The city's motto "Troy, the city of tomorrow, today" should be changed to "Troy, I've got mine, who cares what else happens?" 

How much lower can we sink? I love my home and very much like my neighbors, but often I envy cities like Ferndale and Clawson, where there are more open-minded people who value community and diversity. As ashamed as I am right now to say I live in Troy, I'm going to stay here and do what I can to make it a more vibrant and positive place to live. I just hope next election the voters here make a better choice. 

—Jennifer Beres, Troy

Bailouts for them, austerity for us?

Re: Jack Lessenberry's "Is an EM inevitable?" (Dec. 7), an Emergency Manager will only make matters worse for Detroit and the metro area. It will result in severe cuts for those already living under harsh conditions.

Detroit's problems are not the result of mismanagement. Whatever faults they may have, today's elected officials are certainly no worse than those who ran the city for decades. What has changed is the downsizing of its auto dependent economy and decisions to move jobs out of the city, state and country. In addition, a housing crisis, whose blame lies on Wall Street not Detroit, has resulted in foreclosures, vacancies and a further erosion of the tax base.

It might be better to ask why many cities throughout the country are facing deficits. We are not a poorer nation than we were 30 years ago; in fact we have more money. The problem is it is all concentrated in the hands of the 1 percent.

If we could bail out Wall Street (who did cause their own problems) why not Detroit? —John Rummel, Royal Oak

Downriver delights

Thank you for your reviews of restaurants and bars downriver (Short Order, Dec. 7). Ever since I moved Downriver in 1995, I have been dismayed by the media's lack of coverage about anything downriver. I've lived in all three metro Detroit counties in the last 50 years, and by far, Downriver has the friendliest people, the least traffic, and the most reasonable prices. Thanks again! —Susan Eckert Pinkowski, Riverview

Off the map

Re: MT's "Detroit Music: The ultimate sightseer's guide" (Dec. 14), I see the Trumbellplex made the cut but no Graystone Hall, Freezer, 404 Willis or Grounds Coffee House (on the U-of-D campus)? These were all very important venues in the landscape Detroit's hardcore-punk history, and just as or more important than the before mentioned — a glaring omission on your part. —Michael Derrick, Detroit

Left out

I really appreciate your "Ultimate Sightseer's Guide" to Detroit Music — it's interesting and informative. And while I understand that you couldn't possibly include every venue, it seems to me that some were woefully overlooked. How couldn't you mention the Michigan Palace, where the infamous "Metallic K.O." bootleg album was recorded, documenting the last gig of the Raw Power-era Stooges? There's boasts, in the article, of the birthplaces of techno and hip-hop, but not a word about the Freezer Theater, where Midwest hardcore punk was born. Some venues, such as Harpo's, seem to have been included only because of some notoriety, but what about the original City Club? 

Rather than just lament what could have been in the article, may I propose a part 2? —Don Handy, Mount Clemens

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