Michigan. What's Going on With You?

Hans Johnson Wrote

One decade ago, in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, Michigan took a critical look at the extremists in its midst. The Michigan Militia, to which bomber Tim McVeigh and accessory Terry Nichols had connections, threatened in 1994 to launch a statewide antigay ballot measure, led by adherent George Matousek. But scrutiny followed, the measure fizzled and the militia fell apart. Matousek—who bragged of his large stash of guns as well as his membership in the John Birch Society, the racist Christian Identity movement and the Republican Party—passed away in late October near Bay City. Now another group of extremists with an ominous track record and no plan for economic development is seeking legitimacy and power.

The state is struggling to renew its economy after several manufacturing hits in the Bush years. To stop the exodus of talented, fair-minded professionals from the state, leaders at every level, especially Republicans, must take a clear look at what’s happening to their state and its image. They should approach defeating religious extremists as both a moral and community imperative and as an economic development issue.

Indeed, Michigan Republicans have a choice. They can confront the Taliban in their ranks and show them the door, or they can look on as Democrats tie them to scapegoating and stagnation, turn them out of office, and take the lead in keeping educated young people and entrepreneurs in the state.

Michigan is one of several Midwest states whose economy is more unsettled now than at any time since the Depression. Calls for a modern version of the New Deal are rising not only from the poor and unemployed, but from a nervous middle class. Democrats who overcome the politics of recrimination and deliver a plan for prosperity might look to FDR’s feat and cement a generation-long majority.

Michigan as a state needs to take a long and hard look at itself and how it plans to move into the future. It's time for the automotive industry to stop being the sole driver of economic activity. Part of any revitalization must be a strong commitment by the University of Michigan to keep its graduates close and to stimulate technological spinoffs and homegrown entrepreneurship in Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor by all rights should be a hotbed of startups and innovation with the University as the driving force. It isn't. Why?