"There's a moral compass in the heart of this country that sets the tone for the rest of nation," said Bono, lead singer of U2, discussing Midwestern values in a recent speech to the Grand Rapids Economic Club.
With the 2008 presidential election quickly approaching, one wonders if politically all-important states such as Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan can guide the national agenda in a more responsible direction. The leadership in the U.S. clrearly is distracted by exceedingly expensive foreign wars, fraud in Congress, and meaningless issues like steriods in baseball.
Those agenda items continue to detract time, attention, and funding away from the most important challenges facing the Great Lakes region and the nation as a whole: Generating jobs. Modernizing education and healthcare. And investing in new technologies like alternative fuels and basic community infrastructure such as sewers that keep rivers clean, internet access, and mass transit to speed the transition to a modern knowledge economy.
