State Budget Cuts for Michigan

Michigan, once renowned for its booming auto industry is now in financial crisis. From the road work being distributed across the state, it would be hard to see it.

Schools in the rural areas in Michigan are one of the hardest hit with the budget cuts. Even before the major cuts were in place, Michigan schools were in bad shape. It is just one of the few states in the nation that does not offer help for school building repairs.

Just a city over from where I reside is one of the state's oldest school buildings; Jonesville Middle School. In this school all you would have to do is look around and see how badly it is aged. It is so bad that the electrical wires are very visible around the building. In an elementary school in Jonesville there are still old and deadly asbestos tiles. Here, in Hillsdale, one of our elementary schools has stalactites growing from the basement ceilings from excessive water damage. My own children come home in winter time telling me how cold some of the rooms are. Some classrooms do not even get heat anymore.

Michigan is my home state and everything that has been happening here over the past few years is heart breaking. The unemployment rate of Michigan is the highest in the country. It is a jaw dropping 7.7.

Recent talks of raising taxes will not make Michigan anymore attractive to potential businesses. I am very scared that it will do quite the opposite.

All across our nation jobs are hanging by a thread every day. With over seas places offering much lower wages one can see why this would attract a business more than on their own home ground.

In the long run that business decision may not be the best. These companies that take our jobs and move them over seas not only loose the respect of their customer but they will , in the long run, lose money. There will be competition for workers soon, the more companies move in the less and less people there are to work them. They will have to raise their rate of pay just to get them. So with the raise in pay and the less selling of their goods, this will be their own downfall. Not to mention the latest massive recall lists. If these companies do decide to move back to home borders, will we ever trust them again?