Gov. Ted Strickland took on the nay sayers and "dissers" Friday in an address at the City Club of Cleveland Fourm, objecting to what he said is a "distorted view of the great state of Ohio and the great city of Cleveland."

One description of the state to which he objected was from the U.K.'s The Observer: "Fierce Artic winds blow across the Great Lakes from Canada and make for hard living most of the year. Only the prospect of full employment, a home, good schools and everything else the American dream promises made life tolerable in this harsh country. But now the fires of
industry are cold and this vast region of the Midwest faces along and bleak economic winter."

Strickland went on to note, "Look, I'm not saying we don't have real challenges. There's no question we face serious, structural economic challenges in Ohio today. And frankly, everything we're trying to accomplish must be done in the midst of a national economy that has hit Ohioans squarely in the pocketbook." Because Ohio offers "a bit of almost everything you'll find in America," means that "a big, diverse American state like Ohio must face the challenges of the American economy.

"The power of perception is at work here. If self pity did any good, I would be all for it. But a negative self image undercuts a community's morale and it undercuts a community's prospects. It's a self fulfilling prophesy - why should investors go where people have given up on themselves?"

He asked the audience to look at a model metropolitan area: "a place we should emulate and aspire to replicate. "This is a place with a lower cost of living than cities like Phoenix or Orlando or Seattle or even Mexico City, it's cost of living is even lower than towns like Danville, Virginia.
"It a place with a higher household income than Tampa or Albuquerque or Pittsburgh.
"It has a higher percentage of people in the 'creative class' than Portland or Indianapolis or Honolulu, and more people employed in the arts than Houston or Milwaukee or Miami.
"It's rated a more sustainable city than Atlanta or Charlotte or Jacksonville.
"It's rated more literate than - get this - New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, or Los Angeles.
"The quality of life is rated higher than Minneapolis or St. Louis or Rome or Hong Kong or Rio de Janeiro.
"The place I just described ... is Cleveland, Ohio."

He went on to point out that a "low cost of living means a more economically sustainable life for people. It means being able to provide for yourself and your family. It means lower costs for businesses trying to attract a talented workforce. "The cost of living in our state is the second lowest in the Midwest, and the second lowest among large states."

Strickland touted recent accomplishments: the $1.57 billion stimulus package ... a "historic commitment to education - from preschools to graduate schools to workforce training" ... an energy bill "ensuring the availability of reliable electric service" ... and a new law that "requires expanded use of advanced energy technology." He concluded by referencing an old movie, The Misfits, "starring Clark Gable - a native of Harrison County, by the way."In the final scene, the characters played by Marilyn Monroe and Gable are in despair, not sure what will come next for
them. "Monroe turns to Gable and asks: 'How do you find your way back home?'
"And he responds: 'Just head for that big star, straight on ... It'll take us right home.'

"These four industries - biomedicine, advanced energy, logistics, and bio-based products - are all stars in our sky, and they will take us to a more prosperous home."In fact, Ohio's constellation is far, far larger than that - but we have to look up to see it. "We have an economy the size of a major country's - an economy that has always provided for its people.
"But we can give our economy a boost by recognizing more than our difficulties; we can give our economy a boost by seeing what we have and remembering what we're capable of.
"Because it's time to look up again."

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