Closed store fronts. Abandoned factories. Cracked streets. Desperation. That is what I witnessed on a trip to Michigan's tri-cities region this past weekend.
The Tri-cities region of Michigan was always a manufacturing hub; globalization has hit it hard. There has been a slow attrition of jobs over the past few decades, and a shrinking middle class.
In spite of that trend, mom and pop stores were still a common sight, and people were surviving. State facilities also kept people employed. Now, the region has become ground zero of the economic downturn.
With the downfall of the auto industry, and the potential closing of a state prisons, things have gone from bad to miserable. I've read about Michigan having then nation's highest (reported) unemployment rate, but you have to see it firsthand to understand how bad things are.
I've been visiting the area for more than 20 years, and have never seen it so depressed. Bay City Michigan used to have a vibrant down town; it is filled with empty store fronts now, and is going the way of Flint.
A young lady working at the King Fish, one of the most popular bars on the Bay City waterfront, told me that there were no jobs, and that business was very slow.
The misery is not contained to the swanky boutiques and restaurants that downtown Bay City was known for. Small corner stores that I had grown accustomed to seeing over the years were shuttered, parking lots were filled with weeds, and paint was peeling.
The industrial park where my dad's buildings are located in nearby Standish is almost entirely vacant as a consequence of GM being downsized. He is now the largest private employer in the county.
The super max State prison in Standish is closing. The local churches have signs telling prison workers that they are "not alone," and lawn signs call for the prison to be saved.
Where there is a glimmer of hope, there is concern. People are unsure about terrorist prisoners from Guantanamo being relocated there - those could be Federal jobs for different people, leaving the State prison workers out of work.
Young people are drugged out, and the schools are failing to prepare them to work. My brother has a difficult time even hiring people to answer phones, and he wants to hire people.
I'm not sure what the solution is, but something needs to be done before large portions of Michigan become a wasteland. Main street is suffering.