The Mackinac Clouds

It's raining and quite dreary on Mackinac Island today, and that matches the mood of many of Michigan's businessmen and women who've gathered here looking for any morsel of sunshine. The Mackinac gathering has always been a place to find some optimism, and at the moment, Governor Granholm is doing her level best in her eternally cheery role as the state's morale officer. But, and I wish it were otherwise, the gloom of those attending is oppressive. Auto announcements this week have poured more despair into our economic whirlpool. We find that about half of our college graduates are leaving the state. And many businesses have found that the cure for the Single Business Tax has been worse than the disease. And I'm asked time and again, "Where is the revolution? Where is the courage to change things in a dynamic way?"
Here's a telling little moment. I'm moderating a panel today on the push to attract the film industry to Michigan. Last evening, we had a dry-run of the panel and I asked a production manager what about Michigan brought his production of a television pilot to the state. He said, "Well, first, it really helps that you're a 'right to work' state..."
Um... well, actually...
-Devin