[Grovenet] America's Trillion-Dollar Baby

[David Morelli]

Ron,

"Labor leakage" would be the percentage of local people who work  
elsewhere.  It doesn't address people who come here to work.  We are  
not disagreeing over the question of building our employment base.   
Unless it is something that would destroy the community, e.g. a  
traditional copper smelter.

Forest Grove's march into the status of "bedroom community" is set to  
the beat of the hammers that build houses.  A community cannot build  
its economy on the employment of home builders indefinitely.  There  
must be some other jobs to balance the system.  The push to build out  
Forest Grove to solve our city's budget problems is going to create a  
larger, more serious problem in the future as all of those new houses  
expect public services.  Short term planning for long term problems  
leaves the problems for the long term residents.  The short timers  
can just cut and run.

BTW, since you mentioned decent places to eat, did you try the  
Ukrainian food this week?  They serve Italian food most of the time.

On Feb 10, 2007, at 9:31 AM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

> David wrote:
>
> "So, if a city wishes to be viable they
> will want to reduce labor leakage as one factor in reducing
> purchasing leakage.  Otherwise they become a bedroom community and
> eventually they must be swallowed by the city that has the economic
> base to support public services."
>
> -------------------------
>
> It seems to me that Forest Grove is already a 'bedroom community' and
> becoming more of one every day.
>
> I work and live in Forest Grove, yet I spend probably 2/3 of my  
> purchasing
> dollars elsewhere because I can't get what I want here in town. Even
> groceries. As Safeway continues to be our only grocery store, steadily
> cutting back or raising prices on the staples I use daily, I find  
> myself in
> Hillsboro more and more often buying groceries I can't get here or  
> which are
> sufficiently cheaper there to justify the trip. I can't buy a shirt  
> or a
> pair of socks or paper for my printer here, or even find a decent  
> meal out
> in the evening unless I want Mexican food (my diet doesn't include
> hamburgers or pizza).
>
> Since I work and live in Forest Grove, I resist going elsewhere if  
> I can
> avoid it. If I were commuting to Hillsboro or points east I  
> wouldn't bother
> to shop here at all. I'd go where I find the best prices, selection  
> and
> convenience. I suspect that's the majority of Forest Grove  
> residents today,
> and that majority is still growing.
>
> Bringing more people in town to work here would, it seems to me,  
> only enrich
> the thriving business community in Cornelius that has grown rapidly  
> and
> steadily over the past several years filling many of the needs of  
> Forest
> Grove residents.
>
> Ron D'Eau Claire
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GroveNet mailing list
> GroveNet at rdrop.com
> http://www.rdrop.com/mailman/listinfo/grovenet