Please pray, Strate of Michigan Shut down has started.. Thanks.

J

JT

Cathlete
Hello Friends of the Forum.

The government for the State of MI will be funcioning on a VERY limited basis until our representatives can come to agreement on how to rid of our large deficit. The tensions are high already and very recent due to the UAW/GM discussions, high unempployment, high foreclosures..
It's all too real and very scary.

Your prayers are greatly appreciated for our leaders, state employees, and citizens as we live here.


Thanks.
 
There hasn't been agreement yet as of last night. They are supposed to come back this afternoon and this evening to discuss issues all over again. Lots of finger pointing going on.
No, I don't work for the government although, at one time, I thought it would be a good change for me but glad it didn't happen.
Im sure by Monday it will make national news.
 
Jennifer,

Yes, they need to come to an agreement by Monday. Here these state representatives and senators take three months off in the summer. They should have had this resolved months ago. Since I also live in Michigan, I am raging mad,too.

Here the state of Michigan gave our township a 2 Million Dollar grant to put a hiking trail in our Cannon Township. They just started it in June. They ended up going right through our property with it. We lost 33 feet by 1000 feet of our porperty, because of this trail. I guess the whole thing makes me very angry, like we need another bike trail for $2M.

Our state representative, who is our neighbor, helped them get this grant. Here he has been in the House for only about two years. He just bought a brand new truck and he bought his wife a brand new BMW!

Sorry to rant here, but they are talking crazy about giving up the lotteries and closing the secretary of state office. These two sources bring in most of their revenue. HELLO!

This state is going to H*** in a handbasket, in my opinion. People are moving out of this state in record numbers.

Let's keep in touch and continue to pray for a resolution of this very horrible situation.

Thanks,

Cheryl
 
RE: Please pray, Strate of Michigan Shut down has start...

Wow - I had no idea. I'm sure we'll be hearing about this nationally soon. I just moved back to Illinois from Michigan last fall. I grew up in Michigan and moved back there for 2 1/2 years after living in the Chicago area for 10 years. My husband and I still own a house in Michigan which we bought as new construction in 2005. The house almost immediately lost a lot of value. We tried to sell the house but ended up renting it out. Our families still live in Michigan. I really hope the government figures something out.
 
Hi Cheryl.

That's what that is!! I have seen the construction going on and wondered what it was going to be.
Bummer about your property, I only knew that Fred Meijer Trail was to connect to the White Pine but no clue it was going to be there. I thought it would follow M-57.
Is your neigbhour, Sikkema?
From what the news is reporting, keeping the casinos open and cutting the state trooper staff to only 15%. Trickle down, we're lose county sherrifs and city police in the next 60 days here.

Yes, the State of MI does need a lot of prayer. WZZM13.com has already started the countdown.

Ok, we'll keep in touch.
 
RE: Please pray, Strate of Michigan Shut down has start...

I am one that ran as fast as I could out of that state...I moved last May! I lived in Kentwood MI and watched that city go from growing to the police calling it rentwood then the hood...empty houses no jobs and crime!! Crime everywhere...people stealing and killing for little money. I am glad to be gone for my families sake and I will pray for you who is left there to "survive".

duck
 
RE: Please pray, Strate of Michigan Shut down has start...

You are so right. Where I live there isn't hardly any crime. But I do know that it is getting bad in some of the suburbs of Grand Rapids.

You can hardly even give your houses away. A friend of mine has had her house up for sale for two and a half years in the Ada area, which is a really nice place. They have gone down over $50,000 on their price. They are thinking of leasing it out to buy another house. But who will be able to afford their house payment when they can't either?

I have lived here my whole life and have never really thought of moving oiut of this state. Well, we have thought of it, but my husband owns his own business and we are 51 years old. It is kind of scary to think of up and leaving and starting over with 6 kids at home yet.

I have advised many younger people I know to just get out while they can! It is a real downer. But I guess, you have to do what you do. You were smart to move.

Where did you move to?

Cheryl
 
RE: Please pray, Strate of Michigan Shut down has start...

Online, WZZM 13 says they are near to an agreement but nothing on WoodTV8.
Yes, Kentwood and Wyoming does have it share of issues. I live in the city, and my street has dealt with some serious stuff in the last 18 months. Fortunately, our problems moved away.
 
RE: Please pray, Strate of Michigan Shut down has start...

Update-No solution has been reached. The shutdown will start at midnight tonight.
 
RE: Please pray, Strate of Michigan Shut down has start...

Jennifer,

If it puts your mind at ease at all, NJ had a shutdown in 2006 that lasted about a week. It wasn't the first time our legislature didn't make the budget deadline, but it was the first time in the state's history that a shutdown was ordered. Still, only non-essential gov't services were shut down. So while parks and some agencies like the DMV weren't operating, it doesn't affect prisons, transportation, etc.

[font face="heather" font color=brick red size=+2]~Cathy [/font face] http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/wavesmile.gif
"Out on the roads there is fitness and self-discovery and the persons we were destined to be." -George Sheehan
 
RE: Please pray, Strate of Michigan Shut down has start...

Hello Cathy.
Yes, thank you, it does put my mind at ease. With all the other stuff happening here, our shutdown is because our economy here is worse than the other 49 States and with the shutdown, it won't help it either.
Thanks for the encouragement.
 
RE: Please pray, Strate of Michigan Shut down has start...

Hi all,

DH and I are new Michiganders. He got a wonderful job as a professor here, and we live right on Lake Michigan. There is so much to love here, but unfortunately I'm feeling discouraged about getting a job. His job is very secure, but I want to teach French and there is only 1 French teacher in 3 counties. I have been hopeful that this could change, but with the economy the way it is I just don't know...But if I could ever find a teaching job, Michigan actually pays its teachers much better than other states do (I think Michigan teachers had the 4th highest salary in the country in 2005).

And yes it seems like every house is for sale, but for some reason all these new condos are being built. I just don't understand why there is so much new construction when people are being ruined financially because their houses won't sell. On the plus side, if and when DH and I decide to stay here for good and buy a house, I guess we'll have a huge selection and we'll get a great deal.

We spent the day in Grand Rapids yesterday to celebrate (i.e. go shopping for) my b-day. We've been to GR several times and did notice some poverty and apparent homelessness, and yes there were neighborhoods that I wouldn't want to go to alone. But having lived in Baltimore city, GR looks like Disneyland to us. You want to talk about homelessness, crime, poverty, drugs, gangs, prostitution, and desperation, GR just doesn't come close. Then again I have heard about some parts of Detroit. I guess I'm saying that although the state of Maryland may have low unemployment, it still has a Baltimore and kids born into poverty there have very little chance of getting out.

If Michigan could somehow turn it around, and if I could get a good job, we'd love to stay. I've lived lots of different places, and this is a very special one! I know this doesn't sound like much from a new Michigander like me, but I think it's important to be hopeful. There are a lot of changes that need to happen, and of course now that the main industry is just about gone, we need to find new industries and new jobs. Sure this may never happen and if it does it won't happen overnight. Still, shouldn't the pendulum start to swing back in the "good" direction at some point? I certainly hope so!

Amy
 
RE: Please pray, Strate of Michigan Shut down has start...

Hello Amy.

We should get together for lunch sometime near Rivetown Crossings.
My neighbourhood is nice. It's scary, though, that the little bungelows in my area were going so high a few years ago. My property value has dropped but since I bought a rare foreclosure 6 years ago, thank GOD, I still have positive home equity.
Yes, parts of Detroit, Flint, Saginaw, and Bay City are REAL bad. My area of Detroit I grew up in was rather nice and very low crime.

Happy Birthday!! And, Welcome to MI. Thank you for the positive note.
 
RE: Please pray, Strate of Michigan Shut down has start...

Jennifer - I grew up in Detroit. My dad still lives there and it's still a decent area. I must say that downtown Detroit is in much better shape these past few years than when I went to high school down there in the late 80's.

As far as property values, I don't even want to think about how much in the negative we are with our home equity. We talked with our next door neighbors recently and they said that they're home appraised for about $35,000 less this year compared to last year. I hope things turn around.

Michelle
 
RE: Please pray, Strate of Michigan Shut down has start...

Hi all,

I had to weigh in on this discussion. I work for the State of Michigan. I am an attorney for one of the department's that got the notice that effective 12:01 am Monday, I am on layoff if no resolution is reached. I really do not expect this to last, if there is an actual shutdown, longer than Wednesday at the most. A lot of people are blaming Gov. Granholm. They are not realizing that former Gov. Engler cut taxes significantly, thus reducing revenue, thus causing the deficit. Granholm is just trying to correct it. Many are angry at her for raising taxes. She is simply "raising" them back to where they were before.

I have lived in Michigan my entire life. I have visited many other cities, states and countries. I ablsolutely love Michigan!! And . . . I live in Detroit! Okay close your mouths from shock!! LOL!!! I love the City!!! I can not think of anywhere else I would want to live. I am a single woman who owns a home in the City of Detroit. My neighborhood is very nice. Not a lot of crime. Well patroled by the police. While there are areas that are very bad, the entire city is not like that. I see the city making a comeback- sort of akin to a baby taking his first steps ( stumbling, wobbling and falling sometimes- but he eventually gets up on his feet and runs!!;-) ). I love the 4 seasons. I especially love the Fall- the beautiful colors, cider mills and donuts (YUMMY!!), haunted houses, sweaters, hayrides, starting fires in fireplaces, apples, cherries and pumpkins.

Again, as Jennifer first requested please pray for the State!
 
RE: Please pray, Strate of Michigan Shut down has start...

Hi Jennifer and other fellow Michiganders.

I had to leave the state in February 2007 for the mid west. I raised my kids there and lost my job 2.5 years ago. I had my youngest to get through high school so he could go to MI Tech. Plus selling the house was horrible, I lost my shirt. I had positive equity but lost $30,000 right out of the gate. My house was almost paid off.

Anyway, my two kids are still in MI attending college. My senior is trying very hard to graduate early so he can leave and I'm not sure that my youngest will finished at MI Tech or if he'll finish out here.

I am very angry at the Governor. I realize that Engler left her a mess, but the very bottom line is, she took her eye off the ball. When companies were shutting down and leaving, she was struggling to get a no smoking law passed for restaurants. I remember the Brann Family giving their opinion in the GR Press. And Tommy was right, she needed to focus on getting jobs into the state and these other issues can wait for a strong vibrant economy.

I'm glad I'm out of MI, I do miss it because I had to leave my kids and 30 years of my life there. I pray of that state every night because of my sons, it'll not be too much more to add one more.
 
RE: Please pray, Strate of Michigan Shut down has start...

Another Michigander here.....from the Cheboygan area.

Well, I can tell you that the welcome centers and the rest areas are now closed. My friend who was traveling back upstate just informed me of that. Last night when we were going to a football game we saw 6 state troopers on the expressway.....4 of them had someone pulled over. I think they were trying to generate revenue on their last day of work.

They have declined the service tax.....thank goodness! That would've been such a mess. Now they are debating increasing the income tax, which actually I would prefer. At least it would only affect those lucky enough to have a job in this state. Hmmmmm....not really sure they'll get much $$$ out of that.

I don't think Granholm is 100% to blame, but I don't think she's helping the situation at all. I have not and would never vote for her! She's on TV ranting at the legislature telling them they must compromise, but then states that she will veto any legislation that comes across her desk if it cuts this or that.....}( So, what she really means is that the legislature needs to compromise to meet HER specifications. UG!! I just can't tolerate a hippocrit. (sp?)

Aside from our &^%#ed-up leaders, I do like it here. I was born and raised here and have managed to carve out a comfortable living. I love the 4 seasons as well. Thankfully I have no intention of selling my house. Someday soon, however, I think folks will come back to MI for the moderate temperatures and the valuable fresh water resorces we have.

The current state of desperation of those who cannot make ends meet is scarey though. People are being reduced to stealing just to get by and it makes me a bit nervous. I have never had to lock my house, even as a kid.....but now......I'm not so sure. It's sad that it has had to come to this. Hopefully there'll be a resolution soon. And, if there is, I'm sure Granholm will take the credit. }( I'm a voter, so I guess I have earned the right to complain about her.:p

Angie
 
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