Good News on the Economic Front for Michigan? FINALLY!

Nothing could have prepared me for a couple of articles I came across on MLive today (MLive is your source for everything Michigan). It appears that there are bright spots starting to appear in Michigan's (especially Mid-Michigan's) dismal economic climate. Not only was there more than one article, the good news was actually on the front page of the dinosaur media in my area, The Bay City Times. Just so you are well aware of how truly dinosaur the Bay City Times is, it doesn't have its own website. It is simply a part of MLive. I sincerely hope that this is just the beginning.

Standish, Pinconning already feeling good vibrations from Eagles Landing Casino

Last year, when it was announced that the Saganing Tribe would be building a casino in Standish, I simply couldn't believe it. I grew up in Standish, and there had been rumor of a casino for over ten years. In certain ways, it was a dream come true. This particular area of Michigan has been economically stagnant for nearly 40 years or more. It now appears that change is here to stay, for better or worse. I just hope that it rubs off on Bay City (30 miles to the south)!

Wanted in Michigan: Entrepreneurs

I hope that it is becoming apparent that Michigan as a whole needs to be a bit more friendly to businesses of all stripes. Right now, the business climate is absolutely poisonous. Are the people in Lansing and Detroit finally coming off of their high horses and realizing what steps need to be taken? One can only hope. I hope that I can be a part of the solution, the next generation of innovative Michigan business leaders.

Craft brewer has the right idea promoting Michigan

I try to get the word out about Michigan whenever I can, but it becomes increasingly difficult when there is so little to celebrate. We do have some absolutely breathtaking natural resources here. The sad part is that we take them for granted. We, as Michiganders, tend to keep to ourselves and forge ahead. It is time that we get into the self-promotion game in a very big way.

In so many ways I wish that my Grandpa Buttrick was still here with us right now. If he was alive and in good health (his health was precarious for close to seven years before his death last June), I can only imagine his excitement in helping to shape Northeast Michigan once again. He'd be full of advice for his struggling granddaughter who loves the state and area as much as he did. Thanks in large part to him, West Branch, Michigan is what it is today. It should be held up as a role model for Standish, Bay City, Saginaw, and Pinconning.

My Grandpa Buttrick was the kind of man who had funny sayings on the back of the card for his memorial service. I came across it today, and I found one saying particularly fitting:

"Never fight with a man who buys his ink by the barrel." (source unknown, attributed to Austin Buttrick)

I don't know if that was a saying that my Grandpa made up, or if it was simply a favorite of his. The analogy might not be the same today when you consider the Internet, but that doesn't matter much. The idea is still very much the same.

Lindsey