Daily Grit by Wes Thorp

What could Michigan have done with the $48 million given to Hollywood filmmakers?

While Michigan's budget is being kept on life support by federal stimulus money, the state has given $48 million in incentives to 35 Hollywood filmmakers

The stats follow a growing discontent about Gov. Granholm's and the State Legislature which reimburses filmmakers up to 42 percent of the cost of a production project completed in the state.

The stated goal of the program is to build the filmmaking industry in the state and gain the resulting jobs.

Is this a waste of the taxpayers' money?

Are there other programs where it could have had more tangible results for taxpayers? Read a Detroit Free Press story about the most recent report from the state's filmmaking office.

When will General Motors go bankrupt?

How close is General Motors to bankruptcy, the point where they've run out of money to meet their obligations?

How much time do they have left and will they depend on another bailout from the federal government if that happens?

The reason I raise the point is the news I just saw in the Detroit Free Press about how GM sales for February dropped an astounding 52.9 percent compared to the same month last year.

The article said that sales declined for every GM brand with Hummer leading the pack.

Will their news models help them climb back?

It's a drastic changing of the economic foundation for our country.