Can't Keep a Hipster Down

Ann Arbor, Cool City, home to thousands of peace loving armchair liberals, recently took a blow to the gut from Pfizer. But that will not keep Ann Arborites from pursuing diversity and celebrating Spring. This weekend will see the first annual FestiFools, a parade on Main Street Sunday from 4p.m. to 5p.m. including, I have heard, huge puppets. Laugh in the face of uncertainty; thumb your nose at bad news.

Ann Arbor will also be hosting the 35th Annual Dance for Mother Earth Pow Wow at Crisler Arena. This event takes place Saturday and Sunday (click the link above for more details) and features traditional Native American dancers and drum circles from around the US and Canada, fabulous food, and a huge number of vendors.

Quench your thirst for fun and diversity in Ann Arbor this weekend.

Third World Michigan?

Among the many trying to understand the state of the state, Prof. Bryan K. Ritchie, associate professor of international relations at James Madison College at Michigan State University, blogged yesterday about the parallels between Michigan today and Singapore in 1972.

"...Last week I presented a paper on how Singapore simultaneously created highly skilled people and attracted high-tech companies. After my presentation, a well-known colleague inquired if I had ever applied my research to Michigan. To be honest, I had never considered it. But as he talked I saw the potential application: globalization and an increasingly complex and technical international economic system is driving the primary location of competition to the state level. Michigan is not competing only with other states. Michigan is competing directly with Singapore and every other developing country. If true, why not act like these other countries?"

He goes on to offer a vision for business and government leaders:
"...Singapore’s success in the world economy has come from a mixture of technocratic and bureaucratic professionalism, strong political leadership, and active private sector participation. And by participation I don’t mean simply consultation. Heads of companies, leaders of unions, and leading academics have all taken turns directing the entire public policy process in key economic areas including forming, implementing, monitoring compliance, and ensuring enforcement of policy. The key to making this work is tight coordination between the private sector and government—not government as a regulating force, but as a facilitating one."

Still, in order to forge these alliances a lot of people will have to forswear an adversarial model of relating. United we stand (a chance of getting out of this downward cycle), divided we fall (farther and farther behind Singapore).

Made in China: Small Business Idea

Looking for a small, I mean really small, business idea?

This weekend, I had the pleasure of staying at a Marriott in another Great Lakes state. Our accommodation included VIP status and special perks, access to a concierge lounge with food and beverages throughout the day, etc. Our room rate, with tax was $144. So why were the cotton balls and ear swabs imported from China? Would little packs of domestic cotton balls and swabs really put such a huge dent in Marriott's profit margin at the end of a day?

This little pack of hygiene supplies struck me as absurd, insulting and alarming. You can be sure there are low-skilled workers in the U.S. who could produce little packs like this and would be grateful for the work. But their labor is too expensive. Think about that. Paying someone in the U.S. minimum wage to make little packs of hygiene supplies is too costly. Or perhaps the actual phrase is "not sufficiently profitable to be competitive in a global economy." I wonder what how the Chinese cotton ball packers live. I wonder what they eat and where they sleep.

Willow Run: Lessons for Michigan

What factors created Willow Run's persistent social and economic vulnerability?

1. Willow Run's only unifying governing structure is the school district. Being split between Ypsilanti and Superior Townships, the community of Willow Run lacks a unified municipal governing structure through which to shape its future, develop economic diversity or express its unique historic legacy.

2. A large number of wartime workers were recruited from Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. The fact of a north/south cultural divide doomed Willow Run's prospective annexation into the City of Ypsilanti, which would have allowed it to benefit from infrastructure and services of an established municipality.

3. Residents depended on a single industry for employment. The wartime boom at the bomber plant transitioned almost seamlessly into the postwar boom of the auto industry.

4. Even as parents understood education's importance to their children's futures, children could consider the hard labor of factory work, a worthy well-paid pursuit.

5. Willow Run's historic and cultural identity is manufacturing.

Doesn't this resemble Michigan's present predicament?

1. While we have the appearance of a single governing structure, Michigan's legislature suffers a crippling partisan divide. Never mind two townships; we have two Michigans, red and blue. Or maybe it's a pushmi-pullyou in Lansing?

2. Certainly, the urban/rural cultural rift ensnares the state legislature when considering initiatives to help southeast lower Michigan, generally and Detroit in particular.

3. Michigan's historic and cultural identity is the automotive industry. The entire state has benefited from the auto industry. The tourism of "up north" developed from the prosperity of industry in southeast lower Michigan and the broad availability of cars.

4. While we say we value education, our tax policies say otherwise. And while industry was thriving, high school graduation could suffice. But this is no longer true.

5. Even though plenty of other businesses contribute to our economy, our principal economic engine has been auto manufacturing and associated businesses for nearly a hundred years. This primary dependence on one industry has had devastating consequences at the state level with downsizing and outsourcing.

What can we do?

1. Urge legislators to take view beyond the election cycle, detach from partisanship, and look in the same direction--forward.

2. Begin to see Michigan as a whole entity--one Michigan (Our Michigan), rather than a constellation of opposing, adversarial binaries (red/blue, urban/rural, rich/poor, labor/management, white/non-white).

3. Accept our special history and relationship to the automotive industry, but promote diverse economic development. Encourage small business and promote local economies that can sustain communities and cultivate local culture.

4. Educate children to become human beings, engaged citizens, and independent thinkers, not mere "good workers." Help them develop an appreciation and love of their home state, so that they might want to stay here, and improve the place, rather than become migratory workers in search of better opportunity.

5. Embrace Motown at the state level as the cultural gem that it is.

Any other ideas out there?

Willow Run is Michigan

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the government banned civilian auto production. War profiteering was illegal. Priorities were clear; the military needed stuff. Domestic industry was enlisted to produce that stuff. Subsequently, factories needed workers, lots and lots of workers. Workers migrated from all states of the union, as well as Hawaii and Puerto Rico to work at the Willow Run bomber factory. At the height of production in the summer of 1943, the bomber plant employed 42,331 workers. In that moment, government will, corporate resources, individual initiative and collective motivation aligned to create unprecedented industrial productivity--precursor to the postwar economy, mid-century midwife to the middle class.

Some of the Willow Run workers lived in government dormitories called Willow Lodge. Willow Village, prefab housing for 2500 families opened in July of 1943. Others lived in trailers and tents nearby. Community was born from collective sacrifice and experience. A diverse population shared migratory upheaval and the satisfaction of hard work rewarded with decent pay.

Housing at Willow Village was intended to be temporary, and the people who lived there understood that. The war would end and they would get on with their lives. By 1945 the workforce at the plant dropped to 16,000. Nearly, 1,000 families left the village. But, in 1946 Willow Village became temporary veteran housing. In that same year Kaiser-Frazer automobile company purchased the bomber plant and began producing cars within months. Although Willow Village housing was meant to be a temporary accommodation for the war effort, the auto industry gave people a reason to stay.

"Willow Run is America"

Lately, I have been fascinated by Willow Run, not the factory, but the community. To this day, it is synonymous with the history of government, industry and labor in the mid-twentieth century, and it has become a shorthand for the impact of the global economy on the American factory worker.

Something to ponder from Changing Classes: School Reform and the New Economy (2001), by Martin Packer,"The Willow Run community was a child of twentieth-century state-regulated industrial production, born of a union between the wartime demand for complex fighting machines and the efficiency gains of centralized production, and the power of the federal government. The community was created, and then shaped, to meet the needs of large-scale industry, first the military-industrial complex and subsequently the equally massive automobile manufacturing industry."

Marion Wilson, authored The Story of Willow Run in 1956, two years after the land was bought by Superior and Ypsilanti Townships. As the federal official who oversaw the community's transition from temporary government housing to permanent community, she had a unique perspective on its evolution. Her insight that Willow Run is America held true in the fifties. Then, it was a hopeful statement about community, industry, patriotism, and grit. What about today? And more importantly how is Willow Run Michigan? More to follow...

Better Times on the Rouge River

photo: C.Whiting

"To the world outside, Michigan is Detroit."
Wise words from a former Michigan legislator.

Made in Michigan: International Tabloid News

Has anyone else noticed the string of creepy, bizarre and embarrassing headlines featuring our fair state? I'm not going to link to these. You can just google the key words.

It started with "Body Parts from China Delivered to Michigan Home." We never learned the fate the other packages missing from that shipment. But we didn't need to; that would be old news. Same story, different state.

"Michigan Church to Honor Fallen Turkey." Touching, but weird. And it could have been worse, for example "Michiganders honor their dead."

How about "Michigan Man Gets $122,400 for Cat Bite." Was this one about excessive jury awards, a warning about the "pit bull" of the cat world or a veiled suggestion for extra income in hard times?

"Michigan 'Rat Lady' says white rats great pets." (Better than biting cats certainly.) I am sure other states have rat ladies. I am sure other states have people who like white rats. But no, this had a Michigan angle. Run it.

"Michigan Man Riding Lawnmower Across Country Hits Roadblock." He couldn't afford a car? Fortunately, the coverage does praise his charitable purpose for the trip.

"Houses Cheaper Than Cars in Depressed Detroit." Thank you, Reuters, but the modifier 'depressed' was unnecessary.

Did I miss any?

Chick Inn, Since 1953

"Paul Bunyan Burger 3.75--a half pound of the finest ground beef, cheese, thick sliced onion, crisp lettuce and our special Paul Bunyan sauce served on a 5" toasted sesame bun."
Good ol' American fare, beefy, large, cheap.

I was doing research for an upcoming piece on Willow Run, and spotted the Chick Inn Drive In at the corner of Holmes and Prospect, just west of Willow Run and just in time for lunch.

Mid-century modern architecture and a tall rotating sign immediately grabbed my imagination, so I pulled in and parked the car. Here was a cultural gem evoking a time of audacious gas-guzzling cars, unbridled economic growth and a thriving middle class--the fifties. The Chick Inn has been at this site since 1953, the current building dating from 1955.

It's iconic, a landmark, a relic, the subject of a song, and still a functioning full-service drive-in. For decades, the Chick Inn has been family-owned and operated. That is the case even now, although the restaurant changed hands about three years ago. I asked the current owner, Mr. Lim, about business. He said it's not great and said he thinks it has to do with the economy generally. Our conversation was difficult, as the owner and I grappled with a language barrier. He is Korean. I thanked him for talking with me and went out to the car to order. Paul Bunyan burger with a side of onion rings.

The car hop, a young woman from Ypsilanti, took my order by speaker and brought it out a few minutes later with a smile. She has worked at the Chick Inn for nearly a year. I asked for her thoughts on the Michigan economy. She shared that, "everyone in my family is leaving Michigan because there's no work. People in my family think we need a new president and a new governor. She tries to say everything is alright and it's not. We'd rather hear the truth from her."

Then she remarked about the situation for the Chick Inn. She had heard that business dropped off when regulars found out a Korean bought the place. The regulars didn't like that he raised the prices. Then she added, "this is an American place, you know."

My Disneyland lunch was over. My hope for the Chick Inn took a blow. Sure this is an American place, a quintessential American place, and how wonderful that a Korean immigrant has taken the chance in the 21st century to sustain a historic landmark in Ypsilanti. Our state economy desperately needs people like Mr. Lim--entrepreneurs and small business people--to take risks and make investments in communities. Thank you for taking a chance in Ypsilanti, Mr. Lim.

Render Unto Caesar

Since before the time of Christ, taxes have plagued us. Presumably, these monies support the commons we all depend on. Our state and local infrastructure depend considerably on property tax revenue. How will declining property values affect revenue? Most Michigan homeowners have been getting a surprise increase in the taxable value of their home on the latest assessment. How can this be?

From The Traverse City Record Eagle, a succinct answer:
"Assessors use sales studies to determine a percentage increase or decrease in property values by neighborhood. State law sets the study period at two years, running from April 1, 2004, through March 31, 2006, for current figures."

Republicans propose some relief...
"Michigan homeowners would never get saddled -- as many are today -- with rising property tax bills in a declining real estate market, under proposed changes to state law and the constitution that state House Republicans plan to announce Monday."

Ironically, the Lord's work can cause a decline in much needed revenue.
A Redford Township church has acquired a $3.65 million "parsonage" causing the township to lose $40,000 annually in tax revenues.

Meanwhile, foreclosures and declining values will also affect revenue down the road.
Michigan was second in the nation in the rate of new foreclosure filings in January (Nevada was first), according to RealtyTrac, a national real estate and foreclosure tracking site. Michigan saw 11,554 new filings, up 147 percent from a year ago.

And property taxes aren't the only concern...
"Less than one-third of Michigan adults support the centerpiece of Gov. Jennifer Granholm's plan to solve Michigan's budget crisis -- a 2% tax on many services and entertainment -- a new Detroit Free Press-Local 4 Michigan Poll shows."

Flip It! Strategy: Getting Through Bad News Days

When you feel slammed by the news, try to flip it into a positive.

Global Warming
National Arbor Day Foundation reports that hardiness zones are shifting northward reflecting a warmer climate. Global warming is real and measurable in our environment. Our worst fears are true.
Flip: Time to investigate and propagate a completely different set of plants.

Depressed Real Estate
Property values are plummeting, at 6 year lows in Washtenaw county.
Flip: It is a fabulous buyers market. Renters might be able to afford owner-occupied housing.

Family Values Meets Diversity Training
James Tignanelli, president of the 14,000-member Police Officers Association of Michigan, said the group is backing the former New York mayor because of the leadership he showed after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Flip: Thousands of Michigan tough guys are officially okay with Guiliani's public appearances in drag and multiple marriages. Hmm.

Next time you get bad news, flip it for sanity and fun!

Calling on the Great Spirit of Michigan

Genius Loci, the sense of a place or the special guardian of a place.

I hate small talk, but I love to talk about important things with strangers, usually in parking lots or stores. These fellow citizens going about their errands, gathering the things needed to care for their families, are burdened with a sense that Michigan is in an economic free fall. Grateful to be able to shop for necessities, grateful to have employment and housing, they are worried and feeling very vulnerable. One articulate gentleman at a going-out-of-business sale remarked that being at the sale made real to him the economic news he'd been hearing, as if news can be considered hypothetical, a suggested framing of reality. He was conscious of plight of the workers inside (no corporate transfers being offered, no golden parachutes, no buy-outs) a cohort of pre-unemployed young adults. A high school student told me that he can't imagine living anywhere other than Michigan because he loves it here. Yet, he was able to recite the same dismal labor and economic statistics I hear from adults. Was he merely repeating what he heard from adults in his life? Doesn't really matter.

Where is the Great Spirit of Michigan right now? In Lansing, where partisan politics resemble the bar sport of gut barging? At Pfizer, where workers are responsibly closing shop before heading for the "Mother Ship" (that's what they call the Groton facility)? At Comerica Park (can we please rename that one)?

I have to believe that the Spirit of Michigan is NOT the bad news of late. I have to believe the Spirit of Michigan is found in the compassion of people like that man at the sale and in the affectionate loyalty of that high school student.

If you seek a pleasant peninsula, be sure to look into the eyes of your fellow citizens.