Packard Plant Renovations?

This, I will believe it when I see it, but there's a developer in talks to renovate the long-abandoned derelict Packard auto plant.

A Wayne County official expressed cautious optimism today that a Chicago developer will be able to renovate the derelict Packard plant, but only in a deal that would allow the county to take the building back if the development fails to perform.

David Szymanski, the county’s chief deputy treasurer, said the county has been negotiating with Chicago developer Bill Hults to sell him the Packard plant for the amount of delinquent taxes on it, an amount that grows monthly with interest and that now tops $970,000.

Happy Birthday, Baby Nephew

Happy birth day to my newest nephew. Born happy and healthy this morning. Wish I could be there, and wish I could see the big brother's reaction. 

Big Government Implodes

Daniel Henninger gets it just right when he details just how f'ed we are.

To call the U.S. federal government a black hole is a disservice to black holes, which have a neutral majesty. Excepting the military's fighting units, the federal government has become a giant slug, like Jabba the Hutt, inert but dangerous. Like Jabba, the government increasingly survives by issuing authoritarian decrees from this or that agency.

Obamacare is only one aspect where we're too big...well for outer space. Whether it is the NSA and Snowden, the IRS singling out tea party groups, the weather services, the State Department, etc. we're teetering past the edge over largesse. And he doesn't even get into the massive new regulatory, unaccountable bureaucracies created by Dodd Frank to play Big Brother over the finance industry. Or the diminished federalism exerted by the Court in the DOMA decision. Like Henninger said, multiple parts of the federal government are breaking down simultaneously. And there's no way to stop it. 

"Five Decade Katrina"

Another scary story from the Washington Post: 

The city’s population has plummeted by 26 percent since 2000, while the unemployment rate has jumped from 7.3 percent to 18.6 percent. Property tax collections are down 20 percent and income tax collections are down by more than a third in just the past five years — despite some of the highest tax rates in the state. Even casino taxes, a bright spot in recent years, are projected to decrease because of increased competition from nearby Toledo.

All of that has led to an alarming erosion of municipal services. The city is home to nearly 80,000 abandoned and blighted structures. It recently announced plans to close 50 of its remaining 107 parks. Police response times are up to nearly an hour, and 40 percent of the city’s street lights do not work. Meanwhile, Detroit has the highest violent crime rate among the nation’s big cities.

The True Detroit Tour

Like this--here's a revised itinerary for anyone wanting to take a tour of the true Detroit. First stop: the Packard plant ruins.

Packard Plant. One of the most modern factories in the world when built in the early 1900s, the plant closed in 1958 and has slowly rotted away ever since. George Galster, a Wayne State University professor and author of “Driving Detroit: The Quest for Respect in the Motor City,” says the Packard Plant “symbolizes the massive post-war loss of industrial tax base from the city.”

Bus Tour Cancelled

It's too bad that Kevyn Orr cancelled this bus tour. I really think Detroit's creditors should see just how bad it really has gotten in the city.

Earlier Orr said: 

Imagine what it’s like to be a mother riding that bus with no air-conditioning, that shows up late and takes an hour and a half to get you where you need to go. See what these neighborhoods look like, what you travel through and go home to every day. I think people don’t really believe it when I describe it. Even my friends in Washington say it can’t be as dire as what I’m describing. But it is.

Orr said if the creditors don’t take the deal he has offered, the city’s conditions — the blight, the lack of services, the profound deterioration of once-thriving neighborhoods — could get worse. “I need them to see that up-close,” he said.

Getaway

We had a wonderful stay at the Inn at Onancock during the weekend after July 4 for a spur of the moment getaway. The bed & breakfast was fabulous, and we enjoyed a variation on a crab benedict and a spinach & cheese quiche as the entrees for two four-course breakfasts we had over the weekend. Her biscuits, scones, and fruit tarts were also amazing and made-from-scratch. We particularly enjoyed the wine-down hour, and it was a wonderful opportunity to meet the other guests and enjoy some fantastic wines and appetizers. 

We went to the Charlotte for dinner, which was also delicious, and were very helpful with directing us to area attractions. 

We also got in some kayaking and beach time at the infamous Chincoteague, along with an infamous miniature golf rematch (I win! again!). So glad we got away, so wish it was for longer. Only a few more weeks til Jamaica...

July

How is it already July? Reflections on how fast the year has gone by are always so cliche. But summer is here, the days are getting closer, and we're about to hit the peak hotness for the year. And it was just spring. Well, maybe this constant sogginess means it still is Spring. Who knows. It's a welcome change from past triple digit temperatures.

Last year was the great Joey visit, and we were anticipating Africa. This year, it's slower for once. The hecticness was in June. But it begs the question of what's next. What is to be anticipated during the next six months? I mean, I'm ready for things to develop. I'm ready for a change at a time when work is eh and friendships are tough. We're all "busy," such another cliche. But that's life at 37.

So here's to a four day weekend and an escape from the recent drudgery. Here's to July.

Wine Tasting and Sushi

Saturday was just about the perfect day.

It was the rare respite from a ridiculous amount of rain. It was sunny and warm but not horrendously humid. I knew the husband was headed home. And I got in a decent 4.5 mile run to start the day.

So wine tasting it was.  We started out at Linden.

Then Glen Manor was perfect. Sipping cab franc, watching the beautiful blue sky, eating fresh salad. Gorgeous. And there was nowhere to be, nothing to do. Just sitting outside and picnicking with wine.

And Hikari Sushi was really good. The white tuna was like a stick of butter. Excellent cocktails, sake, fresh sushi and sashimi. I'll be back.

Some weekends are just about perfect. Life is too hectic sometimes, it's so busy and crazy and life doesn't stand still enough.

I'll take these weekends as they come.

Woe is the Budget

From the Economist:

CHOOSING the bleakest statistic from a report issued by Kevyn Orr, Detroit’s emergency manager, on his city’s financial health is like choosing the wettest raindrop in a monsoon. It could be the $1.3 billion general-fund deficit Detroit is forecast to run, absent restructuring, by the 2017 fiscal year. It could be the $200m revenue decline since 2008, the roughly $3.5 billion in unfunded pension liabilities or its $5.7 billion in non-pension retiree liabilities.

With the Free Press covering the impending woe of Detroit pension beneficiaries, this issue is only going to grow in profile. It's scary. These guys were made promises that the city cannot keep. There is no money there. I know there's a lot of debate about over-criminalization, but it truly is a crime that that these fiscal decisions were made and innocent workers will suffer.