Michigan works to remake itself without 'King Auto'
The crisis in the automotive industry has hit the state of Michigan harder than any other in the country, costing about 800,000 jobs in nine years, and sending the unemployment rate to 12.7%, the highest in the nation. With a $1.4 billion budget deficit this year, Michigan is closing eight prisons and canceling over 130 road and bridge repair projects. Still, in all the mess, Michigan looks to renew itself, to "play both offense and defense," as Governor Granholm says. Granholm has instituted a tuition-free retraining program for former auto employees that has already attracted 60,000 workers. The auto companies themselves are hoping to reinvent themselves in a leaner, greener image and bring back jobs that were lost. Finally, Michigan hopes to attract new business - including several battery factories and the Motown Motion Picture Studio already underway.
See "Michigan works to remake itself without 'King Auto'", Bill Vlasic & Nick Bunkley, The New York Times, June 9, 2009