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Forum: TC area is beacon of hope
Michigan is suffering.
Our unemployment rate remains the highest in the nation. Every day, individuals and families make the hard decision to leave the state to head to greener pastures, and government at all levels is being forced to reduce traditional services.
Michigan at this turn to the 21st Century is in much the same place as it was at the turn from the 19th to 20th centuries. Back then our state had relied on forestry and fur trading to create an economy. Early in the 20th Century, those resources were essentially gone.
But a new economy arose as the result of a collection of ideas and discoveries by entrepreneurs. Henry Ford, William Kellogg, Herbert Dow and others built a new manufacturing economy that served us extremely well during much of the 20th Century, enabling Michigan to grow and prosper.
Now, that manufacturing economy is in full decline, and Michigan must redefine itself in a way that creates a new economy for this new century. To do so will require the attraction of the same kind of talent that helped create the economy of the 20th Century. That means we must embrace the quality of life factors that can attract the entrepreneur, the businesses and the young people who will help create that economy.
In turn, that requires a vision that embraces both the importance of our state's tremendous natural assets and the creation of the kinds of walkable, bikeable communities that a new generation of Michigan citizens desire.
Leading the way in creating the kind of a vision that Michigan needs is the Grand Vision project in northwest lower Michigan, a unique partnership of business, governmental and nonprofit organizations.
Through their combined efforts, new ideas for a new future for that region are emerging. And they are ideas not generated from the top down, but from the bottom up. Some 15,000 area residents have participated in the process of defining a new vision for the Traverse Bay area, and more and more are talking about the future, rather than the past, every day.
The work is not yet done, but it is progressing nicely.
The Grand Vision offers a shining beacon of hope for all of Michigan. It is being watched by people across the state. Its eventual success can define a roadway to prosperity for all of Michigan.
About the author: William Rustem is president and CEO of Public Sector Consultants. Before joining the firm, Mr. Rustem was Gov. William G. Milliken's chief staff advisor on environmental matters and interim director of the Toxic Substances Control Commission. Mr. Rustem was also first executive director of the newly established Center for the Great Lakes in Chicago.
About the forum: The forum is a periodic column of opinion written by Record-Eagle readers in their areas of interest or expertise. Submissions of 500 words or less may be made by e-mailing letters@record-eagle.com. Please include biographical information and a photo.
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Forum: Stronger oil protections needed
By STATE SEN. GLENN S. ANDERSON: Unfortunately, this summer will go down in history as the summer of spills. The BP oil spill disaster and the Enbridge spill in the Kalamazoo River here in Michigan both drive home the need for Michigan lawmakers to take action to prevent a disastrous oil spill from happening on our shores.
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Forum: Congress must fix Social Security
By BOB AUKERMAN: Social Security can't sustain the same level of benefits to retirees. By 2032, only 2 workers will be paying into the system to support 1 retiree. Either Social Security taxes must rise or benefits must be cut.
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Forum: Toxic toys plague families
By KATE MADIGAN: Since January 2009 there have been three million recalls for lead in toys, and McDonald's recently recalled 12 million promotional Shrek glasses due to dangerous levels of cadmium.
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Forum: Action needed on dividend tax
In 2003, Congress passed an important law that temporarily reduced the individual tax rate on dividend income from almost 40 percent to 15 percent. The 15 percent dividend tax rate is set to expire at the end of this year.
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Forum: We need another Milliken
By BERL FALBAUM: In the poisonous political culture we have created, from the national to local level, much of the public may well believe that is how it has to be.
Continued ... - August 24, 2010
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Forum: Time to find the source of beach trash
Food wrappers, cigar tips, tampons, syringes and woody debris are washing up on east Lake Michigan shores again in what looks to be a repeat of the summer of 2008, when tons of "mystery trash" fouled shorelines there.
Continued ... - August 19, 2010
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Forum: Pro-life PAC provides voice for voiceless
The Right to Life of Michigan Political Action Committee (RLM-PAC) was formed in 1978 to make endorsements of political candidates at all levels regardless of party affiliation or personal popularity.
Continued ... - August 17, 2010
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Forum: Stepping back from school reform
By TOM WATKINS: Michigan recently received some good news on the school funding front and bad news on the school reform front.
Continued ... - August 13, 2010
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Forum: 75 years of Social Security
By BART STUPAK: Social Security is one of the great American success stories, and Saturday marks the program's 75th anniversary.
Continued ... - August 11, 2010
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Forum: Challenge to the auto industry
By DR. BRENT BLACKWELDER: Leaders of the automotive industry, who met recently in Traverse City, had better do some big thinking about profound changes needed in U.S. transportation.
Continued ... - August 6, 2010
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Forum: Child well-being rating dips
By JUDY SAMELSON: It's not a great time to be a kid in Michigan. The annual national Kids Count report released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation bears grim testament to that fact.
Continued ... - August 5, 2010
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Forum: Autism should be covered
By MARLOWE FRANKLIN: As the mother of a child with autism, I have spent many sleepless nights worrying about how my family was going to pay for the medical treatment my son needs.
Continued ... - August 4, 2010
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Forum: Protect civilians in Afghanistan
By DAVE LANNEN: On any given day NATO hospitals in southern Afghanistan enter "condition black" — a status that alerts military tactical commanders that hospital beds are full and patients should be diverted elsewhere.
Continued ... - August 3, 2010
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Forum: Plan protects patients
This month, the Traverse City Commission will have the opportunity to enact a new set of zoning guidelines in response to the passing of the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act in 2008.
Continued ... - July 27, 2010
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Forum: Marijuana puts residents at risk
By ADRIENNE ROSSI: Traverse City's medical marijuana ordinance threatens the safety and integrity of Traverse City's residential neighborhoods.
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Forum: Stronger oil protections needed
