Those poor, sweating Chicagoans. They're dying to escape... to Michigan:

Every time we watched a commercial during the peak summer travel season last year (and now again in 2008), we felt the urge to jump right out of the seat in our living room and make a beeline for Michigan," writes Chicago Sun-Times columnist Lewis Lazare. "It didn't matter where. Just anywhere, as long as it was Michigan."

We told you a few weeks ago about an act of bipartisan, forward-looking policy for which this year's legislators should be applauded -- a quintupling of the state's tourism promotion budget.

You can quickly see exactly what we taxpayers are investing in. Just be prepared to linger for a few minutes on the Pure Michigan web site. If you're like me, you'll find it tough to tear yourself away from the breathtaking scenes and lines about our state. Like this one: "Michigan is a 19 million acre playground."

I'd babble on some more about this, but I'm suddenly inspired to plan a family outing to the beach. But which one? South Haven? Empire? Higgins Lake? Lexington?