I'm not exactly sure how destroying the unions would generate higher paying jobs.
Bob, I'm sorry that connection was made. I didn't intend for that. Good question though. However, no answer. After working shipyards for a few years, and growing up in MI, I just plain hate unions. I talk with guys over here at the Groton base all the time that work here as union workers. Even they don't like it. Because the union doesn't do anything for them. It only supports those that should be fired. People such as those that sleep on the job.
I will say that I do appreciate how Lyr and Telp worded their posts. But then, I didn't expect anything less.
However, I'm still failing to see how things improved. We are still in a single state recession, unemployment is at 7.1%, and we were the only state not hit by a hurricane last summer to lose jobs. If she has a plan, she better use it quick, because the big three sure as heck aren't helping. Could it be that the unemployment rate went down because people moved out of state? Possibly, I don't know. Honda would have moved in to build some factories, but they didn't. Why? Because it is too costly to generate wealth in the state. Tax cuts, please give some. Mid-MI is paying taxes up the yin yang. DeVos, of course wasn't campaining any better than her, so maybe it's all in fair slander on each other. And yes, I really would have rather voted for Barney Fife than either of those two.
Michigan was declared by CNN to be the 10th most business friendly state, based on our low taxes for businesses. That should only get better when Granholm kills the Single Business Tax at the end of next year I think, and replaces it with something better, while cutting some state spending.
Granholm has brought in thousands, literally, of new jobs to the state. And you mention Honda, I can't remember which, but either Honda or Toyota is opening a new engine manufacturing plant in mid-south Michigan.
Last year she created a multi million dollar fund, to use both in partnership with university research (to turn research at Michigan state universities into viable products for Michigan businesses), and to bring companies into the state to invest money. Hundreds of new businesses have been created from that fund and others. She's cut taxes for companies to keep them here.
When an Electrolux plant said they were moving to Mexico, she offered them ZERO taxes, just to keep their job in Michigan for the people, and they STILL left, so you can't blame taxes on her, especially not when we're rated so well with business friendly environment. When that Electrolux plant left, she went and got Ovonix, a solar panel maker, to open a plant in the same city to replace those jobs.
You can't fix a state hemhoraging manufacturing jobs overnight. She's changing a CENTURY of dependence on the manufacturing sector, of a heavily industrialized Michigan economy, to a more high tech, versatile, diversified economy, and it's hard, and she's doing her best, and her best is pretty damned good at the moment.
I don't think she gets near enough credit for the intense effort she goes to, to bring jobs here. She can't help that the Big Three are imploding in on themselves. She can't help it when people like Devos send Michigan jobs away to China because of cheap labor, or to Mexico because of NAFTA. Those are decisions made at the national level, where she has no control.
I really hope things get better in the part of Michigan where you call home Stan. I wish to add, that Devos' main tax cutting plan was to cut the SBT, and the equipment tax, which would have killed 4 BILLION dollars from the budget. He had had an as of yet undescribed plan to replace a billion of that, but the rest would have needed to be cut from services, which means lost jobs.
Granholm is also putting thousands of construction workers to work, doing a half decades worth of infrastructure repairs to the state, to make us both more viable to new business and residents, and to give them all jobs.
Things aren't great right now, but we're transforming a century old economy as fast as possible, and it's going to be rough. I only ask you give the woman a chance, give IDEAS a chance, Devos didn't have any, and most exit polls showed that's why he lost so many votes. Granholm is smart, articulate, and I don't think anyone could argue that the woman doesn't love and really care about Michigan. You can hear the passion in her voice when she talks about the state.
PS I don't mean to sound beligerent, and I really hope I don't. I really care about the state of the state myself, and I really believe that she's trying as hard as anyone can. And I know that it's pressing and difficult in many parts of the state, but things are changing, and I feel the need to defend her and her policies. I think it's attractive to say: "Well, things are difficult HERE, she must not be doing anything." And I hope to dispel that mistaken impression.
I hope and pray that in six years, you'll be proud to her have as our governor, and will be proud of Michigan as a place to live. I love this state, and only wish it the best.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
Like I said Lyr, I like how you word your posts. I respect that. I'm not going to argue about this and that's. Although it looks like we just about did.
Alright, I've been standing guard duty most of the day, and I'm pretty tired. Time for sleepy sleepy. Posts: 2208 | Registered: Feb 2004
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I definitely consider the Houston/Galveston area to be the south. Mostly because such a large number of the population are from other parts of the south. Heck, Galveston is pretty much New Orleans junior.
Also, if it weren't for Houston, most of the US wouldn't know what the Dirty South/Third Coast is. Yes, Houston is the south, the dirty, dirty south.
And our location is fine, thank you very much Pel. Sinking into the mud is fun! And if you were are real Texan you wouldn't mind so much. Besides, there is a point of pride in such a large city being founded on the principle of "well, the reasons not to build here aren't too terribly glaring, and heck, at least we're not under water!"
And to whomever compared Houston to an unfortunate afterlife can have the rest of it. Houston roundly kicks Austin, San Antonio and Dallas' collective rears on a day to day basis.
Hmm, this is getting to sound defensive. Maybe I should take a breather... Posts: 2596 | Registered: Jan 2006
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I hate Austin, FYI. I've never been to Houston. It's still not the South.
And whenever anyone says "dirty south" I think, "dirty souf, dirtay dirtay...can y'all really feel me..." Then I start singing that Aliyaah song in my head.
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I've never lived in Austin myself. My brother lived there for a while and says he likes it better than Houston (where we both initially lived and where he is now once again). I've lived in Houston and Dallas. To me, they're about the same except I think Dallas traffic is a little bit more difficult/aggressive. No glaring problems in either case, although maybe this is because I'm always in the smaller suburbs just north of the big city. *shrugs*
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
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((Lyr)), it wasn't you, so mauch as it was me too. I try to keep most of my posts quite simple and to the point. I don't like to get all complicatedly deep. So, mine have a tendancy to not be read out as I may have intended them.
Posts: 2208 | Registered: Feb 2004
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