The Detroit issue is an important story to understand - soon, there will be city after city in the USA in the same boat as Detroit.
Here are a few links which I found helpful:
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20130721/NEWS/307219984/ [1]
http [2]://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/04/26/muni-a26.html [2]
http://www.conwaymackenzie.com/documents/3-18-12_Crains_CreditSwaps.pdf [3]
I am certain that over the last few years the banks, credit default swap folks, bond issuers, and every other charlitan financial vendor, has done all they can to extract immediate cash, and f...k Detroit.
Not that the unions didn't probably get a bit rich with their bennies....but the union workers did WORK in Detriot for years and years until they retired.
Swap folks - where you guys livin'?
Links:
[1] http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20130721/NEWS/307219984/
[2] http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/04/26/muni-a26.html
[3] http://www.conwaymackenzie.com/documents/3-18-12_Crains_CreditSwaps.pdf