the midwest against the rest

On Milwaukee reviews the GLUE conference in Buffalo:

"We quickly came to realize that this feeling of isolation was unjustified. After an extensive bus tour of Buffalo, which revealed the dramatic rise and tragic fall of that great city, none of us were shocked. Saddened, but not shocked. After all, each of our cities has been similarly hollowed from the inside out.

From that point forward, the focus of the weekend was on what we share, not on what we don't. Poverty, crime, segregation, crumbling streets and population loss is a reality for each of our Great Lakes counterparts."

"But perhaps more important, from what I witnessed at this weekend's conference, is that the cities of the Great Lakes are bursting with cadres of young, hyper-motivated individuals, who are both discouraged with what they see in their respective cities and determined do something about it. That's the funny thing about "depressed cities" -- their tough problems give rise to some of the most engaged and creative citizenry in our country."

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