Things are bad here in Michigan, you've all heard the stories.
Unemployment is now at 15.4% (reported in June). Cannot seem to fine any report on the "negative population growth" but that might be because the person who was doing the counting has left as well. There are for sale signs everwhere, many of my friends house have been on the market for years, and the layoffs are still happening.
Hell, even my doctor is leaving, going to Tennesee because somehow the economy is better there. Which caused me to ponder....what could Michigan possibly do to get back on track?
I got to thinking about the recent passing of the medicinal marijuana laws. You can smoke the heady nugs here, if you have a legit ailment certified by a sympathtic M.D. You also can grow, and therefore profit from the mary jane if you have enough sick friends.
Wait.....Michigan has a lot of sick friends. The rest of the country is also struggling with how to help their residents with health care. I know marijuana doesn't cure everything...but....
Why couldn't we become the "compassion club" for the rest of the United States? A little Great Lakes bud could do this country (and our residents pocketbooks) some good. Growing pot in Michigan as a taxable comodity. It could be a whole new industry created to replace the void left by the auto companies. And it would give all those unemployed auto execs something to do.
Another good thing about living here is that there is a lot beautiful land in which to roam. I just spent the last weekend on one of our many rivers, kayaking and camping. Talking with the campground owner, she lamented to me that business was obviously down and she wasn't sure what her family was going to do.
I thought offering the space to "alternative" markets might be a solution. It's out in the middle of nowhere, off the beaten track. There are no schools or towns nearby and you have to take a dirt road 1 mile into the woods to get to this particular space.
I'm thinking nudists, swingers, Plushies, Trekkies - whatever. Give these people a place to play where they won't be harrassed - I'm positive they will pay for the privlidge. Have a sex workers convention - anything. Run some EL wire in the trees, pipe in some decent dance music and you have yourself a party under the stars as you see fit in whatever way you want to live - and in the middle of one of the most economically depressed areas of Michigan.
Some other great things are the music festivals. A larger one decided to start up here last year, Rothbury. Put on by AEG, it brought 14 million dollars into the area that hosted it last year. This year, the reports are a little lighter but still - it's wonderful to see so many people make the trek to our humble state for the awesome music scene.
A few more of these festivals would be grand. Our own version of Burning Man would be even better. Hell, it's cooler here and much easier to get water than out in the desert.
Send us your artists, your bud tenders, your tired of hiding in conventional life residents for a visit....Michigan will be better for it.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
C Berg
Marcela in English
Kathy Knechtges
Julie Morse
ElizabethMcDonald DesignatedKnitter
Natalie Not Pedantic
Salon.com
Comments
But check this out:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/opinion/08barlow.html?_r=1
I left Michigan for California way back in '79, but Detroit is calling to me these days!