5 10 50 100 200 Choose an Idea Category SHOW ALL Great Ideas    - Achieving a Healthy Michigan    - Enjoying Michigan's Vast Resources    - Improving Education Attainment    - Modernizing Government at All Levels    - Rebuilding Communities & Transportation    - Revitalizing Michigan's Economy

    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40  41  42  43  44  45  46  47    

Pete Engelhardt - Monday, September 21, 2009   Urban Farms Rate this idea:   Current Rating: 3.0 (331 votes cast) To improve city blight we can raze vacant buildings and turn the land into urban farms to help nourish the mind, body and spirit of our inner city neighbors. We can partner with Michigan State University's Agricultural Department to assist in developing on site training for students and faculty while creating jobs for local people. We could then set up a building to market and sell the product that is grown to the local people and businesses.

Dan - Monday, September 21, 2009   Connections Rate this idea:   Current Rating: 3.0 (308 votes cast) We should invest in an underground, possibly magnetically powered, high-speed train that runs from the UP (Houghton or Marquette) to the lower peninsula (Detroit or Ann Arbor). This link would encourage everyone to enjoy upper Michigan's natural beauty. There are many people who live in lower Michigan that have never been to the UP. If people can start to really appreciate and love their state like many yoopers do, we could make this state the greatest in the nation. This train could be the first step. It would also take the edge off of the long drive to see the beautiful UP for people from out of state.

Jim Bitterle - Monday, September 21, 2009   Metropolitan Museum of Modern Music (4M) Rate this idea:   Current Rating: 3.0 (336 votes cast) Seattle has the EMP (Experience Music Project). It is one of the top attractions in a very vibrant city. Detroit, on the other hand, has a very limited Hitsville USA. Imagine this: A chronology of the best, most influential artists from 1945 until now. Michigan artist highlights: Bob Segar, Aretha Franklin, Iggy Pop, Madonna, Kid Rock, Ted Nugent, Eminem, White Stripes, Alice Cooper, Stevie Wonder, etc. But this isn't simply a museum, other key attractions include: A professional recording studio where visitors can watch professional artists record, record your own music studios, multiple jam rooms to play instruments alone, and with groups of other jammers, a bar with live music, a hall for visual artists painting music/artist related paintings, A guitar Center instrument shop, a CD/DVD/Download store, A concert hall for live Music events, a laser-light planetarium for laser shows, alcoves for budding musicians to play and sell CD's, a coffee house. Imagine a very unique physical structure unlike anything else in Detroit. (Check out Seattle's EMP on-line). Put this structure on Woodword, perhaps just North of the Compuware building. Now imagine using this as a tool to keep Michigan's best and brightest college grads in state. Use mentors to work with new graduates to plan, design, build and operate the 4M. Use Detroit's Onestop Michigan Works! offices to hire wokers for maintenance, customer service, and other basic positions. According to the Governor's "cool city" initiative, this project would be a halo project. Suddenly, Detroit would have another major attraction to go with The Henry Ford, The DIA, the casinos, and Greek Town. By the way, can you imagine the potential money raised by famous Michigan musicians for this entity? Lastly, take 50% of any annual surpluses and use the money to support music programs in Detroit's public shools. 4M Benefits: Improved quality of life, improved convention center marketability, JOBS!!!!!

Ken Wyatt - Monday, September 21, 2009   Property tax equity for purchasers of second homes. Rate this idea:   Current Rating: 3.1 (326 votes cast) Recently my wife and I were searching for a piece of lake property. The prices are attractive right now for those with money and a desire to invest long-term in property that could be expected to appreciate in value. However, I was chagrined to learn that the state property tax is about 40 percent higher on a property acquired as a second, or vacation, home. In our case, the $1,800 a year property tax bill on our desired property would have actually been $3,200 annually for the property as a second home. As I calculate it, that $1,400 annual penalty on secondary residential ownership amounts to $28,000 in additional taxes over a 20 year period. Now, I ask you, what incentive is there for people to invest in these properties, restore and improve them, when there is such a disincentive, tax-wise, to do so? Abolish Michigan's disincentive for the purchase of secondary residential properties!

J Lyons - Monday, September 21, 2009   improving the safety of our journey Rate this idea:   Current Rating: 3.1 (294 votes cast) why not institute a vehicle inspection yearly? this would not only improve the condition of the vehicles on the road, the sticker would be prominantly displayed, but would show we, as michiganders, are concerned about vehicle safety as well. this would also give others a chance to open safety inspection locations. in other words, jobs.