[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by michmoldman

Soon we will have a new governer, and there is no way possible they could be worse than what we have now.

I hate to sounds so superstitious, but you should never, never, never say something like that.

[cobolt]

I'm really pulling for Michigan. I'm not a resident but I've been to the state on several vacations in my childhood. It's just been such a long, hard, road for MI and I think the big 3 have had their hayday and have contributed alot to Detroit's economic fall. There are all sorts of factors at play, but hopefully better days ahead.

[ocean2026]

Wall street journal has a front page section B article today about the south gaining from Detroit's losses this is projected to continue.

[cobolt]

Well businesses will move to business-friendly states.

[and the]

This thread reminded me of the old commercial for a local appliance store. Was it Ollie Fretter or Highland Appliance? There was a lifeguard on the beach on the 4th of July, the big sale day at the store. The beach and parking lot was deserted and he was there early in the morning and putting on sunblock saying "Any minute now, that lot's gonna be full!" Then they went into the pitch for the store sale and then showed him on the beach in a rowboat, rowing away on the beach while the sun was going down saying "...yep, any minute now, aaaaaaanyyyy minute now..." Naturally implying that no one was there because they were all at the phenomenal sale....

[Ivorytickler]

Originally Posted by topshop

What are you going to do to prepare?

While the longevity of such a boom is questionable, it's a slam dunk that Washington will be sending billions to Michigan via the car makers very soon.

Whether you agree with it or not, that's lots of money to spread around!

How about some ideas to take advantage of it?

I hope Washington has more sense than that. Throwing money at the auto makers willl not fix what ails them. It will only posphone the inevetable and make things worse because the money will simply be used to keep their poor policies and contracts in place.

The auto makers need to go into bankruptcy and reorganize. They need the power to negotiate new contracts. Throwing money at them will not fix the real issues. It just puts a bandaid on a festering sore without even cleaning it.

It's a waste of tax payer dollars to throw money at the big 3. They need to reorganize and get policies in place that will work long term not short term bail outs.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by topshop

What are you going to do to prepare?

While the longevity of such a boom is questionable, it's a slam dunk that Washington will be sending billions to Michigan via the car makers very soon.

Whether you agree with it or not, that's lots of money to spread around!

How about some ideas to take advantage of it?

The problem is -- that's all billions of dollars that don't really exist. It would be "future" taxes on "future" wealth. Very much like what got us into all this mess in the first place.

A massive bailout would allow Detroit to keep on with the status quo and at this point someone much more radical like a Chapter 11 reorganization would be more helpful.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

Busts are ALWAYS followed by booms. It's called the Kondratiev Cycle. But the bailout money is only going to the Big Three if it is coming at all. And if it goes to therm, you can bet it's not trickling down to us. Ask Jimmy Carter how well that works!

What I hope is going to happen is that we are going to be able to scrub this ludicrous business tax Granholm imposed in an apparent attempt to polish off small business in our state, and get lots of new outfits in here setting up new manufacturing in old shops that have been standing empty -- building and installing wind turbines, packaging food, making munitions for the wars we're stuck in for the moment.

Maybe eventually but look how long it took for the nation to get out of the Great Depression. It started in 1929 and wasn't over until sometime in the 1940's.

[topshop]

Originally Posted by Ivorytickler

I hope Washington has more sense than that. Throwing money at the auto makers willl not fix what ails them. It will only posphone the inevetable and make things worse because the money will simply be used to keep their poor policies and contracts in place.

The auto makers need to go into bankruptcy and reorganize. They need the power to negotiate new contracts. Throwing money at them will not fix the real issues. It just puts a bandaid on a festering sore without even cleaning it.

It's a waste of tax payer dollars to throw money at the big 3. They need to reorganize and get policies in place that will work long term not short term bail outs.

Excellent points...can't say I disagree.

However, all I am saying is that there is no way remotely possible that the Dems are not going to save the unions via massive loans to the Big3...I'm guessing maybe $100B by the time they are done.

A LOT of that money is coming to Michigan. If they are bound and determined to blow $100B, it might as well be in our state! I'm just looking at the odds and the reality.

That kind of money spells boom! Set aside everything else and take a purely logical look at the playing field...kinda like Spock would do

I see the biggest infusion of cash into any state (ya, I know it's a loan...sure, they are going to pay it back...uh uh) in the history of the US. We need to plan how to make the most of it before it arrives. I can use some

[magellan]

Originally Posted by GlassPipe

9.3???? Holy smokes. We're right in line with the post communist eastern european countries that are still shrugging off the old ways.

Actually, many of those countries are the recipients of new manufacturing facilities from places like Ireland and Spain due to their low costs of labor and lax (non-existent) regulations. Of course, give those companies five years and they'll pull out of those countries and head to Cambodia.