Kenosha eclipses Racine, again

I’m about to stray into foreign territory…. Normally I usually only chime in on education issues, but I feel compelled to comment on one of the Journal Time’s “top stories” – the one about the new dinosaur museum in Kenosha.

Being the recovering liberal that I am, I love all the “quality of life” amenities communities offer its residents – schools, museums, libraries, parks, etc. I think these amenities are vital for any community to thrive. I even try to think “regionally”; what is good for Milwaukee or Kenosha is also good for the greater Racine area.

What irks me, though, is that it seems that every other community is moving light-years ahead of the greater Racine area. It seems that Racine (and the surrounding villages) is doing everything in their power to keep us in the post union-job-leaving hell that Racine has become.

There are too many whiners and too many people with agendas. No one seems to act or think regionally. We have seen, just recently, the City of Racine knuckling down on Harborfest by increasing their fees , a non-profit organization that provides scholarships to the youth of the area and donates money to other organizations that do much for the community. We have also seen the city crack down and limit the business endeavors of the private citizen who almost-single handedly cleaned up the crack-infested hangout at North Beach.

These “jewels” may soon go the way of the union-jobs of the 60’s if the officials aren’t careful. Why is it so hard to do anything new (and cool) in this town? What is Kenosha doing that we are not? Do we really just want to sit around and remember the “good old days” and bitch about the well-paying union jobs that are gone? Or do we want to look forward and develop our “diamond in the rough” community?

The Racine area, along with its citizens, has a lot of untapped potential. Why are our local governments trying to hold us back?