Map, must-read story identifies the 'skyboxification' of America

The graphics and data people at The Washington Post have created a fantastic interactive map that allows Internet users to view the income and education levels of any zip code in America.

Just enter your zip code, zoom in on your surrounding area and become amazed at the disparities.

In Macomb County, the most prosperous zip is 48042 in northern and eastern Macomb Township. The Post, relying upon 2010 Census data, reports that the median household income there is $85,885 and one-third of adults have a college degree.

Just 10 miles away is the county’s poorest zip, 48089 in southeast Warren, where the median income is $38,116 and just 8 percent have a degree.

The Post used a ranking system that scores every U.S. zip code from 0 – the poorest  and least educated – to 99 – the richest and most educated.

48092 is ranked 78; 48089 is ranked 11.

The income/education gap is even more pronounced in Oakland County. For example, the tiny adjacent cities of Huntington Woods and Pleasant Ridge enjoy median incomes of about $108,000. College degree attainment ranges from two-thirds to three-fourths of the population. Huntington Woods (48070) ranks in the 98^th percentile; Pleasant Ridge (48069) ranks 96.

Just a couple of miles away is Hazel Park (48030) which ranks in the 9^th lowest percentile, with income of slightly above $35,000 and 9 percent with a college background.

The incongruence throughout southeast Michigan clearly reveals discrimination in decades past and a new trend across America of “clustering.” That’s a reference to people migrating toward neighborhoods and communities where they fit in – based upon their job, their background, even their politics.

The Post, relying upon an approach developed by noted author Charles Murray, has identified the nation’s 650 “Super Zips” – those ranked 95 or higher. Oakland County has nine Super Zips; Macomb has none. Wayne County has one, and it’s not one of the Grosse Points.

Zoom out on the map and you will see surprisingly wide swaths of Michigan where all the zip codes rank 40 or less.

Across the nation, the Post found 650 Super Zips. Among them, the typical household income is $120,000 and seven in 10 adults hold college degrees. That compares with $53,962 and 27 percent for the remaining 23,925 zips shown.

The map is accompanied by an enlightening story about the growing divisions throughout the U.S., with upper income couples and families congregating to upscale areas where their neighbors are doctors and lawyers and scientists.

The imbalances, such as those between Pleasant Ridge and neighboring Hazel Park, are labeled the “skyboxification in American life” by Michael Sandel, a Harvard philosopher. He references the parallel lives in sports arenas where some fans watch from the cheap seats and others enjoy the game from their skybox.

Post reporters Carol Morello and Ted Mellnikhighlight a recent analysis of census data by sociologists Sean Reardon of Stanford and Kendra Bischoff of Cornell, which demonstrated how middle-income neighborhoods have been fading away as more people live in areas that are either poor or affluent.

In 1970, 65 percent of families lived in middle-income neighborhoods; four decades later, 42 percent did.

Meanwhile, the share of families living in affluent neighborhoods doubled, from 7 percent to 15 percent, as did families living in poor neighborhoods, from 8 percent to 18 percent.

The detailed Post story includes this disturbing encapsulation:

“Some sociologists think the trend is isolating well-to-do Americans from the problems of the poor and the working poor, and impeding upward mobility that has long been part of the American dream.

“‘So much of opportunity in America depends on what sociologists call social capital,’ said Stephen Klineberg, a Rice University sociologist. ‘Who you know. Who’s willing to invest in your skills.’

“As the affluent become more isolated, the working class and the poor become confined ‘to communities where no one has a college education and no one has connections to the world,’ Klineberg said. ‘The social capital that’s so necessary for upward mobility is more difficult to come by than it was in the old days when there was broad-based prosperity.’”

Turns out Black Friday sales are a scam

The prevalence of so many consumer protection websites and the explosion of e-commerce has made it possible for researchers to prove what many of us suspected -- those “door-buster” discount prices on Black Friday are a scam.

The Wall Street Journal calls this annual post-Thanksgiving ritual “retail theater.”

By tracking prices before and after big sales, those who keep tabs on these things have found that the so-called original price on a wide array of items is phony.

WSJ pointed out that Amazon.com Inc. is featuring a Samsung 60-inch HDTV in its 2013 Holiday Gift Guide. The TV is selling at a 45 percent discount compared to its “list price” of $1,799.99. But, according to Decide.com, a price-tracking firm owned by eBay Inc., the TV hasn't sold for anywhere near the list price in months. The most it has sold for in the past eight months is $1,297.85, according to Decide.com. As recently as October, it was priced at $997.99, about the same as its current sale price.

The floodgates have opened to price-cut hype, to the point that when a retailer such as J.C. Penney established a policy of no sales and no coupons, the result was disastrous for the company.

Here’s a portion of the WSJ report:

In a 2012 presentation, the Penney's CEO who initiated the policy “said the company was selling fewer than one out of every 500 items at full price. Customers were receiving an average discount of 60 percent, up from 38 percent a decade earlier. The twist is they weren't saving more. In fact, the average price paid by customers stayed about the same over that period. What changed was the initial price, which increased by 33 percent.

“‘The silliness of it all is that the original price from which the discount is computed is often specious to begin with, because items hardly ever sell at that price, which makes the discount less legitimate,’" said Mark Cohen, a professor at the Columbia Business School who worked at the company and has held other retail posts including CEO of Sears CanadaInc.

The price-illusion strategy may face a serious challenge in the coming months as consumers have filed lawsuits against J.C. Penney, Kohl's Corp. and Jos A. Bank Clothiers Inc.

Detroit in 2033 could be a very different place

Ashley Woods of HuffPo Detroit has compiled an inspiring collection of text and photos that tell the story of what a revived Detroit may look like in 2033.

Woods wrote: “Change is brewing in the Motor City. New projects are targeting investment in hotspots like downtown and Midtown, and the city's neighborhoods could see major transformations under long-term plans like Detroit Future City.

“Some of those changes are a long way off, but others are already under way -- enough that we can take a peek at 18 examples of the Detroit of the future...”

The drawing above represents the area around the David Whitney Building at Woodward Avenue and Grand Circus Park once the $82-million renovation of the 19-story building is completed in July.

Peters backed by cops; Land lays low

By Chad Selweski

The Macomb Daily

Monday, November 25, 2013

Democratic U.S. Rep. Gary Peters received endorsements for his 2014 Senate campaign from police organizations across the state at a Monday press conference in Warren while critics of his Republican opponent, Terri Lynn Land, claimed that she has coasted through the first six months of her campaign.

At a Fraternal Order of Police hall, Peters was endorsed by the Michigan Association of Police Organizations, or MAPO, which represents an array of police labor groups that includes the Detroit Police Officers Association, the Police Officer Labor Council, Warren Police Officers Association, Michigan State Police Troopers Association, and the Michigan Association of Police.

 

At the same time, the Land camp was trying to beat back claims that her campaign has made a minimal impact since she declared her candidacy in early June, even as the potential GOP rivals of the former Michigan secretary of state all declined to run.

“She attended over 40 GOP events over the summer when it looked like there would be a primary and now that she is the presumptive nominee has made some adjustments to her schedule to gear it more towards a general election,” said John Yob, her team’s leader under the title of campaign consultant.

“She is attending several holiday events and then will have an aggressive schedule in the New Year to bring her message of fixing Washington’s broken government to working families across Michigan.”

 

In addition to maintaining a schedule of less than two appearances per week – none consisting of official Land for Senate events – she has been a no-show at times.

Land cancelled an Oct. 15 appearance scheduled before the Grosse Pointe Farms-based Eastside Republican Club.

On Oct. 21, she did not appear at a Birmingham/Bloomfield Hills GOP event where she was billed as the keynote speaker, saying that she had a scheduling conflict.

And on Nov. 14, the Senate candidate declined another keynote speaker appearance before the 9th Congressional District Republicans – the GOP opposition in Peters’ district – at a gathering in Warren.

 

“How can Terri Lynn Land be running for the U.S. Senate when she’s avoiding the very people she’s supposed to represent and refusing to answer serious questions?,” said Peters’ campaign manager Julie Petrick. “Since Terri Lynn Land has found the time to fundraise with the tea party in Washington, D.C., but not hold any events in Michigan, it’s clear who has Ms. Land’s ear, and it’s not folks in Michigan.”

Nonethless, Land, a Kent County Republican, can boast of a strong showing in early polls though her campaign is just getting started.

In two recent statewide surveys, Land is in a statistical tie with Peters and in a third the congressman holds a narrow 43-38 percent lead.

 

The former secretary of state has also held her own in fundraising, collecting $1 million in campaign cash, in addition to a $1 million infusion of her personal funds, matching Peter’s reported third quarter contributions in the most recent campaign financing reports filed in October.

But Land’s fundraising prowess could present a double-edged sword.

Last week, she was treated to a big-time fundraiser in Washington that was hosted by 18 Republican senators, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Sen. Rand Paul, also of Kentucky.

Tickets for the event, which Yob said as attended by about 100 people, ranged from $2,500 to $10,000 for individuals and political action committees, or PACs. That represents a significant one-day windfall of campaign cash and a sound affirmation that her race holds national significance.

But it could also turn off some Michigan tea party supporters who want a GOP nominee who is not tied to the Washington establishment.

Land has already struggled to win a warm embrace from all the key players within the Michigan Republican Party and the tea party faction.

 

Sen. Carl Levin has decided not to run for re-election after three decades in office, but the coveted Senate seat he is leaving open has produced no early drama whatsoever. Peters and Land emerged as their respective party’s presumptive nominees, respectively, nearly 18 months before the November 2014 general election.

Land made it clear in the early stages of her candidacy that she intends to focus on winning Macomb County, one of the key political landscapes in the state. But Peters months ago secured the Democratic endorsements of County Executive Mark Hackel and Macomb’s Big Five – Sheriff Anthony Wickersham, Prosecutor Eric Smith, Clerk Carmella Sabaugh, Treasurer Ted Wahby and Public Works Commissioner.

 

The Peters camp asserts that the candidate has appeared at “hundreds” of events since he announced his run in May. Land backers counter that the West Bloomfield Township Democrat has to work harder and make up ground because he has never run a statewide campaign.

In fact, Yob said he considers it laughable that 44 Land campaign appearances a year before the election is considered sluggish.

The former Kent County clerk, Land won statewide election by large margins in 2002 and 2006 for secretary of state.

 

Yet, a report published over the weekend by the Lansing-based Michigan Information Research Service, or MIRS, concluded that Land’s low-profile approach has perplexed some political strategists.

The candidate’s June 3 Senate campaign announcement was done on Facebook and was not followed by a traditional tour of the state where she would meet with media outlets. Her use of Twitter has been sporadic and her rudimentary website contains no contact information or a list of her campaign team, only a Land biography, a video of the candidate speaking, and a link to donate money via credit card to her election effort.

Yob said that in addition to his service as a campaign consultant, the campaign staff consists of Matt Golden as deputy campaign manager and Lauren Gervason as finance director.

 

The Democratic Party has repeatedly hammered Land for not speaking out on issues and identifying her stances. The GOP candidate publicly opposed a U.S. missile strike on Syria and has continually bashed the Obamacare program, which her Democratic opponent warmly supported.

It’s clear at this point that Peters will be criticizing the broader issues exposed by the October government shutdown, which was blamed on congressional Republicans.

Behind the scenes, MIRS and political pundits have pointed out that Land’s limited public speaking abilities may be a significant liability. The perception of weak performances on stage was labeled as the main reason for her abrupt withdrawal from the 2010 race for governor.

What's this? Former Democratic PR guy flacking for Calley

Moon

In Lansing, people in the public relations business change jobs quicker than Michigan weather goes from sun to rain to snow.

Mostly young or middle-aged, the members of this capital corps go from one state government agency to another, or to a PR job at the Capitol. Or they go to work flacking for an outside agency or lobbying group. Or, if they’re lucky, they’ll latch onto a major election campaign.

Sometimes, the unintended consequences can be awkward.

Consider Jason Moon, who served as Michigan Democratic Party communications director (that’s a fancy title for a spokesman) from 2003-08. For five years, Moon wrote press releases and spoke in tune with then-chairman Mark Brewer’s stridently partisan Democratic message. It was a job that required Moon to engage in relentless negative action against the Republicans on a daily basis.

From there, Moon took a job as the public information officer for the state Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation, where he engaged in far more low-key, bureaucratic subjects. When the office morphed into the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Moon took on the title of LARA communications specialist.

On Friday, that unassuming post unexpectedly led Moon to become the lead organizer/PR guy for an event featuring Republican Lt. Gov. Brian Calley. Moon was on the move, trying to rustle up some press coverage for the Michigan GOP’s No. 2 man as Calley addressed the very un-Democratic subject of reducing business regulations while speaking at a roundtable discussion in Clinton Township.

Calley

Moon, who once wrote and said the most reprehensible things about other pro-business Republicans such as Dick DeVos and Mitt Romney, was now putting out press releases that said the Republican governor and lieutenant governor are successfully working to “eliminate the burdensome and unnecessary regulations hurting the state’s job providers” and they are focused on the effort to “continue to build on the (post-Granholm) comeback that we’ve started.”

Hey, for guys like Moon, it comes with the territory.