Belle Isle Commonwealth

About as much chance of happening as a Death Star build out.

No, just no. There is nothing sad about this being rejected. Detroit is dying, it has too much infrastructure and does not need new construction to further tax what the city can not already support.

Mogk adds that such a scenario would make the island "a drain of talent and resources" at the expense of Detroit.

How do you interpret that statement?

ok has no idea what she is talking about

The Commonwealth of Belle Isle? Talk about out of the box thinking. Interesting idea. Has no chance of ever happening in Detroit. Those in charge of Detroit (city council mostly) are far more interested in protecting their fiefdoms than they are in the betterment of the city.

It has no chance of happening because it's a poor plan, regardless of proximity to Detroit.

Detroit's biggest problem has less to do with money and more to do with corruption and incompetence. More money will not turn things around.

"Detroit's biggest problem has less to do with money and more to do with corruption and incompetence"

Pretty much what I just said regarding fiefdoms.

"More money will not turn things around"

Very true. Yet, so many want to keep throwing good $$ after bad when it comes to the financial nightmare that is Detroit.

I can think of a few other places I'd move to before giving $300,000 to a real estate developer for citizenship and an option to buy a home in a gated community in the middle of the Detroit River. Cheaper than Monaco though.

Agreed.

Too bad for Belle Isle, though, because it really is a beautiful island.

Maybe they will help develop Boblo Island instead.

There's no chance of this happening since it can't happen under state law. And probably federal law. Or their equivalent cultural practices within the ranks of state and federal politicians.

You can't create some form of independent state of any sort, economically or otherwise, within the boundaries of United States territory. Period. That's why nobody will pay the $1 billion or whatever the price is. It's pretty much the same as expecting you can pay money for allodial title in the United States. Those major levels of government will never let you escape their authority, particularly their tax and regulatory authority. So you'd lose your investment. Anyone who has $1 billion to spend, knows that.

Those searching for a more achievable "free enterprise zone" are much, much better off partnering with desperate poor nations for use of land.

"The 982-acre island would then be developed into a U.S. commonwealth or city-state of 35,000 people with its own laws, customs and currency."

LOL! Every acre on that island is under feudal title like with every other acre* of the nation, meaning it ultimately belongs to the United States federal government. The fedgov has direct power to control its airspace, the fedgov owns whatever ores are under it, the state of Michigan has direct authority over it (if not, then the Congress does), etc.

A vote by Detroit has about as much bearing as does a vote by you about what the Obama family gets for dinner tonight. This is why the plan will never happen. Nobody's going to pay $1 billion for a piece of bad fiction. You might find somebody willing to pay $5 for your bad movie script.

It's truly amazing how delusional that Liberals and their crony developers get when faced with a massive, unstoppable, regional economic collapse. Toledo is going to see more of the same sort of stupid plans.

* Exception is made for established Indian tribal lands, which hold allodial title. Note that these established lands can't change, either. All attempts by tribes to regain prior lands fail in US courts. And they keep trying, so that's how I know about all these failures. So Belle Isle can't even be made an independent state under an Indian tribe.

If they could make Belle Isle into a Commonwealth that would be outside of the jurisdiction of the federal government, there would be no way they could accommodate all of the people who would clamor to move there to get away from the current Washington buffoons.

Can always migrate to Canada?

It should be stated that this involves the Mackinac Center for Public Policy which is a conservative, "tea party-esque" group.

Looks like Belle Isle made the news again. Mayor Bing tried to dump it on the state to save on maintenance or upkeep costs, and the city council voted it down. So he closed 51 city parks instead. Classic cross-eyed politician, is Bing. Punish Detroiters just to keep an "asset" like Belle Isle looking spiffy for some farcical or imagined buyer.

Eventually they'll have to just abandon Belle Isle and let it go back to nature.

You didn't read the news closely. Spent any time on Belle Isle?

The news said the major was hoping to dump $6.5 million yearly maintenance costs on the state. Was that in error?

Yes, since it was a plan supported (and perhaps conceived) by the governor.

Here's an older story:

http://www.freep.com/article/20120912/NEWS01/120912026/Gov-Rick-Snyder-Belle-Isle-statement-Detroit

Belle Isle is nothing more than a money pit. Given Detroit's financial condition, the only reasonable thing to do would be to get rid of the money pit and save six and a half million.

Of course that idea is far and away too logical for Dee-troit city council, none of whom could find their fat asses with both hands in broad daylight, and that's really saying something.

Researcher said: Yes, since it was a plan supported (and perhaps conceived) by the governor.

No, since it's still dumping the $6.5 million on the state. It's not like the Governor was going to pay for it out of his own pocket. It just proves Snyder and Bing were in cahoots. No shock there. The real victims are of course the taxpayers. That's always the case these days.

Dumping a $6.5 million elephant from one bankrupt entity to another bankrupt entity is only a strategy that a Liberal would love. It's wrong. Keeping BI open is just part of some larger economic scheme that will predictably fail, since it assumes the existence of a free billion dollars. Even the wily Chinese aren't that free with their cash.

The real victims are of course the taxpayers.

Yes...

The city of Detroit will now lose 50+ parks. Places where children play. Places set aside for recreation or green space in a city. And their taxes will not go down. Ever.

Loser proposition to me. All because the rock-bottom bankrupt City of Detroit refuses to recognize it is rock-bottom bankrupt and cannot care for, renew, reinvigorate an area it directly owns and people want to use. A lot. For nature...for IndyCar races...for a lot of things. It's not an elephant. It would simply allow that space to be managed by a state parks department that does a pretty good job at a number of sites throughout Michigan.

The city of Detroit and its fantastically spectacular corrupt politicians destroyed Belle Isle. When a municipality can no longer police itself, you call in the National Guard. When a municipality can no longer manage itself fiscally, you call in an emergency manager from the state. Same thing here...they can't manage Belle Isle, so the state should take it and let Detroit manage what it can--the 50 or so parks that will now close because the Detroit City Council couldn't make fire if you spotted them 100 matches and gasoline.

Don't let the rhetoric die, you magnificent cartoon! No matter how off-base you are!

Yeah, let's get rid of all parks.

Liberal ply #23, exagerate the situation.

ploy

OHT said: When a municipality can no longer manage itself fiscally, you call in an emergency manager from the state.

That's really out of fashion around here. It should have happened in Ohio in a few cases, but Columbus sloughed off the authority and let those municipalities manage their own receiverships. The strong external hand just doesn't make an appearance anymore. I'm not surprised to see that sort of angle at work in Michigan.

Six and a half million is only the estimated maintenance fee. It has nothing to do with restoration. Check this photo shoot from OhioKimono if you don't believe me.

Belle Isle – The Abandoned Zoo – Detroit, Michigan

The zoo alone would cost millions to restore, and then the city (or someone) is stuck with maintenance costs.

From GuestZero: Dumping a $6.5 million elephant from one bankrupt entity to another bankrupt entity is only a strategy that a Liberal would love. It's wrong. Keeping BI open is just part of some larger economic scheme that will predictably fail, since it assumes the existence of a free billion dollars. Even the wily Chinese aren't that free with their cash.

It's a white elephant, you psychotic racist. A white elephant. What, you can't say white when you see it?

This is the Moonbat 'someone else' philosophy as applied to damned near everything. Let someone else take care of it. Someone else will pay the bills, someone else will pay the debt, it's always someone else.

If you believe the birdcage liner, the 'lease' that the Detroit City Buffoons Council was proposing involved the State paying for everything while the city retained possession. Put in terms even a stupid Moonbat can understand, Big Daddy buys the Corvette, the fuel, the insurance and pays for all the maintenance while Junior, a 16-year-old Parnelli Jones in the making, drives the shit out of it on I-75.

Wonder of wonders, the State was going to bend over for this one but the Buffoons Council turned it down for some insane reason. How stupid are these people, anyway? No wonder Kwame got into office.

"Obama wants to ban all guns!"

Banning partial birth abortions will lead to outlaeing all abortions.

Mitt Romney wants to legislate your uterus and make driving at night illegal for women.

Neal Rubin is sarcastic, but accurate:

Detroit News: Belle Isle, Land of Unicorns

The Detroit City Council hasn't talked about its actual plans for Belle Isle, but I assume they include unicorns. Happy, well-groomed unicorns, bounding across the grass and nibbling sugarplums from the hands of Manti Te'o's girlfriend.

Living up to its motto of "Inaction in action" late last month, the council decided not to decide on a proposal to lease Belle Isle to the state. The deal would have shifted control of Belle Isle to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which has the advantage of actually knowing how to operate a park.

The city would have saved $6.2 million a year, Belle Isle would have been buffed and polished, and Mayor Dave Bing wouldn't have to close the 50 smaller city parks he now plans to scuttle because he has to throw their dollars at the big one in the middle of the river.

"You already have a conservancy that's very interested in supporting Belle Isle," [Riverfront Conservency CEO Faye Nelson] said. That would be the Belle Isle Conservancy, which isn't set up to oversee the island and couldn't afford to, even if council member JoAnn Watson diplomatically described it as "folks who think they have a right to run a city they don't live in just because they're rich."

Nice. It might not be just because they're rich--they could be competent too.

And the squalor continues...

--------------

The photos Ohio Kimono posted show the damage that exists. Here's an article that lists more:

Detroit Business News: Who will pay to save Belle Isle now?

Sad state of affairs...

Banning partial birth abortions is bad enough.

But, I mean, thanks for missing the point.

You sound just like Lime Drops or Ryan... You know, this Researcher moron really does sound a lot like Ryan. I thought someone said that Ryan departed our dysfunctional online family due to a little misunderstanding with the local PD about alcohol levels and what is meant by a valid Ohio driver's license.

Anyone else think this is Ryan trying to travel incognito?

Belle Isle/Detroit doesn't need any more money, but a good dose of responsibility and accountability would certainly help. And would help Ryan, too.

And you continue to sound like a retarded drunk. Come at me with something good, kook.

You should stick to massaging GZ's shoulders and claiming the two of you are big and strong and nobody would dare hurt your feelings in real life.

Oh was your point to exaggerate the topic? as far as I know getting rid of all the parks is a pretty stupid suggestion.

Ah, I see. Got under your skin a little, didn't I?

Sadly, Lime Drops is probably gone for good. I kind of enjoyed him as he was a creative, reactionary troll. He was bright, too, and could get a flame war started in three posts, no matter what the topic. We could be discussing brownie recipes and Lime Drops could reduce an otherwise kind, rational contributor to using language that would make any longshoreman take notice. This, then, was the age of high quality inflammatory postings.

JR eventually applied a fire extinguisher to the entire business and a few accounts got permanently deactivated, including Lime Drops.

I fear that we have now entered the age of the brain dead flame wars. I hold up the example of Ryan/Researcher as conclusive proof, with supporting evidence from SensorG.

Are you so drunk you actually believe what you've typed?

Agreed. But that's not to what I was referring. Remember when you tried to type "liberal ploy", as though exaggeration wasn't written into an equal amount of conservative talking points?

And they are stupid for using it too.

Typical shill ploy.