This is a MP3 file of some comments that I addressed to the Mayor on Hal Row's radio show during his Monday Morning Meeting with the Mayor segment: Link to MP3 file ( the audio is pretty good with my new Olympus Recorder).
I never got around to asking the question I intended to ask about specifics, but I thought that the Mayor did an excellent job of addressing my comments. I really respected what he had to say this time. Last month numbers showed that we were ranked number 159 out of 172 metropolitan areas as far as unemployment statistics are concerned. This month I have heard that we were ranked 170 out of 172 and that the story was related on NBC news with Brian Williams.
Some people might think that is terrible, but I think it might be just what the doctor ordered. Nothing will wake someone up to reality like a good hard slap in the face. We can no longer accept the status quo or expect help from other quarters.
As I stated, I think the Wall Street journal article from January was right on target. We could all see what was happening, but people were focused on social fluff and the important economic issues of the day were shuffled to the background. It took years to get into the position we are in now and it will take a while to get out of this hole we have dug.
We haven't laid a firm foundation. We are basically going to have to start over from scratch. We can't buy jobs by getting companies to relocate here. We can't afford to play that game. We are going to have to create jobs through innovation.
We have to become an incubator for creative entrepreneurs and experimenting minds. To get ahead, we are going to have to think outside of the box and take chances. The people who built this community were innovators. Look at Adrian Shuford, Art Viles, and the George brothers as examples of people who built businesses through good times and bad.
Small businesses are great, but it takes too many of them to get back the 30,000+ jobs that we have lost. That is where we are going to have to think "innovation" on a grand scale. Those opportunities exist, but everyone in this community is going to have to realize that there are going to have to be calculated risks that must be assumed. We cannot afford to have that "It's better than nuthin" attitude. We must strive for and demand excellence. It is alright to fail as long as you learn from the experience. It isn't alright to not try at all, because you are cowering in fear that failure might make you look bad. Not taking a chance makes you look like a timid coward.
All of this relates to the legacy of our leaders. Whether fair or not, the near future will render the opinion of our current leaders as heroes or goats. This is a heavy burden and I hope that they are up to the challenge. Leadership should be more than about position or stature. If anyone feels that they are not up to the task in these tumultuous times, then it is time for them to step aside and allow others the chance to take the lead in turning our economic plight around.
