Letters
Slow Burn
B
efore elected officials for governor and the Legislature take office in Michiggan, an, they swear an oath to support the state’s constitution. One of the fundamental provisions of the constitution confers: “The public health and general welfare of the people of the state are hereby declared to be matters of primary public concern. The Legislature shall pass suitable laws for the protection and promotion of the public health.” So what happens when elected officials fail to work on behalf of all of R.J. KING the state’s citizens? Consider that the very first measures the current Legislature undertook, with the full support of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, were to take care of themselves and the unions that support them. If they were working on behalf of all citizens, they would have immediately addressed the state’s failing schools, poor infrastructure, and rising crime. The unions, which represent 10.1 percent of all U.S. workers (the lowest number of union workers on record) detested the state’s Right to Work laws, they wanted taxpayers to pay for union dues, and they wanted greater sway over elected officials. The new Legislature and the governor obliged them. Because the unions provide enormous amounts of campaign donations and support to Democratic politicians, is it any wonder they’ve become rubber stamps in doing the union’s bidding? Such support stifles new initiatives, promotes grandstanding and ignorance, instills laziness and apathy, and keeps the union’s wants front and center. But outside the legislative bubble of Lansing, real and alarming problems exist. According to a final report released in early October by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, the state is slowly burning.
According to the study: “Michigan is suffering from stagnant population growth, brain drain, a shrinking workforce, declining health of its people, and increasingly outdated infrastructure. Our ability to stay competitive in comparison to other parts of the country is in jeopardy. We are now finding ourselves in the bottom third of national rankings, including 34th in household income, 36th in K-12 educational outcomes, 39th in health outcomes, 45th in electric service reliability, and 47th in road conditions.” That’s quite a turnaround from 2018, the last year of Gov. Rick Snyder’s term, when the state consistently scored in the top 10 on national rankings (when he took office in 2011 following Gov. Jennifer Granholm, now U.S. Energy Secretary, Michigan was one of the worst states in the nation). Lest one think the report was partisan, it was funded by a wide range of nonprofit entities: the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, Hudson-Webber Foundation, Grand Rapids Community Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, Joyce Foundation, Skillman Foundation, the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, and the Ballmer Group. The good news is Michigan is a low tax state. The state and local tax burden in 2022 was 46th among all states, and Michigan has a combined effective tax rate of 8.6 percent — lower than all but two neighboring states and significantly below the 11.2 percent national average. Given that status, why aren’t people flocking to live and set up business here? Even as state officials attempt to shower companies with money to move here, few do so. So how do we turn things around? It starts with the governor and the Legislature focusing on making Michigan a top state for business, education, infrastructure, and public safety. Everything else is just noise and politics as usual.
R.J. King rjking@dbusiness.com
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I just looked at the DBusiness 2023 Detroit 500 and it’s brilliant. I have a vague idea how challenging it is to produce an accurate, high-quality 500-entry directory (with photos) — and it looks as though you and your team have risen to the occasion and delivered a most useful resource and a beautiful publication.
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Detroit’s downtown has come a long way since I last visited a quarter century ago. I was energized by seeing dozens of grand buildings, vacant in 1998, given new life and making the core of Detroit one of the most authentic places I’ve been. I travel the world, speaking about universal design and creating a better built environment for people with disabilities. I recently did a walking workshop, staff briefing, and follow-up visual report on issues and opportunities for the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP). ... When I shared my images and observations with DDP CEO Eric Larson and his team, I was gratified by their holistic commitment to inclusion. It wasn’t lip service. It was dedicated professionals focusing on great spaces ... and making them even better for people with disabilities.
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22 DBUSINESS || NOvember - December 2023
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