[Wabbit]

One reason I only venture back to this forum occasionally is because the perception of Michigan perpetuated by this forum is so distorted and so far removed from my experience, I could spend all day trying to set the record straight.
How disgusting it must be for people who have lived through the great depression and other truly trying times to see what a pampered, self-obsessed, entitlement based, nanny state we've become. I've said it before on this forum and I'll say it again. If you (and your loved ones) are healthy and you're a United States citizen you've already won the lottery compared to 90% of the world. That's about 5 billion people who you wouldn't trade places with for anything in the world. And yet, you still get on this silly board and complain day after day about what a horrible place Michigan is and how you've been 'done wrong' by it. Sure, there are some people here who have been beaten down by life and deserve to be cut some lack. I can tell who they are and I do just that, but there are five or six on this board who want to make Michigan seem ugly out of spite, laziness or worse and you who will get nothing but grief from me. Go on, show your ignorance, I can set my watch by it.

[TNTransplant06]

Here is the reason MI sucks right now.....can you say UNION?? Thanks GM, Delphi.....thanks for running us out......even though we weren't UNION. Here's a clue....if you don't like not getting $18-$30/hr twisting bolts into cars on a high school diploma then go to college and get a degree like the rest of us did to make maybe $20 an hour and are happy with what we have not griping that somebody "owes us more".

[TNTransplant06]

PS....How many of the bitchers and complainers saying MI sucks are union??? Hmmm....I'd venture to guess a high percentage!

[joedekock]

The truth is even though there are complainers about Michigan on these boards, I think you have to look through it.

Here is what I mean:

I only found city-data.com's forums because my wife and I were looking to move to the Orlando Florida area because we both had better job offers down there. After talking with some people on the Orlando boards, they complain about the crime, the race tensions, rude people, and the high turn over of citizens.

Here we are complaining about the economy, the recent state tax hikes and new taxes. How many people do you see that are not talking about Detroit or Flint, belly ache about crime, rude people or race tensions? I have not run across any.

The truth is, if all you do is read these boards on Michigan at this site, things seem to be all "doom and gloom" right now. I have contributed to that myself. But when you look at why people are posting the things they are posting about the economy and tax hikes, you will see that they do it because the love for this state's life style is so precious we cannot let the economy and taxes ruin it. If we keep driving people away from a state that has an overall low crime, great public schools, wonderful recreation, and many attractions, then we will become like Vermont, California or Taxachusettes, (a.k.a Massachusetts). Those are states you have to be rich to live in and enjoy the good lifestyle, and the normal people can only pass through and "look but do not touch".

The only people I hear that have had anything bad to say about Michigan and threaten to move are the one's who in the middle of January say, "I am going to move to south 'cause I am so sick of all this snow cloudiness and cold". But from April through December, nobody ever complains about living anywhere in Michigan, (with the exception of Detroit or Flint). We have been very blessed to have that kind of complaint about this state for many, many decades. But now that it is costing more in taxes to live here, people get worried, and honestly so. Michigan is one of the top taxed states in the union already, and we are creeping up to the likes of the states I mentioned earlier.

Everyone should be able to enjoy what people on this thread have posted about. Not just the rich. But when our politicians choose to raise taxes rather than "cut some of the pork" out of their spending habits and programs, the citizen's like myself who barley made it into this states economy get worried that their children will not be able to.

I am a twenty something young family man. As I said, my wife and I were barely able to buy our house and are barely making it. My wife has not been able to get a teaching job three years after obtaining her degree. I was very blessed to get a job in the field my degree is in, because literally only 4 people that I graduated college with besides myself are living in Michigan working in our field. There are countless stories of young native Michigander professionals getting their college degrees and having to leave the state to find a job in their field. All but one of my friends did, and all of my wife's high school and college friends had to leave. We just worry that if the state does not let go of the hand of the auto industry and not tax the small medium sized business', and citizen's so much... that our children will have to move away from us. My sister is starting college soon, and Michigan is not going to be able to offer her a job with her field of study.

So overall, in your everyday world, Michigan citizen's are not depressed and walking around with a "doom and gloom" attitude. Even the people on these boards that are voicing their dis-pleasure with the state are not walking around depressed and angry. That is not Michigan. Michigan has always been a blue collar state. Everyone in this state works hard. And I am not speaking about just at their job. They work hard as citizen's of Michigan. If a little property tax increase comes our way as they have in recent years, we don't sweat it. If one or two major plants of business close and a few hundred jobs are lost... we pick up our bootstraps and find a way to make it work. If gang violence starts to creep up and become an issue... we as neighbors step in and start "Neighborhood Watches". Now that we have new taxes and higher income taxes... we are going to put our hard hat's on and work a few more hours a week to make up the difference.

That's just who we are, and no one... not even Granholm, the Democrats, Republicans, or tax hikes will bring us or our attitudes down. We will keep working and protecting what is great about this state!

[Snootylooter]

For a "twenty something young family man" you are very wise. Thank you.

[mike jones]

With the exception of Detroit, most people in Michigan are great.
I have had a great life here, (40 yrs) that is until the economy tanked.

Michigan is a great state to raise my kids, but things are to unstable.
I am a realist not a complainer.
Time to go.

[odinloki1]

I miss Michigan with all of my heart and soul. I am stuck in AZ. I will move back to MI at the first opportunity I can get. The people are nicer, the kids are better behaved the housing cost vs. income is more reasonable. The schools are better. Theres actual water and you can grow food there.

I'd rather be on minimum wage in MI than making 40k a year in AZ, the economic situation would be about the same.

[coopercounty]

To say that because those who lived in the great dep. had is worse so we have no right to ***** is false reasoning, Let me explain to the crytical thought challenged.
Yes things were worse during the great dep, but we are on our way and fast. next, those in the camps during ww2 on their way to the showers for a zyclon b bath, I think had it worse yet, so I guess the depression babys should not gripe because someone had it worse? Stupid thinking.
The face remains that michigan is on the forfront of a national ress. that the usa is or seems to be running tward.
Michigan is not doing well, has nothing to turn it around, and I do not even want to address the thought of "we have coast line" well so does somolia, Michigan is not gone yet, but it is also not headed in a good direction, our home values are going down, I do not care who you are your home is not able to sell today for what it sold for 4 years ago. And unless things turn around it will not sell for in 2 years what it can sell for today.
That said, things will turn around, but they may not in some peoples life time, if you are 50 to 60 who is to say you can see a proffit on your purchase of today?
Many here try to practice "if we don't talk about how bad it is then maybe people wont notice and will spend $ and it may help the economy" Wont happen people, people know that things in michigan are bad, and the few buyers of homes know that there is blood in the water, and the offers they are putting out are horrible, I see this first hand every day.
I have people asking for 5k down,500 a month on a 130k home.
buyers are becoming sharks and they are smart enough to know that if some one wants to be stuborn on the price of their home they can walk a block down the street and the next seller will deal.
And it is, I repete this it "IS" getting worse every month. Not better, it is not "we sold more this month than last" it is a stone from a bridge.
Now how is this being neg. when you tell the facts? well it is neg. to thoses who just do not want to deal with the truth.
They will spew "I went to coll. and have a degree. so you are in bad shape becasue of your choices" this is deflection of the real issue.
I do not want to even address this crap as it is that crap.
Show me a real example of how michigan is going to turn around, and dont use the "we are going to educate our way out of this ress." that is bogus.
You can teach all day long and at the end of the day if there is nothing for the tought to do it is for nothing.
health care can not pick michigan out of this situation, it can not replace the auto industry, that like it or not is going to china.
The unions do not care that labor is on its death bed, between Indian and china, we have not got a chance.
Do I see any answers on this problem or problems? No, but I never said I did, but I also see those who say, "people are still standing in line for icecream so things are still good." Have no idea of how the economy works or are deliberatly trying to mislead those who do not.

The thing is for those who can, move to a state that is more stable, and that is getting harder to find, florida is going down also, the carolinas seem to be holding on to their economy for now.
for thoses that are thinking of moving here,DON'T DO IT, unless you are taking a job that you know will be there in 5 years its not worth getting set up in a doa state. Take another job in another state.
For those that can not move and are stuck here, hang on and hope, maybe after the democrats take control of the country in a year things may turn around. Hope springs eternal.

[Cato the Elder]

Me fale Inglesh? Dat's unpozzibel!

[scottmi65]

Sorry don't see all the doom and gloom, took a job here about six month ago paying low 70's(not auto related and I have a high school education). Since moving here I have been offered two more jobs at comparable pay with long standing Michigan companies(DTE,MSU). As I have posted before, if everyone is out of work why is I-94 a parking lot everyday and why with all the foreclosures is housing still pricey(nice place on 5-10 aceres 200K plus!). Granted I do not hang out in the bars next to one of the "big two" auto plants so maybe I am looking at this with rose colored glasses. I grew up in the west side of the state and none of my friends or family are losing thier houses/jobs. Personally I feel the state is a little crowded especially the southeast part maybe losing a million or so people would ease the burden on the highways, infrastructure etc. and as far as taxes being raised isn't that just a fact of life that EVERYTHING goes up in price overtime. I can remember paying .35 for a can of pop.