On July 18, 2013, the city of Detroit, Michigan filed for chapter
9 bankruptcy protection. The largest municipal debt filing in U.S. history
captured national media attention and caused concern throughout the country. The
fall of a once flourishing and dominant American city raises numerous questions:
“Will this happen elsewhere? What went wrong? What can be done to prevent
similar problems?”
Under the direction of Louis IV’s representative
in the new world Antoine de la Cadillac, French soldiers and trappers
established a trading outpost and fort along the narrow strait connecting Lake
St. Clair and Lake Erie in 1701. They named the settlement with a descriptive
French word meaning strait-Detroit.
Although the outpost prospered, strife sprouted between competing interests
of businessmen, church leaders, and government officials. Cadillac was
eventually transferred by the French crown to Louisiana in 1710, and the
following two decades of poor leadership presaged things to come.
Throughout the 1800’s the city gradually grew due to its strategic geographic importance for shipping and other transportation. Around the turn of the 20th century, manufacturing transformed the city into one of the most powerful economic centers in the country. Hard working innovators and visionary entrepreneurs like Henry Ford and Walter Chrysler led Detroit to become the
automotive manufacturing capital of the world. The assembly lines of Roosevelt’s “Arsenal of Freedom” rolled out tanks and planes destined for the hedgerows of France and the skies over the Pacific. The Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant manufactured one fourth of all U.S. tanks, and Willow Run Bomber Works produced over half of the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber fleet. By 1947, the city ranked third in the United States in the value of all manufactured goods. The 1956 Encyclopedia Americanagushed, “Exceptionally high income has given Detroiters a standard of living
that is probably unexcelled among large cities. High living standards, a pleasant climate that is relatively free from extreme conditions of heat or cold, and freedom from floods, earthquakes, and tornadoes, have done their part to make Detroit one of the healthiest cities in America.”
A markedly different state of affairs now defines Detroit. Single
mothers head a full 30% of homes. “Non-family” households comprise an additional
40%. The demise of the family and a void in leadership, I believe, tell a story
punctuated by Detroit’s recent bankruptcy. Leaders, real leaders, model what
they say they believe. And, those they are privileged to lead generally
follow.
Poverty and single motherhood are linked. A weak
tax base, a paucity of once plentiful industrial manufacturing jobs, a poor
educational system, and a decimated housing market strain the city’s ability to
provide public health, sanitation, and crime prevention services.
Rampant crime plagues the city. Could it be the root problem is the
prolonged lack of caring, committed, and competent leadership in the city and
its families? Could the solution be a return to true family values which are
encouraged at all levels of city government? What if the ethic of hard work,
sacrifice, delayed gratification, and integrity were adopted and modeled by the
Detroit city “fathers”? Could we see a revival of the “Motor City” if men were
taught and bought the responsibility of becoming loving husbands, fathers, and
citizens? I believe we could.
May this kind of revival become a reality, and may Detroit one
day become a gleaming example of what a culture built on strong families can
look like.
9 bankruptcy protection. The largest municipal debt filing in U.S. history
captured national media attention and caused concern throughout the country. The
fall of a once flourishing and dominant American city raises numerous questions:
“Will this happen elsewhere? What went wrong? What can be done to prevent
similar problems?”
Under the direction of Louis IV’s representative
in the new world Antoine de la Cadillac, French soldiers and trappers
established a trading outpost and fort along the narrow strait connecting Lake
St. Clair and Lake Erie in 1701. They named the settlement with a descriptive
French word meaning strait-Detroit.
Although the outpost prospered, strife sprouted between competing interests
of businessmen, church leaders, and government officials. Cadillac was
eventually transferred by the French crown to Louisiana in 1710, and the
following two decades of poor leadership presaged things to come.
Throughout the 1800’s the city gradually grew due to its strategic geographic importance for shipping and other transportation. Around the turn of the 20th century, manufacturing transformed the city into one of the most powerful economic centers in the country. Hard working innovators and visionary entrepreneurs like Henry Ford and Walter Chrysler led Detroit to become the
automotive manufacturing capital of the world. The assembly lines of Roosevelt’s “Arsenal of Freedom” rolled out tanks and planes destined for the hedgerows of France and the skies over the Pacific. The Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant manufactured one fourth of all U.S. tanks, and Willow Run Bomber Works produced over half of the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber fleet. By 1947, the city ranked third in the United States in the value of all manufactured goods. The 1956 Encyclopedia Americanagushed, “Exceptionally high income has given Detroiters a standard of living
that is probably unexcelled among large cities. High living standards, a pleasant climate that is relatively free from extreme conditions of heat or cold, and freedom from floods, earthquakes, and tornadoes, have done their part to make Detroit one of the healthiest cities in America.”
A markedly different state of affairs now defines Detroit. Single
mothers head a full 30% of homes. “Non-family” households comprise an additional
40%. The demise of the family and a void in leadership, I believe, tell a story
punctuated by Detroit’s recent bankruptcy. Leaders, real leaders, model what
they say they believe. And, those they are privileged to lead generally
follow.
Poverty and single motherhood are linked. A weak
tax base, a paucity of once plentiful industrial manufacturing jobs, a poor
educational system, and a decimated housing market strain the city’s ability to
provide public health, sanitation, and crime prevention services.
Rampant crime plagues the city. Could it be the root problem is the
prolonged lack of caring, committed, and competent leadership in the city and
its families? Could the solution be a return to true family values which are
encouraged at all levels of city government? What if the ethic of hard work,
sacrifice, delayed gratification, and integrity were adopted and modeled by the
Detroit city “fathers”? Could we see a revival of the “Motor City” if men were
taught and bought the responsibility of becoming loving husbands, fathers, and
citizens? I believe we could.
May this kind of revival become a reality, and may Detroit one
day become a gleaming example of what a culture built on strong families can
look like.
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