[Bydand]

It seems the same ones who scream and complain about a new plant coming into an area or an expansion, are the same ones who will cry about how there is no jobs in the next breath. I really dislike the "not in my backyard" crowd.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Bydand

It seems the same ones who scream and complain about a new plant coming into an area or an expansion, are the same ones who will cry about how there is no jobs in the next breath. I really dislike the "not in my backyard" crowd.

I don't think it happens that often, unless it's a big polluter.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by magellan

I think actinic had it right. Michigan needs to find a way to maintain a good quality of life for a smaller population. The auto industry was so massive and so good to Michigan for so long, that it's going to be impossible to replace. But Michigan still has to make itself more business friendly in order to attract every kind of employer it can find. And it might mean Michigan has to consolidate governments, encourage people to live closer to cities (to save on infrastructure costs), and think of different ways to fund the state government. It would probably mean the continued decline (disappearance) of small towns around Michigan, but that's a national trend everywhere.

It would actually make Michigan stronger economically in the long run, because it is not dependent on unsustainable growth patterns. And by focusing on Michigan's strengths, like industrial design, healthcare, education, and automotive technologies, we could actually make Michigan a lot better state for the people who choose to call Michigan home. Less traffic, low cost of living, cleaner air, better mass transit, more greenspace, strong agricultural base, tourism, natural resources, etc..

That sounds like a plan that should be done. The question is "Will the next governor do that?" and "Will people be willing to give up living in very small towns?"

[Driller1]

Today I got a real eye opener. I went to take a water test at our township park. While I was there a lady asked if she could get some water. I talked to her a while. Her husband is out of work. They are living at her uncle's old bee farm. There is no house. Just an old building he kept bee boxes in. No electricity or water. Just a building. It does have a floor. They have two young children.

[jmlowman]

Originally Posted by krock1dk

I heard the news today. My prediction is that they will likely relocate to California, where they can compete with the Japanese; Texas, cuz things are doing better there; New York City; Wilmington, DE, where their creditor is; or the Washington DC area, where the GOV can run them.

California? You must be joking. A recent article I read on Yahoo!News showed that, while Flint was ranked 15th in unemployment, almost every city that was worse off, including the #1, was in California.

We left Michigan in 1968 to go to college, ultimately ending up in California at the now-defunct Norton AFB, and decided to stay.

The cost of living, and doing business, in California is very high. That's not an attribute that GM should be looking for. Plus, we have way too many people here. Virtually every problem relates to overpopulation: traffic, pollution, you name it.

[malamute]

California sounds way worse for a number of reasons. Lots of crime, crowded cities and a large influx of people moving in. Michigan may be bad off but it's more natural, it only makes sense for people to leave when there are no jobs and a dropping population is better than a fast rising one when the economy is on the brink.

[todd00]

Originally Posted by Driller1

Today I got a real eye opener. I went to take a water test at our township park. While I was there a lady asked if she could get some water. I talked to her a while. Her husband is out of work. They are living at her uncle's old bee farm. There is no house. Just an old building he kept bee boxes in. No electricity or water. Just a building. It does have a floor. They have two young children.

thats really sad, cant they get any help?

[WheredoIlive?]

Originally Posted by todd00

thats really sad, cant they get any help?

If they are that poor with two kids, it seems they would qualify for emergency housing.

Tell them to find a mid-sized decent town {avoid worse ghettos} and find shelter.

[bluebird39]

As to the OP

Just as mentioned in another post, Northern MI is full of second homes, bought by people who used to have a lot more money. Now that the economy is so bad, I think a lot of people are selling these houses at huge losses, making those of us who live up here full time in our only house a bit scre*ed. Gosh, I'm sounding more and more like a Michigander.....

Yes, things are getting alarmingly bad up here, and I personally don't see it changing anytime soon. Many industries up here (from what I've heard) are satellite plants for auto part makers. Those jobs are long gone. There are also "luxury industry jobs"... golfing, skiing, water parks, casinos.... gone, gone, gone... About the only jobs left that are worth having are jobs in natural resources, government jobs, medical, and perhaps small business, but those are mostly dependent on summer tourism.

There are quite a few folks selling their "big" house and retiring to their lake-front cabins up here, and that'll probably only increase as the baby boomers retire, but there are only so many lake front cabins to go around, KWIM...

I TOTALLY agree that some of this small government needs to be consolidated ASAP. I've never lived with so many layers of government... township, county, state.... I'm a democrat, but come on, having several layers of township government in a county with only 10,000 people, and a county government on top of that, what the?!?

Oh no.... I'm really sounding like a Michigander now!!!

[jmlowman]

Originally Posted by malamute

California sounds way worse for a number of reasons. Lots of crime, crowded cities and a large influx of people moving in. Michigan may be bad off but it's more natural, it only makes sense for people to leave when there are no jobs and a dropping population is better than a fast rising one when the economy is on the brink.

People may be moving into California but many are moving out, especially for retirement.

I'd love to retire in MI, but we have lived in warm climates for so many years that I doubt that we could acclimate. The plus side would be that our money would go a long way, but with the economy tanking there may be no place to spend it.

Other than the natural beauty, we have few ties to MI. The only relative left there is my father-in-law and his wife and they are elderly. My parents retired to FL in 1975.