TROUBLE IN VALHALLA!

TROUBLE IN VALHALLA!

(Traverse City Record Eagle/Frazer Chronicle)

It's idyllic, it's clean, it's safe, a great place to raise kids, get them educated and out on their own with a better than even chance at grabbing a piece of the American dream, it's where I grew up, got my education, learning the basics about myself, it's where I met and fell in love with my future wife, "I know, I know," you’re asking, "where is this utopia, and how can I get in?"

Well my friends, this little slice of heaven, complete with spectacular sunrises, friendly people, and room to grow is located 100 miles south-west of the Mackinac bridge separating the lower and upper peninsula of Michigan, it's Traverse City, Michigan, population 20 something thousand people during the winter, and 50,000 and more during the summer season.

Murders are rare, strong armed crimes aren't common and people seem to get along with whoever lives next door. To a degree, Traverse City is a kind of melting pot community, it's where people come to live, raise their kids, then retire, hopefully on enough pension and other retirement income to live 6 months in Traverse City, and 6 months in a warmer climate.

Sure there is the occasional sex crime, robbery and every couple of years.....murder, but mostly they are differently not normal occurrences. The community and area simply do not attract those kinds of people, and won't put up with those kinds of activities.

I haven't lived in the city for close to 26 years, I have returned for visits, have noticed the change, the urban sprawl, and the traffic.....the unbelievable traffic. Traverse City isn't quite as quaint as it used to be, and more and more locals seem to be walking around with a kind of vacant opened mouth stare, like to a degree, they don't have a clue at what's going on. "I have that look every morning after I wake up."

I remember times, growing up in Traverse City that I felt such class distinction, and the pressures to achieve, to raise to a higher plateau, and at least for me, an unattainable level. I however did not turn to alcohol, or drugs, "drugs growing up during my era wasn't even thought about." I kind of turned inside, found comfort within myself and the strength to move on with my life.

Today it's different, people use all sorts of "stuff" to "stay high and get by," I only had myself and to a degree my family to keep my head above water. I remember a friend, "I'll call him Jack," was next to homeless back in the late 1970's and early 1980's. His life had been shattered by a bad marriage, he took so many different types of drugs, there could have been a clinical study done on him to study the effects of drugs.

He wasn't lazy, didn't come from a broken home, had been well respected as a person, and a young business-man in the community. He had a wife, 3 or 4 kids, "I don't remember right now how many," and was doing all the right things to ensure a well rounded, rich and successful life.

But his wife's infidelity crushed everything that the man had worked for, Jack was totally devastated, yet somehow survived into the 21st. century, I know, I saw him walking around Traverse City in 2005.

TROUBLE IN TRAVERSE CITY, 2000 STYLE: HOMELESS PEOPLE

I live in Green Bay, Wisconsin, have for the past 25 years, I've seen homeless people, people strung out on all sorts of stuff, sleeping in doorways, park benches, under bridges or trees, and in their cars. Green Bay officials haven't found a cure for these people, and yes, crime is up. Green Bay hasn't addressed the problem, it's been left to homeless shelters and churches to house feed and clean these people.

It's the same way across the country, homeless, out of work and out of luck, living off of other people's hand-outs, pity and sometimes the generosity of business, local, state and even federal programs.

Unless you live in a gated community, the problem of being poor in today's world touches everybody whether you like it or not. Most of us simple look the other way when we are confronted by a hungry, shabbily dressed or homeless person.

A few have chosen this life style, "it's true," but most are unable to find work, are under-educated, have health or mental problems and need special help. The problem of the poor, under-educated, health problems, or those simply unlucky have basically been with human-kind since the beginning of recorded time.....and nobody has found a cure to this day.

It's mostly because nobody really wants to help to find some sort of cure for these people, and that is sad. Traverse City, Michigan is no different than any other community in the United States. How they deal with the problem could be a "bench-mark" for other cities troubled by the same problem.

You first and foremost need to deal with these people with respect, respect because they are human beings just like the rest of us. Giving a "hand up, not out" would seem to me to be a start. Create jobs for these people, so that 1. they can make a little money, and 2. feel good about themselves. I'm thinking that if communities use these two simple rules to handle their homeless and poor people problems, they'll find probably to their surprise that these people want to work, want to produce, and want to feel good about themselves.

Well Traverse City, Michigan you have it.....and the best part, it'll cost next to nothing.....now, get creating.