My Detroit Story

Since 1967, Detroit has been a major victim of urban sprawl and white flight. Generally speaking, any time before 1967 was when Detroit was hopping as a major hub of American manufacturing and production. What happened that brought about urban sprawl in Detroit? The horrific race riots that killed Detroiters and destroyed 2,000 of the cities finest and most notable building. Following the riots, the city descended into this chaos that didn’t really end until a few years ago. Actually, it could be argued that the city is still going through the effects of the riots. 

My generation is perhaps the hardest hit by the effects of the riots and not because we witnessed the atrocities that occurred as a part of the riots either. The effect we are dealing with is one that was born from the riots; it is the hatred and disgust for Detroit. Since the riots, there has been this hatred and distrust of anything related to the city. When I was a kid, I would always remember my parents telling me how dangerous the city was and all the reasons why I shouldn’t go down there. In fact, my story is probably not very different from anyone else’s story. Many people my age were raised to not trust the city. 

It is safe to say that I believed all this garbage until I graduated from high school. Planning to attend MSU, I had no intention of thinking about Wayne State. However, certain events didn’t allow me to attend MSU, so I was had to rely on my back up school–Wayne State. Let me very frank; I was disappointed about having to attend Wayne State. This changed the moment that I set foot, for the first time might I add, on Wayne’s campus and I fell in love with Mid Town Detroit. Picture this, I was a provincial suburban kid walking around Detroit for the first time. I was overwhelmed, excited, surprised, nervous, and filled with awe, all at the same time.  

Wayne is located in a part of the city called Mid Town; meaning that it is the middle; between the outskirts and downtown. It is also known as the cultural center of the city. It houses Orchestra Hall, Detroit Institute of Arts, and many more. It is one of the busiest and most populated sections of the inner city; primarily because of all the attractions it has to offer. There are also a lot of young people in this section of the city. Young people filled with an air of optimism about living in such a wonderful city. 

From that moment on, I wanted to be one of those young people. I wanted to fall in love with this city, and I did. I fell in love with the buildings, the neighborhoods, the people, the history, the food, etc. In short, I fell in love with everything! I inherited the optimism that these young people had as well and an optimism that I feel is lacking among older generations of Detroiters. I have high hopes for this city and I will do my best to bring this city back to where it was. This blog is just the beginning. Welcome all, and I hope you enjoyed MY Detroit Story. 

Introduction

Hey, guys! I decided to totally switch gears with this blog. From now on, I will be writing about my passion in life–Detroit. Like it says at the top of the blog, Detroit has gotten bad press lately. However, Detroit is a jewel in the heart of Mid West America. This blog will be about showing the REAL Detroit, without the constant theme of Detroit equals violence. So, sit back and enjoy! This is a road trip of exploration in the best city of the Mid West…DETROIT! Welcome to The D, The Motor City, D-Town, Hockeytown, Motown! 

 

Dom

In Defense of Obamacare

As an introduction, discussions about universal healthcare would be nonexistent if not for the work of the most decorated and accomplished senator of the 20^th century—Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. It was his mission in life to create a social safety net and ensure healthcare as a right for all Americans. He made this mission known to all Democrats at the 1978 Democratic Convention: “As long as I can vote, as long as I have a voice in the United States Senate, it’s going to be for that Democratic Party platform plank, that provides decent quality health care, North and South, East and West, for all Americans, as a matter of right and not of privilege.”

Framing the debate is important in politics, and Sen Kennedy framed it perfectly for the healthcare debate. He spoke of universal healthcare as a “matter of right and not of privilege”; and that is exactly what health care should be. In the preamble to the Constitution of the United States, the founders wrote that the more perfect union should “promote the general welfare”. This is what the health care debate is about; whether government should allow Americans to suffer without health insurance or provide for those who cannot afford to provide for themselves. Is astounds me that a country founded on government by the people and for the people is having a debate about whether or not government should cover people who cannot afford health insurance. This is not an issue that affects a small number of people either; there are millions of Americans who cannot afford insurance. As a refresher, let’s review these numbers: 17.1% of adults are uninsured, which is a rise from 2008, when 14.8% of adults were uninsured (Gallup). Even more disturbing are the number of Americans who die, per year, as a result of not having health insurance. According to Reuters, 45,000 per year die because of their lack of health insurance.

It should be obviously clear to those on the right that health care should be a fundamental right for every American.   It should be obviously clear to Republicans, who supposedly cherish the sanctity of life, that health care should be a fundamental right for every American.

You hear an awful lot about the greatness of the health care system in America and how tinkering with that by covering all Americans would crush that. Let me be perfectly clear, America does not have the greatest health care system in the world; we have the greatest doctors in the world. In fact, other countries in Europe have better rated health care systems than we do. A study by the World Health Organization found that the US is number 37. Yes, you heard that correctly, number 37. You are probably wondering who the best systems in the world are, right? Well, the five best systems in the world are: France, Italy, San Marino, Andorra, and Malta. Those scary “socialistic” countries have better health care systems than we do, according to the World Health Organization.

Let me end with this, in 2009, we came close to ensuring health care as a right for all Americans but that is in jeopardy. Obamacare is suffering from verbal attacks about repeal from Republicans, especially those running for President.  Republicans have always been the party that protects life at all stages. This rhetoric against universal health care from them is not protecting life. If Republicans repeal Obamacare, the deaths of thousands of Americans who cannot afford insurance will be their fault. This country, founded on government for the people cannot allow people to die because they cannot afford insurance. If Republicans have their way, these deaths will occur, and the blood will be traced to their votes on this very important issue. 

Must Read Articles of the Day

Who is saying what from the nation’s papers:

New York Times: 

“The Fertility Implosion” by David Brooks

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/opinion/brooks-the-fertility-implosion.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

“One-Wayne Wantonnes” by Frank Bruni

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/opinion/brooks-the-fertility-implosion.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

The Washington Post 

“Give Dennis Kucinich his Due” by Katrina vanden Heuvel

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dennis-kucinich-drove-the-progressive-conversation/2012/03/12/gIQA7vAT9R_story.html

“In the war of words, we are all losing” by Charles Lane

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/in-the-war-of-words-we-are-all-losing/2012/03/12/gIQAW8B67R_story.html

Los Angeles Times 

“Romney and the Mormon Factor” by John Turner

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-turner-mormonvote-20120313,0,6055871.story

“Afghanistan on Edge” by by LA Times Editorial

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-afghanistan-shootings-20120313,0,277153.story

Hope you all enjoy!

dn

First Post from iPad

Hey guys! Just checking out the WordPress app for iPad. I like it!

Dom

Religious Freedom? Say, What?

There is new fuel being added to the fire that GOP candidates are throwing at President Obama–the recent mandate that all insurance companies (including religious organizations) must offer contraception and sterilization as a part of insurance packages. While this may seem like common sense to most Americans, including a majority of Catholics–who the legislation is targeted at, the Republicans have found yet another way to twist the actual story to fit their narrative about President Obama.

As if you thought the race couldn’t get any more bizarre, this new HHS mandate has the GOP candidates talking about (get ready for it), religious liberty! Yes, you heard that correctly. The political party that has publicly bashed gays as a threat to human society, wants to ban abortion because it kills a possible human life, and is against contraception for women is talking about religious liberty. The one political party that uses faith and God as a backdrop for their policies is now talking about religious liberty. There is no man in the GOP field that is more socially conservative than, Rick Santorum, and this issue has him fired up about, you guess it, religious liberty.

In his CPAC speech, Rick Santorum said the following about religious liberty:“This is the kind of coercion we can expect. It’s not about contraception. It’s about economic liberty, it’s about freedom of speech, it’s about freedom of religion. It’s about government control of your lives and it’s gotta stop”

For once, I agree with Rick Santorum. Government has no place in any aspect of our personal lives; whether it be religious or sexual. As is typical with most Conservatives, their rhetoric now is not the same as it was in the past. The Rick Santorum that is publicly lambasting President Obama as the destroyer of all things freedom is not the Rick Santorum of the past! In short, he has absolutely no right lecturing President Obama on religious liberty when he has publicly supported policies that would eliminate religious liberty for certain people–mainly gays and women seeking an abortion. Here are some of his past statements:

Here is where he says he is going to talk about contraception (which he said he wasn’t going to talk about in his CPAC speech–see quote above): “One of the things I will talk about, that no president has talked about before, is I think the dangers of contraception in this country…. Many of the Christian faith have said, well, that’s okay, contraception is okay. It’s not okay. It’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.”

Here is where he compares homosexuals to having sex with dogs:“If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual [gay] sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything. Does that undermine the fabric of our society? I would argue yes, it does. … That’s not to pick on homosexuality. It’s not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing.”

Here is where he talks about abortion: “I believe that any doctor that performs an abortion, I would advocate that any doctor that performs an abortion, should be criminally charged for doing so.”

In short, when Rick Santorum was speaking at CPAC, he was back peddling on an entire history of saying the exact opposite. The man has absolutely no right to utter a word on religious liberty when his past stances speak the exact opposite. Wait, I take that back. Rick Santorum supports religious liberty–is you are straight, white, and christian. More than anything, this is truth that Santorum, and most of the GOP candidates, are picking at straws for anything to criticize President Obama with. While conservatives can get rallied around this, we liberals can sit back and watch them dig their own grave.

Detroit Love Affair

Today, I finally realized what my true passion in life is. My passion, after much searching and seeking, is to promote the city of Detroit. I have always had an interest in city life, and American cities but Detroit as a subject always seemed rather dull to me. I mean, come on, what is there to study? We were great, we fell, and now we are working our way back up. It always seems that simple to me. However, after attending school in the city, I received an urban education in The D, and what it means to be a Detroiter. Following this, I began looking at the city with new eyes. They were no longer eyes of skepticism and bewilderment but of interest, love, and passion! Detroit, as an American city, is in the top five list of most influential American cities. I could argue, and will in a later post, that Detroit is number 2 (following the immortal New York City). When you think about what the city has done and the innovation that we naturally spawn, you are immediately amazed. Then, when you consider the future, the dubious cliche “the sky is the limit” comes true.

I titled this post “Detroit Love Affair” for a reason. That reason is my ultimate love for this great city and the hope that I will one day change it. The title of this post is my current mentality on things in Detroit, I love them! I wouldn’t have them any other way than how they are now. The city is growing, more people are moving to downtown, businesses are popping up, and the youth are changing the face of life in Motown. I was down there a few days ago and was amazed at the number of people walking around downtown! There were tons of them! People of all races, classes, and backgrounds. The intimidated looks on the faces of the youth as they stare at the buildings was very funny too.

Detroit is a great American city and is going to accomplish great things in the days to come. My mission in life is to make as big an impact on that change as I can.

Ciao a tutti!

~dn