Originally posted by: Fern
Originally posted by: SirStev0
Damn this is not going the way I hoped. I was hoping that we could some how get into addressing the fact that small town America is pissed that we are repeatedly getting boned. Unfortunately we grasp for whatever we can.
Not an argument over whether or not it is elitism or what he really meant when he said it.
Sorry to hear about the plight of your small town. My small town is booming.
Some of the factories have disappeared, yet slowly other have moved in.
I live in the mountains in Western NC, many think it a beautiful area, and our population is swelling.
The good 'ole boys who used to work in factories, are often now employed in various contruction jobs etc. The younger ones work in upscale restaurants, or start a business. One guy I know does landscaping and made $80K last year (his first year in business).
So it's much different here.
Are small towns getting "boned" or just ignored?
Is it the federal government role to help individual small towns?
I'm leaning towards it being a state government issue. I also think that your county should be doing something about it.
Can they contact a university in the state to come have a look and make recommendations? Is there federal interstate access nearby? Are there any local efforts to retrain workers for a new position? Are there any local/county organizations formed to recruit employers to the area? Has the county instaled high speed/bandwith connectivity that is attractive to businesses?
Are any efforts being made?
When I first came to this small town it was basically an accident to find it, I'm not exaggerating or kidding. But the efforts I mention above, and others, were implemented and have been effective.
15 or 20 years ago, our small downtown was almost dead. The big stores had all moved out. Many storefronts downtown were closed and shuttered. Many were in bad disrepair. The only federal program I think beneficial to small towns was embraced by our town - I forget the name but it advises small towns on how to resurrect the old decaying downtowns. We are now a "Historic Downtown". We had to finance much of it ourselves through property tax increases; we planted trees, built flower boxes and hung hanging flower baskets from poles. We offered low-interest loans to owners of buildings downtown to renovate their facades. We created sign ordinaces etc. It's now beautiful, small business have moved (and out too) and property values are quite high compared to what they once were.
No one in your community needs to be a genious, so many "self help" programs have been designed and implemented/tried it's amazing. If not already, they should be looking at these and trying to copy the most suitable for your area.
Fern