North Carolina or Bust! (Ann Arbor, Charlotte: houses, rent, vacation)

[Cato the Elder]

Originally Posted by jst333

Ya, LOL!, REAL Laughable! just remember, these are REAL PEOPLE, with REAL concerns!! And also keep in mind, almost of them, were born and raised here, and wish they did'nt have to leave!! LOL, LOL!!

Break it down, for US, CATO!

Wow, these are REAL people and they have REAL problems?! Now I want to leave MI also and go to some place like North Carolina where there must be no problems at all. Gumdrops for everyone!

[kathys]

What is with all this negativity about moving? We would'nt be here in Michigan if someone in our family had'nt moved. Migration is a normal part of human existance. It is the history of the human race. I don't think anyone would leave if they did'nt feel it absolutely neccasary. People are expressing their feelings on these forums and trying to get support and encouragement and help and they get knocked by the ones who want to stay. THye say we should'nt discuss this to death on these forums. If it is a leaving Michigan post why would the ones who want to stay read it? Those are my thoughts and if I will be knocked for expressing it, so be it. By the way, I would leave in a minute if i could afford it. I am stuck here for the present. Oh and I won't knock anyone because they can't spell. Not everyone judges people on their shortcomings. It would be nice if everyone could go to college and get an education, and get all these high tech jobs that are there. Just because you don't have the education, you get run down. How does anyone know other peoples circumstances anyway. I resent it when it is infered some people are lazy and unmotivated, and want things handed to them. As far as unions go. They had their time and place, and that is what built this country. Why is it accceptable for the companies and corporations to want to be the only ones to make money, and they made billions. What is wrong with the employee to want that. I think a lot of people don't remember how it was before there were unions and how the companies worked you to death for nothing. People died and fought for their rights to just get a decent wage and working conditions. Now all of that is collapsing and is that because the workers were overpaid and lazy. Tell that to one of them.I am sure they would appreciate. it. I don't claim to know everything, this is just my opinion from observations and from what I have read, and people I have known. I have lived in this state for 44 years, and know people in all walks of life, some d oing great, some not. In my travels dwon south, i have met a lot of people from Michigan, and they were happy they moved. I am sure there are others that are not. Like I said people move all the time, what is really the big deal.If you feel like you would be doing better in another state what is wrong with leaving. That is how the whole area of the western United States was settled and built. People are always move on, it is an ongoing part of progress. If you want to stick it out and wait for change go ahead.Be apart of the change if you want. Go ahead and start knocking me now, and tearing down what I said. I will not reply to your knocks. Thank you.

[Cato the Elder]

No one is knocking leaving per se, it's the leaving AND the need to fire salvos on the way out about how "everything sucks in MI," "no jobs exist," "and only the stupid stay." If you need to leave to make ends meet or if there are better opportunities elsewhere, good for you! Take it and run! But to say those who stay are lying or delusional is ridiculous. Places like Grand Rapids are doing well and there's no one eating dog food and blowing up shi^ like Mad Max out here in metro Detroit either. People aren't burning money and buying Hummers for every family member, but many have good, stable jobs totally unrelated to the auto industry and are doing great! How many people have to come here and say it before they stop getting attacked as delusional? I, along with others doing well, feel terrible for those losing jobs and leaving the state. How come so few can reciprocate and feel better for others no matter their circumstances? I guess misery loves company. That's basically the state of this forum at this point!

Michigan needs to change and is changing. That's a good thing! Some leave while others are staying or arriving. Many in the latter category are working hard trying to change things. Yet they don't post for fear of the hate-mongering doom-and-gloomers. As a result, you get this very uneven picture of MI where it seems like 90% are unemployed and leaving the state by the millions. Yet the facts show that over 90% are employed and the population is still higher than 2000.

Now who's the one attacking whom? Hmm?

[jst333]

Originally Posted by Cato the Elder

Wow, these are REAL people and they have REAL problems?! Now I want to leave MI also and go to some place like North Carolina where there must be no problems at all. Gumdrops for everyone!

Nice, Your compassion for humanity, let alone your neighbor's and fellow michigan residents is very compelling! Are you sure, you work with Habitat for Humanity?? Some people would rather have Gum Drop's than the COOL AID that's being passed around here.

[Cato the Elder]

I have compassion for people who have initiative, look in the mirror, and try to better their lives. Unfortunately, I see mainly whiners, accusers, and entitled tantrum-throwers among the doom-and-gloomers.

Unlike some, I don't exaggerate about myself or their circumstances around them, no matter how positive or negative. What have you done for MI other than get on a high horse b/c you can't stand the hard truth like some others?

[wanderer74]

I don't know where people can get hired at Home Depot or Walmart, but up here in the Saginaw/Bay City/Midland area, there's competition even for those jobs. I have been applying for retail jobs for the past year and haven't even gotten called for an interview. I will have my bachelor's degree in August and I have five years of experience as a writer and editor. I can't get hired anywhere. My husband just went through a year-long process trying to get hired in production at Dow Corning - he passed their assessment test with excellent scores, but didn't get the job because in the meantime he's been pursuing a degree in accounting and they figured he would only take the production job to get a foot in the door with the company. They told him to come back and apply for accounting jobs once he gets the degree. Seriously, it's hard to get anything up here! Look up the job listings for Saginaw/Flint (Flint is 40 miles away but for some reason they put them as one combined market on monster.com and careerbuilder.com) - I did a search on monster.com earlier today for all jobs posted in the past 7 days and there were 2 pages. That's it. There are thousands of people out of work in this area - how is 2 pages of jobs going to provide enough jobs for all those people? We're not all lazy, undereducated, or too negative to work. I've tried really hard to have a positive attitude, but when you've applied for jobs every week for over a year and don't even get called for interviews, it gets REALLY discouraging!

[LiptonGuy]

A friend of mine, was telling me about a story he read recently in a MICHIGAN newspaper.

The paper noted that a new Menards home improvement store was opening. It also mentioned that over 3,000 people applied for jobs. And how much can those jobs even pay ? $8 to $10 an hour ?

[NCarolinaNewB]

Originally Posted by LiptonGuy

A friend of mine, was telling me about a story he read recently in a MICHIGAN newspaper.

The paper noted that a new Menards home improvement store was opening. It also mentioned that over 3,000 people applied for jobs. And how much can those jobs even pay ? $8 to $10 an hour ?

Yes, those jobs only pay nominal wages. That is why we are trying to move to NC to make a better life for our family. I've found that many people are "slamming" people for leaving. It is not my first choice. We "stuck" with MI for the past 3 years while I finished my college education, hoping that all would be well, however we've found that it is just not working for us.

I opened this forum for suggestions about moving to NC, positive ones I was hoping, however I've found that some people have found it a place to argue and wallow in their misery.

While I don't want to leave my extended family I don't have many other choices. We have to pay the mortgage, insurance and for our automobiles. YES, I want better for my children. If we have to leave Michigan to have that then that is what we will do. Our extended family can travel as can we during the summer and holiday season. I am sure that our phone bills will increase, however that is worth it to me.

For those of you who are open to giving me suggestions or positive experiences, I would appreciate it. If you know someone who has moved to NC please let me know about their experiences. I try to learn from others examples.

[jeffncandace]

Ah, Cato, buddy, been (mostly) alone to defend Michigan over the weekend!

First of all, let's all step back and take a breather.

Second of all, no one is saying that Michigan is doing fabulous, or that things aren't tough, or that things will probably get tougher before they get better. But to read some posts on here, it's as if the flippin' sky is falling. It's not. Things are bad and according to the article I read in the paper the other day, will get worse. But please remember that some areas are doing worse than others, so it doesn't make sense to lump all areas of the state together. Where I live (Royal Oak) it's very vibrant and doing pretty well considering the state of the general economy in Michigan.

Please remember to keep your posts respectful. If things aren't going well for you, it's understood that you would be upset about that. But don't assume that your story reflects everyone elses', and don't get mad when someone contradicts your posts that state we are all on a sinking ship. You can state that IN YOUR OPINION things are not going to look up soon, but that is just that--YOUR OPINION. It is not a fact, as you can't see the future. It is someone else's OPINION that things will improve.

[SpartanInNC]

My husband and I moved to Raleigh for my husband's job. We didn't move because we had to or we would have ended up in the poor house but rather because it was simply a good opportunity for my husband and the office happened to be located in Raleigh, NC. The gamble paid off and we're doing fine. It's a nice area and we've made a lot of friends. We've since had a child and I do think about my family being in Michigan and not seeing my child everyday but you do things to compensate and hope it works out - we call virtually every day, got a web cam, and got a NWA credit card on which we put every single thing we buy - things like that. We fly up there at least three or four times a year and they come down several times as well. My folks are coming down tomorrow for the third time since January. The strange thing is I feel closer to my family now, particularly my mom, than when I actually lived in Michigan! We definately want to move back to Michigan someday perhaps when we're closer to retirement age. We're considering some property up there right now.