The Michigan Model

IBD Editorials ^ | April 3, 2009

[WVNan]

Our granddaughters are really special aren’t they? I only have one and she is four going on 40. We share two whole days a week, just the two of us. She was here today and we cleaned the frig. She is a big help reaching the low places. :o)

[MHGinTN]

That would be spelled ‘fridge’ ... and yes, they truly are God’s gift in motion.

[WVNan]

You’re from Tenn. and you spell frig like that? Come on....

[Luigi Vasellini]

Mi 16th best per capita GDP in 1999 bump

[truthguy]

Michigan is a lost cause and everyone who has ever been there knows why. We say that Detroit was once a good city. I don't doubt it. But we all know why it isn't such a good place now and what happened to it since the 1960's.

Yes we all know but we can't say it because of political correctness. Yes most of the posters on FR know the problem and how it came about.

Yes the decline of the auto industry is huge and the UAW is the major reason for this.

But there's much more than the Auto Industry and the UAW. Many good people left Detroit and Michigan for good reasons.

It's often said that a fish rots from the head first. Well there may be truth to that. My boss went to U of Michigan and got 2 Engineering Degrees. He tells me UM is a cesspool of left wing radicals. This has contributed to the decline of the state. Never underestmate the intellectual environment of an area. But again it's now the major reason.

Good luck Michigan you are going to need it. Keep voting for Democrats and things can only get worse.

[cripplecreek]

Republicans deserve plenty of blame for Michigan. Recently My district went from a long held republican seat to far left democrat because the idiots cut my conservative congressman off from party money. They called him a lost cause. He went on to lose by a whopping 2%.

Then there is the whole fantasy about union members some of you folks have adopted. Your devotion to the fantasy is no less convincing than that of the global warming worshippers. Reagan had the sense to know that you didn’t win hearts and minds with childish insults and the “union thugs” became the Reagan democrats.

Back when I was a union member I never voted democrat nor was I ever issued a baseball bat. I’m guessing that other FReepers who are or were union members didn’t either. The corporate leadership is just as much to blame for their problems as the unions. They BOTH sat at the table and signed the same contracts.

Keep ceding states to the democrats then whine because people vote for democrats. Pure genius.

[patton]

No grandkids here - my oldest is 20.

Give it a couple of years...

[RoadTest]

I love one-paragraph histories that are accurate. It saves a lot of reading time! Thank you.

[HP8753]

The worst part is that we’ve actually done something right by giving tax breaks to Hollywood

That is most likely because most people in Hollywood are "Fellow Travelers" to the Communists that control the Democrat party.
And the Commies always try to help fellow Commies. :-(

[MHGinTN]

The spelling you used refers to a physical act, down here in East Tennessee where moonshine can be poured from a jug.

[grellis]

If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.

[70th Division]

Actually we produced Grand Tireno here. Clint Eastwood produced, directed and stared in in. the girl was from Lanisng. Of cours he will never get an Acadamy Award for it because he is a CONSERVATIVE! But is is worthy

[truthguy]

I think you may have some valid points. But one thing you cannot deny is the compensation package the UAW has had for the longest time. The differential between what the UAW worker gets and the workers for the foreign manufacturers is too much to overcome. The foreign manufacturers can add more quality and use higher quality materials, parts, etc and then on top of that charge less. It's that simple.

Don't forget that when the foreign manufacturers initially came over, it was small fuel efficient and inexpensive cars that allowed then to get their foot in the door. Detroit gave up on the small car market because they couldn't turn a profit on a small car. This has to do with cost structure and the major component is Labor costs.

But that's not the major focus of my post. What really is killing Michigan is the intellectual environment of the state. My Michigan friends tell me that the current governor is really a joke and is emblematic of the problems with electing liberal politicians. Carl Levin?

The other problems we can't mention. Just think Detroit and the condition of the city. Who has been in charge of running Detroit for the past 40 years. Who was in charge of Detroit say 60 years ago? That's what we can't mention in so called polite company. Yes we can't mention this even on FR. But most of us know the problem.

[justiceseeker93]

U-M was a "cesspool of radicals" dating back to the days of Tom Hayden in the 60s. Even Bill Ayers and his brother were there at that time.

But now you have a (female) president who refuses to modify the affirmative action admissions policies (as the U. of California did) even though the SCOTUS struck them down as unconstitutional and the voters of the state enacted an initiative banning race-baced preferences by any state institution. She should be called to account for it and have her head handed to her, but the Democrats control the Regents.

[WVNan]

Okay, conceded.

[Beagle8U]

“Here in Jackson we used to have some big players like Goodyear, Clark Equipment, and Lawn boy. Now we have target Walmart, and McDonalds.”

And Kelsey Hayes, Hayes Albion, Wyman Gordon, Walker, Mechanical Products, and many others.

In a town of 50,000, more than 15,000 good paying jobs have left. I think the population of Jackson has dropped to a little over 30,000, with most of those on welfare.

The unions destroyed Jackson!

[longtermmemmory]

The fact they are losing over 100k people a year is telling about the desperation of the Michigan commercials. (For those who don’t know, Michigan has a large ongoing campaign touting the benefits of moving to michigal. not a joke they are serious.)

I think we need to start using the phrase “TOXIC STATES” for states like michigan, california, new york, and washington.

[longtermmemmory]

Michigan is a TOXIC STATE

perhaps they should be FORCED into bankruptcy.

for those who don’t know in 2005 they also reformed Chapter 9 which is bankruptcy for governments in the USA.

force Michigan into Ch 9 and clear out the refuse.

[longtermmemmory]

Michigan has desperately tried everything to revive its once prosperous economy.Everything except what they should have tried...........

Cut Taxes,Cut Spending,Cut Regulation,Cut the Welfare rolls,Quit voting for the Communist/Democrat party.


askin Michigan to let go of their democrats is like telling a crack addict to just quit. They BELIEVE they are birds in a guilded cage. You are asking the unionistas to vote away what they percieve as their safe cage. (see also elephant raised to stay tethered to a thin rope)


Michigan needs a serious infusion of Americanism. Obamanomics are the path to slavery and serfdom.