<p>A panel of business leaders met on Mackinac Island (I'm jealous) to discuss the state of business in Michigan, the increasingly business-less state. What were the main problems with innovation and doing business here? Taxes and <a href="http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20100604/FREE/100609923#">complicated regulation</a>:</p>
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<p>&ldquo;If it's complex to start a business, if it's complex to get through the bureaucracy, it's an inhibitor,&rdquo; Compuware's COO Bob Paul said. <br />
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<p>&ldquo;You can go to single portal, and that's a good first step. But once you get in the single portal it's pretty complex. I think there's more work that can be done in Lansing to make it easier for people to grow their business and to bring business to the state.&rdquo;</p>
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<p>Good luck with that one. It would be pretty hard to distract the Democrats from raising taxes on businesses and &quot;the rich&quot; (I.E. the employed). But hope springs eternal, and November is coming.</p>