01-03-2010, 11:10 AM
StillHope,
Yes, I'm still around. Thank goodness we all survived the Holidays. Just watching football today. (My Cowboys won!!!)
The Free Enterprise system is alive and well. People can choose to work a minimum number of hours. But in an economy such as this, I think people (at this time, in this economy) are happy to have at least part-time. When I first moved here several years ago, you couldn't find two employees who showed up two days in a row.
We have several new businesses opening up in Pahoa who will need to hire several employees to operate efficiently. The County itself is already overstaffed. There are hiring freezes in place for all government jobs. Teachers can't even work five days a week.
I have every faith that this rough patch will be overcome, probably within two years, I hope. Unfortunately, in this economy, I can't answer your question more specifically. The only thing we can do is make Puna an attractive alternative for businesses to want to operate here.
We do that by offering incentives, making a stronger infrastructure, better highways. All of this will keep more money here, instead of funneling it into Hilo or Kona.
Our future is in our hands. I want to ask the people here to stop fighting progress and embrace it. The more opprtuniities for employment that we have in Puna, the more money stays here.
As long as some residents of this area fight improvements to our infrastructure, thereby keeping property values down, the land prices will continue to remain low, thereby inviting even more people to move here and purchase dirt-cheap land (pun intended.) It's a Catch-22 that does none of us any good.
Those who wish to keep Puna rural are shooting themselves in the foot by unconsciously inviting population growth.
Sorry to ramble, but these are my views.
As to people living off of welfare and food stamps, in a perfect world we would get them off of government programs and back to work. That should be goal one. But we don't live in a perfect world. At least, I don't. Therefore the system is probably irrevocably broken. As long as little kids are raised in welfare households, and told that they are entitled to something from the rest of the citizens of this planet, it will remain so.
The government just keeps coming up with new programs to battle old problems. I'm all for fewer government interventions, and fewer new programs. We will always need to help the truly needful, of course. That goes without saying.
If you have further questions or suggestions, please feel free to respond.
Loren Baker
Yes, I'm still around. Thank goodness we all survived the Holidays. Just watching football today. (My Cowboys won!!!)
The Free Enterprise system is alive and well. People can choose to work a minimum number of hours. But in an economy such as this, I think people (at this time, in this economy) are happy to have at least part-time. When I first moved here several years ago, you couldn't find two employees who showed up two days in a row.
We have several new businesses opening up in Pahoa who will need to hire several employees to operate efficiently. The County itself is already overstaffed. There are hiring freezes in place for all government jobs. Teachers can't even work five days a week.
I have every faith that this rough patch will be overcome, probably within two years, I hope. Unfortunately, in this economy, I can't answer your question more specifically. The only thing we can do is make Puna an attractive alternative for businesses to want to operate here.
We do that by offering incentives, making a stronger infrastructure, better highways. All of this will keep more money here, instead of funneling it into Hilo or Kona.
Our future is in our hands. I want to ask the people here to stop fighting progress and embrace it. The more opprtuniities for employment that we have in Puna, the more money stays here.
As long as some residents of this area fight improvements to our infrastructure, thereby keeping property values down, the land prices will continue to remain low, thereby inviting even more people to move here and purchase dirt-cheap land (pun intended.) It's a Catch-22 that does none of us any good.
Those who wish to keep Puna rural are shooting themselves in the foot by unconsciously inviting population growth.
Sorry to ramble, but these are my views.
As to people living off of welfare and food stamps, in a perfect world we would get them off of government programs and back to work. That should be goal one. But we don't live in a perfect world. At least, I don't. Therefore the system is probably irrevocably broken. As long as little kids are raised in welfare households, and told that they are entitled to something from the rest of the citizens of this planet, it will remain so.
The government just keeps coming up with new programs to battle old problems. I'm all for fewer government interventions, and fewer new programs. We will always need to help the truly needful, of course. That goes without saying.
If you have further questions or suggestions, please feel free to respond.
Loren Baker
Loren Baker
baker4puna.com
baker4puna.com