Posted by Had E. Nuff on July 10, 2005 at 14:03:45 (PST):
In Reply to: Armstrong County posted by Joe on July 10, 2005 at 11:34:28 (PST):
:
: I have a question that begs an answer.Why can Armstrong County not attract any industry to amount to anything. Sure we get a few things coming in but they never seem to hire many people. If you drive to Butler, they seem to be thriving, always some kind of grand opening.Same down in the Valley, Sarver and Saxonburg.We keep losing good jobs and replacing them with lesser ones or not at all.I see more and more homes on the Sheriff's sale list. There are no jobs here for high school or college grads. Doesn't it seem like sooner or later, nothing will be here except retirees.Sure there are a few people lucky enough to get a job but a lot of them don'y pay enough for a person to move out of their parent's home, much less raise a family.There is always talk of hope from the county oficials bur one nevers sees any real results.Somewhere, somehow a better job has to be done, we can't do on like this.
There are many reasons why there is no industry moving in. One big one is the fact that everyone around is more concerned with making the area LOOK good than enticing manufacturing co.'s to move back in. They invest all the money (tax dollars) and their time and energy into things like the Riverfront park in Kittanning ($6 million), the rail-trail project and the clock tower and rebricking of the streets in F.C.
Also there is the property tax issue to deal with.
It will not be ONLY retirees left here. We will also have all the welfare scum that can live in the ample section 8 housing and who do not need to worry about finding a decent paying job (or a job at all in most cases).
We need to get some good paying manufacturing jobs back in the area. Get rid of section 8 housing (or at least MANAGE it better, some people DO deserve it) and get the property tax lowered if not eliminated so that people are more inclined to want to open a business or buy a home in this county.
Also I would like to point out that property tax issue is ALSO largely one of the school board worrying more about making everything LOOK perfect (building MORE schools for FEWER students and demanding that the bus companies equipment be only so many years old) than spending our tax dollars wisely.
Although the building of schools DOES provide jobs for men in design and construction (possibly myself at some point) these jobs are not permanent and are funded by the tax dollar and ultimately result in the raising of taxes for me and everyone else who owns a home or property in this county and for some the loss of their home.
Also, Carl, I think Josh is an idiot, but he should be aloud to say whatever he wants to say and the rest of us should be able to say whatever they want to say about him. And as far as turning his address over to the authorities without a warrant, if they want to find out who he is they can do it without your help or permission.