That Sinking Economy

Detroit residents lined up for hours trying to get housing assistance. The unemployed are hurting there, just as everywhere else in the country.

Jalonda Terry, a former student and restaurant worker, said her unemployment had run out, and she has nowhere to turn, so she came to Cobo Hall for help. "They're talking about extending unemployment for another 13 weeks," she said, "but that's nothing. Most people out here have been unemployed for months and won't find any work soon."

"People are going to be starving and homeless," she added. "People are going to die. Why doesn't the president just give every family stimulus money. Why do we have to wait in the cold? Why do we have to fill out these stupid forms?"

Jalonda's mother, Kadeja, said, "There should be people helping to organize the line. There are kids here in the cold."

Angella Murphy, a former GM worker, related cutbacks in the city to concessions by workers at Chrysler. "They're closing all the schools down, and now they're cutting optical and dental benefits from the auto workers. Obama gave all that money to the banks and not to the people. Why doesn't he start a job-creation program?"

Why, indeed. Obama should have tackled joblessness the first thing.