Citizen Vox: Detroiter says high prices limit the chance to pursue the American Dream
In this edition of WDET’s Citizen Vox project, Quinn Klinefelter speaks to Detroiter George Thompson.
Detroiter George Thompson shares his election priorities with Quinn Klinefelter as a part of WDET's Citizen Vox project.
WDET is gathering Metro Detroiters’ views of the current political landscape as part of our Citizen Vox project.
That includes Detroiter George Thompson, who we caught up with at a Midtown QLINE streetcar stop.
He says he knows citizens are supposed to have the ultimate political power: their vote.
But Thompson says he fears the typical resident has little say in what government does.
Listen: Detroiter says high prices limit the chance to pursue the American Dream
Interview edited for length and clarity.
George Thompson: Because a lot of times decisions are made from behind closed doors, where people are not allowed to go in to hear what’s going on, or pass on their opinion and try to persuade. It’s all about whoever got the political movements to make the money to give to the politicians to do the decisions that they want them to do. It’s big business. So, basically, whoever’s got the money can run it. Whoever got the money, the connections and know the people within the circle, they got the power to make whatever happens in this country happen.
Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: Whoever is elected to any of the offices in play, senate, governor, etc., what issues would you like to see them tackle that would be particularly important to you?
GT: Anything dealing with human rights, man, and human welfare. Giving people an opportunity to live the American dream, work hard and fulfill their dreams, hopes, and desires. A man’s home is his castle. So a man needs a place to stay. He needs to be working somewhere so he can take care of the place, raise a family to be productive citizens of this country, and live the American dream that was set for us when the founding fathers founded this country.
But right now it ain’t about that. Because if you look around, you see people who are hungry, people who are struggling, gas prices are out of control. People can’t really enjoy life like they should be. You take a pay check in one hand and it goes out the other. Inflation’s going up, but the checks ain’t going up along with it. So we’re going through some hard times right now. And it seems that nobody is really trying to help to fulfill that for us.
QK: When you talk about helping with the American dream, is there anything in particular that you’d like to see? Lowering prices somehow, trying to get more affordable housing, things like that?
GT: One thing is, before we help other countries, man, we got to make sure our country is up to par. Because we got issues and problems that we need to address seriously to help our country be strong enough so that we can be able to help others. How are we gonna help somebody with a flat tire and we got four flat tires?
There are people out here who don’t want to work, I understand that. But people who are looking for something, help them find enough minimum wage to attain some of the things that they desire in life. Shoot, I remember when rent prices were like $450. Now it’s double and triple that for the same place.
We are still making $14, $12, $10 an hour. And they think that’s supposed to be enough to attain a nice decent apartment or a roof over our head for our family. But it’s not. We struggling, man. And it’s hard. Gas prices are going up. There’s more problems now than ever. Everything just went crazy, man. It makes no sense. You give us something, then you triple up everything else to get the money back. And that’s not right. Not right at all.
