Read this one:

The Courage of Detroit, by Mitch Albom (via Sports Illustrated)

But it’s time to untie Detroit. Because we may be a few steps behind the rest of the country, but we’re a few steps ahead of it too. And what’s happening to us may happen to you.

Do you think if your main industry sails away to foreign countries, if the tax base of your city dries up, you won’t have crumbling houses and men sleeping on church floors too? Do you think if we become a country that makes nothing, that builds nothing, that only services and outsources, that we will hold our place on the economic totem pole? Detroit may be suffering the worst from this semi-Depression, but we sure didn’t invent it. And we can’t stop it from spreading. We can only do what we do. Survive.

And yet we’re better at that than most places.

Via the AP:

“Michigan’s October unemployment rate surged to 9.3 percent, its highest rate since July 1992 and six-tenths of a percentage point higher than September’s jobless rate of 8.7 percent.”

…and…

“Michigan appears to be on track to have the nation’s highest annual unemployment rate for 2008, a distinction it nabbed in 2006 and 2007. The year-to-date average jobless rate through October was 8.1 percent.”

I’ve gotten a few emails from folks who read this blog and say, “Awwww Lis, it can’t be that bad.”

Numbers don’t lie. It is that bad.

I guess I really can’t claim to be a Michigan Blogger without weighing in on the goings-on in the auto industry.

I may have a different view from others here in the state of Michigan, due to the fact that I’m an outsider. I wasn’t born here. I grew up in New England, and only moved to Michigan in 1999. I never knew the Glory Days of the Big Three. I hear from people I know about how it used to be: high wages, great health benefits, fabulous pensions. It was a badge of pride and honor to work for the auto industry. People were always angling to “get in” so that they could put in a number of years and retire comfortably.

I’ve never known that auto industry. My experience has always been of it struggling. In my almost 10 years of living in Michigan, I have never actively sought to work for one of the Big Three. I’ve always seen them as sinking ships, plugging holes where they can to desperately keep afloat. Why would I want to hitch my wagon to that star?

Admittedly, I’m not much of a “car person.” I view my car not as a status symbol, but as a way to get me from here to there comfortably and efficiently. I don’t care about speed (as anyone who has ever driven with me can attest to. ahem.). I care about safety, comfort, fuel economy, reliability, and a good radio. OK, and I like having a moon roof. Since moving to Michigan, I can’t help but pay attention to  what American automakers produce. And I always wonder:

“Why can’t they make anything that I want to buy? Who the heck does their market research?”

That’s my opinion of the Big Three: bloated, backwards-thinking companies that don’t make products that people want to buy. Yes, I understand there are a lot of legacy and retiree costs. Yes, I know that the UAW has negotiated above market value wages for the rank and file. I know that steel ain’t gettin’ any cheaper. But I also haven’t seen any major innovation from these companies. Sure, there have been countless layoffs. But what else are they doing to truly change the way they do business?

I’m no business genius. I don’t know what it will take to get the Big Three back on track, or if they even have the capacity to thrive again. I know that they will have to be radically different from the companies than they are now, from product mix to management to strategic goals. I also know that I don’t want the federal government to throw “good money after bad” and bail them out. I even went so far as to yell at the television one evening (my boyfriend will vouch for this): “Screw the auto industry. You guys SUCK.”

Yah, not eloquent. But it’s how I and many others feel. The auto industry has dragged this area down for years and years, and I’m sick of seeing it.

Additional reading on this topic:

• Thomas L. Friedman, in the New York Times: “How to Fix a Flat.” Read the comments too- fascinating.
• Article from the Michigan Business Review about GM slashing retiree benefits.
• What about bankruptcy? Big Three BigWigs are resisting it.

One of the things I love about southeastern Michigan is the juxtaposition of liberal college towns like Ann Arbor all tossed in with old school Big Business Companies like the Big Three automakers. There’s some New Economy stuff happening here (I’m talkin’ to you, Ann Arbor branch of Google..call me! I’m lookin’ for a job!). There’s plenty of Old Economy to go around too- Twentieth Century industry that hasn’t gotten the memo that things are different now.

These worlds only rarely collide, and I saw such a collision last Wednesday afternoon.

I was fortunate enough, due to my sweetie’s intervention and string-pulling, to get a ticket to hear Thomas Friedman speak at an event sponsored by the Washtenaw Economic Club. I’ve not read Friedman’s most recent work, but I do read his column in the New York Times and loved his book on the Middle East from many years ago, From Beirut to Jerusalem. He’s a great writer, with an elegant but clear style that I really admire. Oh yah, and he has important stuff to say too. He’s style and substance, a real rarity. His latest work is entitled Hot, Flat, and Crowded. Here’s a brief synopsis:

As in The World Is Flat, he explains a new era—the Energy-Climate era—through an illuminating account of recent events. He shows how 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the flattening of the world by the Internet (which brought 3 billion new consumers onto the world stage) have combined to bring climate and energy issues to Main Street. But they have not gone very far down Main Street; the much-touted “green revolution” has hardly begun. With all that in mind, Friedman sets out the clean-technology breakthroughs we, and the world, will need; he shows that the ET (Energy Technology) revolution will be both transformative and disruptive; and he explains why America must lead this revolution—with the first Green President and a Green New Deal, spurred by the Greenest Generation.

–from Friedman’s website.

Friedman’s theories from this newest work provided the fodder for his talk to the Economic Club. I’m really not interested in recapping the meat of the talk, because a liveblogger did that for me. The collision of the Crunchy Granola folks and Suits was what captivated me.

(Part II forthcoming)

Bob Lutz, a Big Wig at GM, was on the Colbert Report on Wednesday night. He was there to promote the Chevy Volt.

He was out of touch, sexist, and disgustingly smug. This does not bode well for any of the Big Three here in Michigan.

Of course, you can see for yourself right here.

But, really, what do I know? I’m a “no-makeup” kinda gal. I really should be home, naturally birthin’ some babies with a midwife rather than having an actual opinion.

While I think it’s admirable that GM is trying to get onboard with having a vehicle in production that will run without gasoline power for about 40 miles, I don’t think that they realize how little of an impact this vehicle will make. The Volt will be in production for the 2010 model year (maybe). I’m taking a WAG that the MSRP is going to be $20K ish. Who is going to buy this car? Especially if Lutz continues to alienate those of us who think that climate change is, oh, an actual concern.

I’d rather see someone, maybe an OEM, create a lithium-ion battery pack like the one that’s going to go in the Volt…that can be added as an after market accessory. I have a hatchback; I’d throw a big ol- battery pack in there if it meant using less gasoline. Think of the MILLIONS of cars that could be retrofitted for such a thing.

That’s change. That’s marketability. That’s what I’m talkin’ about.

Senator Obama was in Michigan yesterday talkin’ energy. Senator McCain is here today doing the same thing. I think both Presidential candidates are getting the idea that dependence on fossil fuels has to lessen or cease in the not so distant future. The Greenie Treehugger in me wants to turn cartwheels over this.

The candidates are talking in broad theoreticals about “energy industry.” I’m not even really sure what that is. How about talking about things that us regular folks can appreciate and do?

I have been complaining since 1999, when I moved to Michigan from Massachusetts, about the lack of public transportation in this state. Yes, I know, we are the cradle of the auto industry and all that. It would be contradictory to build light rail, etc. in the heart of Big Three Land.

You know what? I don’t care.

All I know is that there are opportunities for jobs in Detroit that I cannot consider because I cannot get there safely and efficiently. I live about 40 minutes due west of downtown Detroit on a day that there’s no bad weather, construction, or traffic. I’d LOVE to be able to get downtown to work in some of them there fancy glass buildings. However, my 11 year old VW and 36 year old body just can’t handle the traffic and crappy roads. Plus, the cost of commuting (newer car, fuel, parking) would completely consume the increase in salary I could acheive. It’d be a wash.

Now, a train or bus service that I could rely on? I’d be all over that. It’d allow me to expand my job search. It would postpone my having to purchase a newer vehicle. I’d use less gas on a personal basis. I’d have quiet time in the morning and evening to rest, read, or work- not battle traffic.

My options now are limited. I have researched, and there is ONE bus that services a route between here and Detroit on weekdays. One trip in the morning and one trip in the evening is all they run. Miss that and you are driving….or screwed. I think this is shameful and sad.

I love my adopted state, but the powers that be really need to get their heads out of their asses on this issue….and so many more.

It just dawned on me the other day that I have been jobhunting since the beginning of October 2007. That makes nine months of searching, interviewing, and getting rejected. The first four months of that time, I was still employed by Green Nonprofit. During the last four months, I’ve been temping. Yup, I took a month-ish off to wail and fret and sulk there in between. I think that’s acceptable.

I filed for, but was not granted full unemployment benefits. It was a blessing in disguise, because it forced me to get off my ass and keep actively looking for permanent work while I filled my days with temp gigs. It also saved Michigan some money, because:

In Michigan, suffering from the nation’s highest annual unemployment rate, the [unemployment benefit] fund is at a paltry $2.8 million. The state has already had to borrow money to keep the fund in the black for the past two fiscal years.

-via the Associated Press

Yoiks. You know things are bad when there’s barely enough funds to float the out of work folks in a state.

I’m not usually one to comment on national politics, but… dang, I’m happy for Sen. Obama. He was not even a blip on the national political radar five years ago, and look how far he’s come. Way to go!

A common political ploy is to ask folks: “are you better off now than x years ago?” I was taking a brief fiscal inventory of that this morning.

Since eight years ago, the good:

• I am business-degreed, from a small local university. I have no putstanding student loans (thank you scholarships and grants). Theoretically, this should boost my earning potential.
• I’ve been able to buy a house on my own- due to the economic downturn making things affordable and a generous divorce settlement (thank you, awesome divorce attorney).

Since eight years ago, the not-so-good:

• I’m still driving the same car, a swanky 1997 VW Golf (that I’ve had since 1996). I don’t forsee being able to change that anytime soon.
• I’m making the same wage, currently. Taking into account inflation, that’s a serious financial backslide. I’ve had times in a higher wage, but at the moment, things are tight. Since I am a frugal gal, I’m managing.
• I’ve watched jobs leave the state of Michigan in droves. They haven’t returned.

What do I expect from a leader on the national level? I expect the same from them as I do any other leader:  the ability to see the big picture as well as the steps to be taken to get to said picture. 

The big picture is that there are things that need changing, and the American people need to be empowered to make that happen.

Of course, he wasn’t my favorite writer/ thinker. Sure, you can say things like:

“[He]…marshaled polysyllabic exuberance, famously arched eyebrows and a refined, perspicacious mind to elevate conservatism to the center of American political discourse…”

-Douglas Martin, in 2/27/08 New York Times 

But in the end, he was the Father of Modern American Conservativism.  Without him there would have been no Reagan. ‘Nuff said.

Poor guy, though. Reports are that Mr. Buckley was found dead at his desk.

Folks, that’s not the way you want to go. On the golf course? Sure. In bed with a blonde in one arm and a bottle in the other? Dang right. But working?

Rest in peace, Mr. Buckley. And take it easy in the afterlife. Watch Wheel of Fortune.

Today in my part of Michigan we have had:

• Rain
• Freezing rain
• Sleet
• Snow
• Little ice pellet things

Surprisingly enough, the roads are in fairly decent shape in southeast Michigan. However, cars that have been parked for any length of time outside have that “glazed donut” appearance.