http://www.statenews.com When 2006 MSU graduate Alicia Bowerman moved to New York City three years ago, she had no job prospects but had plenty of MSU contacts. “It’s a small world, even though it’s New York City,” Bowerman said, laughing. “I mean, I run into people I went to basketball games with my freshman year.” en-us Gryphon 2.2.3b-tsn (woodward)/Foundry5 Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:30:45 -0400 webmaster@statenews.com http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38330 Interesting how Graholm is all about promoting jobs but was an intrigual part in raising the business tax in Michigan. Clearly, that was an awesome idea to keep more jobs in-state. Let’s face it, as much as I hate to say it Michigan is not a business friendly state. We have high business taxes and the threat of unionization which keep new employers far away. If you were to open a new manufacturing plant, would you go to Michigan? Absolutely not. You would go to Tennessee or somewhere down south, where the cost of doing business is much lower. Graholm didn’t start this problem, but she certainly isn’t helping matters. Finally, its too bad the long-term job market in Michigan is looking so dismal. Being born and raised in MI I would like to one day return, but at this point its highly doubtful. Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:02:56 -0400 http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38330 http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38349 Something the State could do would be to fix the infrastructure! I know there needs to be more funding but Michigan roads are atrocious! I spend more time when I drive dodging pot holes than I do concentrating on my environment around me. Anyone that drives around East Lansing has seen HUGE pot holes, some almost the width of cars. Mt. Hope is a perfect example, between Hagadorn and Okemos Road. I-94 needs to be expanded to three lanes in both directions as well (between Chicago and Lansing). Why would I want to live here when I can move someplace that has better infrastructure, warmer weather and more jobs? I know the weather has a lot to do with the roads but in areas that receive similar weather conditions (Southwest Michigan) as soon as you drive into Indiana you notice a difference in roads. When I drove home for Christmas a few years ago the roads were bad (snow covered) and then all of a sudden they were clear and I thought the weather had let up until I realized I had crossed into Indiana on I-69 and they were plowing the roads… Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:53:40 -0400 http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38349 http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38369 Really Richard? Unions? That’s what you’re going with? The percentage of union employees is around 15% for private sector and 50% for government for Michigan’s workforce. Find another scapegoat. And business tax? Michigan has been ranked the 20th best state to do business in regarding state business taxes. Not the best, but that means there’s 30 states that have higher taxes. But I’ll bite and entertain your notion: If you want to lower business taxes, then how will you make up for that loss revenue? By taxing supposed new employees? Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:41:03 -0400 http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38369 http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38387 Say what, to say the threat of unionization has no impact on the Michigan business climate is completely ignorant. Unforunately, no manufacutring jobs will ever come back to Michigan, which saddens me. Also, how about lowering the state budget to reduce the tax burden on Michigan taxpayers? I mean clearly we need all those ten’s of thousands of Michigan employees. What would our state do without all of them? Say what, have an original thought. Don’t believe everything Graholm tells you. Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:05:37 -0400 http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38387 http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38437 I have a Bachelors in Business Administration and am in an MBA program. My problems are that I have no experience and that businesses want a degree in a related field, five years experience, this skill, and that certification. Starting pay? $8-10/hour. You can’t pay back your student loans on that. Most of the jobs I have applied for are non-union and pay squat. No coincidence there. Until businesses are willing to pay a wage that enables us college grads to pay back our student loans, it will not matter how “cool” our cities are. The reality is that every other state has lower unemployment rate than Michigan. We have had umpteen governors that have not helped to diversify Michigan’s economy. I blame Granholm, Engler, Blanchard, Milliken, etc. It’s not like nobody saw this day coming. Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:56:51 -0400 http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38437 http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38438 No. I disagree. The problem is that college graduates are not willing to make sacrifices for a lower salary. They want to win big bucks without the sacrifice of even starting their own business. It looks like they prefer to stay at home doing nothing than to work for $7/hour. As a current college student, I have to say that, if graduate school is not an option, the key is creating your own business or keeping yourself employed for a lower salary because when the economy picks up again because people with experience will always have an edge. Personally, I believe that the solution to the economy is a new group of entrepreneurs. Companies are just not able to hold a steady demand for college grads considering the supply there is. With debt or not, with experience or not, small companies are the solution because computers, technology, and outsourcing is reducing the positions available in all the companies. Therefore, businesses need to be more personal, diverse, and innovative. Sat, 18 Apr 2009 16:25:22 -0400 http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38438 http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38451 Ive owned my own business for over 10 years and this economy has totally killed it. If it wasnt for my wife working for the state I would be screwed. I realized last week that there was NO way I have enough money to keep it going until the economy fixes itself. Lucky for michigan I am making house payments, and the chance of me selling my house in this market is about 9%. So I am stuck, but Michigan is gonna have to do without the best piano mover around, and I’ll be applying for work as some kinda burger flipper no doubt. If I was to do it all over again I wouldn’t do it in michigan. Road work is constant, wasteful and extremely slow. The police target commercial traffic, and with over 10years on the truck and countless pull overs, they still come up with something I never heard before EVERY TIME I get pulled over. My best guess is that the police are out of money and they think small business have it. I haven’t even touched the weather. If I was starting a new company, why would I take it to a state that has such crappy weather? The taxes are fine, and reasonable. Anyone wanna buy a house in east lansing? Yea I thought so. Sun, 19 Apr 2009 11:44:00 -0400 http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38451 http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38486 With private sector union jobs in Michigan constituting 15% of all jobs in the private sector, the “threat” of unionization is a boogeyman. Lowering the state budget, all though a great idea, will in itself not replace lost revenue from business tax cuts. Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:30:45 -0400 http://www.statenews.com/index.php/comment/view/38486