Abandoned America

[Rhoda D'Ettore]

I recently watched a documentary entitled "Abandoned America" which spotlighted cities that have become ghost towns due to environmental or economic deterioration. Once the largest mining town for lead and zinc, one town was wiped out after the water, air, and ground became contaminated from the mining waste. Another horribly sad spotlight was about Detroit, and how the Motor City is filled with buildings that are skeletons of what they once were. The abandoned auto factories have been decaying for decades, as drugs and crime take place in the ruins. I was horrified to see those pictures, as some seriously looked like a war zone.

We need to end foreign aid, and start rebuilding America.

 

[Peninha]

I think I've seen that documentary too, were they talking about Detroit and the new farmers there?

 

[DancingLady]

Detroit has been on a lot of people's minds lately. I hope that there are more people who will be willing to make the investment to bring jobs into the area. They need companies to make a decision to open up there, hire people, and get the money flowing in the city again. Maybe not in the auto industry, but something else that is doing better currently.

 

[askanison]

Foreign aid isn't about helping the people of that country. It's about paying them to like us and agree to follow our policies and give us leeway when situations arise. I agree though that we should be investing more money into making jobs and keeping people working and in homes they can afford. You won't see much change while we have corporations dictating our laws and making legislation though. They have the money so they get to make the rules. You aren't going to change that anytime soon.

 

[Gin0710]

That's why it's important for people (college grads or whoever) to be more innovative, rather than job seekers. It's hard to find work if there's no one to work for. Detroit needs some innovation BADLY. Their sports teams aren't going to carry them forever.

 

[Rhoda D'Ettore]

yes, Detroit was one of the cities mentioned. There are also videos online of hundreds of indoor shopping malls that are either completely abandoned or on their last leg. One in Cincinatti Mills was beautiful, but most of the stores are closed. The ones that remain cannot afford the rent. It is so sad.

The fact that Ireland changed the tax laws means that American corporations that pay NO income tax can no longer claim to be an Irish based corporation. We need to change this, we need to change the deduction/tax loopholes. If Mitt Romney pays less tax then we do, how is that fair?

I seriously think we might need to change over to a flat tax. The more you spend, the more you pay---period.

I was floored when I saw the pictures of Detroit. They went from 2 million people to 700,000 and dropping. The lack of jobs contributed to the rising crime rates, and people left the city to find a better life. To see empty sky scrapers is sad and scary. It looks like an apocalyptic zombie movie. They do not even have any traffic! None. So sad.

 

[Onionman]

It's sad how money gets sucked out of parts of one community to generate wealth elsewhere. But that's what the capitalist model is all about - using resources as efficiently as possible to get the best returns as possible.

Ultimately, it's a global problem. I've been to countries all over the world where once thriving towns have been sucked dry of their resources, human capital and energy. There needs to be more even distribution.

 

[Muthoni]

I agree with you charity begins at home. It is amazing how humans are able to damage everything good that comes their way. People exploit resources damaging the natural environment making it hostile for their existence. I wonder how much it would take to rehabilitate a ghost town so that it can be fully operational.

 

[oraclemay]

You are right, attention must be given to this problem. These abandoned cities often become a much unwanted harbor for criminal activities. Gangs and other criminals set up bases where there are fewer rules, police and security. There criminal activity tends to go unnoticed for a time.

 

[Patrick]

Yeah, it's definitely a tragic fact that much of America seems to have overlooked in her continued quest for economic gain. It's not simply cutting foreign aid, it's the widening income gap and greed of big businesses and banks which are given bailouts when they fail, which are eating into all the money which should go into restoring these ghost towns.

 

[caparica007]

Cities have boomed and now abandoned with the new industries and crime zones, this just shows how we change our mind so quickly.

 

[Teens In Crisis]

You know, I always get flack for saying this, but I think that the space program is another program that needs to be suspended indefinitely. Why are we trying for outer space when we need to get America back together still? Yes, the programs have created some great tech, but independent think tanks could accomplish that as well, and in the private sector could lead to many more jobs.

 

[DancingLady]

I think some cities actually are being intentional about solving this problem, but it really does take a team of people willing to put in the investment to do repairs and rebuilds and open up businesses. Urban renewal is a big project. The challenge is finding people willing to make the investment. I think the high crime rates and gang problems may be one of the biggest things hampering renewal in those cities. What could be a good opportunity doesn't look good when you have so much crime going on.

 

[Fifty]

The simple fact of the matter is it has to be a 'socialist' way to revitalized fallen cities. If you want to improve bridges, roads, public buildings, then you have to use taxes to do it.

 

[Profit5500]

I recently watched a documentary entitled "Abandoned America" which spotlighted cities that have become ghost towns due to environmental or economic deterioration. Once the largest mining town for lead and zinc, one town was wiped out after the water, air, and ground became contaminated from the mining waste. Another horribly sad spotlight was about Detroit, and how the Motor City is filled with buildings that are skeletons of what they once were. The abandoned auto factories have been decaying for decades, as drugs and crime take place in the ruins. I was horrified to see those pictures, as some seriously looked like a war zone.

We need to end foreign aid, and start rebuilding America.

I think that all this money spent on other countries need to go back to us. We just need to focus on repairing damaged buildings and build new ones and just keep uplifting the economy.

 

[Rhoda D'Ettore]

Oh i agree. The more I am reading about this, the madder and sadder I am getting though. There are amusement parks everywhere that are in ruin. Why wouldn't they dismantle everything and recycle the metal? The furniture and even electronics are left in some of these places. Why not donate the appliances and furniture to people who would need it?

there are brand new looking malls that are literally empty! I am so upset. This is the stuff the media does not show, and thanks to youtube, we can see the truth. They need to change the tax codes, get rid of the deductions and loopholes that allow all of these fat cats to get away with paying less than the working class in taxes.