They love Michigan, love their city, had lived here and raised their children here, and now they were trying to make sense of an economy that has changed beyond recognition.
I thought their story was fascinating. They are both 63. They met in high school, married, and immediately started a family. Regina told me, “We ‘knew’ that Ron would always have a job. The auto industry provided plenty of opportunity for everyone.”
They had four kids before they were thirty. Ron went to night school and eventually got a job with Ford as a technical engineer. Regina got a real estate license. Life was good. They moved to a newer suburb. They urged their kids to go to college, “but some wanted to go to work right away and start making money. Everyone wanted a union job.”
Unions meant “they could not just toss a worker out on the street, and that medical benefits would be available.” Their kids mostly tried to start lives much as the Markowiczs had.
But then things changed. Their eldest son went to work on the line, but the plant closed. He lost his home, and is clinging to a job in Lansing. Their daughter lost her job too –something mom blames on NAFTA. She and her husband are struggling to keep a house that is no longer worth what they owe on it.
Their third child has a tottering sales business, and is thinking of moving out of state. Their youngest became a high school science teacher, but couldn’t find work. Now he works part-time selling electrical equipment, and lives with a friend.
“Our children wonder if they will ever be able to retire,” their mom says. They are all worried about their futures, as are we.”
What the Markowiczs want to know is this: “So where is this going? What is the future of all our children and grandchildren? What is the future for Detroit and Michigan? What do we do now?”
I asked if they blamed big government and if they liked the Tea Party movement. Regina reacted with disgust. “If you are a Tea Bagger wacko, I am done with you, even if you are related to me,” she said. “This is not an every woman for themselves society. We are a group of individuals who are independent. We must take care of one another, or we are only taking care of the rich.
“It’s not that I do not believe in business, profit or personal gain. But I believe in social responsibility first. We need new ways of thinking and doing. We need ideas,” she said.
The Markowiczs are waiting for leaders with ideas for a better future. Meanwhile they have sold their house, are renting for the first time since they were teenagers, and are hanging on to their dwindling assets in case their children lose everything. “We need to build a new and stronger America before it is too late,” they said.
The question is how.
They don’t carry signs or shout slogans, and may never make it on the news. But I suspect the Markowiczs are far from alone.
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