On the bad news barometer, what could possibly top the revelation earlier this week that, of the Top Ten Most Dangerous Cities in America, six of them are located in the Great Lakes region?
How about the report last week from the Cleveland Plain Dealer that college graduates earn less - nearly $22,000 less for advanced degree holders - in Northeast Ohio than they do elsewhere in the nation. The report is based on the latest Census figures.
Nineteen of the top 100 universities in the world are located in the greater Great Lakes, according to a 2005 survey by the Institute of Higher Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. And the region's universities churn out the nation's leading talent. In 2003 they generated 30 percent of the country's bachelor degree holders and 37 of all advanced science and engineering degrees.
Sure the region boasts a relatively low cost of living compared to talent magnets like San Francisco. But with high crime and low pay, what incentive is there to relocate to or stay in places like Flint, MI, Gary, IN, or Cleveland, OH?
