AIP Column: Democrat Decay

27 Oct, 2009 by Melissa Clouthier

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What happens when Democrats run things unchecked? Detroit, Michigan:

Urban decay might as well be called Democrat decay. Democrats rule every major city in America and the more power the Democrats have in the city, the more likely the city will be a complete mess.

Enter Detroit, Michigan.

Detroit might be the second worst example of unchecked Democrat policies in the United States today and that’s saying something. The first would be New Orleans. Close behind would be Philadelphia and Chicago. Remember New York City before Rudy Giuliani? No? That’s because the city was too dangerous to visit before the Republican mayor cleaned house.

Economic chaos precedes sociological anarchy and that’s where Detroit finds itself. For years, Michigan rolled along fat on car manufacturers tax gouging. Communities sprung up like neat little lines of boxes all around the cities. There were indulgent public school programs (my own high school had a beautiful, full-service planetarium thanks to the local Oldsmobile plant).

Taxes continued to increase as more public services were offered. Then, a confluence of events turned Michigan on its head and the state has yet to find its footing. Union demands outstripped the companies’ ability to increase production adequately to continue increased profits. The car companies grew top-heavy with layers of innovation-killing management. Good ideas would get stifled in layers of play-it-safe-bean-counting management. The states and cities weren’t and continue to be undiversified economically. The equivalent of a seaside fishing town, Michigan got swept along whatever the economic weather. And when sales dropped, tax revenue dropped. And when income fell far enough, jobs were lost but not until after years on furloughs (being paid to do nothing) and lay-offs which drained profits from struggling companies.

And what did Detroit and the state of Michigan do? Raise taxes, of course! Loathe to cut companies or their employees slack, the government continued to hike taxes on those working to help those without a job. In Detroit these days, that’s nearly 25% of the working population. Can you fathom that number? One in four people languishing while Democrats fiddle.