Kwame and Race
Kilpatrick sentencing, credit, and patriotism
Dear Editor:
Race is once again raising its ever-present head in the Kwame Kilpatrick sentencing. Here’s how I see it: They didn’t have to give him 28 years … he gave them legitimate reasons to do it. For me, it would have been easier to take if it were a black judge, listening to the evidence presented by the black residents of the city of Detroit by a mayor whom they found to be operating a criminal enterprise. As the comedian Pigmeat Markam once said, “Life … you sonnafagun!”
There’s an interesting dynamic going on in Detroit right now. As I see it, there are three different Detroits:
1. Downtown, Midtown and the adjacencies of each: Optimistic, high growth, entrepreneurial, young and forward thinking. In time, this could spur the city’s turnaround.
2. Several old-time and tight knit, stable neighborhoods scattered throughout the city — but getting rapidly smaller: Because of their collective voices and [historical] influence, each has a semblance of city services provided, i.e. police, fire, ambulance, street lights, etc. These neighborhoods hold Detroit’s real middle class and are trying to hang on until the turnaround arrives.
3. The “hood”: most of the city’s areas that surround the above two Detroits. Quite honestly, these folks are way past caring about city politics and are doing whatever needs to be done to survive. Why should they care? It seems the city doesn’t care about them.
It’s No. 3 that makes what Kwame Kilpatrick did so tragic. He was well-positioned to connect all three Detroits together, but he chose not to focus on public service and focused on personal service instead — that’s not black or white — that’s just a shame.
Ivory D. Williams
Detroit, Oct. 11, 2013
Starve the Beast
Dear Editor:
Effective immediately: All consumer credit is prohibited. From this point forward, all U.S. citizens must be on a cash-only basis — no credit of any type.
All those car loans and home mortgages? Sorry, game over. Auto and home purchases are cash-only, 100 percent up-front. No more betting on future income streams.
Businesses, large and small: No more bridge loans — and any investments in future growth must be in cash, 100 percent up front.
That is exactly what certain members of Congress insist will do no harm. Maybe we should insist they publicly cut up their credit cards and pay their indebtedness with cash only, immediately. Hey, they want a balanced budget — so it is only fair that they lead the way?
Chuck Fellows
South Lyon, Oct. 12, 2013
Stop being Assholes!
Dear Editor
I am sick and tired of the Republicans having a temper tantrum because they didn't get their way in stalling or repealing the Affordable Care Act, better known as "Obamacare." This is the law of the land, upheld by the Supreme Court. The budget could be passed if John Boehner would bring it to the floor, where Democrats and reasonable Republicans would pass it. A minority of Republicans, led by the Tea Party, are dictating and disrupting our democratic system of government.
They say they love their country while putting thousands of people out of work and delaying funding for programs such as Head Start and WIC, which helps low income women and their babies. This isn't patriotism...it's an abuse of power.
Ms. Linda Samelson
West Bloomfield, Oct. 9, 2013
