Going Home

Fractions away

Seven hundred billion dollars ($700,000,000,000) – POOF - from the taxpayer’s pockets, and perhaps gone just as quickly as the federal bailout plan is adopted. At the same time, Detroit’s school district fights to keep from being taken over by the state.

For a mere fraction of a fraction of that sum, the Detroit Public School system could be rescued as well. For a fraction more the finest accountants and sociologists in the land could be contracted to plot a new course. Their goal would be achieving long term stability.

The children of Detroit, and in turn, society, are getting the short end of the stick in this bailout deal.

[More:]

Scanning the news leads to nothing but frustration. While one page explains the Feds’ very likely hundreds of billions of dollars in “bail outs” the other explains how Detroit Public Schools are staring at extreme deficit, with this news coming not long after poor graduation rates were the hot education topic in Michigan.

The school board is facing review by the State in an attempt to straighten out the books; however, the real problem will still loom. Michigan is hard-up and Detroit is even worse.

The only solution will be budget cuts - over $500 million in the next two years – and there is no telling the negative effects to be seen as a result.

Had the federal government stepped in to save Detroit Public Schools, society would be the beneficiary, and the profits would be reaped by those who need them most.

One could note recent accusations regarding superintendant Connie Calloway’s performance and say you don’t want to reward it, but at the same time, the government seems to be ignoring malfeasance (and small fortunes gained because of it) on Wall Street.

And for those who argue the current “bail outs” are just as necessary as the stability of one of the United States’ largest cities’ school systems – and they just might be - always remember that for a fraction more, we could have both.

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: jim morey (kustarz) [Member]

There has been so much corruption for decades,why else would people continue to leave this once great city. They can go to cities that have the same bleak economic future as Det, but these cities somehow manage to provide the basic resources that the residents expect and deserve.you can no longer call it the white flight,now its just a mass exodous of humans from a greedy, over-taxing, non-providing, land tyrant like the city of Det. The absolute worse part of this whole mess is that these poor children cant get an education,when that is what is going to help them succede in life. We are going to educate these children whether the city can or not. Chris has been doing a spectacular job of teaching the children to read at fletcher and we are working and praying for a way to continue it through the winter.

Permalink 11/13/08 @ 21:09

Comment from: jim morey (kustarz) [Member]

My point was you cant expect the government to do everything and that's where we come in and help provide fundamentals that children need to be successful in life. Success is not always measured in dollars. Pride and self esteem are basics these children need and they are getting them along with a personal education that the city of Det is incapable of doing

Permalink 11/13/08 @ 21:17