Detroit Vs. Bsas

[Matiasba]

I never understood what you find reprehensible about Macri? Is it purely ideoligical or is there something that he has actually done that has you so riled up? I like what I see in terms of public transport, seems to have found a way to work with the govt now for major infrastructure works and as bad as they are the Cap Fed cops are less useless than their provincial cousins. I fully support parking meters too...

On the negative we are yet to see this alternative inflation index and methodology which he announced and I definitely do not like the anti abortion stance he has taken. A little too socially conservative for my tastes.

What am I not seeing? (a genuine question, no provocation intended).

Macri and the people he represents are deeply linked with the worst hours this country ever lived.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

Macri and the people he represents are deeply linked with the worst hours this country ever lived.

Anyone, any comments on his policies?

 

[pitipur]

BA over the last decade is industrialising at the fastest rate in its history. While there is still obviously way too much poverty, it is overall moving in the right direction with investments in infrastructure and civic improvements. And while I find the current administration reprehensible, it still nonetheless has an excellent democratic structure with officials elected by the population.

Detroit over the last decade is de-industrialising, with basic city services being cut extensively especially in lower income neighbourhoods. While there still is alot of wealth in the city, it is increasingly more unequally distributed. Perhaps worse of all, the city has completely given up any semblance of democracy, and is now run by an unelected City Manager with dictatorial powers.

Overall, the average Detroiter is richer than the average Porteño, but on average life is improving in BA and declining in Detroit.

As one of the few here who has actually lived in both cities, where do I begin!!

Yes, it's true what you say about basic civic services being cut (I even remember reading at some point last year that there wasn't even one functioning fire truck ladder, so it was recommended never to go anywhere above the second floor if you want to get saved in a fire), and yes, there is an unelected official running the city now as it's in bankruptcy, but that was mandated at the state level, not the city level, and the state law is/was HIGHLY controversial.

One of the main problems Detroit faces now after all the flight from the city over the last 50+ years (well, besides the insanely corrupt government -- our former mayor was recently sentenced to prison for the next 20 some years) is that geographically, the city is HUGE, which means that the population now is extremely spread out, so there might be some neighborhoods that have 5 families living in them, and it's now extremely inefficient to provide these people the services they need (well, ya know, besides the fact that there's no money for them), so there's a bit of a debate as to how the city can consolidate these areas a bit better forcing people to move. I've been here in BA since august, but it sounds like the crime is still bad as ever, even in the normally relatively safe downtown area, and that's a major problem that needs to get resolved. But, as more people move into the city (midtown detroit has almost 0 vacancy right now, with lots of new buildings coming onto the grid in the next few years), there will be more people on the streets, and when there are more people on the streets, there's typically a drop in crime compared to when the streets are abandoned.

I can't really speak to the de-industrialization, though of course the auto industry is doing much better than it was several years ago, and the quality is now on par with the foreign automakers. But the city is definitely on its way to turning back around as a smaller, more efficient city. There have been a whole mess of small businesses opened in the last 3-5 years that are all thriving, leading to more people moving downtown and spending their money their, more tax revenue, etc etc etc.

Of course there are some huge fundamental problems with the city, but there is really a lot more good going on in the city than anyone who hasn't lived there would ever know. if it bleeds, it leads, you know the old saying. Of course the media is going to keep showing you pictures of the abandoned train station with headlines about bankruptcy, but the whole city is not the post-apocalyptic wasteland that so many people think it is. There are now several areas that are thriving and expanding, and the trick is to get all those pockets to meet up somewhere in the middle. Downtown, corktown, greektown, midtown, eastern market, etc are all starting to boom, and it's exciting to see where the city will be in 10-20 years.

In conclusion: yes, there are major problems. No, you are not automatically going to get murdered by stepping foot within the city limits. Yes, there is a lot to do in the city. And yes, we are die-hards for our sports teams, who've all achieved a decent level of success in the past 10 years or so, except for those damn Lions, who just cant seem to pull a complete season together no matter what.

Regarding Detroit vs BA, I dont even understand the basis of the comparison

I could go on all day, if anyone wishes

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

The problem with crime in Buenos Aires is that the police are under paid, under staffed and fairly corrupt. Under payment = corruption in whichever police force in the world you want to look at. At 6000 per month, the majority will take a bribe. Simple.

At a minimum it should be double that and they should be looking at attracting college graduates for officer roles, but crime prevention is stigmatised here for a variety of reasons.

 

[Matiasba]

Anyone, any comments on his policies?

His policies are neoliberal, a weak state, retirement of action, market oriented, no subsidios, no social plans, no AUH no presence of the state, conservative, right wing, pro private sphere, pro financial capitals.
BsAs is way more dirtier, more chaotic, crime has increased like never did, and with a favourable social situation (hard data), and it was precisely this, insecurity, the strong point of his campaign back in 2007. Far to get better, the situation got worse and worse. Repeat, the main point of his campaign.
Theres an over population of taxis and buses, he did nothing.
Theres a ridiculous situation with the line buses, lots of them are from different owners (the great majority, maffious cooperatives) and lots of different lines have the exact same itinerary. In stead of having one line to get to barrio 1, from barrio 2, you have plenty of lines doing the exact same recorrido. Conclusion: chaos.
Education: lots of huelgas. macris education ministers openly declared for private education. They like subsidizing the demand and not the supply as if education wasnt a right, as if it was a market value. The state of the public schools, the same as hospitals, explains perfectly well what he thinks.
He has never invested what he promised on health and education. See the public hospitals, some of them are ruined. See the Borda, see the repression to the people who work there.

What he did with the metropolitana, repression of homeless and manteros various included, plus the growth of narco bussiness, in which this pretentiously new police is included.

Fino Palacios. Shall I add more?

He promised, another strong point of his campaign, 15 km of subte per year. Hes done 1,5 and thank you, previously rising the ticket like 200%.

Aumento ABL more than 400%, much more than inflation, and Buenos Aires is the richest district of the country. The only one which did not got out of bussiness in 2001.

No highway of any kind. Although recently has been advances of the autopista ribereña with the national governmet.

Floodings in BsAs, another promise of his that cannot become true. People on boats, like in 1830, in a supposedly modern city like BsAs. He stopped the works.

I can continue all day long. As I said Macri is right wing, private oriented, subsidizing the private enterprize but not the people. Hes a corporation man. Hes with the people that got very rich in the last dictatorship, preciselly the leitmotiv of the dictatorship, to enrich the richest, hes with the people that provocated the worst crisis and antidemocratical governments in this country. He is actually from that strata and for who governs.

 

[camino no tomado]

The way Matias described the mayor's record sounded eerily familiar. Does Macri also smoke crack by any chance?

 

[nicoenarg]

His policies are neoliberal...

I stopped reading at "His policies are neoliberal" because I'm sure the next sentence would have been "he was born in Kenya".

 

[Matiasba]

The way Matias described the mayor's record sounded eerily familiar. Does Macri also smoke crack by any chance?

I dont understand you? do you want me to back up every single sentence with a link? Why you mean by crack? Macri is not a narco, but he surely has relationship with them, as every politician in the world, I guess.

 

[nicoenarg]

I dont understand you? do you want me to back up every single sentence with a link? Why you mean by crack? Macri is not a narco, but he surely has relationship with them, as every politician in the world, I guess.

I'm guessing camino is from Toronto. In that case the crack reference would be: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/05/world/americas/canada-toronto-mayor-crack/

 

[pitipur]

I dont understand you? do you want me to back up every single sentence with a link? Why you mean by crack? Macri is not a narco, but he surely has relationship with them, as every politician in the world, I guess.

I think he's referring to Toronto's mayor, who's been all over the news thanks to a video that supposedly shows him smoking crack (which i think he's finally admitted to?). I don't know much else about him but I don't think he was particularly loved even before that all happened