Sunday, September 06, 2009

Labor Day Musing

Fair Enough

We’re willing to support the Delta Fair and Music Festival – it’s a few minutes drive from most of us – but only when its organizers either put up or shut up about how unsafe the midtown Mid-South Fair was. It's time to produce the statistics to prove the point.

And we’re assuming that out in the green fields of Agricenter International, the fair has no vandalism, car break-ins or other nuisances. Apparently, unlike midtown Memphis, out there, all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.

Trouble Over Bridging Water


Newspaper coverage often makes for interesting juxtaposition. In one article in The Commercial Appeal last week, Airport Authority chairman Arnold Perl said a third bridge over the Mississippi River is needed because it would be economically devastating to the region if the I-40 (and I-55) bridges were knocked out by a catastrophe like an earthquake.

The headline on another article that same day: Seismic work will reduce lanes on I-40 bridge.

Making Our Own Talent

Reid Dulberger, manager of Memphis ED, was right when he said recently that once the recession is over, Memphis will have a talent shortage.

"We're going to be in a position much like the late '90s," he says. "Before the tech bubble burst, if you were in information technology, you wrote your own ticket. I don't know if the market will swing that dramatically, but it will swing in that direction."

He's right and it reminds us of how serious we need to get about developing our own talent, because unlike almost all of the 50 largest metros, we are not lacking the raw material. That’s because we have an aberration in our demographics here when compared to our competitors – we have a bulge in people younger than 21 years old.

In other words, while Mr. Dulberger is working hard to supply current businesses with the workers they need now, all of us need to get deadly serious about how we can move this bulge in young people into college-educated adults who can compete for knowledge economy jobs. If we can do this, while other cites are begging for workers, we would have ours.

Queries

If the founders of the nation had been conservatives, would we still be part of England?

Is it possible for either political party to be consistent? When the majority becomes minority and vice versa, they simply exchange talking points. They say the same things that their opponents used to say, and they do it without even a hint of irony, apparently depending on the rest of us to have 20-second attention spans.

Do most people have a clue what socialism really is?

What is the problem with Texas? Apparently, the anger and hostility that characterized the JFK era is still alive and well.

We thought it was good when President Bush I spoke to students, so we’re baffled about why it’s now such a big deal. Or is it because of the onslaught of talk radio and TV since the Bush era?

If the town mayors are so sure their citizens despise consolidation, why do they seem so scared of having a vote?

Is there any way that City Attorney Elbert Jefferson can now foresee an outcome that works to his benefit?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Apparently, unlike midtown Memphis, out there, all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average."

Why are you so bitter? Support the Fair or don't. The organizers don't owe you anything.

Anonymous said...

I agree, the Fair was a victim of a reputation it couldn't shake. Remember the Mall of Memphis? It was safer than most malls but it couldn't shake the image. The Mid South Fair also was stolen by Desoto County development interests and their lackey, the failed former County Mayor, Jim Rout.

It's now dead. The best thing we can do now is support Memphis new Fair, the Delta Fair. It may not be in your neighborhood but at least it's in our city. Personally I am not going to support the one that the Desoto developers are putting on in Midtown this year.

Anonymous said...

They'll only be in Desoto County for this year and the next. After that, barring any other delays, the Mid-South Fair will be calling Tunica County it's permanent home.

As for the Delta Fair, it has a bright future so long as people in Memphis and Shelby County are willing to support it, and Shelby Farms, IMO, is a much better atmosphere for these kind of events.

Midtowner said...

If the founders of the nation had been conservatives, would we still be part of England?

***The Founding Fathers were by no means "liberal" by modern standards. With the possible exception of Hamilton, the Founders were "classical liberals" who would be considered libertarians today.

I would definitely say that we would still be a part of England if the Founders were modern day "liberals". Why? Because modern liberals are all about control (except in sexual areas).

It was the liberals (with one so-called "conservative") on the Supreme Court that supported the gov't in Gonzales v. Raich.

-

Is it possible for either political party to be consistent? When the majority becomes minority and vice versa, they simply exchange talking points. They say the same things that their opponents used to say, and they do it without even a hint of irony, apparently depending on the rest of us to have 20-second attention spans.

***This is why we need to support third parties instead of demopubicans and republocrats.

-

Do most people have a clue what socialism really is?

***Do liberals understand the phases degrees of socialism? It's rarely all or nothing.

-

What is the problem with Texas? Apparently, the anger and hostility that characterized the JFK era is still alive and well.

***Don't know what you're referring to, but when Texas secedes, expect several States to join her.

-

We thought it was good when President Bush I spoke to students, so we’re baffled about why it’s now such a big deal. Or is it because of the onslaught of talk radio and TV since the Bush era?

***Not having a kid in school anymore, I ignored the whole matter. The question is the purpose of the speech. Was it to encourage them in their studies or propaganda to influence their parents?

-

If the town mayors are so sure their citizens despise consolidation, why do they seem so scared of having a vote?

***I agree. Let's put it to a vote and put this behind us for another 30 years.

-

Is there any way that City Attorney Elbert Jefferson can now foresee an outcome that works to his benefit?

***Who really cares?

Anonymous said...

Right on about the fair. They have done everything but say it's for white people. And it is offensive and I'm not going either.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 3:25

Who is "they"? Where exactly does it say that the Delta Fair is for white people?

You shouldn't worry, though. There will be plenty of cars and people for young urbanites to rob at Memfest and the Cooper-Young festival.

NEW SOLUTIONS GROUP said...

The founding fathers were exactly liberals. We DO still belong to England or there wouldn't be a universal service charge here.
Wkae the hell up. And really, who cares? They're DEAD.