Reply #101: no

[William Z. Foster]

The wealth in Detroit was generated by the workers.

New factories were built by management on the outskirts, from the very beginning, to escape taxation. "There is no way this or that could have been built in Detroit" you say. The facilities were built in Detroit, in the Detroit area, they were merely built outside of the political control of the workers, that is all.

Overcrowding at the end of the war was a function of the war economy and troops returning home.

Yes, the moving of the tax base outside of the borders of the political control of the city, and the fragmentation of the workers into suburban enclaves - playing on racial fears and holding out promises of a better life - most certainly drained the wealth out of the city, away from the workers, and into the hands of the few. Of course. That there should be any controversy about this is a relatively modern thing, and the fact that Democrats are parroting the management line is new and disturbing, as well. Middle management types from the industry in the 50's and 60's were less right wing than many Democrats are today about this, and less in denial about it.

How did the bastion of organized Labor become so reactionary and pro-management?