Obama touts auto recovery ahead of Detroit speech

President Barack Obama will visit Detroit on Wednesday to highlight a resurgence in the auto industry, but all eyes will be on how he addresses the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and Detroit’s education funding problems. But I’d make that bet again any day of the week.

President Barack Obama hailed the revival of the nation’s auto industry on Wednesday while acknowledging the water crisis in nearby Flint, Michigan, saying the detection of high levels of lead serve as a reminder that the government can’t shortchange basic services.

Following his time at Cobo, the president will take a drive down Jefferson to the UAW/GM Human Resources Center to talk with union workers about the comeback of the auto industry since the bailouts. Also, it adds, exports of American vehicles are up almost 90 percent since 2009. But Flint did not return to Detroit water until October 2015 after tests showed elevated levels of lead, which can cause brain damage and other health problems, in Flint tap water and in some children.

The crisis began when Flint, about an hour’s drive from Detroit, switched its water supply from Detroit’s system to the Flint River in 2014 to save money while under state financial management.

The U.S. Transportation Department last week announced a $4 billion proposal to increase federal investment in automated driving technologies. After counting loan repayments, dividends and stock sales, the federal government recovered $70.5 billion. The array of locally-made products by worldwide automakers on display at the auto show is a visual representation of not one, but many, American success stories. “With the economy in a freefall, the markets frozen, there were no private companies, no private investors who were going to step up and take a chance on you”.

Even three years later as Americans looked back, a slight majority said they disapproved of the bailout, with Republicans opposing it by a 3-to-1 margin, Gallup said.