Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, November 28, 2005.

My friend Mert and I were talking about this not long ago: Do you ever feel a little depressed when you finish a really good book? The story is over, but you just wish there could be more. You made friends, you settled into a time and place, you experienced the plot, and now... nothing more. The melancholy is sweet, but after awhile you do what you have to do: Get over it. Pick a new book, go see a new movie, and move on.

Well Michigan, the show is over. If we didn't realize it before, we should know it now: the era when a high school graduate could hire into "Generous Motors," raise a family, be covered by comprehensive benefits, and retire with a full pension at 30 years is done. I've got mixed feelings about this.

Mert and I talked about this, too. He's a Flint boy, so it was a little tough going to your five year class reunion as a recent college grad scrounging to get by at an entry-level job while others went right to working on an assembly line and talked wistfully about how they enjoyed their big houses and boats while skipping work. It's hard not to have bad thoughts when you are, apparently, the sucker.

On the other hand, everybody in Flint worked on shifts, so they could depend on a set schedule and depend on a paycheck. Dads could volunteer to coach basketball and know they would be there. Moms could know that they'd be home when their kids got home from school. Or even get by on one income!

But regardless of how you feel about the situation, it doesn't change the reality. And the sooner we get serious about picking up a new book, the better.