Why Michigan's Unemployment Rate Could Be Worse

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Tips for Diet of 3:56PM March 19, 2010

all the americans know why thier are no jobs in the us the big companies send jobs overseas to make more money.
I hate when Obama tell the people he is with him but the Laws are the same nothing done against big companies why not put huge tax on everything comes to the US form outside since we dont export anything (MADE IN CHINA).
this will force them to bring jobs to the US.

Issam of MI 3:50PM February 18, 2010

I was born and raised in Michigan 49 years ago. I left the state permanently 31 years ago, in part, due to envisioning what the future held for my "home state". The rest of the nation was happily destroying their employment unions, and it was only a matter of time before Michigan was no longer able to compete with companies that paid less than livable wages.
While people love to bash Unions, they seem to forget why unions were necessary to form. Having lived in a non-union state for the past 25 years, I work in a health clinic where I have to "punch out" if a patient cancels or fails their appointment, I have no health care or retirement plan offered by my employer, and am subject to dismissal at any time, for any reason, real or imagined, due to this state being part of the "at will employment" trend.
This is nothing compared to my maternal grandfather's plight as a coal-miner in Kentucky in unsafe conditions for non-livable wages. He died of black lung disease before I could ever remember him. It was common for many men to lose their lives in mine collapses/explosions while still young.
The people who feel unions are "not necessary" need to read up on the history of this nation's workers before unions came into being.Not only did unions raise pay to livable levels, they also created safe working conditions for employees as weel as the idea of paid vacation time and benefits. It forced non-union shops and businesses to provide the same in order to compete for workers in the labor market.
As we watch the final destruction of the biggest unions in the US, don't be surprised to see employers reverting to the "old ways" and the type of pay/benefits that Wal-mart employees receive...

KT of MN 4:08PM December 18, 2009

This website is tracking Michigan Unemployment Extension/Benefit Information and Job Information for all 50 States. http://usunemployed.blogspot.com

Jason of MI 9:19PM December 06, 2009

Here is the playbook for success in Michigan and you can do this with just one Bill, the Modernize Michigan Act. The following should be included in this bill.
1.) Make Michigan a Right-To-Work State with At Will Employment with a provision to make it mandatory for all Companies to Publish Employee Salaries and Length of time at Company.
2.) Include a State Ran Michigan Universal Healthcare Program for all citizens of MI, and this is Paid for by enacting a 6% GST (Goods and Services Tax similar to Canada) 15% at Junk Food Outlets, Alcohol, Cigarettes, and a Co-Pay's is determined by Annual Wages and Family Size.
3.) Slash the Corporate Taxes to 1% statewide except for Companies who outsource Michigan Jobs to China/India this should be at 25%.
4.) Massive Reform of the Prison Population, force all Inmates to work a mandatory 60 hour work week in a Chain Gang to perform state manual labor, Institute a Self-Sustaining environment where inmates Grow their own food, make their own clothes, fix their own prison (etc.), and Re-Institute the Death Penalty by Gas Chamber.
6.) Abolish the State Income Tax on Wages, Implement a low 3% Capital Gaines Tax, implement a Flat State wide tax of 8% with an option to allow cities to add an additional tax by majority city vote, and Implement a 50% SIN TAX all pornographic material (including websites), strip clubs (etc.)
7.) Implement an optional State Social Security Program to allow individuals to participate in a pre-tax Retirement Pension Program tied to Federal SS Laws.
8.) Reform Education to advance the student's curriculum to compete in a global economy.
Wrap all this up into one bill and let the Michigan Voters vote on this and watch Michigan Flourish.

Progressive Thinker of MI 10:36PM December 03, 2009

the dire situation in MI is largely due to Unions asking for more in wages and benefits than they are willing to offer business and customers of those business in quality and work ethic.
No business wants to enter into MI because of the unions and taxes and low work ethic!
No one in MI wants to work a non-union job because they pay is beneath them and there are so many welfare supports that they can keep demanding to use up the welfare supports until........
Funny, so few really understand why MI is in major trouble its been in trouble for years even when employment was high across the nation.
Unions are greedy and only focus on greed. They are not focused on the business or the business customers, they are only focused on the workers and when you only focus on money and benefits, quality and worth ethic fails.
http://www.powercareernow.com/

Allan of GA 4:36AM November 22, 2009

If you want to be taken seriously when commenting, learn how to spell and punctuate.

GrammarNazi of MI 12:44PM November 10, 2009

The current state of the economy in Michigan can only be compared to the 1930's and the "Great Depression." The stated unemployment rate has been under estimated for many months. Many areas of the State ( Metro Detroit ) have become a Katrina like waste land, with a "true" unemployment rate exceeding 30%.
The State is in such dire straits that our productive citizens have left the state, our prisons have been emptied, school systems have been decimated, law enforcement officers laid off, and our roads are impassable. I'd advise the citizens of this state to run from both the democratic and republican parties, they have destroyed this once productive and beautiful state. Let's look at some third party candidates such as the Conservative party, who will not behave like junior high school students at the State Capitol, and who will actually take their civic responsibilities seriously.
(Note: If you live in Michigan, you had better hope your "friends" in Congress also don't decide to strip us of our gun ownership rights. You may need one at this rate of decline, because your state and local governments can no longer afford to pay for law enforcement to protect you when some recently released prison thug breaks into your home)

Larry of MI 2:42PM November 05, 2009

Yes, we are in a wonderful country where we do have to pay for things, it's called working for a living. Nobody said we where entitled to anything, including food and heat.
I am strongly against government involvement in corporate America. If a CEO makes a billion dollars a year, and wants to charge people that borrow money from his company 30 percent interest in a credit card, that's his choice. That's when customers need to look at that company, and switch to a different company that offers a more fair deal. But in a capitalist nation, there shouldn't be caps on wages, we as customers need to look and decide what the best deals are, then the company's would have to lower what they charge.
I sympathize with the person above me, I have been jobless for the past year, and thankfully my husbands job is still there. Praise the Lord for being the ultimate provider!
Considering the rest of the planet has lower literacy, and much deeper problems such as true horrid poverty, I'd say we are very civilized even though people are loosing their homes. I wish everyone could go on mission to somewhere like parts of the Philippines where children live in garbage dumps because they cannot get food anywhere else, then the USA would look rich, since it is, and truly blessed.

mary pikka of MI 11:38AM October 28, 2009