Op-ed pick: “My Hometown: What Detroit’s Demise Says About America”

Detroit native Ron Fournier reflects on his hometown’s bankruptcy in a piece for National Journal: “I love my hometown. And I hate what Detroit's demise might bode for our country.” He goes on to cite inequality, poor leadership and inefficiencies as not just Detroit’s problems, but ones that belong to the country too:

Wrenching economic change … income inequality ... political corruption … ineffective government … rigid institutions … chronic debt and racism — these are the things that bankrupted Detroit, morally and fiscally, and they're an exaggerated reflection of the nation's challenges.

On race and other issues, Detroit should be a warning to the country. It was — and in many ways, still is — a great city, but poor leadership and an ambivalent citizenry allowed Detroit's problems to fester, grow, and eventually overwhelm it. A nation can make the same mistake.

Read all of Ron Fournier’s column here.

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