[daepp]

I concur.

My daughter went to college about two hours west of Detroit. Flying into DTW, I would often stay the night near the airport and go into the city early the next morning. I am fascinated by the city and what befell it. I believe in the first half of the 20th Century it was one of the richest cities in the world. It's population has plummeted, and once beautiful neighborhoods - and grand old building - took a major turn for the worse. And walking around downtown, you'll never see more buildings with names on them of politicians who've gone to prison!

That said, I too saw many great residential neighborhoods full of vacant houses or even vacant lots where the blight was torn down. I saw neighborhood "mower brigades" working on the weekends, trimming others' lawns - and even maintaining public parks.

My opinion - it may have hit its bottom. Many who remain do so with a stubborn resiliency. And many have nowhere else to go. It is for them that I truly feel sorry - the various social experiments of the corrupt elite decimated their industrial base, while those with any wherewithal moved elsewhere.

I'm not too sure where Detroit is headed. I don't think there's any real reason left for major manufacturers to locate there geographically.

And I hear you about all the axles on the big rigs. But I guess that's why their roads are so perfect...