On Mr. Waymire’s comments -
I agree, but i’d say theres more to that than the single characterization.

The southern states you mentioned have pretty nice standards of living for those with good jobs/Education.
Most of the young people we are discussing are the College grads leaving the state, and those kids have a great chance to get great jobs in southern states. Another item to consider is that those smaller population, lower overall income/cost of living states have been receiving Far more in Federal $$ than they have paid in for decades.

Michigan on the other hand has routinely gotten less back for each $1 we pay in. The fact is, that our state is one of the big states, with big population, big resources, big colleges and big problems. We are going down in a big way.

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Our state problems are 4 fold – Federal dollars disadvantage with other states, State costs vs. revenue imbalance, Local govt problems duplicating the state level, and commercial business is down.

People dont like change.
Michigan’s people need change.

We know that the Automotive sector’s recent problems of declining marketshare, and current problems of Global sales drops are not any single person’s fault. We know that their tax revenue and employee income taxes and spending has caused much of our state’s financial woes and domino effect.
We know it will never really be the same, or if it ever gets back, it’ll be awhile and we cant depend on that.
So the only other 2 options are to bring new business into the state, which Granholm to her credit has worked very hard to do… sorry repubs, its a fact.
And to cut state costs.

Our state is in disarray, but the low hanging fruit is the Salary and benefits of the State’s upper echelon of employees.
They need to take the hit and tighten their personal bloated belts.
This is a crisis, and the only ones not feeling this personally, are executives and top paid state employees, that includes Legislature.
Dont give me that same old B__lSh__ line about: “we cant get the best and the brightest” if we dont pay them an arm and a leg.

How dare you tell me that those people in the private sector of this state making $30,40,50,or 60k per year are not as “bright” as any government employees.
Certainly not vs. Elected persons who werent even Hired, they were voted in by who has the best marketing.
Now to be sure, im really just referring to people who are not solving our state’s problems and are being paid close to 6 figures or more.
But state work in a crisis of financial disarray should not be a gravy train for a select few who are burrowed in and not solving the state’s problems. Drop their pay and benefits, change the state constitution.

Look at it this way…. You have a pro football team and you keep bringing in Heisman winners for big time contracts hoping they turn the team around, but they often have no hunger and just do their jobs for ridiculous pay, then you finally realize you get far better performance out of the lower paid, lower fame lower paid, no body that pours his heart out to play and lands in the pro bowl 5 yrs straight.