will create ‘thousands’ of more jobs.
• For every direct coal job lost its estimated that at least two more jobs will go with them – mainly in regional towns. Fact; Coal companies already have more coal mines to come on stream to replace ones to phased out. Job losses in regional towns are far more adversely affected by drought; financially supporting a profitable business that already obtains hundreds of millions of dollars in federal government hand-outs to pay for a few extra jobs is hardly good management.
• Unemployment in some regional areas will rise even more. Property prices could be impacted. Many families will have to move away to find new lives and employment.  Fact; When the mines are no longer profitable, the coal mining companies will pull out without any concern for the region; and property prices driven up dramatically by the mines will stabilize, making housing more affordable.

The worst part

• World demand for coal is predicted to increase for many decades. True, but this actually means more greenhouse gas emissions, not less; when you’re in a big hole, its not logical to keep digging. We need to focus on energy efficiency and alternative energy sources like solar power; Australia receives in excess of 100,000 times it’s energy use from the Sun every day.
• When Australian mines are forced to close and we export less coal than is needed, coal mines overseas will immediatley produce more to fill the gap. False; the reason we export coal is because other countries coal reserves are diminishing; why pay for coal if you’ve got your own.
• Therefore, Australia will close mines lose jobs and vital export income, all for no reduction in global emissions. Wrong; The quality of our coal is superior, so we will retain much of our market, but every market is already shrinking due to the global economic crash (which will never reach those heights again) and remember, other countries will still be taxed on their coal emissions.

The Green Mafia is a name given to the Fossil Fuel industry in Australia, they have the governments ear so much so, that for every $1 alternative energy receives for solar power technology and all others, the fossil fuel industry receives more than $10,000.

In my email – which I doubt the coal association will forward on, I said ….’Imposing a emissions trading scheme that includes extraction of any fossil fuels (coal, oil or gas) is the correct method that all countries around the world should implement.  Misinformation and spin-doctoring by the coal or any other industry is but a childish way to manipulate the outcome to suit their / your own vested interests … Carbon capture / geo-sequestration will never work. Suck it in and be a good corporate citizen for a change, instead of pollution the very country that provides you work, puts money in your (large) pockets and keeps your families in a lifestyle envied by the majority of other Australians’.

Now you will have noticed I said have a crack as opposed to mastered.

The reason they haven’t mastered it is because increasingly, more and more people are seeing through the lies, smoke and mirrors and any other second rate magician trick.

Even Labor supporters must be wondering how they came to give support to a few well spoken liars.

After a decidedly unhealthy ministerial term with Health, Stephen Robertson is trying out the new spin wheel as natural resources, mines, energy and trade. He is now applying his energies to mine for trading figures in natural resources of the last couple of years; in other words he says we never had it so good, problem is Anna (when will she walk the plank) Bligh knows different and that’s why we have to sell everything off to balance the books.

On the federal level, Captain kRudd and Shifty Swan claim we’re doing well with a 0.6% growth, but take away the billions of dollars borrowed that are being pumped into the economy, and we are not in a recession, we are in a depression, but of course nothing like other less well of countries that don’t have a backyard full of resources (mind you we are starting to run out; won’t have enough ourselves by 2100, but that’s another generations problem isn’t it).

There is a big concern for me when Robertson quotes Japan importing more and China is up but down (depending on who you’re talking) and that is how are we being paid? Are we earning real Aussie $s are we being paid in US$; if the Japanese economy has had no growth for nearly 20 years (that’s called a economic depression if you’re being blunt and factual) then how is the value of the Yen in relation to the Aussie $ calculated. I mean all you have to do is look at any country that has been exploited, the richer countries come in a buy stuff in (how did the Americans buy America) ohh that’s right. beads and blankets.

Some time in the 90’s I wrote that – in a year – we exported wood-chip (our native forests) and earned a couple of hundred million $’s (being paid about $17 a tonne; do the maths) yet spent over a billion $’s buying paper and magazines printed overseas. The Lucky Country … the Smart State ? Give it a rest.

So when we hear how tough it is elsewhere around the world, how can they afford to buy more of our stuff and more importantly, who are they selling it to ? If Queensland is doing so well, why is the Labor government – supposed to be representing the workers – trying to sell off stuff to a world that is in recession / depression and therefore has no money ?

Stephen Robertson told heaps of porkies (lies) as health minister and now he’s telling some more. The following is part of his press release or as Joh said, to feed the chooks and our spineless media (got to look after government that spends so much in advertising) just prints what they are told, no questions asked.

‘03/09/2009 Queensland goods exports breaks all records claims Minister Stephen Robertson; exports for the 2008-09 financial year jumped almost 60 per cent to a record $56.3 billion; a major increase of $21 billion or 59.5 per cent over the previous year and this means jobs for Queenslanders; given the current global economic crisis, this is a remarkable result. Japan (up $7.5 billion, 83.2 per cent), India (up $3.7 billion, 128.2 per cent), China (up $2.8 billion, 114.4 per cent), Korea (up $2.7 billion, 71.4 per cent)’.

[Get the vomit bucket ready] Minister Stephen Robertson said “These figures show the Bligh Government makes the right decisions and our export strategy, including maintaining Trade Queensland’s network of global representation, is the right approach to encourage continued export and economic growth in Queensland; our commitment to maintaining services has delivered remarkable export results, boosting our economy and delivering on our commitment to create and protect jobs; Queensland has vastly outperformed the other states, our growth in exports is more than double the national average; these figures strongly vindicate the Government’s continued commitment to maintaining and strengthening overseas trading relationships and proudly promoting free and open trade with the world’.

Are they not aware that China has cut back on production and is now stockpiling resources; what do these idiots have planned hwen the coal sales drop ?

Ohh, if you know of anybody who wants to buy a railway or any other state government asset, we are in the Labor business of doing deals, the number to ring is: 3224 7332

What seems to elude these motoring industry groups is that particularly in the USA, in the States where this has taken place, it hasn’t helped at all; some may suggest that like other hand-outs to the motor industry, it just keeps an ineffective industry from failing sooner.

The Australian government has already given billions of dollars to the motor industry for the sake of ‘jobs’ but it is a relevant question to ask how much less tax would we all pay if the hundreds of billions of dollars weren’t handed out to all the industries who have already failed, have taken their business off-shore or are about to fail or just have good lobbyers whose sole function is to hold out the tin and contribute the lazy $100,000 or so to the major political parties.

Similar projects are up and running in Italy, Spain, France, Brazil and Germany, where ‘they’ have led to an immediate rise of 10% in car sales; but how do you quantify that; who would have bought a new car anyway; but one of the most important questions in Australia is, who really wants to borrow more money to pay off a car ? .

The Motor Traders Association of NSW has written to Treasurer Wayne Swan explaining the benefits of the initiative, while the Motor Traders Association of Australia (MTAA) has commissioned think tank Access Economics to produce economic modelling on the costs.

Supporters say the scheme would deliver a three-fold benefit. It would provide a desperately needed stimulus to the struggling car industry, reduce the carbon footprint of Australia’s carpark and improve road safety.

A “scrappage” scheme in Germany has had spectacular results for the car industry, with new-car sales bucking the global slump to increase by more than 20per cent in February, but really, the over-stock held by all the car manufacturers and the deals they are doing is a far greater influence to new car buyers.

As we don’t make that many new cars here, and the companies who do make them here are owned by overseas companies, how will that $3,000 bonus help locally ?

The claim that the carbon footprint is smaller is just another furphy, cars 10 years and older cost less to make and have pretty much ’paid for themselves’ and road saftey testing should remove heaps (whether they are 2 years old or 22 years old) off the road.

It’s nearly April and car manufacturers still have heaps of 2008 stock to sell, so any suggestion that manufacturers will match the offer (no doubt on just the 2008 stock) as added incentive to trade in, is well .. car salesman … you figure out the rest.

Will these cars be safer than those constructed 10 years ago or more, I don’t believe that the better brands make cars with inferior materials; Mitibushi, Holden and Ford don’t have a good reputation, only adding ‘safety features’ that are found in European cars 10 – 15 years older.

Mike Stasse suggests that the $3000 handout be paid if you agree to NEVER buy a car again; that the handout be applied to a new Aussie-built bicycle, or even good quality Australian made shoes for the rest of our lives; that would be a real step in the right direction in terms of the environment as well as reduce ill-health and the average households debt exposure.

The problem is people who don’t take care of their car will get money, while people who keep their car roadworthy are disadvantaged. Probably the best idea is to have a national test run by the States and Territories to check the emissions and road worthiness, then take into consideration the cost to bring a car up to a certain standard.

Otherwise, where will we dump all these cars, the Chinese and Japanese have an over abundance of steel.

I drive a 1988 BMW (3.5 litre 6 cylinder) that gives me 11 litres per 100 kilometres, I challenge Ford, Holden or Mitsubishi to show a better fuel consumption in their newest 6 cylinder models.