Our robust nation was built not just on the shoulders of brave pioneers, gallant war heroes, earnest statesmen and fearless civil rights leaders.
There were also those scheming and dreaming geeks whose most important commodity wasn’t just sweat and courage (though there was that, too), but an idea.
I’m talking about inventors.
Yep, those madcap fellas and gals who holed up in barns, basements and labs throughout history tinkering with the technology that lit America up, sent it flying, extended life expectancy beyond 42, or whatever dangerously low age it was in days of yore.
The Wright Brothers, Eli Whitney, Thomas Edison, George Washington Carver, Philo Farnsworth all harnessed raw materials and fashioned them into amazing, finely honed creations.
Those creations, in turn, dropped a spark into the economy.
In the case of the metro Detroit area, without the invention of the automobile, we may as well be another Grand Rapids. Or worse, Toledo.
Do I need to tell you what’s happened to our precious product that we in this area have worked so hard and long on?
It’s gone south, as they say, to non-union plants in places like Tennessee. To the far east. Back to Europe. Our beloved autos have gone everywhere else, boosting other economies like an old lover hell-bent on betrayal.
My idea? To get new ideas.
While our economy stretches one arm up from the quicksand, we here at The Review think it’s time to summon our collective spirit of invention to give it a hand.
We invite all Orion inventors to send us their ideas.
It doesn’t matter if all you’ve got is a sketch on the back of a cocktail napkin, a prototype under old drop-cloths in your basement, or you’ve already racked up numerous patents, let us know what you think is going to be the next big thing.
So, inventors, if you’re ready to share your big idea with the world, give me a call at 248-693-8331, or email us at lakeorionreview@sbcglobal.net.
You never know. We may feature it in the paper where the next Henry Ford will see it and decide to manufacture it right here in Michigan.