Big things are happening in Michigan! Gov. Whitmer just announced a big new initiative called “Make It In Michigan” to boost the state’s economy. Will it pay off, or is it just smoke and mirrors?
Here are Five Fast Facts on Making it in Michigan:
- 📉 The Problem (One Of Them, At Least) - One big problem we have here is a declining state population (the worst in the nation), so we need to both keep native Michiganders and attract more people from other states if we want a healthy state economy.
- 📝 The Order - Whitmer’s recent executive order forms a council and appoints a Chief Growth Officer to guide the state’s growth efforts. It’ll focus on keeping people, bringing in big projects, and revitalizing places around the state to make them more attractive.
- 🏫🚧 The Mission - Make It In Michigan will be tasked with improving the state’s education system, funding infrastructure projects, and improving the state’s workforce qualifications. They have until the end of the year to deliver a report with a plan.
- 💰 The Pushback - Not everyone loves this new campaign. Some say more subsidies only give the appearance of economic improvement rather than the real thing because it uses taxpayer money for projects that would get done anyway without taxpayer expense. It also just shifts that money to preferred vendors who are cozy with the government.
- 🤔 The Bigger Picture - One of the best things about this country is that we can compare policies from state to state. Right now, Utah and Idaho are growing the most. They use subsidies less than other states, and instead opt for policies that lower taxes and give economic freedom.
🔥Bottom line: We love the idea here. We all want more jobs (and Paychecks!) in the state, and we want economic success! The question is how to get it. There are some good features in Make It In Michigan, but will it actually work to bring real economic prosperity rather than just the appearance of it? Time will tell.
What do you think? Will this new plan work?
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