Yes—Let Liberals Bail Out Detroit

[Valin]

Power Line:

Steven Hayward

November 8, 2014

 

Back in May I suggested, less than half facetiously, that if we are indeed to consider paying reparations for slavery, the Democratic Party should have to pick up the entire tab, for all of the obvious reasons. I was reminded of that idea when stumbling across the most interesting story on the front page of today’s New York Times: “Finding $816 Million, and Fast, to Save Detroit.”

 

The details are fascinating. In order to make a bankruptcy package for the profligate city work, the judge overseeing the case decided to ask the Ford Foundation and other foundations—all of them reliably liberal—to chip in $816 million.

 

 

“My initial reaction was, this is a crazy idea,” Darren Walker, the president of the Ford Foundation, remembered thinking as he listened that afternoon. “Eight hundred million dollars from a group of foundations? I thought it was rather over the top in its boldness,” Mr. Walker said, adding of the mood in the room: “I think there was a collective gulp.”

 

 

The story explains how the lefty foundations quickly came around, culminating in this self-congratulatory conclusion:

 

 

“There are often skeptics who have given up on American cities,” Mr. Walker said not long ago. “And this is a big mistake. We can’t give up on our cities.”

 

(Snip)

[Cyber_Liberty]

An excellent idea. The destruction of the cities was brought about, in no small part, by liberal pressure groups like the Ford Foundation. Let them cough up the bailout. It's only fair. Otherwise, the cities can dry up and blow away for all I care, starting with Detroit. Let the ruins stand as an example to the rest of the world.