The city of Detroit is in a bad, bad way. Its austerity-driven emergency manager Kevyn Orr finally took the city into bankruptcy earlier this week, nullifying several municipal contracts and essentially looking to push the reset button on an entire working-class American city.

Mayor Dave Bing, now almost powerless to act against the wishes of the manager and conservative governor, can now only do one thing: try to get the Federal government to bail Detroit out, saving whatever is left of this historic American city before it becomes a Randian nightmare.

Appearing today on ABC, Mayor Bing talked about his discussions with the Obama administration and the idea of a bailout (which are usually reserved for failing, risky businesses) that could help the city of Detroit pay its employees and keep its schools running.

When asked about discussions of a Federal bailout, Bing replied, "Not yet. You know, I know the president has a lot on his plate."

While the Governor of Michigan and his cronies would surely like to see Detroit reborn without any of its burdens — a public sector, poor people, or fair wages —- there is still one man who could save Detroit, and he happens to be its mayor.

“We’re not the only city that’s going to struggle through what we’re going through,” Bing told ABC. “We may be one of the first. We are the largest, but we absolutely will not be the last. And so we have got to set a bench mark in terms of how to fix our cities and come back from this tragedy.”

Right now is an opportunity for the Federal government to start bailing out its people, and not businesses. And Detroit, the once-proud heart of American industry, would be a great place to start.