What's the cure for Gary? That's the question everyone wants to ask but no one seems able to answer.

I've heard people suggest the answer is to drop a bomb on the city and start from scratch. Honest. Is that racist, or is it just heartless? I'll let you decide.

I do like the idea of bringing in the National Guard to raze abandoned buildings and get rid of these magnets for crime and vermin, two-legged as well as four-legged.

Who wants to build a new store or a new condo complex next to a burned-out hulk? Success breeds success, and failure doesn't help.

I've heard suggestions that the Obama administration should create an urban homestead program to bring settlers to the inner city, the same way President Lincoln's Homestead Act of 1862 promised pioneers 160 acres if they could settle the frontier.

And how about bringing in additional state and federal resources to fight the crime rate in the city? Or to clean up environmentally tainted properties? Already, the state, federal and even county governments have poured in resources, and the federal stimulus legislation has money available that could be used to do more of the same.

But how can the city be turned around so it is self-sustaining? It's one thing to hire cops with a federal grant and another to keep them on the payroll once the grant expires.

Don't let Gary remain so dependent of aid from elsewhere that it cannot support itself.

Gary has much to offer. It has good beaches, major employers, a good ballpark with affordable hot dogs and so much more.

It is a city that must experience a dramatic turnaround for the sake of all of Northwest Indiana.

It is no secret that community leaders throughout Northwest Indiana see Gary/Chicago International Airport as key to the region's economic future. Bring an airline there -- and keep it there -- and we'll be on our way to fame and fortune.

I've been spending time in Gary lately, familiarizing myself again with the city. I've seen a lot of abandoned buildings, either burned out or boarded up or covered with graffiti. I've seen schools that are in physical disrepair as well as struggling to educate their students adequately.

But I've also seen nice neighborhoods with well-maintained homes and good people. I see a city that has potential.

The Times Editorial Advisory Board, with members from throughout Northwest Indiana, thinks enough of the importance of Gary's revitalization to make it a major topic of conversation at a recent meeting.

So consider this a launching point for discussion on how to turn the city around. What are your ideas? I'd love to hear from you.