[malamute]

Originally Posted by jmlowman

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.

California I think is in for far worse problems as it's population is growing very fast but there are no jobs. It has higher unemployment than Michigan, a large number of impoverished foreign citizens moving in who have extremely high reproductive rates and many taxpayers and working people are leaving.

Michigan may be bad but if there are no jobs, it's better for the population to shrink.

[todd00]

consolidation of government is a good idea, perhaps to the county level. but the small fish in the big ponds wont be so quick to give up their positions or want to fight to keep their jobs in government. waste is everywhere in government. frugile spending is what the government layers have forgotten. their answer has always been to raise taxes. more and more this country is becoming one of rich and poor. i cant see that trend reversing.

what will happen to the u.p. and how will it change? those that can still make a living and like it will stay, the others will be forced to bail out. i can see it drying up some small townships completely, which i think is very sad.

i dont live up there now, but i had wanted to move there, because of the beauty of the area. but since i get a va disability pension at least i wont have to be trying to find work. ive looked on realtor.com, and ive seen some places that have been for sale more than a yr, with little price reduction. so some are patience to sell or as you say maybe its a second home they are hoping to sell. maybe there are some other places i should be looking besides the realtor.com website.

while other places like texas might look better job wise, im sure there are many working underemployed there. thats seems to be something thats happened all over in the last few yrs. i think they will continue to feel the squeeze. its a complicated problem and one that has been building for along time. i agree with pple comments regarding over building too. scary times we live in. best wishes to all of you.

[scarabchuck]

It's crazy... I know more unemployed people right now than ones that are working. Good times here in MI....

[xlabel]

It's difficult to put a barometer on it in the Van Buren County area. Paw Paw had a new bar and and an ice cream shop open and further down Red Arrow hwy new strip stores are being built. Ground was broke on a new subdivision in Mattawan.

A local food packer announced it will hire 200 more in the very near future. I do know some people out of work and there are still plenty of homes for sale in this area, but all in all Kalamazoo and it's suburbs seem to be holding thier own, some of the lowest unemployment figures in the state last release.

[delstele]

Ya all blown away yet? Leadership is what Michigan needs.. Hell for that matter so dose the whole country I see a good talker but not a leader..

[magellan]

Originally Posted by xlabel

It's difficult to put a barometer on it in the Van Buren County area. Paw Paw had a new bar and and an ice cream shop open and further down Red Arrow hwy new strip stores are being built. Ground was broke on a new subdivision in Mattawan.

A local food packer announced it will hire 200 more in the very near future. I do know some people out of work and there are still plenty of homes for sale in this area, but all in all Kalamazoo and it's suburbs seem to be holding thier own, some of the lowest unemployment figures in the state last release.

Food production companies seem to be going gang-busters around Grand Rapids. Especially snack foods (people eat more when they're depressed I guess). The downside is they only pay $10 - $11/hour for production workers, but that's better than minimum wage (and probably better than fighting with the unemployment system). Just this past couple of weeks, a massive dairy operation is taking over an old Delphi plant in Coopersville, and Cheeze Kurls is taking over an old Lear plant, doubling its size. Roskam Baking Company I think now has over 1100 employees, and is putting on an $18 Million expansion right now. Kelloggs' facilities in Grand Rapids appear to be expanding (they're always hiring it seems).

And the sun came up this morning.

[xlabel]

Originally Posted by magellan

Food production companies seem to be going gang-busters around Grand Rapids. Especially snack foods (people eat more when they're depressed I guess). The downside is they only pay $10 - $11/hour for production workers, but that's better than minimum wage (and probably better than fighting with the unemployment system). Just this past couple of weeks, a massive dairy operation is taking over an old Delphi plant in Coopersville, and Cheeze Kurls is taking over an old Lear plant, doubling its size. Roskam Baking Company I think now has over 1100 employees, and is putting on an $18 Million expansion right now. Kelloggs' facilities in Grand Rapids appear to be expanding (they're always hiring it seems).

And the sun came up this morning.

Yes food production is huge in GR. A lot of Roskam's products end up on Wal-Mart shelves, they have that going for them. I worked at Elan Nutrition back in 2001 and they are one of the major suppliers of nutrition bars in the U.S.

[todd00]

Originally Posted by delstele

Ya all blown away yet? Leadership is what Michigan needs.. Hell for that matter so dose the whole country I see a good talker but not a leader..

politicians are all good talkers, on both sides of the fence. but what do most know about real hard times, no jobs, disability, etc, id venture very little. for many, politics is something the bored rich business pple get into, seeking power over the pple, and bloating still further their already enormous egos.

but the problem goes far beyond a good leader. the 2 parties seldom agree and waste time on the clock bickering and in the end nothing much gets done. how can anyone convince a potential employer to invest in an area, when materials and labor in china are so much cheaper. raise the old stars and stripes and do the patriot song and dance? the bottom line is all they think about, and lining their own pockets with as much as possible, of course. this problem didnt just start, you cant expect any leader, in dc or state level to wave a magic wand and make it all better in a blink of an eye.

10-12 bucks an hour, well it makes me think of what the service connected vets get for pensions in this country. for instance, rated at 70 percent disabled that would equate to about 1200 a month. not alot in todays world is it? and if you are able to work at all, if you make over a certain amount they will reduce what you get. just another sector of the population that continues to struggle, i am one of that group.

i keep thinking we are pushing toward a time when there will be only the rich, the struggling working poor, and those on medicaid. quality jobs, career opportunities seem to be what is vanishing. best wishes to us all.

[krock1dk]

Originally Posted by todd00

politicians are all good talkers, on both sides of the fence. but what do most know about real hard times, no jobs, disability, etc, id venture very little. for many, politics is something the bored rich business pple get into, seeking power over the pple, and bloating still further their already enormous egos.

but the problem goes far beyond a good leader. the 2 parties seldom agree and waste time on the clock bickering and in the end nothing much gets done. how can anyone convince a potential employer to invest in an area, when materials and labor in china are so much cheaper. raise the old stars and stripes and do the patriot song and dance? the bottom line is all they think about, and lining their own pockets with as much as possible, of course. this problem didnt just start, you cant expect any leader, in dc or state level to wave a magic wand and make it all better in a blink of an eye.

10-12 bucks an hour, well it makes me think of what the service connected vets get for pensions in this country. for instance, rated at 70 percent disabled that would equate to about 1200 a month. not alot in todays world is it? and if you are able to work at all, if you make over a certain amount they will reduce what you get. just another sector of the population that continues to struggle, i am one of that group.

i keep thinking we are pushing toward a time when there will be only the rich, the struggling working poor, and those on medicaid. quality jobs, career opportunities seem to be what is vanishing. best wishes to us all.

'yer preaching to the choir on this one. Most politicians were born with a silver spoon in their mouth and have never experienced the real world like the rest of us. They have body guards to protect them and know next to nothing about having to make and live on a budget, making $12 an hour or minimum wage, having to work your butt off to earn your home, and then getting it foreclosed. Politicians are almost all out-of-touch. Period. THEY DONT CARE ABOUT US AND NEVER WILL. They double-talk and only tell you what you want to hear to please everyone and get votes. They dont know how to nor care about solving any issues. And the quicker people realize it, the better. Remember, politicians are only in their position for the money and not because they are competent or have any real jobs skills to make it in the real world.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by Peter B

Things are pretty bleak up here but if you get yourself training in something to do with healthcare, you'd be all set and live well up here.

That was the road I took. Moved up here in 2007 and have lived very well for the past 2 years. It's been paradise.

That said, I'm now finding out that no one - and no industry - is immune to Michigan's rotting economic corpse. We had already voluntarily cut our hours at my job (x-ray tech)from 80 per period to 72 a couple years ago (so that we could go to 12 hour shifts), and now the powers that be are cutting them even more. We're getting sent home any time it isn't flat out busy, and rumors of impending layoffs are rampant, even though the managment has tried their best to downplay them.

They're trying to say our numbers are down, and that the hospital is losing money. If that's true, then we must have the same people that are running GM managing our business, because a hospital ANYWHERE should be a gold mine.....especially the radiology department, which is a giant money maker.

We also have a takeover from a company based in Grand Rapids about to go through. Wondering how much this all has to do with that.....

Regardless, I will do everything I can to stay in Michigan, even if I have to leave this job. I've already had to leave Mich. once when I was young, and it took me 27 years to get back. No matter what our problems may be, I still love living here more than anywhere. I feel like I belong here, and I can't bear the thought of leaving again. I guess we'll see.....