Today we talk about how Michigan slipped from a top‑tier state into the bottom 10 on key measures like education, income and population — and why acknowledging the crisis is the first step to fixing it. 

Today's conversation is with Detroit Regional Chamber president and CEO Sandy Baruah gets into this year's urgent theme at the Mackinac Policy Conference: "The house is on fire."

Sandy explains why he thinks more common ground between business and policymakers, and between Democrats and Republicans, is the only way to reverse those long‑term trends.

We get into how constant partisan whiplash on policy, from electric vehicles to economic development, makes it nearly impossible for Michigan's signature industries to plan long term. 

They close on what success at Mackinac would look like over the next one to five years — from educating a whole new wave of elected officials to locking in 70‑percent solutions instead of all‑or‑nothing showdowns.

And, despite the alarms, Sandy lays out why Michigan's quality of life, workforce, and higher‑ed system still give the state a real chance to win.

Feedback as always, dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or leave a voicemail, 313-789-3211.

Follow Daily Detroit on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or wherever you get shows.