FORBES, FLINT, GM ECONOMIC DECLINE...HUMMM...LETS RAISE TAXES...NOT

GOOD MORNING FLINT ,
by Terry Bankert 08/07/2008 ,
http://attorneybankert.com/ ,full article with citations posted, http://goodmorningflint.blogspot.com/ , Summary for discussion at Flint Talk thread Good Morning Flint: http://www.flinttalk.com/viewforum.php?f=2
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REFLECTIONS: Yesterday read again another national publication trashing my home town “Where's it worst? Ohio, according to our analysis, which racked up four of the 10 cities on our list: Youngstown, Canton, Dayton and Cleveland. The runner-up is Michigan, with two cities--Detroit and Flint--making the ranking.[1] In reading the internet comments of readers from Dayton and Buffalo ,similarly trashed cities ,I shared many of their opinions and morphed them as follows.
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I have Lived in Flint most of my life.

It was once a vibrant city full of entertainment, jobs, energetic people with a good work ethic, and good schools.

Flint has slowly died due to poor leadership in government, corporations, and unions, as well as greed. The Golden Goose of General Motors is truly on life support and we are the cause collectively and individually.

After watching Family members move to Atlanta GA . I have developed a very good understanding on what went wrong in Flint, sorry to say.

It has everything to do with a strong vision for economic development, creating a business environment that attracts commerce and investment, attracting a young and energetic population to take the reigns of the retiring baby boomers, creating a "destination" mentality, creating urban oasis, and much, much more.

Take a look at Atlanta and in spite of it's traffic and other problems you'll still find a thriving region that is the fastest growing in the nation, with the busiest airport in the world and it will make sense why it's growing...now over 5.5 million people.

Flint planners should follow the example. Could the problem be a lack of leadership? Where has all the money gone? What happened to all the money given to this community.

What happened to “economic diversification?” Flint was a is a great place to live, lots to do, great people... If not for the HIGH taxes, lack of good paying jobs, stagnant government, scary public school system , reputation as crime ridden, inept politicians, etc, etc...

In this environment ....“Why?”.... would anybody think to increases in taxes, Flint Leaders are considering this, this has never helped to develop economic growth.

And incenting business to take advantage of short term tax savings should NOT be fair and equal under the law.

Everyone should pay the same tax burden It will be amusing to watch Flint to raise their taxes further to cover the loss from people leaving... makes perfect sense.... NOT [trb with help from the commentary from Dayton and Buffalo from the article cited below]

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Despite years of economic decline, in the first years of the new century the employment situation did not look so bad--3% to 4% unemployment was the norm, along the lines of metropolitan areas elsewhere in the country. The rest of the decade was not so kind. Thanks to a crushing downturn for automakers like General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ) and Ford (nyse: F - news - people ), Detroit and Flint, Mich., have seen unemployment approach 10%.[1]

Posted here by Terry Bankert
For more on alternative Energy: . http://energyalternativesadvisor.blogspot.com/ Also see Blogging for Michigan: http://bloggingformichigan.com/

–see [1] http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/04/economy-ohio-michigan-biz_cx_jz_0805dying.html
[2] Newsday.com http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--buffalo-dyingciti0806aug06,0,4493392.story
[3] Biz Journal http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2008/08/04/daily18.html 71110/16705

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