[Jay Yoo](http://koyono.com/) responded over at [Brewed Fresh Daily](http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/2005/09/29/cleveland-we-need-a-better-slogan-√¢Ç«®Çƒ?-distracted-mind/#comment-5427), saying that Cleveland doesn’t need another slogan. At the risk of putting my own contest down, I agree with Jay completely.
That’s kind of the point of the contest. We don’t need to _pay_ people to come up with yet another slogan. I think that’s part of our problem. We ignore the things that make Cleveland really great and try and tart it up with some insincere and schmaltzy phrase about how “we’re getting better, really!!!”. We’ve tricked ourselves into believing that we’re inferior.
We may not have the huge visual art scene of New York City or Los Angeles, but we’ve got a vibrant art culture that just needs some direction and time to grow. We’re got performing arts that have something that New York doesn’t have: a Cleveland sensibility. We’ve got innovative small businesses and entrepreneurs that are brave enough to try new things. If you want an example, just take a look at [Jay's site.](http://koyono.com/).
We have some major problems that need to be solved by city planners and government. Education, poverty, and crime come to mind. These are the problems that we _should_ be throwing money at. Our problem isn’t the lack of a good slogan. That said, the slogan contest is supposed to be fun. It’s a chance to say something funny, original, sincere, whatever you want. Condense your love for this city into a single phrase, if you can. Just show that we aren’t conned into that inferiority complex. Even with its problems, there’s still plenty to love about this city.