底特律破产是彻底的失败

    密歇根州州长瑞克•斯奈德超人般地奋战了两年，希望能打破僵局：他批准了紧急贷款，聘请了财务稳定委员会。底特律的民选官员们不愿意、也无力行动时，他最终任命了一位紧急管理人。虽然遭到政敌抨击，但这位州长干净利落地行使了自己的法定职责。

    1984年，我作为一名年轻记者来到底特律，当时的市长是科曼•扬。Cobo Hall、People Mover等市政工程项目被视为这个城市的经济救星，而很多白人居民已经离开底特律迁往郊区。但从各种迹象看，显然即便是在当时，他的计划也还是不够：破损的人行道，熄灭的街灯，堆积的垃圾，荒废的社区。

    面对日本汽车行业的强力竞争，通用汽车、福特(Ford)和克莱斯勒(Chrysler)重塑自身的过程并不顺利，无可避免地给底特律带来了冲击。工厂关闭了。工人们再也找不到工作。全美汽车工人联合会（The United Auto Workers）等工会组织过去总是积极争取更高的薪资和更优厚的福利，这时也退缩了。

    底特律在衰落，但没有出局。一个市中心商务区已经重生。年轻人正在搬进市中心的公寓。通用汽车、福特和克莱斯勒夺回了一些阵线。在底特律的市区社区，一些先行者正在拆毁废弃的房屋，修剪草坪，种植树木。

    或许最重要的是，破产将迫使这个曾经伟大的城市直面长期被忽视的责任和拖欠。底特律必须彻底改造财务状况，翻过新的一页，向贷款人证明它是负责任的、有信用的借款人。如果底特律能这么做，谁又能说未来它不会重塑伟大呢？(财富中文网)

    Governor Rick Snyder struggled heroically for two years to break the impasse, approving emergency loans, hiring a financial stability board, and finally appointing an emergency manager when it became obvious that Detroit's elected officials weren't willing or able to act. Accusations from his political adversaries notwithstanding, the governor's statutory authority and duty are clear-cut.

    I came to Detroit as a young reporter in 1984, when Coleman Young was mayor. In those days public works projects like Cobo Hall and the People Mover were seen as economic saviors for a city whose white residents had largely left for the suburbs. But the signs that his programs weren't sufficient were evident even then: shattered pavement, broken streetlights, uncollected garbage, blighted neighborhoods.

    The struggle of GM, Ford (F) and Chrysler to reinvent themselves in the face of competition from the Japanese auto industry inevitably had repercussions for Detroit. Plants closed. Workers could no longer find jobs. The United Auto Workers and other unions, traditionally the distributors of higher wages and richer benefits, withered.

    Detroit is down, not out. A downtown business district has been reborn. Young people are filling up downtown apartments. GM, Ford, and Chrysler are clawing their way back. Urban pioneers in city neighborhoods are tearing down abandoned houses, mowing lots, and planting trees.

    Perhaps most importantly, bankruptcy will force a once-great city to face long-neglected obligations and delinquencies. Detroit must overhaul its finances, turn over a new leaf, prove to lenders that it's responsible and deserving of credit. If Detroit can do this, who's to say greatness can't be in its future again?