Detroit has an official unemployment rate of just under 30%, but if one includes those who have stopped looking and those who are working part-time but are looking for full-time employment, the rate is closer to 50%. We did not go into Detroit while we were here, but I recall a CBS Sunday Morning episode where entire neighborhoods were shown, empty, like ghost towns.
My friend Margaret works for the parks department in Westland, a western suburb of Detroit, where the city of Westland is offering buy-outs to long-time employees. The city plans to hire new people without offering pension plans. Every residential block in Westland has at least two or three foreclosed homes. Margaret tells me that the auto companies are hiring again, but at much lower salaries than in the past, so that even those who are employed have a difficult time paying their bills.
There was a story on the news last night about a 79-year old woman who had a choice between medications or her mortgage. She chose medications, the bank foreclosed her home, and she now lives in a tent. Her neice and her neice's husband live with her, as they both lost their jobs and have not been able to find new ones. What will happen when winter arrives?
The state of Michigan itself, according to official records, is at about 10.5%, closer to that of the nation as a whole.
The tourism industry seems to be doing okay. The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn was bustling with activity. We stayed in a campground near the small town of Milford, a beautiful little town with well-kept homes and a charming main street where the stores and restaurants were open for business.
This is my news report for the week.
Eileen
