Detroit Officials Blame State Government for Many of Their Woes
It wasn't us!
Michigan has wrested control of Detroit's financial affairs from the city's elected officials, but state leaders insist there will be no bailout for the city or its retirees.
"We don't want to reward mismanagement," says a question-and-answer document about Detroit's recent bankruptcy filing that was posted on Republican Gov. Rick Snyder's website. "Keep in mind that we didn't create this crisis. Sixty years of decline created this crisis."
That assertion rings false for many Detroiters, who say the state's 1999 repeal of a residency law for city employees, a steep decline in state aid, and other decisions made in Lansing helped drag down their city.
Hide Comments (0)
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post commentsMute this user?
Ban this user?
Un-ban this user?
Nuke this user?
Un-nuke this user?
Flag this comment?
Un-flag this comment?