Selling Booze New Entrepreneurial Trend in MichiganSeems that some enterprising Michigan entrepreneurs are taking advantage of a recession-proof business opportunity...booze.~~ Liquor licenses granted in several Michigan communities are up despite the decline in the state's population as reported by Examiner.com on a recent Sunday. This odd entrepreneurial trend is happening as police departments are scaling back personnel which is making it more difficult to handle the demands the liquor trade brings. Currently, the state formula for awarding liquor licenses is one for every 1,500 residents in the community. One glaring exception is the city of Royal Oak, a trendy suburb of Detroit. Royal Oak boasts 53 establishments serving liquor. That exceeds the state formula by 13 in relation to the population. If Michigan's liquor license rules were adhered to, Mt. Clemens would have 25 bars and restaurants serving alcohol. They have 40. Detroit is allocated to have 551 establishments that serve alcohol, but in reality, there are at least 617 sites serving booze. With budget cuts taking their toll on some police forces coupled with overall declines in population, the state's freewheeling dispensing of liquor licenses is a boon to the bar-minded entrepreneur. On the surface, it appears to be an easy way to make money in light of a depressed economy and population. That's not saying all people who drink are giving up and hitting the skids, but it makes one take pause. Michigan has enough problems on its plate right now. Maybe the powers-that-be are trying to curb the high unemployment figures by putting everyone to work in bars or keep everyone drunk so they don't care. Maybe it is an unintentional government oversight or it's a crafty ploy by state officials to generate more revenue in an economically depressed region. Are the spirits served up in the many Michigan bars the same entrepreneurial spirits the state is in desperate need of? | 
