Thursday, April 2, 2009

California 2.0

So what can be done to restore vitality to the once Golden State? And while I'm at it, what about Michigan 2.0? Anything? Is Michigan so far in the bag that nothing can be done?

California pluses:
  • Affluent, educated people clustered near the coast
  • World-class universities
  • Worldwide center for technology innovation
  • Outstanding weather near the coast
  • Good ports and infrastructure
  • Large supply of surplus labor
  • Tourism, tourism, tourism
  • Breadbasket of the western US
California minuses:
  • Basket case of the western US
  • Crippling taxes
  • High cost of living
  • Polluted, crappy weather inland
  • Water is running out
  • Overpopulated
  • Non-functioning government
  • Many Californians are fleeing
Michigan pluses:
Michigan minuses:
  • Labor unions that don't get it
  • Non-functioning government
  • Horrendous winters
  • Many Michiganders are fleeing

3 comments:

Chris Hebert said...

Hi Lou! If you've got the time, the video is hilarious. The real kicker for me, though was this quote from the article:
"Detroit was once home to nearly 2 million people but has shrunk to a population of perhaps less than 900,000. It is estimated that a city the size of San Francisco could fit neatly within its empty lots."
WOW!

Rob Dawg said...

Not so much a "bread basket" as a basket of fruits and nuts.

We have three problems; taxes, lotus eaters and a government that sees nothing wrong with taxes and lotus eaters.

Anonymous said...

I read somewhere a while back that in 1950 Detroit had the highest median income of any city on Earth. Coming up on 60 years later, it's barely more liveable than Beirut or Baghdad. I'm pretty sure that's a testament what an inflexable, corrupt labor union can do.