On October 20, 2011, I sent this letter to the Detroit Free Press
Dear Editor:
"They're shutting Detroit down," Kid Rock sings in his recording "Times Like These." Shutting Detroit down - the City government that is - is just what we need to do. The City government has time and time again shown itself to be incapable, incompetent, or unwilling to provide even the most basic municipal services. Street lights don't work. The buses don't get repaired. The roads don't get fixed. The schools are arguably the worst in the country. The Police Department annually makes excuses for the highest crime rate among big cities. Other City departments fare just as poorly. And all this in spite of burdensome taxes, including an income tax.
It's time to accelerate the privatization and the consolidation of most of the City Departments. The City Government's role will become akin to that of a general contractor. And if the subcontractors don't provide satisfactory services, find someone else.
Thomas E. Page
