The State of Michigan
A journalist writes because it is the means to expressing opinions, analyzing ideas, and providing information. Yet, finding time to write is not as easy as most would think. My calendar has been quite full lately and I don’t like not having any writing time. With all that has been going on in this country and the state of Michigan in which I live, a full schedule has left me in a void when it comes to contributing thoughts.
As a journalist, I feel as if I have cheated many of you out of knowing what my reflections on the economic state of the country and Michigan are. So here goes, covering Michigan this week. Like others, I too am gravely concerned with the Detroit Public School System, the unemployment rate in the state, and the budget deficit of both state government entities.
In the year 2003, I felt that Michigan had not recovered from the recession that followed 9/11. Now in 2007, many state politicians, economists, and statisticians seem to agree. Michigan has been on a downward spiral for some time and has bottomed out.
So, how is a state to climb out of a bottomless pit and recover what once we had called success? Well, first its citizens must accept the inevitable. They have to embrace change. Time never stood still. Because of that, nothing surrounded by time stays the same for a long time. It is certain that policies and programs that governments oversee must be redesigned. Without doing so, a recovery will never be foreseen.
Recovery is the magic word here. In order to accomplish this recovery, we all must look beyond the immediate into the future. What exists now is the result of standing still in time and not having forethought on changing times.
We as citizens can no longer look to standing in the comfort zones we have dwelled in too long. We must be willing to explore, experiment, and attempt to engage in healing. Without doing so, the black hole that surrounds us will never be brought to the light.
How can we contribute? Stand up and voice loudly our view points, let politicians know what you agree with and what you do not, but do it with dignity. Ask serious questions on the issues that directly affect you. Express your ideas on what you feel can work. Do not accept what is handed to you without concrete evidence to support it.
It is up to you to be willing to open your arms to new discoveries, no mater how impossible they may seem. If our forefathers had not had the guts to adopt new ideology, we would not be where we are now.
So I end this expression of my reflections with a few words. Take heed and remember, time waits for no one and it never has. You must keep up with it or it will pass you by. I too will attempt to improve by doing the same.
As a journalist, I feel as if I have cheated many of you out of knowing what my reflections on the economic state of the country and Michigan are. So here goes, covering Michigan this week. Like others, I too am gravely concerned with the Detroit Public School System, the unemployment rate in the state, and the budget deficit of both state government entities.
In the year 2003, I felt that Michigan had not recovered from the recession that followed 9/11. Now in 2007, many state politicians, economists, and statisticians seem to agree. Michigan has been on a downward spiral for some time and has bottomed out.
So, how is a state to climb out of a bottomless pit and recover what once we had called success? Well, first its citizens must accept the inevitable. They have to embrace change. Time never stood still. Because of that, nothing surrounded by time stays the same for a long time. It is certain that policies and programs that governments oversee must be redesigned. Without doing so, a recovery will never be foreseen.
Recovery is the magic word here. In order to accomplish this recovery, we all must look beyond the immediate into the future. What exists now is the result of standing still in time and not having forethought on changing times.
We as citizens can no longer look to standing in the comfort zones we have dwelled in too long. We must be willing to explore, experiment, and attempt to engage in healing. Without doing so, the black hole that surrounds us will never be brought to the light.
How can we contribute? Stand up and voice loudly our view points, let politicians know what you agree with and what you do not, but do it with dignity. Ask serious questions on the issues that directly affect you. Express your ideas on what you feel can work. Do not accept what is handed to you without concrete evidence to support it.
It is up to you to be willing to open your arms to new discoveries, no mater how impossible they may seem. If our forefathers had not had the guts to adopt new ideology, we would not be where we are now.
So I end this expression of my reflections with a few words. Take heed and remember, time waits for no one and it never has. You must keep up with it or it will pass you by. I too will attempt to improve by doing the same.
Labels: economy, government, Michigan
posted by Sylvia McClain at 8:01 AM
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