Stanislaus County supervisors lay off 16 community services workers
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday agreed to lay off 16 Community Services Agency workers. The county is cutting services for children and seniors at risk of abuse or neglect to save money. Welfare payouts and payments to in-home care providers and foster parents protected by law would not be affected, but some programs that reduce demand for foster care and nursing homes will be eliminated.
The Community Services Agency’s cost-cutting strategy includes giving up $12.5 million in state and federal social services money because the county can’t afford to put up $3.4 million as its share to secure that funding. “Look at how screwy government funding is,” Supervisor Bill O’Brien said, noting the double-whammy to needy people. The social workers would be laid off in August, but are expected to transfer to positions in job development with salaries entirely paid by state and federal money.
Jobs are being cut across disciplines, and people are looking for any full-time or part-time job they can find.
Modesto-area unemployment rates rise
Stanislaus County’s jobless hit 17.2 percent, just shy of the year-to-date high it reached in March of 17.5 percent, according to date released by the Employment Development Department.Surrounding counties also saw jumps anywhere from just shy of 2 percentage points for Merced to as little as .3 percent in Tuolumne.
California was among 36 states that saw unemployment fall last month, but it remains among the worst-off states for jobs, tying for third-highest unemployment with Nevada and South Carolina. The improvement in California’s overall unemployment rate comes despite the loss of another 10,200 jobs in November, according to a survey of employers. More than 2.2 million Californians were without work in November. The number does not include the nearly 500,000 workers who have taken low-paying or part-time jobs because that’s all they could find, or the 111,000 people who reported having given up looking for work, according to the state. The bureau says California, with the nation’s highest population, also led the U.S. in job losses in the last year, with 617,000 jobs gone.
What can we do about this? How can we bring jobs back? Not just seasonal jobs or stimulus funded jobs, but long term employment? What kind of jobs will give us the most return on our investment?
EMPLOYMENT EMPOWERMENT
- LEARN – Learn about Modesto. What are the city’s resources? What kind of labor force does Modesto have? What do area businesses think would help them thrive? What place-consciousness strategies can we build upon?
- ACT – What can you do about it? What projects and groups are already working for Modesto’s economic future? Are there any projects or goals you find particularly compelling? Tell us about which group you help out by using your own self-described super powers to give a micro-loan to, helping them kickstart Modesto’s economic future.
- IMAGINE – Unleash your creativity and take your chances dodging downsizing giants!
- Ask A Mentor for Help
Learn. So Stanislaus county is pretty big on agriculture. Wine grapes are their number two export. We can get money into the county by encouraging more people to drink wine! Well, probably not the best idea. We could encourage consumers to support local small businesses, for starters. we should also lower taxes placed on businesses, to encourage them to hire. Lowering the capital gains tax would also encourage more investment. I would take all those on welfare programs and attach them to apprentice ship programs so as to teach our citizens new skill and benefit the business’s that are willing to teach them
Act. If I could give out micro loans I would focus mainly on local small businesses that might be struggling, and encourage them to find ways to hire, and adapt.
Imagine. My micro lones have eliminated unemployment, and the economy in Modesto has sky rocketed.
LEARN: After doing some research I have discovered that the beginning of our recession began with the plunge that the real estate market and the employment was a casualty of the real estate market crash. When people could not afford their homes it forced then into foreclosure and everyone fell further and further behind on their payments and bills. This also caused people to be out of work because with so many people in debt, there was no spending and the economy crashed. This is where my action takes place.
ACT: My approach is that the general public needs to put money back into the economy. People saving instead of spending hurts the economy but they are afraid to put money into the economy with the fear or being laid off or losing their job. If everyone collectively spends “X” amount of dollars into local small businesses then that would be beneficial for the economy and small businesses could grow and would be able to hire more employees. Small business growth would attract big business to want to come into the community, which creates even more job opportunity. City council should notify all residents on Modesto that the second weekend of every month is going to be the time to shop at discounted prices, dine for less, and enjoy entertainment that Modesto offers for a cheaper price. It is not mandatory that everyone participates but city council is purposing to everyone of Modesto that if we collectively do out part in trying to boost the economy and if business owners partake in discounting their products then we can get our local economy headed in the right direction.
IMAGINE: With this new proposition in place I believe that we could start to increase spending and get the money flowing back through Modesto’s economy. With the creation of more jobs I believe that the unemployment rate would decrease and the people who are so financially tight and could not afford to take advantage of the citywide discount weekends, they now will be able to with a job. Unemployment decrease, money flow increase, improvement in economy, and overall better employment situation for Modesto.
LEARN – Modesto is a town that relies on it’s major businesses for commerce. The mall, the several restaurants, a few movie theaters, and big name stores are what bring people to the town. The town continues to try and find or expand big names to create a draw for spending. Their latest additions of high end stores, like Coach, Bebe, Sephora, and Apple, as well several new restaurants, such as BJ’s, the new Buffalo Wings restaurant and talks of a new Hooters coming to town are what have helped Modesto grow. Bringing in big names is how this city works.
ACT – My power is going to help this idea of bringing big businesses in by convincing manufacturing companies to come do their business in the valley for lower rent which in turn will lower the cost of the product, bring in a large amount of employment opportunities, and increase the companies wealth as well. It becomes a win/win/win as everybody gets a piece of what they need. People will see the lower costs and will want to spend, companies will be able to produce more without such high manufacturing costs, and now Modesto is on the map as an important place of trade and business transactions.
IMAGINE – With the involvement of the manufacturing company, it not only lowers the cost of the product itself but of the products that use it. This will boost spending all over as people are more likely to spend when they believe there is a sale. This will make businesses happy which means that more businesses will be attracted to Modesto. This makes for more saving money, more earning money, and more guaranteed jobs.
Here is my animation!
Doctor Jerry Rytloc’s Journal Entry #5: Mission 2 – Employment (commence)
LEARN: His uncle has been working for the company for over 10 years and now they can’t keep everyone, so they laid off a lot of people. The thing is we are recovering from a recession and we can’t do much about it. When people are earning less they spend less so companies and businesses don’t have enough money to keep up with paying the employees so then they’re laid off. At a time like this people are willing to save rather than spend so hence this cycle.
So I’ve noticed that a lot of people are being laid off. Xia’s uncle has been laid off from his job at NCI Buildings.
ACT:
Hmm… what can I do to help. It’s very open ended at this point. The thing is people just got to realize that the less they spend the less companies get money. I am not blaming the people for not spending money though because we are recovering form a recession and it’s all just a mess. It’s hard to create new jobs when companies are struggling to stay alive. I guess I will move my free walk-in clinic to Modesto and ease the pain of the people. It’s all free! If they don’t have to worry about paying for their healthcare they can then spend it at local stores to help sales thus making the wheel turn again!
IMAGINE:
If I, Doctor Jerry Rytloc, Healzor the Healer could obtain as much power and resource possible I would make a handout not to big businesses but to the locals in Modesto. Chances are they will save, but then again chances are they will spend more if they have more. We have to continue this cycle so that it insures the remaining companies, businesses, and stores will stay open and hiring people. Bailing out big companies is not necessarily a good thing because the head of the company will just take the money and run! It’s been done before, we got to help the people first.
I went to yet another friend’s place of work yesterday. His mother is a manager at the store. I asked them how things were going in the job market and here’s what she had to say.
Learn
Thanks to the lack of jobs for people with a higher level of education, people with masters degrees are applying for jobs at Borders! This serious lack of jobs for those with higher levels of education has created a short fall that is trickling down into every place in society. If those with college degrees get the small jobs that are typically filled by those without degrees, it leaves a whole society of younger, less educated or even older folk who can’t get the education high and dry. This has to stop!
Act
We made a start at this last time with the education system. If we can get the education system on track we can get the teachers back to teaching, which is a start in freeing up the jobs they took for those without degrees. The next step is to give the schools more money so they can help more students as well as create jobs for people helping those students. Having been in a community college and an active part of the school community, I know that there needs to be more of an emphasis on spending money in the classroom and not in administration. More money in the schools means students don’t have to pay as much, which means more students can afford to go to school. With a higher percentage of the population with college degrees as compared to our current paltry rates compared to the rest of the state, this should give corporations incentive combined with low real estate prices to expand here and create jobs. This will help to employ those just getting out of college as well as pull up those with degrees from jobs that are typically filled by those with less education.
A second step to the recovery process would be to give forgivable small business loans to those who have a proven and working business plan and application. For each full time long term position created and filled in their business, a small percentage of the loan will be forgiven. The more full-time positions they create and fill, the lower their balance will be on the loan, which will give a strong incentive to the business owner to create long-term, full-time positions over short-term, part-time ones. And see… I didn’t even have to become Adouchi for this one!
Imagine
With schools now focused and working with their bigger budgets, more education given to the community. Large corporations will take notice and start creating much needed jobs for those in the area. Thanks to the incentive program more small business owners are working hard to also create jobs and give the community a hand. Thanks to the powers of my fellow super heroes the community fights together as one to help these companies thrive and grow. The employment problem begins to fade all together… the day is saved… For now.
disguised as a regular bear i make my rounds among the unsuspecting people quietly listening to their conversations as i sift through the days trash pretending that i need a meal. what they dont know is that my belly is warm and full courtesy of the man stealing purses from old ladies. one thing i cant stand even among humans is crime. they may burn the forests with their wicked fire, but i have hope for humanity yet.
the sidewalk was busy and the smell of greasy tacos wafted through the air via the rusty vent on the side of the dirty roach coach parked nearby. there was a line nearby, people seemed to be shifting. restless. as if they were waiting for something. that something they were waiting for was hope. hope for a better future. hope for permanent jobs and sustainability. lucky my stomache was full or this could get nasty.
today the people were waiting for a little somthing tho get them by. tomorrow they would be back in their sunglasses and expensive basketball shoes. they had been on the dole so long they knew little else. this morning in the window of flanigans TV shop, the news man announced a new government stimulus package on top of the first three that failed. when would this government realize that bailouts, stimulus, and handouts are just borrowed money anyway. The money comes from the taxpayer, financing the future for votes today. its just a sad sad political circle. vote prostitution.
lucky for these poor souls cave man has men on the inside. men who know what picante sauce is supposed to taste like. it doesnt taste like stuff from new york city. NEW YORK CITY?!!! get a rope….. now these men are paid by bear-kind to create whispers of change and hope within man-kind for a better future for us all. these men know what the city needs. these learned men know how to end the depressing doldrums of doom. let me spell it out for you.
first, man kind needs to redirect funding to research schools like UCLA and RUTGERS. these schools produce thinkers and creators of new ideas and processes. often times they create new technologies that become widespread and profitable. these new ideas and techs create new industry which spreads across the nation. these new industries provide new jobs and new exports to bolster the economy. they will sell briskly in emerging markets like china and india. this brings revenue to the localities and this revenue is spent in local businesses. this all results in jobs jobs jobs.
i am going to go out on a limb here and say that the industry that we need to create is a productive one. how about agriculture? is there a reason there should be all these people standing in line when there are tomatoes needing picking? we have a back-door industry that has existed all along and no-one seems to have noticed it. maybe because so many people think that stooping over is for migrants? well we are all migrants, especially me, cave man bear. this is a short term job that will give rise to long term jobs in the service industries. think summer jobs for college kids.
of course this is not all so easily done. this is survival of the fittest, just like bear-kind. if someone is unfit to compete for resources, well use your imagination…this is what this is all about right? i mean im some bear acting like a wild bear, minding my own business on the mean streets of modesto and nothing is out of place? thats how wild this whole thing is. there is a man eating bear in line next to you at the bank and you dont even notice?
mission accomplished.
I am just a Monkey Woman. I don’t know much about business, employment, or the economy. However, it seems logical that to improve employment in Modesto businesses need to be brought in the city to create jobs. So, I am going to start my own business! A Super Banana-Loving business!
Learn: First, since I don’t have a clue about how to start my own business, I have decided to go to the internet for help! I actually found a helpful site: http://www.myownbusiness.org/. This site offers FREE internet courses that can teach me how to start my own business! YES!! Now I just have to study…
Act: Let’s say I took all those online courses *cough*. Now I’m going to start my business in Modesto. I would like to make food products using locally grown produce…and bananas. We will start small but I know we will grow and hopefully I can employ more people. Since I am a millionaire (yeah, seriously) I have the means to start this business with my own finances. *pops collar*
Imagine: I also hope I can educate and help other people wanting to start their own small businesses. Maybe I can do this in the form of free seminars. Or maybe I can figure out how to give loans to people in Modesto wanting to start their own business…OK fine! I admit it! I never took all those online courses… *runs away*
I can understand the pains of not having a job, I really can. What’s more, I can understand the pains of not having a job but having lots of bills to pay.
The difference between us, and not to be bragging of course, is that I am essentially the Spirit World equivalent of a trust fund baby. Don’t let the shabby look of my host fool you: she might look like a barely trained gorilla most days, but my parents are loaded. We’re talking vomit-inducing loaded. With cold hard cash monies. After all, I didn’t study something profitable in Spirit World U. I studied linguistics. Why would anyone need to pay me to do any sort of linguistics job when I’ll essentially talk without end for free. Luckily I have parents to foot all of my bills. Again, not like I’m bragging.
But because I do understand that being unemployed is not that great of a thing to be, I figured I would take on Mission Two and try to see what I can do about unemployment in Good Ol’ Modesto, California.
LEARN: Not surprising, you don’t have to look far to figure out that people are having a hard time keeping their jobs and finding new ones. My host can’t find a job (please don’t tell her I said that. She will break my spine. Seriously). Lots of people the two of us know also can’t find jobs. The numbers are pretty scary! But something like unemployment is such a daunting task, just where am I supposed to start?! You would think that if it was something so uncomplicated that a single person could solve it, it would have been solved long ago. I might be handsome, amazing and too-cool-for-school (the kids still say that right? Right? I mean, they said it at one point in history. I think…), but that doesn’t mean that I can solve all the world’s problems! Then again, when have I ever let “impossible” stop me from trying before. Never, that’s when.
Please note: sometimes things look impossible because they actually are impossible and not all that advisable. There is a reason your finger does not fit snugly in an electrical outlet. Don’t try to force it. You will die.
IMAGINE: What I would with all the resources at my finger tips… well, personally, I see this as an opportunity to be as selfish as I could possibly want. But, really, all for the common good, of course! With, say, a modest billion dollars, I would ride into Modesto like a fairy godmother, well godfather I guess, and spend money left and right as if I were hemorrhaging it out of my eye sockets! I would by well fitting shoes and all manner of fancy hats. Of course, I would get a monocle, fashioned from glass derived from the finest of Tear du Orphan. I don’t even know if such a thing exists yet, but with a billion dollars, I could make it exist by throwing enough money at it! And It’s not me being selfish, I’m spending money because I care.
What’s more, on top of spending money on things I don’t need but do yearn for, I will just hire all of the unemployed workers to be my personal servants. Some will comb my hair, others will walk my pet tigers and some I’ll pay just to hang around me so I look better by comparison. Really, they should be thankful. I’ll make sure every Friday is Freckles Friday, where everyone has to wear light-ish red wigs and wear scarves around their necks and look like totally hip cats. Meow~!
ACT: Realistically, I know there’s not much that can be done. After all, even if my imagination was wickedly awesome for myself, all it would do would be to inflate the local economy superficially. What would happen if I left? They would go right back down to being unemployed. You can’t put all of your eggs in one basket. And in the case of Modesto, you can’t justify having 400 baskets when you’ve only got 3 quail eggs. Modesto is too small a place to warrant any large companies coming into town. What is the draw of Modesto other than a high crime rate? The local talent pool is rather stagnant, as is pretty much the whole of the central valley. I hate to sound so defeatist, but unless businesses and consumers work in tandem, nothing can get done. Consumers! Stop holing away all of your savings for a rainy day! If you don’t spend a little now, believe me, that money you’re saving can only depreciate in valley. And Companies, bring more jobs in so people will have more money to spend! See how it works? All sides have to work together or there will just be failure for everyone!
It’s great if you don’t agree with me, because I hope that means you’re out there doing your duty as a consumer and buying things. I know second hand might be the best value or buying that Winnie the Pooh plastic sippy cup for your private collection is cheaper when it’s made in China, but whenever you buy use or non-American, don’t complain later down the line when you can’t find any work because there just aren’t any. If no one, not the consumers and not the companies, is willing to “take one for the team” and be the first to put real money on the table, nothing will change. Simple as that.
Learn: That is simply despicable for an agricultural city. Commercial and agriculture greatly contributes and are vital for the growth of the city by items such as dairy products, almonds, and even wine.
Poor… Poor…Poor city of Modesto they can never catch a break. Luckily I Fierce Dream am here to help them in their desperate time of need. As I set out on Mission: employment I came across astounding facts that the Modesto employment rate has reached 17.2 percent.
Act:
Enough already! It’s time for me Fierce Dreamer to help take action among these other groups that are working towards the well being of Modesto’s economic future. First with my micro loan I would give every family in Modesto a couple thousands of dollars so they could go shopping. Yes, shopping and this will cause all the business people to realize that they are completely understaffed. Thus they will have to hire people to help maintain their company. Okay, well maybe that’s wishful thinking, but one project that I found most intriguing is the California High Speed Rail System that will help to stimulate the economy by providing jobs and long term benefits. The speed rail will range from Sacramento all the way to San Diego. Just imagine all the jobs that will be available due to this magnificent idea. With m
Imagine:
As I have a blast to the future thanks to my ability to dream, and make them come true; I see tons of people heading off to work. Wait a minute it’s not just tons it’s practically the whole city of Modesto; well those that are eligible to work. Thanks to my gracious donations to all the Modesto families with my micro loans they all used the money to go shopping, which caused a big boom in major companies. This great plan of mine opened up hundreds of jobs, and still allows everyone that wants or that is in need of a job to successfully achieve one.
LEARN – My beard can only paint so many portraits and murals. I can’t be productive at a fast enough rate that would benefit Modesto as quick as possible. The economy is not getting better at a rate that would help everyone. The unemployment rate is at a stalemate, we need more jobs in the Stanislaus county. Something needs to be done about this.
ACT – The stanislaus county has an abundance of art students and performance entertainers. My idea is to get volunteers from Turlock Modesto, including the art dept at Modesto JC and CSU Stanislaus and come up with a non-profit weekend event that will raise money to expand local businesses. The money will be used with advertising, expansion of the stores, and eventually with hiring more people. The weekend event will have concerts by local bands and plays by collaborating csu and jc theater arts students.
IMAGINE – The one weekend event was a success. I did not need a micro loan at all. The event showed the local people that united, they can make a difference. If everyone puts in their hard work then there’s no telling how much success will result from their efforts.
LEARN:
In August, Modesto’s unemployment rate hit its lowest point in more than a year. It dropped over a percentage point to 16.4 percent. People are losing their jobs right and left. Job loss is affecting every aspect of our community.
The Central Valley has a very large agricultural and food processing industry. According to the 2010 Modesto Chamber of Commerce, these are the major employers of Stanislaus County:
Manufacturing Firms:
E & J Gallo Winery 3,311
Signature Fruit Company 2,900
Seneca 2,100
Del Monte Food 2,000
Foster Farms 1,813
Stanislaus Food Products 1,651
Frito-Lay 700
RACOR 700
Silgan Containers 440
Pacific Southwest Containers 409
Non-Manufacturing Firms:
Stanislaus County 4,764
Modesto City Schools 3,231
Memorial Medical Center 2,682
Modesto Junior College 2,435
Doctors Medical Center 2,000
Kaiser Permanente 1,478
City of Modesto 1,400
Wal-Mart 1,244
AT & T 1,175
Sutter Gould Medical Fdn. 1,005
When my husband was in college, he had an internship with Pacific Southwest Containers. He also worked with Frito-Lay straight out of college. He now works for Kraft Foods as an Account Representative for Northern California and Utah and hears about company layoffs all the time. In fact, Kraft Foods recently purchased Cadbury and will be restructuring which can potentially lead to downsizing. What were once secure jobs, are now facing the threat of unemployment.
Local business can benefit from easier access to credit. This will enable smooth transactions from one person to the other. Business owners depend on jobs to help their business thrive. We need the government to invest in local infrastructural improvements. The government should have incentives to hire.
ACT:
This Supermom does not like seeing the economy this way. There is nothing super about Modesto’s economic status. I would invest money into the educational system and focus on career development. I would like to see strong partnerships between schools and local businesses. I spoke with a former social worker who expressed her concern for the lack of career programs offered to students. It is instilled in us to go to college. We are told that without a college education, we won’t obtain a high paying career. However, many students entering college do not have the information they need such as job descriptions and career counseling that will lead them in the right direction. The steps to their desired career are unclear. Having this information at a younger age will help them better prepare for their journey through college.
To keep the money within our community, I would also give money to people with strong entrepreneurial spirit. Since the Central Valley is known for its agriculture, other industries must grow in order to create more job opportunities. In an economy like this, individual entrepreneurs may lead us in the right direction towards economic growth. Many people cannot find work and are inventing, consulting and developing their own companies. They need low interest loans available to them in order to kickstart their business.
IMAGINE:
It’s been five years! The road to recovery wasn’t easy, but we all came out of it wiser and motivated. Modesto is now seeing more high school graduates enter college. They are better prepared and can clearly see their goals. College students are working in local businesses and are stable enough to purchase cars and houses. The community is putting money back into the city. New businesses are thriving and the economy is turning around. Hooray! Modesto is now super again!
As of late jobs in Modesto have been dwindling and it has become a huge problem. Just ask my non-superhero persona…..she’s broke all the time and constantly complaining about not having a job. What’s that she calls herself?: “starving artist” something or other.
Corrupt Angel Investigates: Well I figured since I’m a super hero and know nothing of “jobs” and the normal me is no help I must inform myself. What to do? Where to go? To the internets!!! Vast well of knowledge that it is. I searched Wikipedia (stupendous compendium of facts) for our fair city and found that Modesto’s main resource is agri-commerce (vegetables and such) and the workforce is mostly high school educated working class with the main group of workers being in, shocker, agri-commerce and production.
Act!!: It seems there are already several groups of the non-super kind working on the matter of how to get jobs back to our city. Many of the small- business owners also have several good ideas. They say there’s too many middle men to go through when you own a business and they’d like it if the city and state collaborated on making it easier to own your own businesses. They’d also like it if there was better transportation in Modesto so their workers would have a better chance of coming into work (Chani also says the bus system ‘blows’). Small business owners feel like their city doesn’t invest in them enough so they want the city to invest in businesses with small loans. Most of all they say people need to buy local!! The Modesto Redevelopment Agency has also set up a project of downtown renewal to encourage more businesses and jobs. I say that is a decent start. Here’s what I say we should do……..
Imagine: I say I make this short and sweet and just zap all the big business owners here in Modesto with my good ol’ mind warp. All these big businesses want to operate here in our town they will ‘donate’ to be able to set up shop here. My super duper tele-mind warp (remember no snickering at the name) will make them feel compelled to give away their excess dollars to all the little guys for up-start loans, land development, etc. etc. I can hear Chani already…… something about “ethics, morals, and using my powers to bend the will of others” blah blah. What does she know anyhow? I’m the super hero here.
Chani got off her butt to chronicle another of my missions (despite her broken shoulder)…. maybe she is sorta “super” after all:
Hello, once again, be-limbed* mortals, ye who slavishly worship the Cult of Sack…not to be confused with cul-de-sac, that’s a totally different thing. Though they’re nice, you know, safe…good if you have kids. I don’t have kids. Not that I want one or anything, you know, a little carbon copy blobule rolling around with my eyes and clever wit. Someone to spend time with and talk to, that’d be…Yeah, it’s for the best; the world probably couldn’t handle that much Sack.
So, anyway, the SackPhone (it’s shaped like a ham) just started buzzing and I get this urgent message that there’s now a freaking employment crisis in Modesto. For freak’s sake, people, didn’t I just save your bony butts from an educational catastrophe last week? I mean, at some point we need to stand back and ask whether having me solve all your problems is actually helping you or hurting you. What would my fellow gelatinous flesh-sack, Dr. Phil, have to say about all this? It might be time for some tough love, folks (as opposed to rough love).
There’s nothing dirty about this
Well, in the meantime, I’ll figure out this one problem for you, but you’d better not need my help again anytime soon…because I will seriously lose it. Ok, here we go:
LEARN
The string-pulling powers that be provided some links to Modesto employment fun facts. I’ve read them and have absorbed the pertinent details without feeling the need to endlessly reiterate them all right here. What I’ve discovered is that Modesto is an armpit (I can call it that because I’m from here, however, outsiders better not dis it or I’ll give them strong doses of both the Evil Eye and Stinkybutt). It has nearly twice the national unemployment rate and a buttload of crime. Our biggest claim to fame is George-freaking-Lucas, but he won’t touch this town with a 10-foot pole. We’ve got agriculture, but that doesn’t seem to employ anyone (less than 1,000) and retail and manufacturing. Whoop-de-doo.
ACT
Ugh. Well, I glanced at the helpful links of projects in progress but very little penetrated into my brain. It seems like the groups and projects that have been established were established a while back and we’re really not going to be able to squeeze anymore blood from those stones (is that a real metaphor? I don’t care). While, I like the idea of a High Speed Rail line covering the whole state, these things are always all talk and no action. I figure I’ll be enjoying that thing when I’m in my eighties…and that’s probably not an exaggeration. One thing we could do is prevent businesses like Hershey’s from taking their jobs to other countries. We could boycott them or give them a tax incentive. For my part, I’ll give them the Evil Eye which is usually pretty effective. But ultimately, this won’t do much. I just don’t think there are any easy answers. Our federal government could go into to Depression-era mode and start hiring people to build a bunch of crap…aren’t all the sidewalks around MJC stamped by the WPA? I hear they eat well on the chain-gang. Hmm, we could wait this thing out…recessions come and go. I could blanket us all in Tedium and we’ll just roll our eyes until it’s over. We could switch to a trade and barter system; I’ll give you three buttons and a wooden nickel in exchange for some goat cheese and a cracker. Or we could move somewhere nice until the money starts flowing again.
For sure!