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We need to stop fighting each other. The suburbs hate the city. Outstate hates metro Detroit. 13 different state universities (UofM having 3 campuses) all in competition with each other. Cars or public transit. Shopping malls or downtowns. Blue color or white color. Young or old.

Life survives because it’s diverse, not most fit. Do most people want to live in the suburbs and drive a car? Sure. But should that mean defund the city and no real (what we have is not real except in cities like Kansas City and smaller) public transit? Of course young people don’t want to stay here. We’ve taken what was (decades ago) a world class city and destroyed it. Let’s start with that.

The fix: a state run commuter rail system and a downtown (within Grand Blvd) BRT loops. No great city exists with out at least the basics.

The fix: 2 university systems (for crying out loud even conservative Texas and liberal California can agree on this one).

The fix: show off, be unique, get exciting. From Memorial weekend into June (our best weather time) from Movement to the Freedom Festival fireworks (yes our relationship with Windsor is unique - let’s fix it). The Auto Show and Grand Prix working together. Art on the streets (a spring Art Prize in Detroit showing our relationship with Grand Rapids). A Michigan Science Center on the river with state funding, defining Detroit to science like the Sydney Opera House defined that city and culture (and link it to Windsor).

People are trying. The Motown Museum. The Henry Ford (the greatest history of tech museum). Gilbert and downtown. Penske and the Grand Prix and QLINE. MSU and a medical campus with Henry Ford Hospital and Gores. Ross and UofM and the Ilitch’s. The Ford’s and MCS. And a lot of people trying to make Detroit something great again - a center of a state worth living in. So my question is where is the state of Michigan in all this?

How come they’re not saying let’s improve the QLINE on their street (M1)? Let us create a world attention grabbing science center. Let us connect MSU and UofM to Detroit by commuter rail. Let us turn Belle Isle (now under their control) into competition with Central Park. How about just wash their building annually on Grand Blvd.?

Obviously lower taxes alone isn’t going to get it done. Capitalism requires infrastructure. Yes lower taxes in the city could help. But lower taxes alone won’t cut it. Give people something to rave about, even if it’s not what you personally want, or just watch the state atrophy and get use to visiting your family in other states.

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