Was talking to someone about medical care and other expenses today. Also about employment in a county with a 8.5 official unemployment rate and true unemployment rate of close to fifty per cent. That and other problems which plague us locally. I offered a few common sense solutions to these problems and struck everyone dumbfounded.
The first thing I talked about was the unemployment level. We have so many empty factory buildings in Greene County it's not funny. Yet the local business development group keeps chasing companies from elsewhere to come here. Usually they build them a new building and give them five or six years of tax and other incentives for doing so. in the meantime the existing buildings continue to sit empty. Then they wonder why when those tax incentives expire the company moves elsewhere and we have another empty building costing the tax payers money. Why not create a business locally either community owned or worker owned, Their are plenty of examples like the Farmers Co-Op or the Credit Unions or even the Green Bay Packers. Fund it at great rates, build it up and make it a success, after all we have out of work production workers, managers and salespeople to carry the idea forward. Then you have a business that has deep roots in the community, community and company loyalty and will never pack up and move because it is truly a part of the community. A simple concept but one not listened to by the people responsible for business development here.
The second idea I discussed was very simple. Medical cost even with insurance is getting more and more out of control. Get a bunch of people together and start a co-op medical service. Each member pays a fixed price per month for the service. They hire a MD and Nurses and support staff. Every owner can walk in and get health care, information on wellness maintenance and so on when they need to and thus unless you need something major you don't have to pay the high overhead of the commercial insurance companies and the high co pays. Your medical insurance/treatment company is owned and operated by you. A few people agreed with that idea.
Then I went into high gear. We have long ago lost the war on drugs. Legalize, not just pot but all drugs. Treat the addiction as a medical problem instead of a legal problem Tax and control the drugs just like you do for the more dangerous drugs alcohol and tobacco. You pay off your public debt, use taxes for building and repairing infrastructure and make the businesses pay for itself. You also reduce the need for police at all levels which reduces crime.
At last I touched on a pet project. Changing our eating and spending habits. Instead of going to the grocery store and buying food shipped several thousand miles and treated to prevent spoilage. Why not open up public and private land for people to grow food for them self? Use local resources and make even the schools grow stuff with the help of the students. Pay local farmers and local butchers to grown grass fed or free range meat and slaughter it. But allow the cows, Chickens or whatever to belong to the people who will consume it. I have 11.6 acres I would allow others to come and grown or graze stock on. I think many other people woul be glad to get paid for allowing others to use their land. What do you think?
I am sure people reading this can and will come up with other ideas that are just as simple and just as doable. Like a regional art and craft gallery owned and staffed by the local artist who have no real market for what they produce. I have seen some pretty good local artist and craft people, I think you have too.
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