Michigan leads the nation in unemployment, and Michigan's population is going down. Is it Bush's fault?

Question

Michigan November unemployment rate is 7.4%, second highest is Alaska at 6.4%. Michigan's female Canadian democrat governor's solution was to raise taxes a few months ago. Only 2 states showed a decrease in population, Michigan and Rhode Island.

Is it all Bush's fault? Will a democrat president make things better for Michigan?

Here's my source for the unemployment rates:
http://www.bls.gov/lau/home.htm

Here's my source for the population of Michigan:
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/14929659/detail.html

Answer 1

Since local and state governments tend to have local and statewide effects, how about we ask who runs the state legislature of Michigan? Could it be LIBERAL DEMOCRATS!, How about local city Governments? LIBERAL DEMOCRATS!, I live in the south, blessed with conservative local and state government, our unemployment is lower than under Clinton, our economy is booming and things are good! Perhaps the problem is a little closer to home than Washington DC.

Answer 2

If Michigan's unemployment is now 7.4%, this has improved quite a bit. It was 10% for several years. Same way in the very most northern counties of Indiana. The automotive industry has been leaving the area for years now. I am sure the new jobs don't pay anywhere near what the old ones did. This all began before Bush became president. Some of it has to do with NAFTA and also the outsourcing took its toll. This effected where I work. We have almost completely changed from being automotive to other venues. The automotive sector moved to Mexico and other countries where labor is much cheaper. Unions, while helping to keep a strong middle class, led to their own detriment unfortunately. I would think that the price of an automobile would be a bit less than it is due to this, but I don't see the prices dropping. The problem seems to lie in the fact that there has really been no replacement for new jobs that were equivelent in pay to the auto industry. It may end up this way all over the country if our innovation doesn't kick in pretty soon.

Answer 3

Ok, stop blaming bush for everything. Michigan has a poor economy because the auto industry is not doing well, and manufacturing is leaving the rust belt in general. The American car companies have inferior products to the Asian companies in general, except for trucks and SUVs, that people are not buying now anyway because of gas prices. They also have huge healthcare pensions to pay for, and they are at a competitive disadvantage to foreign firms because of out high corporate taxes.

Michigan also has very restrictive labor laws and high taxation. Michigan is not a right to work state (you are forced to join a union if you work for a union shop). If you notice all of the foreign companies that set up factories, they are doing so in Kansas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Missouri, where unions dont have nearly as much government granted monopoly power. And guess what? Jobs get created in those states. Rhode Island is similar. Its industry collapsed in the 1999s and has not com back. I used to live there, and the state has very high taxes and restrictive labor laws, and as a result has had a rather poor economy. As a start contrast, New Hampshire has the same population as Rhode Island, but its state budget is half of what Rhode Island is and its laws are not restrictive at all. There is not sales or income taxes and it is a right to work state. New Hampshire is much wealthier then Rhode Island, its unemployment rate is below the national average, and its the only state in the Northeast with a fast growing population.

So michigan is hurting partially because industry is leaving, partially because the auto industry is hurting and partially because of democrat supported market controls, taxes and labor markets regulations (just like in Rhode Island). It has nothing to do with Bush.

If you elect in a democrat next time, it is more likely that there will be higher environmental standards, more restrictive labor laws and higher taxes, especially on those "evil" corporations. And guess what. All three of these will continue to hurt the michigan economy. Companies will leave, along with their jobs, and wages will continue to fall. The population will decline as well.

Answer 4

Look, you don't get it. It is always Bush's fault.

I get a flat tire --- Bush's fault.
My dog runs away -- Bush's fault
State raises taxes --- Bush's fault

In this way you don't have to apply critical thinking, it is a nice, one size fits all answer to all a persons shortcomings.

Michigan is currently a train wreck. Having a socialist running the joint is just a bonus. I would have to admonish the Republicans for putting up DeVos as the candidate in the last election. I have worked with lobbyists in Michigan and the day it happened they pick him a loser in the race. Not because he was a terrible candidate, but because he was successful, white, male, who wasn't all that great at expressing himself.

The socialist didn't even try to court Honda when they were looking to build a new auto factory. The unions wouldn't like that. If Michigan residents were forced to stay in the state the unemployment rate would be what -- 25%. Watching liberals grapple with the state of the economy in michigan is like watching blind man try and drive a car in rush hour traffic. Thank god, Jeff Daniels is opening up a theater here in the state, we will all eat well tonight. Clueless. They are thinking that they will be able to make up the budget shortfalls with FINES... Can you believe this?

I guess we can all look forward to examples of liberals taxing themselves INTO prosperity.

Answer 5

You can blame Bush if you want to, that is the popular thing to do these days.

The blame lies with the punitive mentality of your government and the overall "union mentality" of the biggest segment of Michigan population.

I grew up near Detroit in the 60's & 70's. I got the hell out in 1983 and haven't looked back. My whole family is still there and they're doing ok as long as they don't want a break from confiscatory taxes, oppressive business regulation or a concealed carry permit.

This isn't the first time Michigan has found itself in these circumstances. It won't be the last.

If you stand on YOUR spot and push YOUR button and get $30. /hour, you're doing well. If you're asked to stand on a DIFFERENT spot and push a DIFFERENT button, you get paid extra, you're doing well. Y'all have the UAW and the United Steelworkers Union to thank for that. You can also thank them for outsourcing your buttons and staying competitve.

Answer 6

Take a look at the state's governor and legislature. There are lots of states that are prosperous...local government's political practices can have a greater impact than the federal government.

51 Republicans and 59 Dems in the congress
http://house.michigan.gov/replist.asp

21 Republicans and 15 Dems in the senate
http://senate.michigan.gov/

Granholm, the governor is a Dem.

Answer 7

Why not? We've got to blame somebody for Michigan's population. Let's just blame Bush.

OOORRRRR, we could all realize the Michigan is cold and nasty, Detroit is a complete S-hole, the unions have destroyed what was once a proud industry to a point where we cannot compete against foreign automobiles, and nobody wants to live there anymore.

Answer 8

I don't know who's fault it ultimately is, but I can tell you why it's happening. It used to be that a lot of things were manufactured in Michigan (especially cars). Now, companies are outsourcing everything to other countries. They are outsourcing so that they can make their product cheaper (that's why everything is from China). Some companies don't care about quality and are being just plain cheap, but many companies are forced to outsource. If you don't outsource, they think that you aren't doing everything you can to keep costs down, so they won't buy your product. It's gotten so bad that not only are we outsourcing the manufacturing, but a lot of services are outsourced. For example, my company outsourced payroll to a company in Jamaica!! I don't know if it's Bush's fault or past presidents, but there should be some sort of incentives for companies to stay in the US.

Answer 9

No. The auto industry has been in trouble for years and half the jobs in the state are auto related. As the Big 3 continue to close plants, unemployment will continue to rise. They just can't afford to compete with foreign vehicles and continue to pay the wages in union contracts. Also, Granholm has been terrible and the last thing you want to do to encourage economic growth and development is to increase taxes. Cutting taxes is how you entice companies to bring jobs to your area.

Answer 10

Ever hear of Govennor Grahmholm? She is a Canadian transplant who raised taxes numerous times even though any economists worth their degree knows that higher taxes hurt industry.

Where in the constitution does it say the president is responsible for each state?