Just very briefly Kent, right now it seems as if there is a burgeoning political consensus to try to ensure that the carmakers don't go bust, as they seem on the brink of doing. Especially GM.
What they politicians will do, isn't clear. But it's going to cost! Still, whatever happens - I suspect there will have to be fundamental changes at the car manufacturers, even if bankruptcies are avoided. No more discounting, no more overcapacity and no more of a list of other 'illogical' practices which the industry *in The West* has been relying on for decades. This would mean many job losses in any case, and hence perhaps in turn the deleterious effects on the city which we might fear, will also inevitably occur, in any case. As we know, the car makers have not had their plants actually *in* The City for decades, but it is true that Detroit is still inordinately dependent on Ford on GM for revenues which flow back due to the vicinity of the car manufacturing plants, in the suburbs and other nearby regions. -----Original Message----- From: kent williams [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 2:38 PM To: list 313 Subject: (313) Detroit & The Auto Industry I got to talk briefly with Terrence Parker when he played here Halloween night, and when I asked him about how things were in Detroit, he didn't talk about music or musicians -- he talked about the problems with the automotive industry. Now without getting into an off topic discussion on the economy, how is this going to affect the city? At this point, I don't know how much worse things could get, after all the body blows Detroit has taken in the past 40 years. But my love for the place makes me wonder how the place can go on if American automakers significantly downsize or outright fail. As it relates to music, all but the most successful musicians in Detroit have day jobs, and if the economy gets any worse, they're going to have to leave to survive ...
