Now, relax. Get comfortable. Breathe. Use your imagination, and see what I see:

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.

People in these Michigan communities would rather have something made locally, than something mass-produced elsewhere and purchased cheaply. They see the beauty of locally handmade items, they appreciate the locally grown food, and they value the products available through local manufacturing and services.  They expect and get better quality in everything because they are producers as well as consumers.  They appreciate their jobs and take joy in knowing they are performing meaningful work.

Because so much is available to them locally, people walk and bike frequently.  They are much healthier now, because they get more exercise and fresh air.  Their nutrition is based more on local produce, and less on globally marketed junk food.  There are lots of gardens, and local, organic farming.

The residents of Michigan communities know each other.  They feel aware of and responsible to their community.  They care about how their community looks and behaves. Their perspective on their community makes the whole community a safer, calmer place.

These locally-based communities are necessarily invested in their children. Education has evolved away from tests, and toward nurturing equipped, responsible whole persons.  There are no barriers to higher education.

Local government, as well as our part-time state legislature, is driven by an informed and involved citizenry.  It is responsive to the constituency, because the citizens will not settle for less.  A better-educated society is one that reads and discusses, so people are  well-informed and engaged.

The health care system in these communities is part of, and accountable to, an educated, health-conscious populace.  It is no longer profit-driven.  With the implementation of a single payer health care system, everyone has access to quality, affordable care.

And even though Michigan is community-based in my vision, we still enjoy the many beauties and joys of our state.  We take interurban rail to visit a museum in Detroit, or we drive our electric car to the beach for the weekend.  While there, we charge our car from a solar station, or from an outlet whose power comes from a wind and solar generating plant.

Our energy needs overall will have decreased, though, because our wants and needs have become more focused on things of actual value.  We will not squander our energy on endless commutes, frivolous purchases, and disposable items of every ilk.  We recycle without even thinking about it anymore.

Now…, when I snap my fingers, you will return to the present reality.

My vision might sound a little naive to you, but I think we will be forced to live with stark, dramatic changes if we do not choose such a vision, and do it soon. The path that we take can be planned with care and wisdom for a beautiful, healthy result.  Or, it can be a road of painful upheaval and loss through economic and governmental implosion.  I'd rather plan the route and the destination than just go along for a bumpy ride.