"I'm with OYAHHH and gridity on this one. To add to OYAHHH's list, Detroit Metro Airport has 2 modern terminals now. Terminal A (opened in 2002) is the second longest terminal in the world (beaten only by Japan by 0.06 miles). The North terminal just opened (September 17, 2008). On my commute to Detroit, I couldn't tell you the number of bridges and overpasses that had work done to them or were completely replaced just this past summer. Yes, there is always room for improvement -- but comparing the city of Hong Kong to the entire United States doesn't make sense." - Jeff Lundberg
"Here's a thought on rebooting the United States: reduce government spending to 1990's levels and eliminate federal income tax. Consider this: The 1997 U.S. budget was $1.6 trillion. Remember 1997? We had social security and stealth bombers... The math actually works. 2007 receipts without any income tax were $1.4045 trillion. Keep a 10% tax on the top 5% income bracket to cover the $200 billion difference. What would you do with an instant 10% - 35% raise?" - Jeff Lundberg
"There are still a few neighborhoods in Detroit that are still amazing. Unfortunately, if you go 1 block outside the neighborhood, you're in the ghetto. If you park your car on the street, expect something to be stolen (if not the entire car). Some homes in these areas are still $500,000 to well over $1 million. Indian Village http://www.historicindianvilla... ... Palmer Woods http://www.palmerwoods.org/ Boston Edison District http://www.historicbostonediso..." - Jeff Lundberg
"The fed rate is actually their "target" rate. The Federal Reserve buys and sells US Treasury Securities (and now, "mortgage backed securities") from primary dealer banks (such as Bank of America, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanly, Merrill Lynch, etc.). These banks, through a repurchase agreement (repo), agree to buy back the security from the Fed plus interest. Banks buy and sell securities with the Fed to meet their own reserve requirements. If a bank has more than it needs in any particular day, it will likely buy securities for a small profit. If a bank can't meet its reserve requirements, it must sell securities to the Fed (i.e. the Fed creates money and gives it to the bank). This demand and supply of securities basically determines the federal funds rate. So, the Fed has to balance these reserves so that the rate is as close as possible to its target rate. Interest-ing tidbit (pun intended): It's my understanding that the interest..." - Jeff Lundberg
"He may be partially correct. I think degrees from Carnage Mellon or MIT, etc. tend to be more focused on Engineering and not Information Technology. The school also makes a difference. I got a degree from the University of Michigan - Dearborn (Ranked 6th in the Midwest for public school with Masters - http://colleges.usnews.ranking... ... ) and had no problem finding a job, even in Detroit. Degrees like Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Software Engineering probably demand higher pay than other Information Technology degrees." - Jeff Lundberg
"I live in one of the worst job markets in the U.S. (Metro Detroit), and there are still a lot of IT jobs out there. However, there are also a lot of people seeking those jobs. Like asdffdas1234 mentioned, HR departments have to weed out the good candidates. If you had to narrow your choice of 100 people applying for a job, wouldn't you weed out the ones with no college degree and less than 5 years experience if you could? A degree still makes a difference, especially if you have little experience. The more experience you have, the less the degree matters." - Jeff Lundberg
"Before any other teams had "trophy games", (1903) Michigan had to play Minnesota to win back their water jug after the Minnesota coach said that Michigan would have to win it back. They've been playing for it ever since. The SI article should have given at least a little back story to each trophy. Some of them (especially the newer ones) seem like someone arbitrarily decided to create one which seems lame to me." - Jeff Lundberg
"@Hamletlere I never understood that logic. If everyone is paying up to 6% extra, regardless of what method of payment they use, be it credit, debit, or cash, why would anyone not make their purchase on a credit card that gives them 1 - 5% cash back? Until merchants hang signs that say "Save 6% if you pay in cash", I'm going to use my credit card that gives me 5% back. If the merchant decides not to accept credit cards, I'm more likely to shop somewhere else. (And of course, I never carry a balance.)" - Jeff Lundberg
