[michmoldman]

The one silver lining in all the vacant factories is when the country and state get going again, there will be plenty of spaces for these businesses to move in.
The only bad thing is, we have a terrible Governor. I remember when she said "in five years you will be blown away"...she was not kidding!
Things will take time to change here. Since the auto industry was such a big part of Michigan, of course it has devastated the state.
It will take a while, but eventually these factories will fill up again with different products and Michigan will come back. We need a Governor who will do ALL she/he can to fill these empty businesses.
I hope all you who love this state and need to move away to get a job, will think about returning when things get better.

[Driller1]

Originally Posted by michmoldman

The one silver lining in all the vacant factories is when the country and state get going again, there will be plenty of spaces for these businesses to move in.
The only bad thing is, we have a terrible Governor. I remember when she said "in five years you will be blown away"...she was not kidding!
Things will take time to change here. Since the auto industry was such a big part of Michigan, of course it has devastated the state.
It will take a while, but eventually these factories will fill up again with different products and Michigan will come back. We need a Governor who will do ALL she/he can to fill these empty businesses.
I hope all you who love this state and need to move away to get a job, will think about returning when things get better.

Not that easy!!! The old spaces will have to pass new codes from the DEQ and EPA. With the Democrats in office in DC, this will be a night mare!!! Who would try to open a business under Obama???? Only a fool.

[Coldjensens]

I ahve said it many times before - WATER. High Tech manufacturing needs huge quantities of fresh clean water. I do not know, but I suspect that medical research and manufacturing is also water intensive. People like it too.

Where else is there more clean fresh water than here? Especially with the outstanding infrstructure that we have (outstanding, but aging).

Michigan will be back. Maybe not for 5-10 years, but it will come back.

[TNKY]

You're all on target. Opening a business under Obama, the incentive isn't there anymore. And Granholm? Don't get me to cussin'. MI will rebound, but how far will it go down before then? I, too, am heavily considering moving south where the same company I work for here in West MI I can do much better at financially down there.

[Westbury]

Coldjensens hit the nail on the head. Long-term, Michigan and the other Great Lake states have an ace in the hole. Many southern and western states are already dealing with drought issues that will get worse over time. Eventually, having the fresh water access is going to be a huge benefit for businesses looking to set up or relocate. Unfortunately this won't be a short-term fix so things will be getting worse before getting better.

[Driller1]

Using the water is a good idea, no doubt. Dealing with the DEQ and EPA, better think it over. They make it VERY expensive.

[MoheJohe]

True maybe in 10 years there will be some improvement. However, I am raising a family now. In 10 years it will be a mute point. As an engineering family unless a miracle happens we will have no choice but to leave Michigan to go where the jobs lead. The one bright star is that we will most likely end up down south in a very Republican State.

[michmoldman]

I know Obama may not be business friendly, and thats very scary! But if Mcain kicked the bucket and Palin had become President.....Much scarier!!
Mcain screwed himself with his choice. I would have voted for him if he had better judgement.
If he picked someone so underqualified to be VP, how can he make such important decisions about the country?
If Obama is as smart as they say, I hope he will see how important the small business owner is to this country. If I were in his shoes I would do everything and anything possible to make it easy for small businesses to get off the ground.

[Driller1]

Originally Posted by michmoldman

I know Obama may not be business friendly, and thats very scary! But if Mcain kicked the bucket and Palin had become President.....Much scarier!!
Mcain screwed himself with his choice. I would have voted for him if he had better judgement.
If he picked someone so underqualified to be VP, how can he make such important decisions about the country?
If Obama is as smart as they say, I hope he will see how important the small business owner is to this country. If I were in his shoes I would do everything and anything possible to make it easy for small businesses to get off the ground.

Obama will hurt everyone. Just give it a year. Prices will all go up. Jobs down. My workers were told their heath care will end Jan, 09. They are no longer "employees". They will get 1099's.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Driller1

Using the water is a good idea, no doubt. Dealing with the DEQ and EPA, better think it over. They make it VERY expensive.

So you would prefer a world that was pre-EPA and all of the pollution that went along with it? You are a libertarian minded conservative that really does hate government agencies! It just so happens that we need well qualified people to run agencies like the FDA and EPA because the conservatives want to dismantle all regulations, and appoint "business friendly cronies" to high ranking government positions that are not even qualified.

The safety and health of the public would be in much worse shape without these important agencies. We MUST have well qualified people to run them, however.