Roger and Me

In the face of economic turmoil the people of Flint tried many different ways to keep moral high. They enjoyed annual social events and when times got harder they had a parade. When the moral of the people of Flint began to get low the mayor arranged for a renowned evangelist to give a motivational speech. When that failed to boost the people's spirits a prison party was held to celebrate of Flint's new jail. Though some could view Flint's undying social conditions to be a positive I believe it was naive. It is a good thing that the people of Flint attempted to maintain a positive attitude during their struggles, but high moral and a standing social condition were not going to produce any solutions to the problems of Flint. Money that was thrown away on trying to keep spirits high could have been used to create jobs or invest in some type of program that would help the citizens of Flint. Thousands of dollars were paid to the evangelist for his "motivational speech" and millions were spent to build Flint's new prison. On top of the millions that were spent on the building of the prison, each person attending the prison party paid one hundred dollars to spend the night there. This led me to believe that the priorities of the people and the governing officials of Flint were completely out of order. The only good that came from the new jail was the employment that it offered, but I"m sure it did not generate as much money to Flint as was spent on it. The only jobs that remained secure were those of the mail attendants, correctional officers, and Fred Ross. .
             Despite the efforts to maintain high spirits in Flint, whether they were naive or in denial, the citizens could not ignore the continuing deterioration of their city. What was more surprising than the parade and prison party was some of the citizens" comments and suggestions about the whole situation. It was as if Flint was in no danger at all of becoming a part of history.