All of this comes on top of actions like a previous legislature voting to make it hard for foreign born Michiganders to get a drivers license and voters approving anti affirmative action and gay marriage constitutional amendments.
How do these actions square with “One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”?
You may ask, why am I writing about this in a blog that is focused on growing the Michigan economy. Clearly this is primarily a moral issue. But it also matters a lot to the economic well being of the state as well.
As we have argued for years, culture – our attitudes and beliefs – trump policy. The most prosperous places across America have as a core characteristic a community DNA that is welcoming to all. In an economy increasingly driven by talent, to be prosperous you need to be a place where people in all human varieties want to live and work. People don’t feel welcome, they aren’t going to live here. Add to that folks who are not in the excluded groups but don’t want to live in an intolerant/unwelcoming community. When talent leaves they take the future of Michigan’s economy with them.
Yes, lets make sure our kids learn the ideals of an America that is one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. At the same time, it sure seems like we adults need to relearn it as well.
