What's REALLY wrong with Michigan (Grand Rapids, Holland: travel, jobs, health)

[Wabbit]

Well done, my friend, well done.
Happy point for you!

[Frankawitz]

It's nice to see pictures of Michigan, I have lived here my whole life and have been all over our state, I live in Macomb county just west of lake St Clair as I like to call it the septic tank since you can't swim in it any more, In St Clair Shores people are finding out that the canals are full of PCB's and the Goverment is taking their sweet time in cleaning it up, Hey what's new. Michigan's political parties and the unions have ruined this state, Hey the landscapes may be nice but that don't get us any new companies to come here and set up shop so people have jobs. If the Governor had a real plan we would all be working, But then again she did say in her fifth year we would get "Blown Away" and yeah I think she meant it literally with unemployment hitting 7.8% we may all be out of here and that doesn't take into account all the small businesses taking a hit. The thing is when the Governor had those town hall meetings and she asked people what they would do if they were in her shoes, No one came up with anything other then we need more schools and higher education, I would have told her she needs to get the auto industry to come up with a carburator design that could be mounted on every car and truck in this state that would burn E85 fuel, then go to the oil and gas industry and tell them they need to build refinerys and then go to the farmers and tell them that we will buy 50% of their corp to turn into E85 fuel, maybe we could get some jobs from that Ya think?, but I'm sure the EPA would come in and say well folks you need to regulate this and do a study. Boy it seems we are really go at studies, You would think that all the people who attend our universities could come up with a plan, But they don't and the Governor wants people to get retrained in what, Taking care of the retired Baby Boomers? I don't see much coming to our aid that is why so many are lossing their Homes and businesses, I have been here in business for 22 years now and the last 3 years have been the worst I have seen other then when Blanchard was Governor. remember "Last one out of Michigan turn out the lights!"

[JenM]

I think beauty is everywhere, from the rolling hills of Michigan to the great Detroit architecture. What is beauty? It stems from somewhere deep inside of us and brings forth passion and humanity. From the busy, crowded cities, to the vast greenery of the north, Michigan has alot to offer! Beauty comes from within; if you see ugliness, look inside your self. Maybe it's you, not your surroundings that seem ugly!

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Wabbit

Well done, my friend, well done.
Happy point for you!

Nice! Here are a few more from the Grand Rapids flickr group:













































And one of my favorites:



So Grand Rapids is not doing too badly, yet is subject to the wrath of Jenny G and the yokle Repubs in Lansing. Wonder what its secret is?


Oh, I forgot this one I took near Torch Lake last year, in Antrim County:



Grand Rapids flickr group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/grandrapidsmi/pool/

[wallstreet1986]

Wow very pretty.


Well the state schools are very expensive like Michigan State or U Michigan. They clearly aren't getting enough funding from the state and people that go to UMichigan often go on to work in Chicago or get recruited out of the state.

The unions have strong hold in the state and intimidating for businesses to set up shop. Does Michigan produce corn? I like the ethanol idea.

Yeah Detroit needs to start producing stuff people want/need - like the Toyota Scion xA gas saving Frenchie kind of car. Gas prices have nowhere to go but up in the future. SUVS and pickups will sell anywhere I guess but to be honest with the exception of the Cadillac Escalade - i dont really like Ford or GM's SUVS anymore. SUVS with gas prices are more of a luxury commodity now and are best off sold by Lexus or Mercedes.

A Governor heads a state because he or she has vision. Input is always good but it sounds like this one really lacks the vision and puts things on the backburner with studies etc. Michigan needs immediacy.

[AussieMale]

some nice pic's of the countryside

[magellan]

Originally Posted by AussieMale

some nice pic's of the countryside

Thanks, but a lot of them aren't mine.

This is the whole crux of the situation. Michigan needs to invest in what makes Michigan different than any other place, its natural resources and its historic downtowns and neighborhoods. Strip malls and office buildings in Farmington Hills look no different from Cary, NC or Dunwoody, GA. We wonder why the budget is so out of whack, and yet we continue to subsidize and support spreading our cities out into the far hinterlands (Michigan has some of the worst sprawl in the country), which stresses our roads and infrastructure to the point that we can't afford to maintain them anymore, and chews up the beautiful countryside. And yet we neglect our urban areas where water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, roads, curbs, electricity and a "neighborhood structure" are all in place and just waiting to be hooked up to, and a whole lot closer to their "source" and a whole lot closer to "activity and employment centers"

And yet we have people like L. Brooks Patterson with a loud megaphone saying there's nothing wrong with it, yet now he's crying because Oakland County is not growing as fast as it used to, and people are opting for Macomb and Livingston Counties. And yet those counties will become less desirable as they become filled up. Live by the sword, die by the sword. The fresh new suburb of today becomes the red-headed stepchild in a decade.

[summers19]

Wow. Beautiful pictures. One of them looks like The Boardwalk Condos that my friend just moved into last month.
Now I REALLY need to find a job in GR! I've applied to several places but with no luck. My resume is a little dusty b/c I've been a 'stay at home' parent for five years.
I visited GR two weeks ago and found it an energetic city with a lot on the table. They've built a state of the art YMCA downtown that is amazing. The Frederick Meijer Gardens is a gem and very family friendly. And the arts scene was hopping as well. And they are wanting to integrate a light rail system into the downtown infrastructure. GR has a lot going for it. Can it save MI in the long run? Can it be the 'dream' city that other cities and leaders look to for inspiration, advice, and ideas? It sure seems that GR is strongly headed in the right direction.

[Sociologist]

Originally Posted by magellan

Thanks, but a lot of them aren't mine.

This is the whole crux of the situation. Michigan needs to invest in what makes Michigan different than any other place, its natural resources and its historic downtowns and neighborhoods. Strip malls and office buildings in Farmington Hills look no different from Cary, NC or Dunwoody, GA. We wonder why the budget is so out of whack, and yet we continue to subsidize and support spreading our cities out into the far hinterlands (Michigan has some of the worst sprawl in the country), which stresses our roads and infrastructure to the point that we can't afford to maintain them anymore, and chews up the beautiful countryside. And yet we neglect our urban areas where water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, roads, curbs, electricity and a "neighborhood structure" are all in place and just waiting to be hooked up to, and a whole lot closer to their "source" and a whole lot closer to "activity and employment centers"

And yet we have people like L. Brooks Patterson with a loud megaphone saying there's nothing wrong with it, yet now he's crying because Oakland County is not growing as fast as it used to, and people are opting for Macomb and Livingston Counties. And yet those counties will become less desirable as they become filled up. Live by the sword, die by the sword. The fresh new suburb of today becomes the red-headed stepchild in a decade.

Well the only photo that grabbed my attention was founders! No, they are all excellent, if only economic picture was as virbant. Once a state of people decides its time to turn their backs, leave, and lay roots elsewhere, it then becomes difficult to change the status quo. People ride the tide of economic change in a way that they follow the breaks, and avoid the pitfall. Our cities can all transform into paintings from a Norman Rockwell collection, but still have a dark side that only our government can change. I lived at one point in Farmington Hills, near Motorola's regional office. The lure of Oakland county is indeed subsiding, through sprawl, mismangement, and other things mentioned. The large flight from detroit outward is bringing its crime and racial tenions along with it, hence the movment of once established residents north and east. Only living in F. Hills three years I began to see crime (which in a perfectly manicured subdivision is like seeing a astroid fall) for the first time. The "Grand river express" as people began to call it, was the source. Oakland county for years has been rated in the top 5 counties for wealth in America, but as our corporate offices dwindle, and their executives leave, Oakland county is loosing its rankings fast; old money is going south. Take Northville for example, recently built highschool that rivals most malls, surrounded by 500K homes that are mostly going up for sale now, is something Patterson can whine about more. Your very right when you say michigan needs to invest in different areas, but it looks like that isn't on the ballet untill its too late

[M TYPE X]

Is Northville in Oakland or Wayne? It's not clear from my state of Michigan map collection.

My parents have never cared for the suburbs in Wayne, nor the western burbs in Oakland. Pricey and too close to the city. They took the Livernois route up to Rochester instead.