As many know, Michigan is a difficult state to live in. We've got high unemployment (11% v. 9% national average), lots of foreclosure, and a Republican dominated government that's just passed a regressive tax policy in the hopes of racing to the bottom faster then the other rusting Midwestern states.
Why do they do this? Conservative economic development theory of course!
You know the ropes. Driving down corporate taxes will draw all those manufactures that left for China back to the shores of Lake Michigan. And if that doesn't work, well at least corporate taxes for the businesses that are here will be lower.... I'm sure the prosperity will rain down from the benevolent gilded like a marvelous golden shower!
Is there a better way? Jump below the fold to see!
-The above is the authors conceptualization of Republican fiscal policy-
The short answer is yes!
Economic Gardening is a concept that turns traditional conservative economic development theory on it's head. Instead of trying to lure successful and prosperous businesses from other states or countries to your own with race to the bottom deregulation and regressive tax policy, economic gardening dictates that policy makers can engage in long term planning and grow entire new industries that have never before existed in the garden.
Jennifer Granholm was very good at this. In her role as Michigan's previous governor, she used tax policy and a nice smile to develop and attract three new industries: Alternative Energy, Advanced Battery Technology, and Feature Film Production. All of these industries are awesome and progressive in nature, but the film industry offered lots and lots of promise to Michigan. First, it's cool. Big movies being produced in Michigan made people want to live here, which helped mitigate the brain drain thats been happening for the last 20 years. Second, production work is fairly easy to get training in and offers decent fiscal reward. A displaced auto worker can take a six month training course on becoming a grip or gaffer and land 30-40k per year in work. Thats not 1970's GM money, but it will certainly pay the bills in modern Detroit. Third, film production is a leave no trace industry. That means that there is no 500 acre factory belching thick black smoke into the sky that fills the lakes up with lead and requires 100 years of remediation after that factory moves to China to poison people who have fewer rights then we do. A movie production comes into town, spends 1-100 million dollars, empties out the local hardware stores and pizza places, and leaves. Pretty neat huh? To bad Rick Snyder won, because the first thing he did after ascending to the Governors office was run the production industry out of town with his new tax policy.
So, as a progressive, a Michigander, and someone who really wants to see the film industry work for myself and lots of my progressive friends, I'm asking (begging actually) for your help.
Why should you help?
Thats a great question. There's lots of great causes (like Netroots for the Troops, or the support of a real democratic party in Wisconsin) viaing for your attention right?
Much like economic gardening theory itself, I'm going to ask you to consider the long term for a moment. A strong artistic community in Michigan that's economically viable is good for democratic politics. Progressives with jobs who know how to express themselves make for good communities. The bay area didn't happen overnight, and wouldn't you like to hear Sean Hannity complaining about those damn "Detroit Values" 15 years from now?
Well Kuntawpwnsyou (It's Andrew actually, nice to meet you), that all sounds well and good, but whats this project all about?
Glad to answer that one. I have working class public education degrees(ie. N.M.U) in Psychology and Sociology and am pursuing a Masters in Social work with a focus on social justice, community building, and family welfare. Being a nerd, I also have a keen interest in martial arts, vikings, D&D, movies, and production work. Like most white people, I like The Wire, a lot. I believe movies and television are an incredibly and increasingly powerful way of communicating ones thoughts to an ever increasing and interconnected audience, and when done, this messaging can be very fun and accessible. I call it macro practice Social Work.
So, sometime in 2006, I and lots of my very close friends started kicking around an idea that eventually became this Proof of Concept Short:Scourge
The synopsis of the feature project:
After the decline of civilization, the land is poisoned and the human population has plummeted. Violence, subjugation, and superstition rule the day as new social orders rise. Brazen bands of neo-vikings march among the crumbling remains of northern cities, landfill miners extract valuable relics and metals from a forgotten past, half-feral urban nomads compete with the animals where wilderness has reclaimed the land, and water farmers keep society alive and themselves wealthy by purifying water with technology handed down through generations. As these groups clash and struggle for power a new and unexpected threat emerges; the mysterious and deadly warlocks, ruled by a mad tyrant who is reanimating the dead. A band of misfits, including an ex-mercinary, a young engineer, and the warrior women of the water farm, bridge the societal divide to fight for what little scraps of humanity they have.
You can watch the Scourge proof of concept and read the original production blog here:Scourge Info
Well gee Andrew, that sure is nerdy and swell, but what does this have to do with progressive policy or messaging?
My artist statement goes a little something like "When everyone does well, everyone does well". As with everything I do, this is reflected in the world I've created in Scourge. Those water-farmers are strongly modeled after the progressive movement. They've been able to eek out a fair and just culture in a very punishing world that only rewards cooperation in the long term.
The neo-barbarian vikings? Much like the majority of people you probably know now. They go along to get along. What they do has been working for them, and while they know there are costs to themselves and to the societal ecosystem at large for their collective behavior, this is the ways it's been done for a long time. If only they had a common enemy and a different model to check out that might result in the personal examination of behavior....
The undead (for real Andrew, more Undead in movies, wtf!)? You know them in real life too unfortunately.... Maybe it's your soul-less boss or your next door neighbor. You know the type, they talk about what a sweet guy Reagan was and how great it feels to provide the serfs with some much needed golden showering.
The world itself? Society didn't collapse after a bomb went off, it died slowly as relative deprivation increased and industrial deregulation quietly poisoned the land. For realism, the proof of concept was shot on location in downtown Detroit!
Alright Andrew, you sold me. What can I do to help you tend to your garden?
Holy shit, thanks for asking! There are three things you can do to help our team (if you read the blog above, you'll know who the team is):
1) Rec this Diary. I've got a low UID, and I've watched this community grow for a really long time. Lots of people read Kos, and if only a fraction of people end up reading this I think we'll get the support that we need to grow into something useful.
2) Connect our team with people who can help us grow. As I mentioned above, there are 100k users on Kos. I'm sure that someone out there knows a lot more then I do about getting a project greenlit to production. I would really really really love 5 minutes of your time if your that person. I've got lots and lots of questions. Jeff Leiber , I'm looking at you on that gilded stallion! 8-)
3) Send money. I'm a social worker in Michigan, and almost all the people who worked on the Proof of Concept were on unemployment. I'm not trying to fund the movie this way, but I am trying to get an entertainment lawyer to help me deal with some of the seemingly shady production companies that have approached us about development. We've got three days left on our 10k Kickstarter drive, so if you think this might be you, and you've already hit up Netroots for the troops, please please please don't hesitate. Help the Scourge team with money here!
Thanks for reading this opus... I appreciate your time and consideration. If you have any questions about the project I'll be around in the comments.
Best,
Andrew
Updated by Kuntawpwnsyou at Mon May 16, 2011 at 05:32 AM PDT
**Update***
There are two days left on the Kickstarter drive, thanks for any help you can lend to the Michigan economic garden!