[Flippy]

kudos to you leavinmi709. i also like to just read but you inspired me. a little emotion in the debate is okay with me. please please everyone should have a voice. go freedom of speech!

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Flippy

kudos to you leavinmi709. i also like to just read but you inspired me. a little emotion in the debate is okay with me. please please everyone should have a voice. go freedom of speech!

I too agree that everyone should have a voice. As long as you follow the terms of service, you'll have no qualms with me.

[LeavinMI709]

Originally Posted by Flippy

kudos to you leavinmi709. i also like to just read but you inspired me. a little emotion in the debate is okay with me. please please everyone should have a voice. go freedom of speech!

Thanks Flippy, you understand what got me going. I know there are a lot of us out there that are readers, and are happy as such. But sometimes it is time to stand up and speak what is on our minds, such as the state of our local economy (to stay on topic).


A local news station announced on the evening new yesterday that we should hit %15.3 unemployment by 2010. I wonder if those numbers are a projection of the unemployment rate IF Chrysler OR GM goes into bankruptcy or is it just across the board?

[mike231]

I wonder if the projected 15.3% unemployment rate is an optimistic or pessimistic forecast. I can still remember some economists saying that the recession is all in our head.
This is supposed to be my busy time of the year (residential construction) and it is scary slow, with little work to be found...Self-employed since 1988 and Michigan's economy has slowly drained me of everything that I have worked for....I'm Blown away with Granholm's success.
With all the job loss up here in Northern Michigan, factory work in particular - the big three could disappear and currently make no difference in my life - time for Michigan to diversify and if the big three make a comeback - then let it be a bonus to our economy, not the backbone....

When will Michigan's economy hit bottom ?
2011, 2012 ?????
How many people will need to leave the state, where does the balance fall?
Will some of our counties hit 30% unemployment, or higher ?

[LeavinMI709]

Originally Posted by mike231

I wonder if the projected 15.3% unemployment rate is an optimistic or pessimistic forecast. I can still remember some economists saying that the recession is all in our head.
This is supposed to be my busy time of the year (residential construction) and it is scary slow, with little work to be found...Self-employed since 1988 and Michigan's economy has slowly drained me of everything that I have worked for....I'm Blown away with Granholm's success.
With all the job loss up here in Northern Michigan, factory work in particular - the big three could disappear and currently make no difference in my life - time for Michigan to diversify and if the big three make a comeback - then let it be a bonus to our economy, not the backbone....

When will Michigan's economy hit bottom ?
2011, 2012 ?????
How many people will need to leave the state, where does the balance fall?
Will some of our counties hit 30% unemployment, or higher ?

When will Michigan' economy hit bottom? I have heard projections on the news saying that it could be 10 to 15 years before Michigan recovers. So when ever the bottom hits, the recovery will be a long time coming.

For a lot of people the last 5 or 6 years have been a boom. But, if you had to start over in the last 5 or 6 years for what ever reason, you would have found it almost impossible to get a foot hold. That is what I found. I thought I was the only one having trouble, until recently, when it was OK to talk about how hard it has been. The recession didn't just start last fall, it has been brewing just under the surface (it least in Michigan) for years.

And yes, I am leaving Michigan this summer. It has nothing to do with bailing out on a suffering state. It has everything to do with not wanting to be a dependent to my children in the next 20 years. There is only so much time some of us have to start over. At 50, its gotta be now or never.

Believe me this is not what I wanted to be doing at this point of my life, Leaving children and grandchildren.... But if things keep going the way they are now, they may be following me one day soon.

[zthatzmanz28]

Originally Posted by LeavinMI709

And yes, I am leaving Michigan this summer. It has nothing to do with bailing out on a suffering state. It has everything to do with not wanting to be a dependent to my children in the next 20 years. There is only so much time some of us have to start over. At 50, its gotta be now or never.

Believe me this is not what I wanted to be doing at this point of my life, Leaving children and grandchildren.... But if things keep going the way they are now, they may be following me one day soon.

Tough choices..

Cardboard box or rescue mission?

Fresh food or dumpster diving?

Walking everywhere (don't worry--no job interview for awhile) or SMART?
(but not Livonia huh...)

In the next ten years I might have been able to get back to where I am today.

Wait, there is nothing left so I guess I am already there?

déjà vu....


Leaving family is always tough.

But traveling is much easier and quicker now than 20 years ago...

[xlabel]

I was going to ride out the great summer/fall weather here and go back to FL but much to my suprise on another trade-specific message forum I discover a couple posters from MI who say they are busy and doing well right now.

It certainly appears the big pie is on the table, so it's time to get my fork out.

[allistercrowly]

Still one can not argue with the facts, and the facts are that 6 out of the 19 worst counties for unemployment are in northern Michigan. And they are over 20% and are the top of the 19 not the bottom. The state is doing bad. Yep so are many other states, but many are doing much better. There are parts of the Midwest with 5 and 6% unemployment. With GM on the verge of filing for bankruptcy it will only compound Michigan’s troubles. I just saw a home in north Michigan that would have sold for 175 thousand 4 years ago sell for 18 thousand. The home was previously owned by my Uncle who lost it. It was not beat up or did not need thousands of dollars to fix it up. At that price you could not buy the lumber to rough it in with out windows. I am still watching homes being foreclosed on at levels I have never seen and one has to go back to the GD to find levels similar. I have watched at every stage of this plummet as people have said "things are not that bad" or " we have turned a corner and things are nicely coming back" or "People are still doing well" all the time the state has plummeted down a dark shaft and has not seen anything that suggests that it is about to turn. I saw that a city in the north area of Michigan was busier than normal and some people were saying "maybe things are turning" I talked to many of these people that were driving around and what I though was true. Many of the 15 plants that Chrysler laid off people from are now drawing unemployment and people do not want to sit around the house worrying when they will loose it. So they go up north to cabins and family homes to throw a line in the water to take their minds off of worrying about jobs and bills. To think such things are a turn around is like saying cancer has fixed your weight problem.

[zthatzmanz28]

Originally Posted by allistercrowly

To think such things are a turn around is like saying cancer has fixed your weight problem.

But it is quicker than Jenny Craig..right?

[malamute]

Originally Posted by LeavinMI709

When will Michigan' economy hit bottom? I have heard projections on the news saying that it could be 10 to 15 years before Michigan recovers. So when ever the bottom hits, the recovery will be a long time coming.

For a lot of people the last 5 or 6 years have been a boom. But, if you had to start over in the last 5 or 6 years for what ever reason, you would have found it almost impossible to get a foot hold. That is what I found. I thought I was the only one having trouble, until recently, when it was OK to talk about how hard it has been. The recession didn't just start last fall, it has been brewing just under the surface (it least in Michigan) for years.

And yes, I am leaving Michigan this summer. It has nothing to do with bailing out on a suffering state. It has everything to do with not wanting to be a dependent to my children in the next 20 years. There is only so much time some of us have to start over. At 50, its gotta be now or never.

Believe me this is not what I wanted to be doing at this point of my life, Leaving children and grandchildren.... But if things keep going the way they are now, they may be following me one day soon.

I don't live in Michigan but I would not sit around collecting unemployment thinking that some job will fall on me just in time before it runs out.

For me working would be the crucial thing. If there were no jobs where I live now, I'd have to relocate to another city or state.

Unemployment is not as bad everywhere. New Orleans has an unemployment rate right now under 5%, Houston's is 6.9%. In places with lower figures, people may be laid off but they can find another job in much less time.

Sitting and doing nothing about your situation isn't going to change anything. Letting a job resume lapse with no job history in years is going to make things worse because there will be others applying with fresh experience.