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Michigan Governor Wants 'Open Source' Economic Model

Posted by timothy on from the for-some-values-of-open-source dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Incoming Michigan governor Rick Synder spoke in Kalamazoo, MI today and says he wants to use an 'open-source economic development model' to help repair the battered down state. Perhaps during his time as president of Gateway he saw a benefit to the open source model, but can it really be successfully applied as an economic model?"

6 of 237 comments (clear)

  1. Define "Open Source" by timeOday · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Here's the pertinent part of the article:

    He said the state is going to look at every region and see which area is the best at a certain practice and ask if the community is willing to share it with the rest of the state... He said he's going to give Michiganders a sense of how the state's doing on myriad metrics annually. He also said wants to give residents a road map of where the state is going, by planning a two-year budget and creating an online "dashboard" that tracks the government's progress on different issues.

    Now, we can have a lot of pointless dickering about whether the term "Open Source" is being abused. But more importantly, those ideas in themselves sound fine to me. I doubt they'll be enough to solve Michigan's huge problems, but that's another matter.

  2. Re:The Real Title: Kalamazoo by spun · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They plan to look at the way each region of the state does things, and implement the best plans. Kalamazoo happens to be one place that the governor feels is doing things right, and should serve as a template for other areas. But you are correct in that this is not really about "open source" government at all, which would allow anyone to contribute. This is about taking the best policies and procedures already out there, and using them in places that are not yet doing so.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  3. Here's my model by camperdave · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Here's my model:
    1. Spend less than you take in.
    2. When cutting spending, try cutting big ticket items first.
    3. Pay down more than the minimum payment on debts.
    4. Round expenses up and round revenue down.
    --
    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    1. Re:Here's my model by drsquare · · Score: 5, Insightful

      But what if borrowing leads to more growth that pays off the debt? What if cutting spending in a depression lowers economic activity and therefore tax revenues? What if interest rates are low enough to make it non-sensical to pay more than the bare minimum?

      Your model may work for a household, but not a government.

  4. Re:Already has 300+ years of development by drsquare · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think they did, and the market sent all their jobs to the third world.

  5. Re:Already has 300+ years of development by Microlith · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I know, like labor and environmental protections. The problem isn't that Michigan priced themselves out of business, it's that places like China treat people like shit and crack down on people who oppose such abuses. Logically, the only way to compete with China would be to reduce costs down to being just under China costs + shipping.

    Of course, I doubt many people in the US would be willing to accept such a drop in quality of life, or accept such corporate abuse.