The "D" Spot Redeux

Mitt's Detroit Appearance at Ford Field Goes Bankrupt

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:06:00 +0000

The home stadium of the Detroit Lions is Ford Field, named for the Ford Family, of course. It holds about 65,000 people. Mitt Romney had the NERVE to come to Detroit, but knew he couldn't fill the stadium, so his advance team (LOL!) tried to hide most of the empty seats so that Mitt could speak to *only* 1200 and it would look like there were a lot of people at his event.

NOT! There were MORE protesters than attendees at the event. Members of the UAW used American-made cars to spell out Mitt's "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt" headlining 2008 New York Times editorial. Mitt thinks we here in Michigan will forget. We haven't forgotten.

For some context, here is Barack Obama in Denver in August 2008 at the Denver Stadium:

Maybe Mitt should have included some of Michigan's trees in the audience--after all, our trees ARE the "right height"! Yes, he said it again!

Let Mitt Go Bankrupt--the Movie

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:46:00 +0000

The Obama2012 team has come out with a GREAT commercial about how President Obama and the Democrats saved the U.S. auto industry when Mitt Romney and the Congressional Republicans wanted to destroy it.

Record PROFIT for GM in 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:14:00 +0000

Detroit Headquarters of #1 General Motors Corporation

Thank you President Barack Obama and the Michigan Democratic Congressional Leaders!

This story is courtesy of the Detroit Free Press Feb 16 2012

General Motors made a record $7.6 billion in 2011, driven by a $7.2 billion profit in North America that ensures its highest profit sharing payments of $7,000 each to its UAW workers.

Overall, GM’s 2011 profit rose from last year’s $4.7 billion and broke the previous record annual profit of $6.7 billion in 1997.

Revenue for the year increased 11% to $150.3 billion and earnings before interest and tax was $8.3 billion compared with $7 billion in 2010

The full-year results were hampered by Opel, its European unit, which lost $700 million – a $1.3 billion improvement, but Opel's 12th straight annual loss in a market struggling with overcapacity. The loss raises more questions about the wisdom of reversing the decision to sell Opel in 2009.

“We grew share around the world,” Dan Ammann, GM’s chief financial officer, told reporters this morning.

“Clearly we have work to do in Europe and South America,” he said.

Fourth-quarter net income of $500 million was flat from a year ago, but the profit of 39 cents per share was below the 41-43-cent range analysts expected.

The strength of North American operations means GM’s profit sharing payment is the largest since 1983 when payments began.

The payout formula was changed to become simpler and more transparent as part of last fall’s contract negotiations with the UnitedAuto Workers union.

The typical Ford employee is eligible for $6,200 based on the $6.2 billion in operating profit in North America in 2011.

Chrysler workers are eligible for $1,500. The Auburn Hills automaker had an operating profit of $1.97 billion and about 85% was derived from North America.

GM’s payment has only exceeded the amounts at both Ford and Chrysler twice since 1983. The previous record GM payout was last year’s average of more than $4,000 each but most years the amount was less than $1,000 and substantially below the other Detroit automakers.

Let Mitt Go Bankrupt!

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:22:00 +0000

So, 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Willard Mitt Romney DARES to show his face in Michigan again? Just a quick reminder about how Mittens and his Republican buddies REALLY feel about Detroit, about Michigan, and about the U.S. auto industry.

Another quick reminder that it was the Democratic President of the United States, Barack Obama, and the Democratic Congressional leaders from Michigan that LOANED GM and Chrysler the funds they needed to re-group. Ford, although it did not take any government loan, also benefitted, as did all of the ancillary auto-related businesses, because if GM and Chrysler had gone down, all of the interrelated suppliers and OEMs would have irreparably suffered also.

Go away, Mitt. We don't want you in Michigan.

WE WILL NOT FORGET, no matter how many glasses of Vernor's you drink.

Fun Friday: Motor City Winter Blast!

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Winter weather's coming back...just in time for the Annual Motor City Winter Blast in Downtown Detroit! THIS WEEKEND! February 10 - 12, 2012! See you there!

WELCOME TO WINTER BLAST

presented by

Motown Winter Blast is a unique combination of hip and fun

winter events that are centered on Campus Martius Park.

FEBRUARY 10-12, 2012

Friday February 10th, 11am-11pm

Saturday February 11th, 11am-11pm

Sunday February 12th, 11am-9pm

Detroit City Football Club | Detroit's Minor League Soccer Team

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:45:00 +0000

Do you or someone you know play *real football*? Tryouts coming up for the Detroit City Football Club!

Detroit City Football Club | Detroit's Minor League Soccer Team:

'via Blog this'

Tuskegee Airman: Former Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Coleman Alexander Young (1918-1997), was the longest-serving mayor of Detroit, Michigan. After ten years as a Michigan state senator, Mr. Young was elected to the mayorship in 1973 and served until 1993.

* Born in Tuscaloosa Alabama and raised in Detroit since the age of 5, Mr. Young always achieved academically. He was offered a scholarship to a local Catholic high school, but the offer was rescinded when a priest realized that young Coleman was Black. He attended Eastern High School instead and graduated second in his class.

* Young Coleman excelled in the Boy Scouts, achieving the level of Eagle Scout. However, when his troop won a trip to Bob-lo Island Amusement Park, young Coleman was turned away at the ferry boat to the island because he was Black and the day of the trip was not "Colored Day at Bob-lo".

* While working at Ford Motor Company, Mr. Young became involved in union organizing activities, believing that civil rights and workers' rights were linked. He was blacklisted and had an FBI file opened against him. Yet, he became the first Black official in the CIO.

* Mr. Young was drafted into the military during WWII and became a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, rising to the rank of lieutenant.

* Because of his political views and union work, Mr. Young had trouble finding work after he returned from the war. When his wife experienced complications with her pregnancy, Mr. Young could not afford proper medical care and they lost the baby.

* Mr.Young was called to testify before the Congress and its "Un-American Activities Committee"; he became a local hero to the Black committee in Detroit due to the radiocast of his testimony.

* Mr. Young served on the Michigan Constitutional Convention committee in the 1960s, writing the civil rights section of the new constitution. He became the first Black member of the Democratic National Committee in 1968.

All of his life experiences, including being a member of the renowned Tuskegee Airmen, shaped the person known as Mayor Coleman Alexander Young.

If you personally know any Tuskegee Airmen--friends or family--please let us know in the comments!

Today in Black History

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:30:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

January 18

1949: Congresman William Dawson is elected Chairman of the House Expentiture Committe, becoming the first African-American to head a standing committee of Congress.

1966: Robert Weaver takes the oath of office as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson and becoming the first African-American to serve in the official Cabinet of a U.S. President.

1990: Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Berry is arrested in a hotel room on a charge of purchasing and using cocaine; he was tried and convicted on the highly contested misdemeanor charge.

Posted via email from The Black Liberal Boomer Blog

Take THAT, Newt!

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:22:00 +0000

Sometimes, someone else captures your thoughts...this post is copied directly from the blog of Travon Free, a comedian who grew up in one of those "poor neighborhoods" that Newt is so fond of denigrating. Follow the links to visit this brother's blog and to follow him on Twitter.

An Open Letter To Newt Gingrich From A Black Kid Who Grew Up In A Poor Neighborhood

Posted on December 5, 2011

Dear Newt Gingrich,

I recently saw you stand up in front of a group of people and allow some of the most
idiotic, unfounded, racist, and ignorant words pass your lips that I’ve ever heard
from a member of a group of the most unqualified presidential candidates America
has ever seen.

To have the audacity to say that poor kids, and let’s be clear that’s republican speak
for black and brown kids, “have no habits of working and nobody around them who
works” is not only an insult to me as black man who grew up in one of those “really
poor” neighborhoods you spoke of but it’s an insult to my mother. And it’s an insult to
many other black and brown children, adults, and hard working parents(often single
parents) who get up every single day to try to provide a better life for their children in
poor neighborhoods.

As a child grew up in Compton in the early 90′s, one of the most dangerous
neighborhoods in America, I watched my mother work tirelessly, sometimes juggling
multiple jobs to provide for myself and my sister. Day in and day out just like many other
parents in poor neighborhoods she did what she had to do in order to provide for us.
You know what that turned into Mr. Gingrich?

A son who received academic and athletic scholarship offers from three Ivy League schools
and countless other universities, a son with a college degree in Criminal Justice who
graduated with honors from every school he attended, and a daughter who not only
attended a Gifted and Talented Education high school but is one year away from
completing a degree at UCLA.

This is not just the case for my family. I know I speak for many other hard working
black, brown, and even poor white families who have the same experiences in the poor
neighborhoods to look down upon from your elitist 1% out of touch pedestal. To say that
an entire community “literally has no habit of showing up on Monday” or “they have no
habit of staying all day” I say that is a load of shit.

Millions of poor children watch their parents show up Monday and many of them
sometimes have to suffer from the fact that their parents have to stay at work ALL DAY.

And lastly, you suggest that to remedy this “problem” as you so blindly see it is to make
poor kids assistant janitors and pay them to clean the restrooms? Your solution is child
labor. Degrading young children by suggesting they clean toilets while painting all union workers as lazy leeches. It’s a shame they don’t have the work ethic of hard working Americans like Kim Kardashian who worked so hard in her sex tape before we crowned her a role model for young girls and showered her with money and adoration or Paris Hilton who was forced to clean so many toilets as a teen to learn “work ethic” before her parents handed over the millions.

This not only echoes the depth of your ignorance but just how truly unqualified
you are to ever be president of this country. Your assumption that poor people have no
ingrained work ethic and “have no habit of ‘I do this and you give me cash’ unless it’s
illegal” is not only dangerously ignorant but it proves you have no connection with the
true heart of this country.

I believe I speak for most if not all of “poor” America when I say Mr. Gingrich you have
no habit of performing, thinking or speaking in a manner that warrants becoming the
leader of the free world and the 45th president of these United States of America. You
represent a party of greedy, selfish, out of touch, wealth protecting, non tax paying,
destroyers of the middle class. You know nothing about us. But your words in your
speech in Des Moines told us everything about you.

Which is why I hope you win your party’s nomination so that poor and impoverished
families can at least experience four more years of a man working diligently to help
them and the communities they call home that you have proven to know nothing about.
president number 44.

PS. You look like someone poured mashed potatoes into a suit

Serial Wife-Leaver Newt Gingrich Vows to Defend Marriage [Politics] (jezebel.com)
Newt Gingrich: Hospital Divorce Story Is A Lie, Except That It Isn't (mykeystrokes.com)

Posted via email from The Black Liberal Boomer Blog

Tuesday Tidbits: New Downtown Detroit Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Despite all of the doom and gloom predictions and actualities for our proud City, the new businesses keep coming! This article doesn't mention whether there is free Wi-Fi, but if there is, I'm there!

Announcing: The Grand Opening of the Hudson Cafe!

Uploaded by tellusdetroit on 2 Dec 2011

DETROIT (Tell Us Det) - Friday, December 02, 2011 The Hudson Café officially opened its doors in Downtown Detroit at 1241 Woodward Avenue on Merchants Row with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The metropolitan style eatery offers breakfast and brunch selections among other features on the exciting menu of many items which can be ordered anytime during business hours, all inside a fresh, open, airy dining area decked in a warm relaxing decor and a welcoming ambiance.

For those in a rush for a business meeting or to catch a bus? Just step over to the Cafe Coffee Bar just inside the front doors and enjoy everything from specialty coffee to fresh baked goods... and simply take it to go. And if you can dine in and don't want a table. enjoy your latte' in the comfortable lounge area which features big, roomy chairs, a fireplace and big screen television. The Hudson Café is also available for corporate events, private parties, celebrations, or any other such affair requiring an updated venue Downtown.

The cafe's prime location is directly across the street from the site of the former historic Hudson's Department Store building, in the heart of the business district; thus the name Hudson's Cafe. Classically Trained French Chef Tom Teknos, along with his partners Stavros Adamopoulos & Maurice are delighted to show their concept of a brunch cafe while spotlighting the continuing revitalization of Downtown Detroit and Merchants Row.

Meter parking is available on Woodward directly across from the restaurant. There's also underground parking available on the South/East corner of Woodward & Grand River (Premier Garage). The Hudson Café plans to use the underground parking structure for valet in the very near future.

Open seven days a week, the restaurant's normal business hours are 8AM- 4PM, with extended hours on special days where events occur Downtown. Some examples are Lions & Tigers games, City Lofts Shopping Event, Parades, Festivals, etc. These events will feature additional items not normally found on our menu.

Needless to say, The Hudson Café is very excited to help make downtown an increasingly more interesting, unique destination. Co-Owner Maurice said, "We are committed to being a part of the very exciting revitalization of our downtown. Detroit's Merchants Row is becoming the strong hub for businesses and their employees and that's what we all want it to be. The Hudson Café is integral to its progress and prosperity."

For more information or reservations call: 313-237-1000

"Hit the Road, Mitt" Video: We don't want you in Detroit or Michigan!

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:37:00 +0000

Perennial Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a native of Michigan and son of former Michigan governor George Romney, famously said in December 2008: "Let Detroit go bankrupt." He was referring to the then-on-the-brink U.S. auto industry. He didn't care about the tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs that would be lost. He didn't care about the lost manufacturing base of the American auto industry. He didn't care about Detroit.

Of course, AFTER President Barack Obama and the Michigan Democratic Congressional leaders, including John Conyers, Debbie Stabenow, Carl Levin, and Sander Levin, as well as former Democratic Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm led a government-sponsored loan (not 'bailout") program, the U.S. auto industry is doing better than ever. All of the big three are reporting repeated quarterly profits, tens of thousands of saved and/or new jobs, exciting new car models, and additional investments in plants and R&D, Mr. Romney said saving the auto industry was "his idea" all along.

No, Mitt, it was not. You are famous for wanting to throw ordinary people and companies under the bus. You are most famous for flip-flopping.

Please help this video go viral as Mitt "comes home to Michigan" for a GOP debate in metro Detroit on Wednesday night to try to make us forget that he wanted Detroit to go bankrupt. We are NOT forgetting, Mitt. Hit the road.

Posted via email from The Black Liberal Boomer Blog

Today is Election Day.

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:01:00 +0000

'Nuf said.

Posted via email from The Black Liberal Boomer Blog

I am NOT Disappointed in President Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:32:00 +0000

This 6-minute video is a MUST-SEE! This gentleman quietly, decisively, and succinctly sums up why President Barack Obama is the epitome of "Promises Made and Promises Kept" and why some progressives and liberals are misguided in their expectations and criticisms of the POTUS.

Please forward this to every Democrat, Progressive, and Liberal person you know.

Posted via email from The Black Liberal Boomer Blog

Wordless Wednesday: 10 Facts About You

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:02:00 +0000

I saw this on Facebook, and I just had to post it. Comic relief for mid-week!

September 11th: Our 13th Wedding Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 13:01:00 +0000

I publish this post every year on September 11, to remind me to keep perspective and to celebrate the day with a love story. This year, in honor of Nick Ashford, I am adding the video of "Solid as a Rock", because that describes the relationship between my husband and me, even after after 25 years of love and friendship.

Our September 11th

September 11, 1998.That is our wedding anniversary. It was chosen totally by accident: after "being friends" for over ten years, we decided in August 1997, to "take our relationship to the next level". After several rounds of "telephone tag", we made a date on Thursday, September 11, 1997 to take "the big step"...Everything went well and in February 1998, we became engaged. We chose as our wedding date, Friday, September 11, 1998--only because that date was exactly one year from the day we decided to make our relationship permanent. Besides, our wedding was very small: 10 guests, the minister, and our favorite Patti LaBelle song on CD. Then came 2001--after experiencing the shock along with the rest of America, I was kinda "bummed" that the Attacks happened on our third wedding anniversary, until…on Thursday, September 13, 2001, I saw a gentleman on TV walking around and around the Pentagon looking totally despondent and lost. I found out from the TV commentary that September 11 2001 was his TWENTY-FIFTH wedding anniversary, and he had lost his wife in the Pentagon. They were going to have a celebration dinner that night after she came home from work...of course, she never did come home. I was never "bummed" again; and the picture of that lost and broken man will never leave me.

Ashford and Simpson: "Solid as a Rock"

Posted via email from The Black Liberal Boomer Blog

September 11th: Our 13th Wedding Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 13:00:00 +0000

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Our September 11th

Ashford and Simpson: "Solid as a Rock"

Posted via email from The Black Liberal Boomer Blog

Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:45:00 +0000

Seven Ways to Shine at a Job Interview! Thanks, Mr. President!

Click the link to read this excellent article from Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh!

Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh

Jimmy Hoffa Speaks in Detroit: The UNEDITED Version

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:24:00 +0000

Jimmy Hoffa, president of the Teamsters Union, made an empassioned plea for people to vote the Democratic party in November 2012, stating that we need to "take out" the Republicans now in office--take them out via fair and free elections (with no voter suppresion tactics.

Of course Faux News, Andrew Breitbart, and others who make their bones by LYING about the facts, edited Hoffa's comments to make it appear as if he were calling for violence against Republicans. Not. As usual, they were just channeling what Republicans have actually said recently about what should happen if an election doesn't turn out the way they want: Sharron Angle and Allen West calling for "Second Amendment Remedies" and Sarah Palin with her "crosshairs" on her website that she said were actually surveyors' marks...

Here is what Mr. Hoffa actually said. Listen, decide for yourself, then make sure everyone you know is registered to vote. THAT is the Democratic and democratic way things are supposed to be done in America.

<img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://c.gigcount.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.11NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEzMTUzMjU2NTE2MTYmcHQ9MTMxNTMyNTY1OTM*MCZwPSZkPSZnPTImbz1iOTJiYjAxZTYzYjc*ZjE1YjY1MzZiMWZj/Yzg1ODU5ZCZvZj*w.gif" />video platform video management video solutions video player

Posted via email from The Black Liberal Boomer Blog

Jimmy Hoffa Speaks in Detroit: The UNEDITED Version

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:24:00 +0000

Posted via email from The Black Liberal Boomer Blog

Business | Somerset to nearly double the size of CityLoft downtown Aug. 25-27 | The Detroit News

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Time to shop Downtown 'til you drop again this weekend! Yes, people who live and work in Detroit DO want mid- to high-level retailers in Downtown Detroit NOW!

Business | Somerset to nearly double the size of CityLoft downtown Aug. 25-27 | The Detroit News:

'via Blog this'

Funeral arrangements for Esther Gordy Edwards announced | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:08:00 +0000

Esther Gordy Edwards, sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy, passed earlier this week. Tributes for this Detroit business woman and founder of the Detroit Motown Museum have poured in from around the world.

Funeral arrangements for Esther Gordy Edwards announced | Detroit Free Press | freep.com: "Funeral arrangements have been announced for Esther Gordy Edwards.

A public viewing will be held from 9 a.m.-7p.m. Tuesday at James H. Cole Home for Funerals, Northwest Chapel, 16100 Schaffer Hwy, Detroit.

The funeral service, which is open to the public, will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Bethel AME Church, 5050 Saint Antoine St., Detroit."

'via Blog this'

R.I.P. Nick Ashford 1942 - 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Nick Ashford died Monday, August 23 2011 of throat cancer. He was 70 years old. Nick was raised in Willow Run, Michigan (near Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor) and along with his wife Valerie Simpson, was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.

Their compositions were recorded by Ronnie Milsap ("Never Had It So Good"), Maxine Brown ("One Step At A Time"), as well as the Shirelles and Chuck Jackson. Another of the trio's songs "Let's Go Get Stoned" gave Ray Charles a number one U.S. R&B hit in 1966. That same year Ashford & Simpson joined Motown where their best-known songs included "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "You're All I Need To Get By", "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". As performers, Ashford and Simpson's best-known song is "Solid" (1984 US and 1985 UK). The duo was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. (from Wikipedia)

Posted via email from The DSpot Redeux Blog

Add one more to the list of black and unemployed

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:43:00 +0000

So I lost my job a couple weeks ago. Yep. Sure did. Walked into work on a Monday morning, got the call that the boss wants to see me, and that's when he says to take a seat. After the formal apology that he wishes he didn't have to do this, the phrase budget cuts comes out, accompanied by the fact that I was an appointee. In other words, money was tight and, well, I was expendable. Sorry about that.

A quick primer on the level of black unemployment in Detroit:

From Brookings, Jan 20, 2011:

Just after the Labor Department announced that the national unemployment rate had fallen from 9.8 percent in November to 9.4 percent in December, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke recently toldthe Senate Budget Committee that “[i]t could take four to five more years for the job market to normalize fully.”

For the nation as a whole, that seems reasonable. Suppose the labor force grows at the same rate it has over the last decade, an average of 0.07 percent per month. Suppose that the number of employed people (as measured in the Labor Department’s household survey, which is what’s used to figure the unemployment rate) increases by 297,000 every month, as it did in December. Then the nation’s unemployment rate will be just below 4 percent—a rate last achieved in 2000 and one that federal law sets as a target for full employment—in September 2014. Of course, if employment grows more slowly, then it will take longer for the nation to reach full employment.

But what will happen in metropolitan areas with unemployment rates far above the national average? Metropolitan Detroit, for example, had an unemployment rate of 13.5 percent in November (the most recent month for which metro unemployment rates are available). To many people in Detroit, full employment seems like a distant, perhaps unattainable dream. Even if Detroit’s unemployment rate falls as rapidly as the national rate, it will take until at least mid-2016 for its unemployment rate to reach 4 percent.

Surprisingly, though, Detroit’s unemployment rate will probably fall faster than that. The reason is that, faced with continued poor job prospects, many people will leave. That will reduce the size of Detroit’s labor force and lower its unemployment rate, even if job creation remains sluggish. In contrast, relatively few people leave the United States even during the worst economic times, and not very many drop out of the labor force because they can’t find work. (Since the beginning of the Great Recession in December 2007, the U.S. labor force fell by an average of only 0.008 percent per month.)

And then thre's this cheerful piece that ran a couple years ago in the Detroit News, reprinted in the Huffington Post:

Officially, Detroit's unemployment rate is just under 30 percent. But the city's mayor and local leaders are suggesting a far more disturbing figure -- the actual jobless rate, they say, is closer to 50 percent.

As many have noted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which culls federal unemployment data, does not account for all of the jobless in its widely-quotednational unemployment figures. Among those omitted: part-time workers who are looking for full-time jobs and frustrated job seekers who abandon their job search altogether.

(For some context, the official national unemployment rate is 10 percent, but the"underemployment rate"is 17.2 percent.)

Detroit city officials argue that, when workers who are underemployed are added to the calculation, the number of city residents who are out of work is close to one in every two.

The Detroit News reports:

"The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that for the year that ended in September, Michigan's official unemployment rate was 12.6 percent. Using the broadest definition of unemployment, the state unemployment rate was 20.9 percent, or 66 percent higher than the official rate. Since Detroit's official rate for October was 27 percent, that broader rate pushes the city's rate to as high as 44.8 percent."

So, naturally, when faced with these rather sobering statistics, I had to sober up a bit myself.

Day 1: Hit me like a bomb. Got out of the cab in the driveway and, as luck and timing would have it, my wife was pulling into the driveway and wondering OMG what just happened. So that was the worst part. Three hours later she cooks me a chocolate cake and we sit at the kitchen table to devour a slice of our favorite dessert accompanied by a wine glass full of milk. My wife has a good sense of humor, which helps. Later that night pretty much all I could was sit in my office and stare at my computer screen while listening to music, feeling numb. My wife cracks the door open to check on me, then quietly walks away to go to bed. I remain staring at the screen.

Day 2: I go to work, which is why this will not be a post of yours truly crying and moaning about what oh what shall I do. First of all, I've been here before. Second of all, I'm just another one. Thirdly, being a black male facing challenging circumstances is pretty much like being a bear in the woods; it's pretty much the way things are for most bears. So I wake up, shower, get dressed, then start to call everyone I know to let them know I'm casting out the wide net. You hear something? You know about something? You even suspect something may be opening up? Call a brother. Then I check on the health care situation because my boss of course informed me that both salary and benefits are history by the end of this month. Nothing personal, just business. Protocol and what have you. But of course I do now have access to my retirement funds, so I can at least have something with which to pay bills until I set this ship right, because I checked on the unemployment thing and it's about enough to pay the mortgage and that's it.

Evening of Day 2: My wife, who operates her own writing business from home, has had a revelation. Why don't youconsider being self-employed? Doesn't that sound better - and feel better - than being unemployed? Besides, you haven't exactly been thrilled to go to work every day. You did your job, and you did it well, but it was never what you wanted, dear. It was always what you had to do to pay bills and that was it. Maybe this is the start of another chapter in life. Maybe this isn't the end of life as we know it, maybe this is the beginning. At least consider that this may be a more healthy way to look at it.

You know, there's reason why God made wives. If you've got a good one, you deserve to be shot if you let that woman go. And from that point forward to right now as I write this I began to feel lighter, and even somewhat liberated. A bit scared too, but in the kind of way that motivates you to put in 12 -14 hour workdays seven days a week because it's so much easier to work your ass off when you're working for a boss you actually respect. Already some doors have started to open, and although it may just be a crack, it's enough to make me think that just maybe I'm going to come out of this thing all right. Because I have to. Because when the weather changes, you adapt. It's just what you do.

Who knows what I'll be feeling like next week, but for now I, like so many others out there, am determined not to let this bring me under.

Posted via email from The Black Liberal Boomer Blog

Chase Foundation offers $1M to lure city employees to Detroit | The Detroit News

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:39:00 +0000

Yay! One less vacant house and one more police officer on MY block in the beautiful Historic Boston-Edison Neighborhood!

Wayne County | Chase Foundation offers $1M to lure city employees to Detroit | The Detroit News

Detroit NAACP Freedom Weekend X Begins Today

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Hilliard Owens) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

by Tell Us Detroit on Thursday, August 18, 2011 at 5:54am

For more information on Freedom Weekend: http://www.freeinst.org or 313.347.2834

DETROIT – Freedom Weekend 10 will officially begin today with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:a.m. at the MotorCity Casino Hotel and Conference Center. The ribbon cutting ceremony will be led by Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, founder, Freedom Institute. Mayor Dave Bing, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano and Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon will be present and bring remarks during the ceremony.

Following the ceremony will be the Religious Leaders Luncheon. The Luncheon will unveil a National Urban Initiative and focus on economic development, reducing youth violence and the impact of the federal budget on urban communities. The special guest speaker for the luncheon will be Bishop Edwin C. Bass, President, of the COGIC Urban Initiative and Faith Based Liaison to the Office of the President Barack Obama. There will also be a faith leaders panel discussion with participation from Bishop Edgar L. Vann, Rev. Edwin Rowe, Rev. Dr. David Bullock, Rev. Mayowa Reynolds, Marja Winters and moderated by Bankole Thompson, host of Tell Us Detroit's hit talk show, 'Face Detroit'.

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