I continue to read and see that Michigan has all kinds of great new jobs but seems these jobs are not keeping up with the number of unemployed. I think the unemployed numbers are misleading and not actual numbers of those out of work. From the jobs that are posted how many are paying enough to take and just survive off of? And then how many are good enough paying to be able to support a family? There has to be many that have fallen off the ranks of unemployed for one reason of another whether taking a low paying job then they are no longer considered unemployed. So the real numbers are not true numbers. Add to that where are all the jobs going to come from? When I apply for better job there are too many also applying for the same position some also employed but took the job like I did to cover the monthly mortgage, utilities and bills just to have a job so I am not considered unemployed though I am working for 4 dollars less an hour. And now that I have a job I am told that there is no raises in the foreseenble future as there is no paid vacation. I know many that are searching but there is not enough jobs to get more back to work. And as for the "Green Jobs" you need special skills to get these few jobs that are offered and with the high number of applcants these companies like most others can be very selective yet I know even if jobs are posted they have hire a friend of a friend for a job many also qualify for. Michigan is in a bleak place as it comes to jobs. And the No worker left behind is just a media catch phrase many are left behind. Can't retrain if you are working, can't afford to return to college if you don't have the money to do so and with the high costs today as to when I completed my AAS Degree it has more than tripled in cost and then the courses I am interested in are very limited and not offered when I am not at work.
So what are the Jobs of the Future? I have only heard this discussion on Nation Public Radio once this entire year. They all said there is no one career that is going to be the job of the future nor is there any on the start of being jobs of the future. Since no one knows that leaves many without a job. And all the jobs lost in Michigan many are saying most won't return. So if you have a house how do you walk away from it in order to take a job in another city in Michigan or even another state? I think many are having a tough time just walking away and yet there is no talk of "Jobs". The ones you hear about in Michigan but just how many Michigan Residents are getting them?
It is hard times for many here but it is also hard when you have to go to a job each day and hate going there but can't quit because then you don't get any unemployment. I spent my savings to make it till I did find a job but now I wonder why I took it when it is a struggle everyday to go to work.
There is a over 1 million resumes on Michigan Talent Bank so how many others are also out there unemployed or underemployed? I think it is more like 20% not the 15.3% they talk about and there is no way to know the real numbers. Many might have walked away from the unemployment because they can make more money under the table doing odd jobs and not commit fraud so what are the real numbers and where are all the jobs going to come from? With the two tier system at the UAW you can't afford a house on the new wage they now have so again Just trying to get an idea how many here in Michigan will make it???
Sad to say we have not hit bottom yet though many think we have I am waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I just finished my trip to the Middle East, where I visited Israel and Dubai. You may have read my blog post about touting Michigan's Green Jobs for Blue Waters initiative in Israel, where I was able to secure commitments from two Israeli water technologycompanies to locate in Michigan. To be clear: we will never sell our water abroad; but rather will position Michigan as a center of excellence for global water technologies. As the world's thirst for increasingly scarce fresh water grows, we want Michigan to reap enormous economic benefits by becoming the home of businesses who sell technologies that assist other states in solving their water scarcity problems.
We set our sights high when it came to advanced battery technology in Michigan. We began by positioning Michigan to lead in advanced batteries just a few years ago, and the payoff was enormous. Michigan received $1.2 billion of the $2 billion that the Federal Government allocated for advanced battery research and development. This has resulted in a number of companies who will be manufacturing advanced batteries for the new generation electrical automotive engine making Michigan their home-- securing jobs for our future. I believe we can do the same with water technologies bringing even greater benefits to our state.
Following my stops in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, I travelled to Dubai, one of the largest and fastest growing cities in the Middle East. There, even this Wolverine was proud to be the first state official to visit MSU's Dubai campus (and yes, I heard the U-M/OSU score already!). I also visited the American University-Dubai where I addressed the class of Professor Youssef Beydoun. One of Professor Beydoun's students is from Saginaw Valley State University where she is studying for a degree in Political Science, specializing in International Relations. She expressed to me her concern for the future of the Michigan Promise which is assisting her in paying for her education.
Both schools are emerging as great educational institutions in Dubai. Students at MSU's Dubai campus frequently travel back to East Lansing for at least a semester of classes, and receive the same degrees as students here in Michigan - and also pay tuition back to MSU as well. MSU-Dubai is helping all MSU degrees obtain more international exposure and marketability, and I was pleased to be able to visit its campus.
After a long week on the road, I'm thankful to be back home in Clio for Thanksgiving, where I'll enjoy the company of good friends and family. I wish your family a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
This week I've been in Israel, on a trade mission to cultivate water technology economic development in Michigan. As co-chair of the joint Michigan-Israeli working group on water technology, I know there's great opportunity to diversify our economy and create jobs -- while leveraging our most precious natural resource, the Great Lakes.
I want to be clear: I am not proposing to sell Michigan's water. Companies seeking to use our water should locate here in Michigan -- where they can have all the water they need. Instead, through our Green Jobs for Blue Waters initiative, I want to position Michigan as North America's center of excellence for water technology. Right now, water technologies are a $500 billion global market -- but by 2020, that market is expected to grow to nearly $1 trillion. That means great opportunity for Michigan's economy -- and that is why we intend on seizing the opportunity, much as we did to become the Nation's leader in advanced battery technology.
Michigan's unique position in the water technology field proves we are at the forefront of this technology. Michigan's location in the middle of the Great Lakes, which contain about 20 percent of the world's supply of fresh water, has primed the state's successes in agriculture, tourism and the auto industry. We need to continue to protect water resources and use it wisely for economic development purposes that include retention of current businesses and the attraction of new ones.
We were the first state to sign an official agreement with Israel to develop water technologies for export in the United States. Due to its arid location, firms in Israel have a strong need to effectively and efficiently use their scarce water resources. Michigan is poised to help them do just that. With the Green Jobs for Blue Waters initiative, we can provide Israeli companies with the assistance they'll need to be successful in the U.S.. With our water resources and top-notch higher education system, we can provide the perfect environment for water technology research and development. And, with our hard-working advanced manufacturing base, we can improve products and bring them to market faster than ever.
I've had an opportunity to meet with a number of CEOs from water technology firms while in Israel, and spoke at the 5th Annual International Water Technologies & Environmental Control Exhibition in Tel Aviv yesterday. The meetings went well, and I'm excited for the work we will do in months to come to build Michigan's Blue Water Economy.
Together with Israel, I believe we can seize what is undoubtedly a historic moment. We can prove that protecting natural resources, promoting economic growth, and creating jobs of the future all go hand in hand -- and there's no better place to prove it than in Michigan.
I suppose one might say I've been living under a rock. Upon reflection, I can even agree with the accusation. In my defense, however, .... no, actually, there is no defending it. I have no real reason, beyond being caught up in the smaller realities occurring within the scope of my own world. Until today.
Listening to the radio this morning, I caught the news and was deeply saddened. As soon as I got home, I came straight to my computer to verify, hoping beyond hope I had misunderstood. I had not.
(Blogs give voice to the voiceless. If only we could force those in power to listen. - promoted by Kathy)
I am not a political person, but I vote. It strikes me as sadly amusing how many politically minded individuals start campaigning for their prospective offices years before the actual election begins. Why is this funny? It seems to me, a voice lost in the masses, that the only time someone cares about what I might think is when my vote is being solicited. Once a candidate is assured of my tacit approval, he/she disappears into the ether and any discussions that may have been had rapidly vaporize like an early morning fog.
After the longed for office has been achieved (or not, whichever the case may be), those vapors may occasionally resurface, like the wisps of a barely recalled dream, only to typically be shoved aside.
Mine is not, nor ever will be, the swing vote needed. I am a single mother living a quiet life in poverty raising my daughter in a small town, born and raised in a state I dearly love. In a state rapidly approaching the same poverty levels I 'enjoy'. No one knows my name, not really, nor do they truly care about my story as long as my vote is cast and taxes are paid. Yet, I remain.
I have had many ask why I do. They are rarely satisfied with the answer. I stay because this is where my people are. This small community is where I choose to raise my daughter, so that she will also understand the depth and strength of roots and binding ties.
I rarely agree with the decisions my 'leaders' have made for me, so far from my small home. I do understand the saying 'for the good of the many, not the few (or the one)', and comprehend well that I am exactly that sole one. Am I? I am not the only single parent that votes. I am not the only person working 40 hours a week, for a check that would come much closer to making the bills for luxuries such as food, shelter, communication and electricity if I didn't have to pay such a large portion of it for the health insurance I cannot afford to use. At least I have a job. I am not the only person in my reality, much less my town, who has had to take any job available when my career went to hell in a handbasket during the recent housing crisis.
However, I am a voter. Ladies and gentlemen in the political climate, pray remember me when you vote on something next. Because it was my vote that helped to put you in the place to speak for me. A voice lost within the many, I am the one.
Michigan innovators like Billy Durant, Ransom E. Olds, Henry Ford, and Walter Chrysler built the auto industry that put the world on wheels. Innovators like Walter P. Reuther helped the auto industry build the modern American middle class and a standard of living second to none. At the start of the Second World War, it was General Motors' president William Knudsen who stepped aside to serve his country, turning the factories of the Big Three into the Arsenal of Democracy that helped us win the war.
We know Michiganders know how to build, and we know how to innovate. It's time to do both.
Yesterday, I visited GM's Romulus Engine plant to talk to workers, plant managers, and local union leadership about the future of our auto industry. There, I saw the faces of our auto industry the national media often overlooks: the hard working men and women who have built Michigan. The Romulus plant has a reputation for quality and environmental stewardship. Last year, it was ranked in the top ten most productive engine plants in North America by the Harbour Report. Romulus workers also were honored in 2003 and 2006 as exemplary "Michigan Clean Corporate Citizens". The workers I met were proud of the job they do, and with the high quality products they turn out -- they should be!
I told Labor Secretary Solis and Dr. Ed Montgomery, White House Director of Recovery for auto communities and workers, that only protecting and increasing employment -- American employment -- will help move us out of the recession we're currently in. Fortunately, GM has a new, innovative labor agreement with the UAW to build subcompact cars here in the U.S., at an existing plant. GM has also announced it will not make cars in China available for sale in the United States. These are the right steps to take in reinventing an great American icon like General Motors, and the only way we'll turn our economy around.
For decades, innovators have called Michigan home. In times of hardship, Michiganders pull together. We innovate. We build. We look to a better, brighter future. I'm confident that despite Monday's wrenching news, we have brighter days to look forward to.
(Bumped in the hopes that our politicians in Lansing will see this. - promoted by djtyg)
My husband and I are small business real estate owners going through forelcosure of 2 rental properties. I implore the Michigan legislature to immediately enact a state version of unfair credit card predatory practices. The Federal law does not ban credit cards from these practices until July-2010. Meanwhile, credit card companies are preying on Michigan residents before the law takes effect. We need to put a moratorium on that in Michigan until the Federal law takes effect - just like the State of New York!
Universal default is a commonly used and relatively unknown practice by credit card companies that increases credit card rates based on a card holder's unrelated financial activity. New York is the first state in the nation to provide such a protection against this unfair and deceptive practice.
OK, I have no idea what this actually means, and it's obviously WAY too early to be too encouraged, but this is certainly a long-overdue positive bit of news:
General Motors has just announced that they will no longer need the $2 billion in government funding that they had previously requested for March. The good news comes in tangent with the announcement that GM Canada has ratified a competitive agreement with the CAW.
GM states they no longer need the US funding due to an acceleration of company wide cost reductions and "pro-active deferrals of spending previously anticipated in January and February."
Michigan has some of the hardest-working residents in the country. Unfortunately, our state has fallen on hard times. Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, and our state is struggling with the loss of hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs.
There are some things we cannot control. Global trade agreements, outsourcing and federal policies have all played a role in getting us where we are. But what we can - and must - do is control some of the local factors influencing Michigan's jobs picture.
An example is in the awarding of state contracts and state tax breaks and incentives. When Michigan tax dollars are used to create jobs, Michigan workers should have first priority in getting those jobs. Our tax dollars should benefit our own working families - not out-of-state - workers or illegal immigrants.
That is where the Hire Michigan First plan comes in.
The Hire Michigan First plan gives companies that hire more workers from Michigan priority in getting state tax breaks and economic development incentives. The more Michigan workers a company hires, the more likely it is to receive a state contract or state tax incentives.
Second, the plan requires companies that accept state economic development incentives to report who they are hiring. When the state gives incentives to businesses, we want to see that they are using those incentives to get our workers back on the job. The reporting requirement adds accountability and transparency to this state funding process.
Third, Hire Michigan First requires that companies that build state buildings hire 100 percent of their workers from Michigan. Our workers are more than ready and able to do these jobs, and they should have the opportunity to do so.
And fourth, the plan cracks down on companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Those companies will have their tax incentives and state contracts cancelled. They will have to pay back any incentives they already received and they will be barred from getting future state contracts.
My number one priority in Lansing is creating good-paying jobs for our workers. We must make sure Michigan tax dollars go into our workers' paychecks, not to workers from other states and countries. And by supporting our workers, we will strengthen our economy and get Michigan back on track.
(I invited MC here from Daily Kos to share his story. Welcome! - promoted by djtyg)
[Cross Posted from DailyKos]
"What?
I owe your client money? Mr. Debt Collection Agency Guy for the child delivery doctors office / maternity ward / health insurance whatever.
Of course you can collect it. You can come collect it right now from My Ass.
Michigan's unemployment rate surged to 11.6% for the month of January. And that's the folks who kept looking for jobs. If my sources are right, and I'm pretty sure they are, we no longer count the Unemployed. We just count the Employed. I stick my head out the window every day and yell "Hey Mike! You still a police officer?"
And he says 'Yep.'
He's the token Employed Guy in town. We make fun of him. Him and his pile of money.
Kevin Michael Brown says: At a time when "economy" and "business" are not only buzz words, but also the main headlines of newspapers and news stories every day. This is a GREAT time to network with other businesses and the public-at-large to promote and learn about others.
I will be at the 2009 EXPO and would enjoy meeting YOU there, too!
From: http://www.shiawasseechamber.org/ 2009 Home Garden Business EXPO News
Over the last several months, the EXPO committee has been meeting and making plans for a great 2009 show. Based on feedback from exhibitors, the committee has made a small change in the show layout.
Please be aware that this change in layout has shifted the booth numbers slightly. You may still book the same location, but your booth number will not be exactly the same as last year.
The very popular Restaurant Row will return in 2009, and will be located in the gym. We plan to have cafeteria-style seating in the open hallway outside of the gym. Restaurant
Row tickets will be for sale at the EXPO only and will be individual tickets, not a punch card. This will allow the restaurants to offer delicious food and set the cost of the food based on a number of tickets. This slight change of a ticket system has been implemented based on other successful food sampling shows both large and small.
On behalf of the EXPO committee, we look forward to a great 2009 show and we hope you will join us as an exhibitor.
Sincerely,
Fred Furman
EXPO Committee Chair
Plymouth, MI January 29, 2009 -- With gas prices at record levels, electric bikes stormed onto the scene last summer and several major retailers, including Wal-Mart, capitalized on the craze with their low cost electric bike models. These days, gas prices have subsided and the economy is undergoing one of the worst recessions in years. But according to Craig and Jeremy Panizzoli of eCo Wheelz, Inc, it hasn't slowed down the sales of electric bike and scooters.
"Traffic continues to grow at our new retail store," said eCo Wheelz President and Founder, Jeremy Panizzoli. "Surprisingly, most people aren't even aware that these products exist. But as the word spreads, we're seeing growing interest as more and more people become educated about the advantages of electric-powered bikes and scooters."
Located in Downtown Plymouth, MI, eCo Wheelz specializes in electric bicycles, scooters and mopeds. Operating on 100% electric power, these products are both economical and eco-friendly. With a range of 15 to 35 miles per charge (dependent on model), it costs less than a penny per mile to operate an electric bike or scooter. In comparison, the average automobile costs $0.51 per mile. For a commuter who travels 15-30 miles per day, the savings add up quickly and the cost of the bike - as low as $599 - can often be recovered within the first year.
The U.S. market for e-bikes continues to grow. Even with a struggling economy, 2009 is expected to be a record year for electric bike sales, with projections of 170,000 units. Although this is a vast improvement over 120,000 units in 2008, it pales in comparison to European and Asian markets where electric bikes have received widespread acceptance for years. But Panizzoli believes that a bad economy and an uncertain economic outlook will be the driving force for continued growth in the year to come.
"With fear and uncertainty in the air, consumers are looking for ways to cutback. It's likely many people will be forced to give up their car or search for new ways to save money. Electric bikes provide an excellent alternative and can help struggling families (or individuals) during tough economic times. As the economy continues to suffer, its likely people will continue to search for ways to cut expenses. It's our job to make sure they know about our products and the bikes will sell themselves."
Although traffic is likely to slow down over the winter months, eCo Wheelz is expecting spring to be a huge success for their retail store. In the mean time, the eCo Wheelz website is up-and-running all year round and traffic continues to grow (even over the Winter) as consumers in warmer states search for their products online. Choose from a wide variety of electric bikes and scooters, electric mopeds or install one of their electric bike kits. Learn more at:
On twitter Keith Stonehouse tweeted the following to his followers: Choose one word that would describe michigan. I answered back with: Lakes. What was interesting was the zounds of negative responses that he's gotten from some of the other followers. I then thought the following: Why should everyone spread such negativity? Such negativity is not going or building progress for us to head anywhere. So please do your part and keeping optimistic. Keep your Hand strong and the mitten state will be strong in no time! Part of this time we're experiencing is actually a revolutionary step of diversifying and making Michigan a key economic player in the next generation for of Michiganders.
I was poking around on the teh Interweb looking for some information to rebut the 'fight tax increases at all costs' Michigan Chamber of Commerce's shameless criticism of Gov. Granholm for not allocating enough funding to respond to Michigan's depression-level jobless benefit claims when I came across this. Enjoy...
Earlier today the U.S. House voted on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act which the Senate took up and amended on Wednesday.
Here's how the Michigan House delegation voted.
Stupak
(D-1)
no
Hoekstra
(R-2)
yes
Ehlers
(R-3)
yes
Camp
(R-4)
yes
Kildee
(D-5)
yes
Upton
(R-6)
yes
Walberg
(R-7)
no
Rogers
(R-8)
no
Knollenberg
(R-9)
yes
Miller
(R-10)
no
McCotter
(R-11)
no
Levin
(D-12)
yes
Kilpatrick
(D-13)
yes
Conyers
(D-14)
no
Dingell
(D-15)
yes
The AP provides some reaction from individual members.
On the affirmative:
"The bill Congress passed today is not a bailout of Wall Street, but rather a plan to protect Main Street, to help families, workers, students, and taxpayers from the consequences of allowing the financial industry to continue its meltdown." - Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids.
On the negative:
"I still do not believe that it is prudent for the government to put at risk $700 billion of taxpayer's money on a plan whose outcome is uncertain." - Rep. Candice Miller, a Republican from Macomb County's Harrison Township.
Right Ms. Miller. Inaction beats action. I hope your house never catches on fire. Using your logic neighbors should doing nothing instead of calling the fire department and getting out the hose.
Honorable Sir: I am a corrupt foreign politician who has embezzled millions of dollars from my country. I have learned of your upright character and exceptional honesty. Help me laundry my money and I will give you half for your kindness. Just email me your social security and bank account numbers and PINs and I will put the money in your accounts. When I am safe from the law, I will contact you and you send me half the money I deposited. You could keep all the money, but I know you are a fair person. Respectfully yours, There's One Born Every Minute.
If you were in the least bit tempted to respond to this offer, then you'll love John McCain's approach to health care reform, because every good confidence game starts not with your confidence in the con artist but with the con artist's confidence in you. And John McCain has great confidence in you, the extraordinary, hard working American citizen, who can carry this great nation on your back if only the parasitic government would get out of your way and out of your pocketbook.
On the other hand, if you value your money and your life, you'll read on to see why the McCain-Palin health care confidence game may be dangerous to your financial and your physical health.
As the debate about which Presidential candidate has the right combination of experience and judgment rages on, often generating more heat than light, it may be useful to look at some judgments about issues that have and will profoundly affect the lives of ordinary Americans. Good judgments generally do not require later explanations and obfuscations. Poor judgments generally require retractions, apologies, or, if you are running for political office, fiercely defensive assertions that you never meant what other people thought you said.
UPDATE: The Bush Administration has handed in an utterly heinous proposal for the bail out, as I surmised in -- my ruminations on Sanders's brilliant proposal below his text...
... making Bernie Sanders's proposal all the more attractive and even more NECESSARY a consideration. The Democrats in Congress cannot ignore Sanders's proposal given the outright power grab that Paulson's proposal clearly is.
While America's attention was riveted on hunting trophies and beautified pigs, Wall Street decided it was time to distract us with some melodrama of its own. The recent financial meltdown was not the work of foreign enemies, though it may give them great comfort to learn how adept we have become at producing self-inflicted wounds. All of a sudden, John McCain is a regulator who will protect us against the unrestricted free market he denies he ever advocated. Yet an analysis in Health Affairs http://content.healthaffairs.o... concludes that his current free market based health care reform proposals, if enacted, threaten to leave up to 20,000,000 American workers without the health insurance they currently enjoy.
I find it truly remarkable that the McCain-Palin campaign has no compunctions about lying when it suits their purposes and yet chooses to advance a health reform proposal that will result in massive increases in taxes and will deprive millions of working Americans of the economic security provided by employer-sponsored health insurance. Does this proposal represent a sudden burst of honesty, or are they so devoid of economic insight that they really believe their agenda for change will make things better? I understand that their plan is presented as another victory for the free market economics that brought us the Wall Street meltdown, but do they really think they can spin this assault on working Americans into something the American people will actually buy? In the words of George W. Bush:
"There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again."
Let's start with a premise few political partisans will accept. John McCain, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Sarah Palin all are honest, concerned, capable Americans who truly want what is best for our country. But good intentions do not guarantee good outcomes, and predicting the future is fraught with difficulty. So having reached a critical fork in the road, how should voters in Michigan and elsewhere decide which guides to follow?
I certainly can't pretend to be expert in all the issues being addressed in the Presidential campaign. However, when the topic is health care reform, I have extensive education, in the trenches experience, and a track record to back up my professional and political analysis. So I will focus on health care as a window to understanding where each pair of candidates would take America if we give them the chance. I will take candidates at their word and will draw on my personal knowledge and experience rather than cite other authorities whose opinions readers can glean elsewhere.
Plymouth, MI January 29, 2009 -- With gas prices at record levels, electric bikes stormed onto the scene last summer and several major retailers, including Wal-Mart, capitalized on the craze with their low cost electric bike models. These days, gas prices have subsided and the economy is undergoing one of the worst recessions in years. But according to Craig and Jeremy Panizzoli of 