Why Michigan Needs Trump

It is a shame that this election has
come down to identity politics. With so much at stake for states like
Ohio, Michigan and Illinois, we should be more concerned with the
realities we face as Americans. Since the economic meltdown and
bailouts of 2009, Michigan has suffered most in job growth and
unemployment. Michigan lost the life-blood of its economy and
manufacturing jobs are continuing to leave the state, but we seem to
be more interested in baseless allegations and racial divisions. This
kind of shallow politics has drowned out Donald Trump's most
important message. Americans need their jobs back and states like
Michigan shouldn't be falling for the same old Democratic strategies
that pit blacks against whites and men against women. Blacks and
whites in states like Michigan want the same things: secure, good
paying jobs. We shouldn't be letting Hillary Clinton's shallow
identity politics divert our eyes from the things that matter most to
all of us.
“The deeper question is whether the 5 million manufacturing positions that have been lost were truly that great. To put it another way, were the jobs lost really better than the jobs that have replaced them?” – CNN Money
Reporters at CNN might be privileged enough to have never worked one of these horrible jobs, but most Americans are not. People like myself have worked hard, blue-collar jobs all our lives, and when they start to vanish, those better jobs CNN writes about require qualifications and certifications that a lot of Americans don't have. The better jobs we hear journalists tell us about do pay more, but most Americans who have spent their whole lives developing a certain skill-set won't ever get hired to do them.
“A survey by the U.S. Census Bureau finds poverty in the city of Lansing is up five percent since 2010. Much of that figure has to do with median household income, which has fallen anywhere from 8 to 20 percent in several of Michigan’s largest cities.” – WKAR.org
Fox 17 reports that homelessness is up in Grand Rapids:
“The number of homeless people in Kent County is at its highest in several years, according to the Grand Rapids Area Coalition to End Homelessness. The organization's annual homeless count from January found a 15 percent increase in the number of homeless people compared to a year ago, according to the report released Tuesday.” – Fox 17
Last year, WoodTV reported:
“In 2014 there were 97,642 homeless people in Michigan, up 6 percent over numbers from 2013 which came in at 92,341. In a 13-county area in West Michigan in 2014 there were 11,738 homeless people; in 2013 that number was 11,322, a 4 percent increase from 2013 to 2014. The area included the following counties: Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola and Ottawa.” – WoodTV (NBC)
There may be higher numbers of blacks in Michigan's inner cities, but unemployment and poverty effect whites too. Black workers in Michigan who are trying to make ends meet are not alone in their struggles. Americans who have lost their careers in manufacturing after 20 years, who have learned their trades and prospered only to now be stuck working at a local gas station, make up all colors and ethnic backgrounds. Thousands of struggling Michigan laborers – who can barely pay next month's rent – are in this together.

“The economists liked Hillary Clinton's plan a little better, because it targeted low-income students more directly than Sanders plan — but it was far from the consensus choice. Only five of the 22 economists were in favor of Clinton's plan.”
The same economists noted that free college would be too expensive and burdensome for taxpayers, or that it would divert resources from social security and other programs. As well, some have said it could damage the economy over a long term and increase the suffering of millions of Americans.
Donald Trump's plans don't include increasing our tax burden and taking more money off our paychecks. His plans don't include free college, but they include putting more parents to work so they can save for their childrens' futures and their own retirement – two things a lot of Americans in Michigan are not able to do right now. Put beside his plan for fair trade, reduced immigration and deep tax cuts, Americans have a lot less to lose with Donald Trump than with Hillary Clinton. If we are able to put aside our petty differences, we could set America on a course that values all kinds of work – including the kind of work that Democrats and Hillary Clinton look down on. Michigan would be a crucial and valuable state for Donald Trump to win, but he won't be able to win if we forget that we are all in this together.