BlackLiberalBoomer

Last week, I promised that I would find a connection between Democratic Vice-Presidential Candidate Joe Biden and Detroit. Betcha didn’t know that Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) is one of the staunchest supporters of the development and growth of mass transit options for America!

Here in Detroit, the Motor City, it has been decades since mass transit was a really viable and reliable option. As people moved further and further away from the City Center, highways were built and cars became almost indispensible–except a lot of people don’t have cars. The absence of a modern mass transit system has been a detriment to the development of a truly regional metroplex. In 1919, Detroit voted for a bond issue to finance a subway system, but it was vetoed by Mayor James Couzens.

Along the east coast of the United States, especially between the Washington, D.C. area and points north and west, Amtrak has continued to run commuter trains used by millions daily. Senator Biden has for years taken the “train” daily to and from his home in Delaware, and has sponsored several bills to strengthen the funding for Amtrak.

Back here at home, the non-profit group Transportation Riders United (TRU) has been in the forefront to bring back good mass transportation to Detroit, including working with different government organizations and community groups on the two primary plans for light-rail service in Detroit: the publicly -funded DDOT 5-year Plan and the privately-funded Woodward Catalyst Project.

There is also an excellent and complete history of mass transit in Detroit from 1863 to the present on the TRU Website.

On Sunday, Senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden, along with their wives, Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, will be campaigning in Michigan. Hopefully we’ll hear about future mass transit plans for Detroit and Michigan.

Shameless Plug: please read my husband’s blog The “D” Spot…

The whole point of this blog is to teach some, and remind others of the wonderful things about Detroit, the Detroit Metroplex, and especially the Detroit people. In the process, I will also point out what I believe is wrong with our current leaders (and, when appropriate, what is right), and I hope to hear your ideas in the comments section.

“Step 8″, loosely based on the AA 12-step Program, admonishes those who follow the program to make a list of all persons harmed and be willing to make amends to them all. Well, Kwame Kilpatrick, Mr. Mayor, this step seems tailor-made for you!

Mr. Mayor, you have hurt the entire City of Detroit, you have hurt the entire region of southeastern Michigan and southwestern Ontario and northwestern Ohio, you have hurt the entire State of Michigan, you have hurt the entire Democratic Party and the candidacy of Barack Obama, you have hurt your family, including your wife, your sons, and your mother, you have hurt the police department, you have hurt businesses small and large that stayed in Detroit and/or came back to Detroit.

Mr. Mayor, you have hurt families, you have hurt children, you have hurt the national and international image and reputation of Detroit; you have certainly hurt the budget of the City of Detroit, which is OUR money.

It’s time for you to make amends, Kwame Kilpatrick. It is time for you to realize that the world does NOT revolve around you, and that Detroit can and will survive and even thrive without you. You owe us even more than that $9 million…especially those of us who supported you while you lied to us and the world. You have no credibility left, and you cannot effectively conduct the business of the City anymore, and that is supposed to be your job. The fact that you even thought for a minute that you “should” have gone to the Democratic Convention and taken even a smidgen of a chance that your ruined image would badly reflect on our Presidential Candidate shows your arrogance and inconsiderate nature. You are (were) a Superdelegate; their votes aren’t even necessary at this point. Believe me, no one even notices your absence.

The people who live in Detroit, work in Detroit, and love Detroit will pick up the pieces and carry on and work hard to repair the damage you have done; but it’s time for you to go. It’s time for you to make your list of all you have harmed and start to make amends (from far away from Detroit) to them all. It was/is not about “racism” at this point; it is/was about you and your wrongdoings. The sooner you grow up and realize that and move yourself out of the picture, the sooner Detroit can heal and move on.

Shameless Plug: please read my husband’s blog, The “D” Spot…

 
Terry’s Enchanted Garden, one of the oldest and most respected woman-owned businesses in Detroit, is much more than just a “flower shop”. Owned by Mable and Sunne Terry, “Terry’s”, as it is affectionately called, is a flower shop, a corporate florist, and a “unique boutique” of limited-edition apparel, jewelry, and home accents.

Terry’s Enchanted Garden did start as a small flower shop in 1980. Today, Terry’s is capable of custom floral designing for your corporate or private event, has beautiful floral arrangements for any and all occasions including funeral arrangements, provides gourmet baskets and live plants, and is a one-stop shopping experience for clothing and collectibles. From the store’s website, even e-shopping is available! Terry’s is located in the University Commons Shopping District, formerly known as “The Avenue of Fashion”, near Livernois and Seven Mile Road.

Mable Terry, Chairman
Sunne Terry, Manager
19338 Livernois Ave.
Detroit, MI 48221
(800) 342-4408 (Toll-Free)
(313) 342-3758
Fax: (313) 342-2333
E-mail: terrys@terrysenchantedgarden.com

Shameless Plug, please visit my husband’s blog The “D” Spot…