Washington on Detroit

Once again the Post covers the state of Detroit on its front page today. The news isn't good, though there are always those who are "optimistic" that things will improve. A side piece on the youth in Detroit claim they will need to hit the road to f ind jobs. Though statements like this annoy me:

Brandy Murdoch, a 19-year-old Macomb County resident interviewed for the poll, said she's become more discouraged about her future in the region.

"You have to go to school for a long, long time if you want to find a decent career and stay in Michigan," she said. "There are no opportunities here."

Murdoch and a friend plan to move to Georgia this fall in search of good jobs. She says her mother approves: "My mom says to me, 'Hey if I was 19, I would move in a heartbeat, too."

Like I wanted to be in school for twenty years? Longer than this chica has been alive? Yes, you do need an education. You do need to become a skilled worker. And yeah, there are some opportunities in Michigan, though new rules apply. Manufacturing positions and the auto companies aren't going to be there like in the past few generations.

There's a gubernatorial election in Michigan this year, and hopefully, people will wise up up and realize they are not better off than they were eight years ago. It's a turning point for the city of Detroit, the state of Michigan, and this economy. Folks are right be optimistic, though--there's no where to go but up.