Michigan has had the most productive industry in the world.
It also has some of the most productive agricultural land -
especially for
being in the north. However, Michigan (and others) are going
through a
major change. The advent of fast, inexpensive communication and
transportation have seen the movement of vast numbers of
manufacturing jobs
to areas where wages are low. Many square miles of factories have
been
pulled-down to bare ground. (Taxes are thus reduced - often next to
impossible to sell the land because of unknown pollutants from 90 or
more of
industrial use.) Ascendant in Michigan are jobs that produce
intellectual
property, that are involved with higher education, and that are
involved
with medicine including research. The new worker is different.

=========================================
Dear J.

Birmingham and the Black Country has suffered a similar fate. Once
upon a time EVERYTHING was made in Birmingham. I began work at the age
of 14 in an electric motor factory. (I've never met a university
professor.) Factories have now been converted to museums as an adjunct
to the tourist trade.

Only this very week, the last of the once-upon-a-time many Black
Country iron foundries poured the last few tons of molten iron from
its furnaces. Sadly, three months back the last of the 100-year old
motor factories, which started with bicycles, closed its gates
rendering 15,000 people redundent. Motor production is to continue in
China. Not that I have anything against the enterprising, hard-working
Chinese who bought the factory complete with the intellectual
property. Good luck to 'em.

The rot set in with Lady Maggie Thatcher who favoured the so-called
'service industries'. Now we have Blair who's selling off the Health
Service and has loaned the British Army, free of charge, to the
Americans. But we can't get rid of him until Bush has gone.

Now back to, the always with us, SWR. ;o)
----
Yours, Reg.