I'm tired of Milwaukee being compared to Detroit.

Seriously.

I think it's the kiss of death to be compared to Detroit and it's happening more and more. If you haven't ever been to Detroit, part of me says "go" and part of me says "don't do that to yourself".

But I think it's a big problem, and going to get worse. Too many thoughtful media outlets are making this comparison. Why aren't we making news for creating a business climate that attracts jobs. For the record - the government does NOT fall into the "creating jobs" category. The best they can hope to do is stay out of the way. I wish they would.

I'll find the link but about two weeks ago the Wall Street Journal had an article about the Pabst renovation. At the end of the article, the WSJ was somewhat gingerly pointing out that Milwaukee is dead. And they used proof - economic numbers that reflect the direction of business and it's connection to local policies.

Regardless of what side of the issue you're on, let me say this:

You don't have to like why this is the case. But you have to acknowledge facts before you can throw money at it.

The best we can hope to do is stop throwing money at it, stop throwing anything at it, and let it do its job.