If You Steal it, They Might not Come

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal today, "Detroit School Woes Continue". Normally, I wouldn't touch this with a ten foot pole because its probably for another blog. But when I read a little more this is a business. A filthy business but a business nonetheless.

The city of Detroit has hired an "emergency finance head" named Mr. Bobb. Mr. Bobb has uncovered some improprieties (shocker!) with regards to the finances of the Detroit School District. Seems some of the employees had their hands in the till and officials still haven't found 537 "phantom" workers. Fun stuff. But the kicker to me was that Mr. Bobb (who received a $1mm no-bid contract from the city for another company he works for, hee hee) was thinking about declaring Chapter 9 bankruptcy for the district. I didnt even know a school district could go bankrupt but I wouldnt want to be the eraser supplier to the Detroit school system if you know what I'm saying!

So here's a nice example of a place that has gotten countless state and federal funding, been corrupt through and through, has seen a nice and low 25% of the kids graduate that enter 9th grade, and about 50% of the school population has left! I didn't even go into the shootings and that other neat criminal stuff. I'm not sure what the answer is to correct this but I am sure there's been some taxpayer dollars burned up like a forest fire in the dry heat. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy that your taxpayer dollars are going to good use. And you will be paying more of those dollars sometime soon. Neato.

Comments

[jukeboy jim]

Maybe the superintendent was just following the RB investment strategy. Yup that's where the money went..right down that giant hole...

[Owen Hobson]

You have to look on the bright side. Yes, there are certainly a few "issues" here, for one City caused in large measure by a hopelessly corrupt and incompetent Democratic machine government. But at least on the national level we have a man in charge who came from...uh oh.

[Mr. Plissken]

Wall in Detroit, put the "bad" people in, then call in "The Snake" (http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0009034/ ) to save the Prez . . .