what is driving the economy, is it a one horse town?

Stay away from the resort areas or one horse towns in Michigan but Detroit (Suburbs), Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing all seem like bargains.

And don't listen to the naysayers who tell you it's impossible to escape the rat race!

There are plenty of companies out there willing to race to the bottom and will negotiate down on anything to get a sale.  

You will never finish a race if you don’t take the first step. 

I also know how important it is sometimes to put yourself out there so that maybe I can connect with others and make bigger things happen or at least inspire someone to get back on that horse or else you’ll always feel like something is missing inside.

If you really don't want to rent to someone, and it is based on something outside of the protected classes (race, religion, national origin, etc), you simply turn them down.

I've seen people make a living kicking dead horses, to my eyes it's not worth their time however.      

OK I think you're getting the (important) horse in front of the cart.What's the place worth.

It might take a few years to get the experience you'll need but you'll sure be off to the races over the span of 2-3 years with a much higher ROI on your dollar than reinvesting that large sum of money into a package of SFR's with lower cash flow. ...but that is what I simply envision for myself based on my preferences, my risk profile, and my goals.