I'm worried because the two worst cities (economically) are Detroit and Buffalo. I was born and grew up in Nickel City. I worry about my home town. Life was so good in the 50's. Now there's unemployment, gangs and drugs and loads of abandoned houses.

Suppose I'd suggested about 5 - 8 years ago (I wasn't about to, as the thought wasn't in my mind) that, within a few years, GM might be considering bankruptcy ...

... wouldn't you have laughed at me?

Probably there may have been some who suggested subsidizing builders of buggies - or makers of buggy whips - back around 1920 when the original automobiles were coming out - when there were very few roads ... and no paved ones (outside cities, at least)!!

Sometimes when I'm talking to kids, I suggest that when they next see a gathering of vintage cars, where one usually sees a number of approximately 1929 Model "A" Ford cars ...

... that they go up to some of the owners to ask them to show them the heater in the car ...

... and see what response they'll get.

It's usually laughter ... at the lack of knowledge of these youngsters ... for there were no heaters in cars of that vintage!

We had a rudimentary heater in our 1934 Ford, one of the early V-8 models. The Model "A" was a four-cylinder, quite a rudimentary car - it had the gas tank just ahead of the dashboard and the gas was fed into the motor by gravity - there was no fuel pump.

Wouldn't we be better off to subsidize reaearch toward finding innovative processes and technologies, which will be trendsetters of the future?

As for the story about electric vehicles being able to travel about 100 km. (62.5 miles) ... or even up to maybe 100 miles on a charge ...

... here's a thought or two:

*can you feature a resident of the southern states being willing to operate a car without an air conditioner ...

*or a resident of the central and northern tier of states, or, for sure, the Canadians being willing to operate a car with NO HEATER??

Such usages are real energy hogs - and will likely cut the useful range of the vehicle between charges ... maybe about in half??

Hey - here's an idea - how be we install pedals in the cars, coupled to a generator, so that each passenger can pedal while driving/riding, to add some power to the battery ...

... that'd be no help in the south!!
... but it'd help keep heater usage a lot lower, through the north.

Drivers'd be exempt from the pedalling, of course ... so can you feature the fights that'd erupt over who was going to drive? Draw straws?

And ... that part of this story is not just hot air!

ole joyful

I think the saying is actually "As GM goes, so goes the nation". But you're not far off since the rise & fall of Detroit is so closely tied with GM & the auto industry.

It's a sickening feeling I felt when I read the other day that 50% unemployment rate for Detroit. I have seen pictures of abandonment of homes, etc in the Detroit area that are really sad. It's going to be very difficult to stem, much less reverse, this trend in that area.

The thought of the destruction of such magnificent pieces of architecture breaks my heart. The same thing, on a much smaller scale, here in our town. I hate seeing the buildings falling into such disrepair and then losing their battle with the wrecking ball. We have a magnificent old flatiron that sits on the bank of the river, I am hoping that it will be saved.

My husband and I along with another couple are evaluating the feasibility of buying a 5 story building and converting it into lost living space.

Sorry OJ, but I've been forecasting the doom of American cars for 10 years. With the influx of imports it was destiny. Detroit didn't learn their lesson back in the days when they were forced to bring out the Pinto, Vega and Gremlin. They still tried to tell America (and the world) what cars they wanted. I said that the American car would approach the American-built TV and radio. And it's sad. I WANT to buy American. But the imports gave me at the time more of what I wanted.

I will say that there were some excellent attempts. The original Mustang. Great. The Corvair, despite its unjust flaming by nutcases, was a fabulous car and could have set the car world on its ear. But sadly the hysteria put such a bad taste in carmakers mouths that they didn't dare try anything innovative.

BUT, I must say that Chrysler, under Lee Iacocca, brought out some great vehicles. The mini-van is an historic vehicle and I truly appreciate it. I really liked my Caravan. Had to replace it and bought a used Kia. But you know what? In so many ways, I liked the Caravan better.

All too often it's too little too late. I fear that's the situation with the American car. Chrysler has Daimler as a big owner. The others likely will follow suit before too long. Unless something radical happens soon.

The Detroit area, car industry has been obviously dying in Michigan for the past 10 years. Unemployment has been rising steadily, but people just stay there - waiting for the jobs to come back.

The last time I was in Flint.Mi was 8 years ago - and it was already a dead town, with severe economic problems.

Are you sure it is 50 percent? I live across the river from Detroit and everyday on the news it says the rate is about 15-16 percent. Windsor is about 13 percent. Both cities are tied closely with the auto industry.

Rosemary one of the old office buildings downtown Detroit has been turned into a beautiful hotel.

I sure do miss the downtown Detroit of my youth. We would take the bus across the river and go shopping at Hudson's and would walk up and down Woodward Ave downtown. I remember my brother and I once taking the bus across the river to buy a cake for my Mom at Sanders. I was pretty young because my brother bought me the first Chipmunks 45 record (it was blue) and we bought a teapot for my Mom for Christmas. Then as young teenagers my friends and I would take the bus over and buy clothes and wonder how we were going to smuggle them across the border - we always made sure not to go to a woman's custom agent because they always caught you. LOL Actually I was too chicken to smuggle anything but my friends sure did pack on the layers of clothes and scuff their new shoes to look old.

Both of our cities benefit economically from each other with cross border shopping and entertainment. If we in Windsor want to see a broadway type show or attend an NHL hockey game the closest venue is Detroit.

Detroit has spiffed itself up quite a bit. There is also the new riverwalk along the shores of the Detroit river right downtown. Sure there are a lot of abandoned homes but they have a project that is dealing with blight in the city. Last week a group from New Orleans municipal government was in Detroit finding out how Detroit deals with it's blight so they can take care of the blight in New Orleans.

The auto industry seems to be getting back on track a bit - we still have a 3rd shift at the Windsor Chrysler Assembly Plant. I think it is time both our cities to start shifting away from the auto industry and start bringing in new business and to retrain its workforce.

Anne

I always heard "As Maine goes, so goes the nation."

meh.

'Detroit and cars' is much like 'Pittsburgh and steel' was in the 70s.
The nations did not fall then, and it won't now either.

That is what happens when a city depends too much on one industry.
Pittsburgh learned from its downturn; hopefully Detroit will too.

Last time I was on Woodward Ave, my head was hanging out the car window like a dog.....OH! The terra cotta! Even the vacant buildings have incredable details.

rosemary, I saw a number of the homes on the attached link over Thanksgiving weekend.

Here is a link that might be useful: homes