OT Michigan: Only state to lose population in 2010 Census
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/22/michigan.detroit.population/index.html…
Michigan was the only state to have a smaller population in 2010 than in 2000. Additionally, the Census shows that Detroit lost 25% of its population. We are shure to lose a seat in the House of Representatives.
However, some counties grew. My Ottawa County in West Michigan grew by 14%.
It seems as if a lot of the best minds leave the state. The smartest kids that I knew while in High School and at the University of Michigan are all out of state and I can't blame them, but it would be nice to have more jobs to keep some of them here.
I wonder if this will influence the University if it continues to be a long term problem.
March 23rd, 2011 at 12:43 PM ^
go34blue, I'm not going to knock your assessment of Texas, but I'm going to play devil's advocate here:
would you be willing to admit that the current business climate is just as much a force of influence as the unions are in states like Michigan? Texas has been able to maintain a robust business climate in correlation with higher oil prices and localization of refineries within its borders.
You could infer that Alaska has just as robust a business climate as Texas, but the weather, low population, and (gulp) lack of proximity to undocumented labor are less attractive to business owners.
Texas's oil production actually isn't all that high nowadays. It's considerably lower than it was 20 years ago. The energy sector is doing well there, but it doesn't really explain the state's economic success. (Louisiana also has a big energy sector, but it isn't doing well.) It's true that it is a very pro-business state. Doing business there is a lot cheaper than it is in Michigan. That's the main reason why Comerica Bank is headquartered in Dallas now instead of Detroit.
March 23rd, 2011 at 12:45 PM ^
That was also a good breakdown of what things are like in Texas. As I said above, I have no idea.
I actually like it here quite a lot - especially the obsession with football. People are so dang friendly too.
The education stats I was remembering from a Fort Worth Star-Telegram article published shortly after Rick Perry announced his education cuts this year. They did also mention that Texas was in the top 15 in reading scores I think, but they mentioned low graduation rates and lower college entry rates for graduating seniors. The DFW foreclosure rate was from a Houston Chronicle article when I first got here in 2009. That's also where I remember reading about Texas' uninsured and poverty rate, and that Texas' two largest employers were the feds and the oil industry. But newspapers are newspapers so those could be very wrong, and sorry for quoting them if they are. I don't really feel like digging around to find the info so I'll take your word for it as a long time resident.
As for the environmental aspects - that comes from numerous civil and environmental engineers that I work with on a daily basis. I'm pretty certain their statements are valid. I'm mechanical engineer, so I'm taking their word for it. Them I trust over you, no offense meant.
No doubt that the lack of unions has led to a succesful business climate. But I wouldn't be surprised if it did lead to higher rates of poverty and uninsured as well.
And don't worry, although I like it here, I'm probably leaving soon. I found out recently I'm moving to Japan.
One thing that should be noted about poverty: there is one level for the entire country, with no adjustments made for local cost of living. It's well-known that the South has a high poverty rate, but it's often overlooked that it's quite cheap to live there. A poverty-level wage can be sufficient in some areas of Texas. I read somewhere that when living costs are taken into account, the poorest region in the country is actually New England, with California just a hair behind.
As someone who is renting an apartment in Boston that doesn't surprise me.
I went to school in Connecticut and they are technically the richest state in the country but the poor people who service the wealthy suburbanites are crammed into some of the worst cities in the country. Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford and Waterbury are no picnic.
After coming home, I decided I would dig up some information. I was VERY wrong about the foreclosure rate. DFW is the worst in Texas - which is a far cry from Metro Detroit: http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ST&s_site=dfw&p_multi=ST&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=11ED0AFCA738D138&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
But in everything else I said, I was right. Texas is very high in poverty rate and number of uninsured, and lower than average in graduaton rate and number of graduates going on to college (CHARTS and MAPS):
http://covertheuninsured.org/uninsured_workers
http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/ttw/trends_map_data_table.aspx?trendID=21&assessmentID=94
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_baeo_t1.htm
Luckily, (and "I don't know where in Texas you supposedly live," but) most folks I know in San Angelo admit that there are problems, but point out that they'd still rather have a job than not have a job (but probably have insurance if they did find one). They're still more than willing to get creative and try to improve the situation in Texas.
Unfortunately, there are knuckleheads like you in the capitol building in Austin - who'd rather shoot the messenger, tell you to leave the state for bringing these problems to light, and then call you a liar despite the fact that they're wrong. Now, again, most folks I've met aren't like that. So I still suggest that folks come check Texas out. Most Texans are a LOT more welcoming than go34blue.
I wish I could wonder Detroit when it was a bustling city. 5th largest in the United States. Wish I could see it then. Cities change but the Red Wings still roll!
Why is this such a bad thing? I prefer to look at it like Michigan is leading the way in environmental sustainability.
Have you ever been in Southern California and thought, gee this place would be so much better with more people? Umm no. It is already overpopulated.
Raw population numbers are not that strongly linked to environmental sustainability. If anything, Michigan's rapidly aging population likely means increased energy usage per capita during the winter.
It's unfortunate that Michigan is losing population, but at least for me it didn't make sense to stay there after graduation. There were jobs to be had, but nothing in the particular specialty that I was interested.
I can imagine people citing this report and comparing it to a census a couple decades down the road thinking "Wow Michigan just exploded in population these past couple years" as everyone comes back to the watering hole.
That's probably because its the truth..
The state has way too many uneducated people who can do only unskilled jobs. I'm hoping that a lot of these people will go down south where there is an increasing amount of unskilled jobs being added. Hopefully then the amount of people needing training is manageable for our universities.
This state certainly has the schools to provide employers with the skilled labor they want. It is up to us to make this state attractive to business. That means lower taxes, a better educated populace, and maybe even becoming a right-to-work state.
People railing against Synder's plans have to ask themselves what they want.:Jobs or righteous unemployment. It stinks, but sometimes you have to make concessions to get what you need.
I say this as a member of AFSCME.
It would probably help if the education budget wasn't about to get cut by $475 per student...
That is more a byproduct of population loss (and a resulting decline in tax revenues) than its cause.
But I feel like spending on education can be a long term solution to improving the economy. That said, you've got to be sustainable in your investments.
I didn't know people still lived in michigan!
...Texas passed strong tort reform laws years ago. And the result has been only an increase in medical costs.
It is good Texas is there to show other states that some right-wing approaches are not successful when put into reality.
On the other hand, some are.
I think one of the telling aspects is that Texas usually does well when the rest of the country is hurting so bad that workers want ANY job over one with benefits and a good public school system. (The quality of education in Texas' public schools is a national joke for its "backwardness"...second only to the deep south.)
and I can tell that some left wing answers do not work either.
The states that flourish do so because they take the best of what both have to offer and integrate them into a cohesive structure. People who are flexible and not dogmatic are always the most likely to survive a crisis. This is what Michigan--and the US--should aim for.
Michigan needs to become a laboratory of conservative and liberal ideas - see what's worked for other states, see the drawbacks, and see what they can do to improve on those ideas. Above all - innovate! At every level, at every opportunity, in every organization. I'm optimistic that Michigan can rebuild, restore, and reinvent. But an openminded approach is necessary - try everything, and if it fails, try something else. But keep trying, and be creative!