Just as city forefathers took purposeful steps to connect Milwaukee's first settlements, protect our lakefront, and build world-leading manufacturing companies, so too must our current generation take ownership of our challenges and future.

Paul Ryan stepped into the vice presidential debate prepped with a cadre of misstatements to confuse voters. But he didn't get away with much, what with Vice President Joe Biden giving him a drubbing and moderator Martha Radditz repeatedly holding his feet to the proverbial fire.

Like Wisconsin, America at large is bitterly at odds with itself. A starting point for recovering our national community is to acknowledge that we all, whichever side we're on, face the same question: What kind of country do we want to live in?