Making Michigan the place to be

Michigan is the place to be for some but it can be the place for all. It won't be without work, vision, and, possibly, chasing the unrealistic, according to Brian Pappas's Op-Ed piece in the Freep.

Excerpt:

We need new solutions. The "race to the bottom" to have the best business climate (lowest taxes) is nothing without an educated, healthy and cultured workforce. Our tax base is tapped out, our state budget is devastated, and we need a new direction. As counter-intuitive as it seems, now is the time for bold action and investment. Unrealistic goals can be easier to achieve than realistic ones, if they provide the challenge and interest that keep people involved and motivated.

Public transit is one such unrealistic goal. Metro Detroit has a lot of what Chicago has -- culture, entertainment, sports, recreation, talented people and a great waterfront. It's just not all concentrated in one city.

A region-wide public transit system can unite us and reframe the map over the long term, creating new centers of commerce and providing the infrastructure for long-term advancement. At a bare minimum, young people do not want to drink and drive, and don't want to battle traffic on the way home. Public transit addresses those concerns. The Woodward and Ann Arbor corridors are great starts, but we need to think big!

Read the entire article here.