Michigan's economy? Highest unemployment in nation. Should we keep pushing cars/

[don1862]

move to knowledge/tech jobs? Auto manufacturing was good to a lot of non-college grads in the past, bringing them into the middle class. But are those days gone, especially in Michigan? More and more cars are being manufactured in the South by Asian companies. They still provide good American jobs, but not in Michigan. Are Michigan's labor/management relations too bad for any other manufacturing companies to locate here? If we move away from automobiles, then what? We have some of the best research Universities in the country. Can we leverage our college education system into a high-tech, knowledge based economy like Boston or San Francisco? I live in Michigan and fortunately am not directly impacted by the auto industry problems. But even those of us not directly in that industry are indirectly impacted by the downward trend in the state's economy. What should the state do?
We could still use our automobile knowledge in areas of the automobile industry that are compatible with a high-tech economy. For example, much of the automobile research and development is done in Michigan , even by Japanese companies that do not manufacture here. This move to a high tech economy should not be a rapid wholesale shutdown of Michigan's auto manufacturing. But should be a gradual shift as manufacturing gradually shrinks in Michigan and moves to the South. Then the jobs lost in manufacturing would gradually be replaced by hi-tech, knowlwdge-based industries.

[paulcondo]

I live in Ohio we lost over 250,000 factory jobs since our govt. need to do something about losing these job I don't understand why thy only care is at election time Mr. Bush say he against big govt. but thy keep making these stupid trade agreement to help the rich get richer so right now tech job are important so go with the flow thank you