Comments on: Universities: Fueling Michigan's Future Economy http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/universities-fueling-michigans-future-economy/ Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:37:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Richard McGee http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/universities-fueling-michigans-future-economy/#comment-12324 Richard McGee Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:47:40 +0000 http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/universities-fueling-michigans-future-economy/#comment-12324 Dear Mr. Power, Sorry for the delayed response. These comments are in response to your editorial of October 25, 2007; "Funding state colleges is crucial to our future" Great article. So true. So obvious. However, I would add that our state colleges could be an immediate economic boost. Anyone who has ever been to a college town knows the economic impact of the school and the students. East Lansing, Ann Arbor, Big Rapids, Houghton, Mt. Pleasant, Kalamazoo, etc. Imagine if the governor or legislature mandated that each of the 15 state schools increase enrollment by 1,000 students this coming September. And, even better if they required that they all be out of state students. What incentive package would the governor design for a company that would agree to relocate 15,000 jobs here? What incentive package would the legislature create if it would guarantee 15,000 "permanent" tourists? Forget trying to get factories to move here. Increase, enhance, and grow what we already do great; Education and Healthcare. Dear Mr. Power,
Sorry for the delayed response.
These comments are in response to your editorial of October 25, 2007; "Funding state colleges is crucial to our future"
Great article. So true. So obvious.
However, I would add that our state colleges could be an immediate economic boost. Anyone who has ever been to a college town knows the economic impact of the school and the students. East Lansing, Ann
Arbor, Big Rapids, Houghton, Mt. Pleasant, Kalamazoo, etc. Imagine if
the governor or legislature mandated that each of the 15 state schools
increase enrollment by 1,000 students this coming September. And, even
better if they required that they all be out of state students.
What incentive package would the governor design for a company that would agree to relocate 15,000 jobs here?
What incentive package would the legislature create if it would guarantee 15,000 "permanent" tourists?
Forget trying to get factories to move here. Increase, enhance, and grow what we already do great; Education and Healthcare.

]]> By: John Hargenrader http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/universities-fueling-michigans-future-economy/#comment-854 John Hargenrader Fri, 02 Nov 2007 22:39:49 +0000 http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/universities-fueling-michigans-future-economy/#comment-854 Unfortunately, the idea of taxpayer funded higher education is not based in statistical fact. I was just in Silicon Valley on Mon and Tuesday (10/29 and 10/30). What is clear is that California cut way back on publicly funded higher education many years ago with Proposition 13. A very large number of the people I dealth with there were from other geographic regions and countries. This is typical in the Valley. What builds an economy is the infrastructure. California built an area, where infrastructure for high tech development can coexist, and outside resources are available for all aspects of product design support. When you have a gold mine, miners will come to harvest the gold. Michigan is not building a gold mine to attract miners. It is training miners to go out and find gold mines in other states. Michigan has to reevaluate higher education spending that creates artificial economies like in Ann Arbor, that do not enhance the infrastructure of scientific development. There is one reason pharmaceutical giant Pfizer will close its 2 million-square-foot Plymouth Road facility, and the city of Ann Arbor will lose its single largest taxpayer and largest private employer. Infrastucture, like buses and subways invite businesses. Good public K-12 schools for peoples kids. Stuffing money into the hands of acedemics so they can build mansions in Washtenaw County does not create the gold mine that Michigan needs. A good study of Silicon Valley should be done by Phil Power to see from the business side what it takes to attract businesses. Phil knows a lot about the acedemic world, but needs some advice on growing technology and industrial employement. John Hargenrader Unfortunately, the idea of taxpayer funded higher education is not based in statistical fact.

I was just in Silicon Valley on Mon and Tuesday (10/29 and 10/30). What is clear is that California cut way back on publicly funded higher education many years ago with Proposition 13. A very large number of the people I dealth with there were from other geographic regions and countries. This is typical in the Valley.

What builds an economy is the infrastructure. California built an area, where infrastructure for high tech development can coexist, and outside resources are available for all aspects of product design support. When you have a gold mine, miners will come to harvest the gold. Michigan is not building a gold mine to attract miners. It is training miners to go out and find gold mines in other states.

Michigan has to reevaluate higher education spending that creates artificial economies like in Ann Arbor, that do not enhance the infrastructure of scientific development. There is one reason pharmaceutical giant Pfizer will close its 2 million-square-foot Plymouth Road facility, and the city of Ann Arbor will lose its single largest taxpayer and largest private employer.

Infrastucture, like buses and subways invite businesses. Good public K-12 schools for peoples kids. Stuffing money into the hands of acedemics so they can build mansions in Washtenaw County does not create the gold mine that Michigan needs.

A good study of Silicon Valley should be done by Phil Power to see from the business side what it takes to attract businesses. Phil knows a lot about the acedemic world, but needs some advice on growing technology and industrial employement.

John Hargenrader

]]> By: Fred Woodruff http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/universities-fueling-michigans-future-economy/#comment-679 Fred Woodruff Tue, 30 Oct 2007 14:30:07 +0000 http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/universities-fueling-michigans-future-economy/#comment-679 Phil: I think your comments are right in theory - "Any company facing trouble immediately identifies its most important, proprietary competitive assets and mounts a sustained investment program to build them up, gain market share and build the bottom line. Michigan, by contrast, has chosen to strangle one of our few competitive assets." However, I am afraid that any new government dollars will be spent as usual - allocated to all 15 universities on some political basis with no accountability for how it is spent and certainly no "return on investment" calculation. That is not how the private sector "invests". Perhaps that is why the support for the latest tax increases has been less than overwhelming, especially the way it was done. Maybe the state should hire a bunch of investment bankers and have then allocate any new "investments" in public education. Fred Phil:

I think your comments are right in theory - "Any company facing trouble
immediately identifies its most important, proprietary competitive
assets and mounts a sustained investment program to build them up, gain
market share and build the bottom line. Michigan, by contrast, has
chosen to strangle one of our few competitive assets."

However, I am afraid that any new government dollars will be spent as
usual - allocated to all 15 universities on some political basis with no
accountability for how it is spent and certainly no "return on
investment" calculation. That is not how the private sector "invests".
Perhaps that is why the support for the latest tax increases has been
less than overwhelming, especially the way it was done. Maybe the state
should hire a bunch of investment bankers and have then allocate any new
"investments" in public education.

Fred

]]> By: David S Brown http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/universities-fueling-michigans-future-economy/#comment-614 David S Brown Sat, 27 Oct 2007 14:14:39 +0000 http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/universities-fueling-michigans-future-economy/#comment-614 It feels to me that private industries do the same thing, for their area of interest, by investing THEIR OWN money. Why is there a pervasive thought that the best way to improve our economic growth is at tax payers expense? We should be truly supportive of the investments of our own industries/companies in our state (vs taxing them) rather than giving our taxes to those who rarely invent any ideas that are viable in the free market economy. It feels to me that private industries do the same thing, for their area of interest, by investing THEIR OWN money.
Why is there a pervasive thought that the best way to improve our economic growth is at tax payers expense?
We should be truly supportive of the investments of our own industries/companies in our state (vs taxing them) rather than giving our taxes to those who rarely invent any ideas that are viable in the free market economy.

]]> By: Jeff Power http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/universities-fueling-michigans-future-economy/#comment-606 Jeff Power Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:04:37 +0000 http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/universities-fueling-michigans-future-economy/#comment-606 In order to achieve, dare I say it, a "fair and balanced" understanding of this topic, I commend to your attention the analysis and opinion found at www.mackinac.org/archives/2007/s2007-8.pdf . I may agree with Phil's policy recommendation, but his one dimensional argument based on falling real appropriations is misleading and unconvincing. JBP Grand Rapids In order to achieve, dare I say it, a "fair and balanced" understanding of this topic, I commend to your attention the analysis and opinion found at http://www.mackinac.org/archives/2007/s2007-8.pdf . I may agree with Phil's policy recommendation, but his one dimensional argument based on falling real appropriations is misleading and unconvincing.

JBP
Grand Rapids

]]> By: Rose Bogaert http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/universities-fueling-michigans-future-economy/#comment-572 Rose Bogaert Thu, 25 Oct 2007 02:12:39 +0000 http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/universities-fueling-michigans-future-economy/#comment-572 I believe that education is important. You need qualified people to develope the economy in Michigan. Higher education is not the only thing that has been cut. The jobs of people have been cut. Homes have been lost. People we have already educated are leaving the state. They are leaving because there is nothing for them here. We do not have the resources to educate students to take that education elseware. We need to make the climate favorable for business first and then we can bring ours educated home to their state and their families. It is time that the educators came into the real world. It seems that they are so involved in their own reality that they have removed themselves from the people who support them. It is time for those indowments horded in higher education be put to better use. Rose Bogaert, Chair Wayne County Taxpayeers Association, Inc. I believe that education is important. You need qualified people to develope the economy in Michigan. Higher education is not the only thing that has been cut. The jobs of people have been cut. Homes have been lost. People we have already educated are leaving the state. They are leaving because there is nothing for them here. We do not have the resources to educate students to take that education elseware. We need to make the climate favorable for business first and then we can bring ours educated home to their state and their families.

It is time that the educators came into the real world. It seems that they are so involved in their own reality that they have removed themselves from the people who support them. It is time for those indowments horded in higher education be put to better use.

Rose Bogaert, Chair
Wayne County Taxpayeers Association, Inc.

]]>