<p>Detroit is getting a little <a href="http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20110113/FREE/110119916/-1-2-million-program-launched-to-grow-midtown-population#">spending cash</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Midtown Detroit's three anchor employers, the state and a Detroit-based foundation are funding $1.2 million in incentives to encourage employees of the three anchor employers to live in the area.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Now, the State of Michigan is contributing some, but not all, of the money. The incentives should help bring in population to Detroit, a least a little bit. And the fact that it's not all of our money being dumped into the toilet - which is what is going happen - is better than all of it being our money.</p>
<p>But why? What's the point? To bring in a few hundred people, maybe? Detroit is a wasteland and it will not get any better any time soon, so a few teeny tiny tax incentives are not going to get the job done. Maybe those young, up and coming residents can be edgy and say that they live in Detroit, not the suburbs. Oh, how their friends will be impressed.</p>
<p><a href="http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php?blogid=1562">Henry Payne</a> mentioned in an unrelated blog post that 85% of Detroit's family have no father in the home. Yes, 85%. So those tax incentives for young, middle class workers will do nothing for Detroit's biggest problem, a complete breakdown of moral values. More wasted money in the D.</p>