I don't mean to turn this into an argument. I think your piece is well written, and makes some good points. I also agree with Tyler's point that, if given the opportunity, people should live elsewhere…at least for a little while. It's important to experience other cities and other countries. I have done both.

I suppose I'm looking at this from a slightly different light than you. I'm from Detroit, not west Michigan. Yes, Michigan as a whole has it's issues, but when you drive through Detroit and look at all of the plight and decay, I can't help but ask myself “What can I do?” not “How can I get out of here?” The beautiful buildings and factories that built this country and helped win wars have been left to rot. It's sad. The people of this state (unfortunately) can't relay on government and public policy to change things, it has to be grassroots.

I want to make it clear that I'm looking at this issue from a “young persons” perspective. If you have a family to support, then you have to do what you have to do to. However, I know so many young people who leave Detroit and Michigan with no goals, They're simply concerned about what they're going to do on Saturday night and figure Chicago, New York, LA etc., etc. have more options. So they look for jobs there.

There may not be a lot of jobs in the state right now, but there is a lot work to be done.

I suppose I don't appreciate this attitude (and this isn't directed towards you) of “I'll come back when the problems are fixed”, rather than coming back to help fix the problems.

2.) There are jobs in the state of Michigan…with a footnote.
It took me two months to find a job, and I graduated with nearly a 4.0 and quite a bit of on and off campus involvement, relevant work experience, and a mean set of interview skills. But what ultimately separated me was the willingness to accept job hunting as a 40-60 hr per week job until I actually found employment. Far too many young people get their diplomas and assume that the piece of paper they just spent (sometimes wasted dare I say?) $80k on means employers will come looking for them.
This is not the case.
For more on this, see
http://mazzletof.blogspot.com/2010/03/bachelors...

In regards to the “grass is always greener” mentality, I would tend to agree with Rob that it's somewhat of a pandemic/false ideology. People in the state of Michigan have taken this “in this economy” excuse way too far. At the first sign of difficulty finding work, people sit back and just throw their arms up and say, “well, it's Michigan. There's nothing I can do. I guess I'll just ride unemployment until I have to look out of state.”

I have a friend, let's call him McGoo, who has worked as a cable company dispatcher since he graduated 3 years ago. Every time I speak with him, he talks about how much he hates it, how it's a dead end job, etc etc.
“Man, I'm willing to take anything at this point, as long as I don't have to work at __________ any more.”

So shortly after I found a full-time job, with McGoo in mind, I called him up to turn him onto my hanging job leads.

I gave him approximately 10 options, and when I finished explaining the different opportunities, he said, “well, that doesn't sound like anything I'm looking for. I'm pretty much holding out for a finance job. I've accepted that I'm probably going to have to start looking out of state because the economy here sucks.”

The problem is that I'm not even sure he knows the first thing about finance, and he's just got a negative, complacent attitude.

If you refer to the link (article) above, I explain that this is a multi-fold issue.
Many people that go to college should not go to college. They slack through high school, ride daddy's dime to college, drink, sleep and fornicate their way through a 4 year degree, and then can't figure out why they can't find work when they go to interviews with generic responses they found on “about.com”
Or they just never had the mental capacity to pursue white collar America and would have been much better served taking on a trade of some kind (which we NEED and will always need).

Small business owners and corporate human resources people can smell a slacker/BS'er from a mile away. I've heard horror stories already at my work about resumes that looked impressive and promising, only to have and interview with someone about as dynamic as drying concrete.

I love this topic and this “debate” and I'd love to get feedback on my article.

I think the mismegement of state budgets as well as a downturn in manufacturing has caused the recession moreso than your proposition that people use the “grass is always greener” ideology.

Many times, like I said in my post, its not about making a difference where it is needed most. Its about living your life and seeing what else is out there. I, for one, am glad that I moved out of West Michigan – as beautiful as it is – to at least see what else the world has to offer.