Courtesy of Great Lakes Energy Task Force

A broad spectrum of interests in Northeast Ohio is collaborating to pursue the development of offshore wind energy in Lake Erie.  In so doing, we foresee the potential of catalyzing the emergence of a large new industry with the potential for employing thousands of local citizens in the manufacturing, installation and support of wind turbines in Lake Erie and the Great Lakes.  This initiative will set a new standard for the nation and bring leadership in the advanced energy sector to our region.

Continuous progress has been made since a regional task force to explore offshore wind was formed in 2006, with primary funding from Cuyahoga County and the Cleveland Foundation.  Named the Great Lakes Energy Task Force, it brought together resources from across the region to develop the project.  After a two year feasibility study confirmed the initiative's viability in 2009, a pre-development corporation has been formed to seek financing for the first stage of commercialization.

Milestones accomplished to date are:

The capitalist free market system has created the greatest wealth for the common man the world has ever seen. No other social system in the history of mankind has created such opportunities for personal advancement.

Currently, there is much talk about the failure of capitalism or that we need a more socialist government. This is simply not true. Capitalism has not failed but the regulatory agencies have. Regulatory agencies have failed to do their mandated tasks as well as failing to keep up with the changes that were taking place in the financial world. Add to this elected officials who have surrendered their integrity to the powerful forces of campaign contributions and you have a formula for the economic meldown we are currently experiencing.

One of the primary building blocks  that made America great is that we are a land of immigrants. We are truly the land of opportunity. People from all walks of life and backgrounds can come here to pursue their dream. This land of opportunity allows anyone to develop their talents to the fullest and  become successful personally and at the same time contributing to the greatness of America. 

An important part of being successful in America is speaking English. English is the language of business and to succeed in America, one must know the language. Learning English and assimilating into American society is one of the parts of that magic formula that makes us great. Assimilating does not mean losing your heritage or your culture, but it does mean becoming an American.

LEGAL - If the state of Ohio was to adopt loser pays laws in dealing with civil litigation, Ohio would quickly become one of the most popular states for businesses to move to thus creating jobs.

WATER - Northeast Ohio has one of the most abudant water resources in the country. We also have high water rates. Instead of using the water system to create revenue from exorbatant water rates, offer the lowest rates in the nation which would attract businesses here, which would create jobs, which would create tax revenue.

For decades there has been a growing problem with too much money in politics. Many of the problems we face today are the result of special interest groups (big business, banks, wall street, unions, etc.) contributing millions of dollars to elected officials for legislation favorable to the causes of these various special interests.

An example of this problem is the exorbatant fees and interest rates banks charge for credit cards. Not too long ago those exorbatant interest rates were a crime and would of been called loan sharking punishable by prosecution. What happened? Big bags of money from banking special interests went to elected officials to create enabiling legislation.

Another example would be the sub prime loan debacle. Although there are many facets to this fiasco, certainly a major part is the big bags of money that wall street special interests showered on our elected officials to not better regulate the then evolving sub prime mechanism.

Why do you think the Internal Revenue Code is so complicated that no one truly undestands it in it's entirety. Big bags of money have gone to Washington on behalf of special interests over the decades to gain favorable tax legislation.

Elected officials,especially at the higher levels, are under tremendous pressure to raise campaign funds. At the higher levels of office elected officials must raise thousands of dollars per day to stay competitive. This consumes too much of the time and energy of the people we elect to protect the public interest, time that shoud be spent working on the very difficult problems of the future of this nation, not to mention the unfair influence on legislation by powerful special interests.

Making homes and businesses more energy efficient is one of the best opportunities to reduce energy consumption. You can save energy, save money, make your home more comfortable, and help the environment all at the same time.

Remember the cheapest energy is the energy you don't use.

More to come on this topic.

 American businesses have had to change with the times. Smart businesses realize that their employees and their customers are among their most important assets. Labor unions need to examine their goals and methods and realize that the old fashioned confrontational model of dealing with business is not the best way to create jobs or to compete with foreign competition for jobs.Teamwork between business and labor is the key to future job creation. Teamwork best utilizes the talents of labor to help strenghthen the business thus create better job security. Unions must realize that allowing inefficient work practices can be very detrimental and sometimes fatal to businesses and also not good for workers to continue developing more skills. The more skills a worker develops the more valuable to the employer a worker becomes.

.Lake Erie is one of the greatest assets an area could have but it is greatly underutilized and its potential seems to be mostly unknown or not understood by the leaders and citizens of Northeast Ohio. Lake Erie could be the greatest economic development tool Northeast Ohio has.

There is a wide range of Lake Erie uses that provides exciting possibilities for our future:
COMMERCIAL USE - Port activties,water oriented businesses
RESIDENTIAL USE - waterfront living & development of lakefront communities
RECREATIONAL USE - boating,sailing,jet sking,beaches,festivals etc.
TOURISM - possible huge industry for us
MARKETING - a tool to enhance our image and to attract young professionals to Northeast Ohio

A few facts about Lake Erie:
1. It is the warmest of all the Great Lakes which gives us a large advantage over the other Great Lakes. The full range of water recreation activities are possible here such as swimming, jet skiing, diving, etc.
2. It is one of the best bodies of waters in the U.S. for boating activities and boat ownership. I have 29 years boating experience on Lake Erie and around the country, and I can tell you there is more to do on the Lake with a boat than almost any other body of water in the U.S. This is a mostly unknown fact.
3. 50% of all the fish in the Great Lakes is in Lake Erie.

In Chicago, one third of the city population is concentrated in lakefront neighborhoods. When Chicago opened up its waterfront, it created 3000 acres of parkland along 20 miles of the Lake Michigan shoreline which along with the City attracted 65 million visitors in 2006. These visitors came from around the nation and from abroad. Important fact - Lake michigan is too cold for the full range of recreational activities that are available on Lake Erie.