How is America's Heartland faring in the age of globalization? Not very well, according to the evidence compiled by Richard Longworth in his new book, "Caught in the Middle."

What had been the nation's powerhouse of agriculture and industrial might began fading 40 years ago due to the integration of world markets and increasing global competition, managerial failures, a lack of innovation and entrepreneurship, and high cost labor.

However, the region remains blessed with rich farmland, plentiful fresh water, great research universities, expertise in agriculture and manufacturing and the example of Chicago, which has managed to evolve into a global city.

Getting past the belief that if we just have a "fighter" in the White House or in the Mayor's office, all those jobs will come back is an important step in moving forward. Look to the future not to the past. Midwesterners must embrace education and a different kind of education, one that is not based on mechanistic industrial values but on thinking and adaptability -- learning to learn. And then we must use our ingenuity and acquire a more entrepreneurial attitude (draw upon our immigrant pool with their much higher rates of business start-ups) toward our assets.

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