A wasteland
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8/3/2006
I agree with most comments about detroit however SOME are silly. I had thought the comment about finding dead bodies in the street was silly and untrue. However, last week a teenage girl ran over a dead body in southwest detroit and drug it for a block thinking it was a bag of trash. I cant imagine anyone wanting to relocate here unless they got offered a great job but I doubt it. There are no jobs. This is the first time in my adult life I have seen things so bad here. I have been laid off twice in 4 yrs. I am now losing another job in a month. Everyone is suffering. It starts with the auto industry slipping. I had once read that 70% of jobs in MI are auto related. I thought this figure might be wrong but when I thought about it, most people I know do something that is auto related. Whether it be working in the plants, part plants, logistics, design, etc. If you are a nurse, then you will make a living here. There is a shortage in the health profession. It is all having a trickle down effect. Retailers are cutting employees and it seems no industry is doing well except for bankruptcy lawyers. Home foreclosures are at a all time high. Wayne county is number 1 in home foreclosures in the nation. We are also second in moving van sales. Lots of people leaving. Real estate was over inflated for about ten yrs. Now it has taken a dive by twenty percent and most people cant afford to sell their homes. Many are jumping ship and letting the house go back to the bank or paying to get out. This is not just in the city of Detroit, it also applies to the outer lying subs. The last republican governor really screwed tax payers. Gov. Engler came up with the brilliant idea of a Homestead property tax cut. It went before voters with the idea that homeowners would get tax breaks on their taxes and the taxes would stay somewhat stagnant for years. It was voted in, everyone was thrilled with the reduction in taxes. Ok long term, what they didnt tell us is that when the homeowner sells their home, the new buyers get a steep tax hike. So Mr. and Mrs. Johnson sell their home that they have lived in for 30 yrs to a new buyer. The property is re assessed and the taxes double. Just now realtors are warning buyers because the shock comes a yr after you buy your house. With taxes doubling in most cases, it can raise a mortgage payment of a few hundred dollars.I feel this is also contributing to the foreclosure mania. The detroit mayor is a joke and I am still astonished he was voted
Lori | Lincoln Park, MI