- Chuck Talks Economic Development
I reckon some folks are going to think there’s TOO much information on my website, but I believe any candidate for public office ought to err on the side of too much information rather than too little.
Within these pages you’ve doubtless read my views about economic development. I want to enlarge on some of those thoughts as new figures have been released nationally and I think they will have some effect on South Knoxville.
Economists were expecting an increase of about 50,000 new jobs in December 2009; instead, reports indicate the total declined by about 85,000. More than 6.1 million Americans, the highest number since World War II, have been without a job for 27 weeks or more. Those folks working part-time while looking for full-time work is 17.3%, the highest level in the fifteen years the U. S. Labor Department has calculated it. Wages aren’t keeping up with inflation, which most of us already know. Late December reports also indicated that the small growth in the housing market has likely stalled.
It seems to me President Obama and the Congress have lost sight of the biggest problem facing our country today. Rather than trying to fix the economy, we’re spending money we don’t have and it’s getting harder and harder for folks to live a decent life. This is precisely yet another reason I have become a Republican. I’m not saying some of the issues President Obama and the Congress have tried to tackle aren’t important and we all likely don’t agree on the approach they have taken, but it seems to me the biggest issue facing this country is the economy. It seems like common sense to me that fixing that FIRST would be the most logical thing to do.
Now with all this bad news, you might be wondering why a candidate for County Commission even mentions such statistics. I mention these facts because I believe every public official needs to be paying attention to what is going on around us and wonder how does that apply to our own individual community. It also reinforces in my mind the need for your County Commissioner to really work hard at revitalizing South Knoxville. The pending closure of the Henley Street bridge is going to make it not only more difficult for us to leave South Knoxville, but make it harder for folks to get to South Knoxville. What effect that will have on restaurants, folks stopping to get gas or otherwise patronize businesses in South Knoxville remains to be seen. Whether folks will come into South Knoxville to buy homes also remains to be seen, but obviously every public official representing South Knoxville needs to be cognizant of these considerations and do everything possible to support our community and help make it grow in the meantime.
South Knoxville is going to have to pull together as a community to protect ourselves, as well as to grow. It’s going to take more than a positive attitude and a can of paint. It’s going to take real effort and I am committed to making that effort. You can be sure I will stand up for South Knoxville and work with you to make our community as great as it possibly can be!