State of the City

After reading through Detroit Mayor Dave Bing's recent State of the City speech,  I saw echoes of another statesman's words and beliefs, President Barack Obama, from his most recent State of the Union. Read below, see what you think.  

OBAMA: It's tempting to look back on these moments and assume that our progress was inevitable -– that America was always destined to succeed. But when the Union was turned back at Bull Run, and the Allies first landed at Omaha Beach, victory was very much in doubt. When the market crashed on Black Tuesday, and civil rights marchers were beaten on Bloody Sunday, the future was anything but certain. These were the times that tested the courage of our convictions, and the strength of our union. And despite all our divisions and disagreements, our hesitations and our fears, America prevailed because we chose to move forward as one nation, as one people.

BING: There are those who believe the final chapter of our story has been written. They believe our city cannot come back. And the reality is...if we allow ourselves to be defined by the crisis we inherited, Detroit’s story will never change.

OBAMA: But the devastation remains. One in 10 Americans still cannot find work. Many businesses have shuttered. Home values have declined. Small towns and rural communities have been hit especially hard. And for those who'd already known poverty, life has become that much harder.

BING: That's why my administration's jobs plan will focus on three priorities.

• One. Aggressive job and business creation and retention focused on emerging industries and small business.
• Two. Fixing the City's business climate and making us more attractive to both existing and new businesses.
• Three. Preparing our workforce to enter industries and jobs that need workers today and will need more tomorrow.

OBAMA: It's because of this spirit -– this great decency and great strength -– that I have never been more hopeful about America's future than I am tonight. Despite our hardships, our union is strong. We do not give up. We do not quit. We do not allow fear or division to break our spirit. In this new decade, it's time the American people get a government that matches their decency; that embodies their strength. And tonight, tonight I'd like to talk about how together we can deliver on that promise.

BING: But we decided that the old way of doing things was no longer good enough. And in my ten months as your Mayor, I see a city whose collective ideas, spirit and action are coming together as they never have before to turn the page and begin a new chapter.

OBAMA: And what keeps me going -– what keeps me fighting -– is that despite all these setbacks, that spirit of determination and optimism, that fundamental decency that has always been at the core of the American people, that lives on.

OBAMA: A new decade stretches before us. We don't quit. I don't quit. Let's seize this moment -- to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more.

BING: I learned long ago to let my game do the talking and focus on the bottom line, not the headlines. That’s why tonight I believe we must come together with one voice and one vision to make Detroit a city that works.

BING: Together we can reinvent Detroit, bringing new jobs and investment, cleaning up our streets and getting tough on crime, finding solutions to improve education and schools and once again restoring trust and pride in our city.

BING: We need your input, your energy and your commitment to make Detroit “A City that Works.”