[Cliffie]

This is not meant to be a rehash of what's wrong with the state or the fair city of Detroit. What do you think would be a useful step towards getting the state back up on its pins again?

One thing that strikes me right away as helpful: national healthcare, universal healthcare. So many people have to sacrifice being in the right job for them because that job doesn't offer a health plan. So many businesses go splat because they can't afford even a cheesy health plan for the employees. One reason Honda is whipping Ford's tail is that Honda isn't trying to support thousands of elderly retirees with breathtakingly expensive healthcare needs.

What are your ideas? Large or small, let's list 'em all.

[jimdhen]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

One thing that strikes me right away as helpful: national healthcare, universal healthcare.

That's just a redistribution of wealth, not fix. Much of what decimated our cities, including Detroit, is an entitlement mentality. What does the government run effectively and efficiently? Nothing leaps to my mind, so what makes you think we could efficiently run a national health care program?

MI has to lower taxes and the barriers to entry for businesses to WANT to be in MI because they can make more profit in MI than anywhere else. And I just don't understand why the political team in Lansing got reelected. And the politicians that MI sends to Washington all love to tax, tax, tax. Increase the taxes by reducing the deductibilty on bigger square footage homes? Huh? Like MI doesn't have enough construction woes. What kind of nutty idea is that? Who keeps voting these old timers back into office each election cycle. What have they done for MI lately except preside over its downward spiral. Wake up. People all over this board gripe about MI, so do something when you vote next time. If you think higher taxes to soak your rich neighbors will help MI, you will see the downward spiral just get worse.

[rage_photography]

Wall-off southern Michigan,tear down the Mac bridge,collapse the tunnel to Canada...and finish turning it into a Prison State.
Cops in my Home-town there are getting busted for selling pills and weed,people are having to buy guns off the street just to protect themselves from people who will kick in your front door,beat the s**t out of you and your family,and steal everything they can carry,and the Jennifer Granholm cant spend enough of the tax payers money fast enough putting bills into law that just plain dont make sense. Un-employment has ruined a beautiful State,and it's mostly due to N.A.F.T.A and the Unions.

One word to describe Michigan ? " BAD ".

Respectfully,
Mr. Thomas Cross
Kingsport,TN.

[deslok]

Bring in new businesses, at the same time cut out more of the automotive industry. People are going to have to lose jobs, while at the same time we bring in new industries, and probably new people alltogether.
Really, it is very hard to fix what has been done to the state. We even sold off our tobacco settlement money, but I know this isn't a rehash.
I don't agree with universal health care, it will just drive more middle and upper income folks out of the state that do not want to support the lower class. So what do we do? Bring in new industries, while somehow lowering the barriers to entry for businesses, not throwing the burdeon to those that are left here. ( ha, ya right)

[M TYPE X]

Originally Posted by deslok

Bring in new businesses, at the same time cut out more of the automotive industry. People are going to have to lose jobs, while at the same time we bring in new industries, and probably new people alltogether.
Really, it is very hard to fix what has been done to the state. We even sold off our tobacco settlement money, but I know this isn't a rehash.
I don't agree with universal health care, it will just drive more middle and upper income folks out of the state that do not want to support the lower class. So what do we do? Bring in new industries, while somehow lowering the barriers to entry for businesses, not throwing the burdeon to those that are left here. ( ha, ya right)

Good, you get an A.