http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/...wn_offthec.html

"Property abandonment is getting so bad in Flint that some in government are talking about an extreme measure that was once unthinkable -- shutting down portions of the city, officially abandoning them and cutting off police and fire service."

Awesome. Unless you live near there.

Yep, welcome to the Detroit area.

Except in Shadowrun, Ares is supposed to be a thriving corporation.

GM is just a subsidiary Ares. RL GM is likely to pull though it's current problems, even if it has to go to Chapter 11 to do so. It is just going to be a lot smaller, and thus more "subsidiary" worthy.

The army does a lot of recruiting in Flint, according to Michael Moore.

Cue debate, followed by name calling.

Ha!!

Why would there be a debate? It makes sense in every possible way to recruit from imporverished areas.

Good point, GM's current financial condition and astonishingly low stock price make it a more likely target to be bought out by Nicholas Aurelius.

Fascinating read.

Brings the discussion with my friend into sharper focus. (He was telling me about all the guns that he has stored everywhere around his house and other places - just in case.) This kind of thing makes you think that perhaps elements of SR aren't that far around the corner.

I'm a native of Flint, but I moved out in 1995. When I've gone back - last time was in 2002 - the place was quite different. Strip malls everywhere and factories bulldozed to the ground. Huge numbers of former factory workers switched into jobs that paid less than a quarter of what they were used to making. My friends there tell me that now those strip malls are closing and the people can't find work at all. I'm so glad I did move out, and yeah, for me it was the USCG that made it happen.