There is a strange segregation between the constant stream of Michigan follies -- Kwame, the primary, beheadings, Cedarfest and the like -- and the so-often overlooked hope and pride of we ten million souls who call this place home.

Center for Michigan Steering Committee member Craig Ruff bemoans our star status in the "National Laughlight."

Internationally acclaimed author and Milford funeral director Thomas Lynch samples the great talent residing here and proclaims that "maybe we are worthy of our better dreams."

Likewise, the EnvisionMichigan Story Contest is bubbling over with the better dreams of our people. Consider these thoughts culled from among the more than 180 entrants...

"I see Michigan filled with thriving communities. These communities are locally-based; that is, people live and work and play largely right in their own community. Their community has been planned to be locally sufficient. The hour-plus long commutes have become unthinkable for many, because people can walk or bike to work. Other people drive Michigan-produced electric cars or use light rail. There are many manufacturing facilities supplying the alternative energy, automotive, and diverse industries located right here in Michigan. These facilities, in turn, rely on renewable energy. We still have some wonderful big cities with strong neighborhoods, but the state is more integrated."
– Nancy Angellotti

"My vision for the State is for an economic comeback by investing in our natural resources, technology, neighborhoods and a better school system with smaller classrooms." – Jason Senior

"When I see people leaving Michigan because they believe there is no future here for them, I wonder if they know Michigan is sitting on a resource more valuable than all the oil in Saudi Arabia? Water shortages are not just a distant problem… Atlanta for example, is in the grip of a long and sustained drought. There is not enough fresh water in Florida to sustain the levels of population growth Miami is experiencing. The same is true in Arizona, and the list goes on. Lack of water will soon negatively impact the ability of these areas to grow and prosper. As our loss has been their gain, so shall their loss be ours…Of course this is all long term, and does little to blunt the pain many feel today. Still, it should give those of us with the determination and the opportunity to remain in Michigan a reason to hang on. Besides, this is a wonderful place, a natural paradise, the envy of the world, and our hope for the future. A future, I might add, we need not fear. Economies change. Industries rise and fall. But our bodies will always need plenty of H2O." – Clay Morgan

"My family recently purchased a 100+ year-old farmhouse… in the historic village of Grass Lake, a small railside town where the county offices have lakefront property and the grocery store has hillside lakeview. Three-hundred-sixty-five days in one year, and we will be enjoying them all at 365 Lake Street. Most people miss the opportunity to breathe slowly and watch three-hundred-sixty-five consecutive orbs sink into the giant sparkling mirror known as Grass Lake. More than just a building, the aging farmhouse is a triumph of independence for my family." – Jimmy Tomczak

"For me, Michigan is an uneven mix of hidden natural beauty and gritty human struggle. Mostly, I see and feel the struggle. For the state to thrive, Michigan residents like myself will have to let go of the familiar, and either accept the challenge of a new identity or inhabit a museum. We're working with a Michigan history that's heavy in steel and wage security. It's a big endeavor ahead to create a new Michigan, but I see our residents grudgingly committed for the long haul. Vacations are great, but Michigan is home." – Jill Oviatt

"In the eyes of many, our state is doomed for absolute collapse. I am looking at the dawn of a new Michigan, one that relies on its most valuable resource: its citizens. Education has taken the assembly line's place as our state’s most vital tool. When I finish my education, I hope to be one of these great entrepreneurs that jump-starts our economy. I will not cling to the idea that I cannot create my own destiny. The tools and environment for the future are here, waiting to be utilized by those who share my ambition." – Rob Schwartz

"I was born and raised in Michigan, and like many young people, I thought that my future lay somewhere else. I thought there wasn't enough for me in Michigan, and that I needed something...more. So I moved to Miami and then New York City searching for that distant place to call home. On September 11, 2001 while living in New York City I learned an important lesson: the place you call home is where your hope resides. Your future is not what happens to you, but what you create. I moved home, to my Michigan, to Grand Rapids where I could start a family and create the life I always hoped for. Michigan is my hope because it offers my children the things I find important: access to culture and nature. Within a half hour drive, we're on the beach of Lake Michigan, or hiking trails, or in the heart of Grand Rapids visiting a museum. Michigan offers variety in which a family can thrive." – Tonya Sirois