Gambling is transforming the Flats as national moguls and power brokers like Steve Wynn, Sean Combs, and Donald Trump pour a billion dollars into massive construction projects, providing the vision, credibility, and backing to defeat our vested anti-gambling interests.

With national interlopers taking risks and threatening local politicos, emerging leaders come off the sidelines to help build and support the burgeoning casino, restaurant, entertainment complexes and ensure that the waterfront is developed in exchange for giving the interlopers the free hand they need to put their experience to work. The convention center is easily incorporated into the new complexes and Browns stadium is domed, increasing its ability to attract entertainment events tenfold.

To sustain its growth, The Cleveland Clinic buys Kaiser Permanente and other large patient groups. As the region's most powerful incumbent business, CCF aligns itself with the casino developers to attract wealthy and foreign patients looking for a destination for recreation as well as premium health care. Some spin-off medical and technology companies take hold and grow.

To staff and service these businesses young workers flock into downtown to buy and rent nearby inexpensive housing. With little demand from families needing better schools, which are still years away, downtown Cleveland evolves into a night town of twenty-something urban dwellers. As they start to settle in, more bodegas and other retail services spring up. Then, supermarkets and eventually schools start to improve as the tax base grows.

Artists and entertainers become a regular fixture as tourists and gamblers begin to create standing demand for impulse purchases and alternative entertainment to the sold-out mainstream Playhouse Square shows. Nascent music and arts festivals sprout up to serve urban and suburban audiences. And of course our sports teams win with LeBron at the forefront.

Small business owners and entrepreneurs find new confidence and stop looking to economic developers, associations, government, or non-profit groups for how to start, invest in, and grow their businesses. Spurred on by the casino business leaders, they start cottage and spin-off businesses. They just go do it.

Regionalism is a foregone conclusion as the attraction of urban Cleveland increases while suburbanites reengage with the city. Cleveland Hopkins expands, Burke becomes the waterfront and Lake Erie ferry service brings gamblers from Canada.

And then spontaneously a larger groundswell starts. Cleveland, as the ultimate melting of Red and Blue politics finds its footing as the first Purple City. Embracing and reconciling family values, personal responsibility, freedom, and tolerance, the town begins to develop its voice as the emerging America.

As an attractive, fun, and emerging region, Cleveland becomes the American hub for customer service, back office, and fulfillment service companies as a consequence of overwhelming US dissatisfaction with foreign customer service centers. NEO's proximity to half of all Americans within a day's drive and good family living in the suburbs makes it a considerable locale for many national and international corporations. Our festivals make us known as the Mardi Gras of the North.