Power Ups

[Ross]

"What makes this business so important to Plainville is that the success of it does not depend upon the local economy for support. But, the dollars the company generates are then infused back into the local economy through payroll, purchases from local merchants and charitable contributions and support of school and community activities."

Plainville isn't what the article in the magazine was about was it?
The article was about Baldwin City, Kansas a sleeper community of the Kansas City Metropolitan area, wasn't it.

But just the same:

They didn't happen to mention the company had been in business for 15 or 20 years in California did they?
It's a feel good story isn't it. And a great benefit to Kansas in economic value. But.
They didn't mention that he could buy property cheaper in Kansas than in California for expansion did they?
They didn't mention that lower property taxes might have played a part in the decision did they?
They didn't mention having to perhaps paying lower wages played a part in it did they?
They didn't mention how many people they laid off in California and left them looking for work to support their families did they?

I worked in Washington State for a company that did the same thing.
They packed up and moved to Kentucky, they offered to take anyone with them that wanted to go, but at half the salary they were earning in Washington. And they would have to pay to move themselves. How many do you think would move? Sure it was beneficial to the company because they continued to bring in the same money from the same customers but paid half of the previous amounts in wages and paid less property taxes. And also a lot of states permit new companies to keep the income tax they collect from employees for as long as 5 years. I know Kansas does this and so does Missouri. But the  previous employees that worked so hard to make the company profitable are left out in the cold and lose their possible retirement they thought they were working for.  I was fortunate I wasn't hurt by their move because I had only worked for them for a year while waiting for a far better paying job and I had no family. A person at that period of time could spend two years looking for a job to support their family and make those house payments. Oh well none of that matters does it?

In my personal opinion feel good stories are just that feel good story. They are aimed at leaving out the bad stuff aren't they? Keep things positive no matter how many families get hurt, right?

There a lot more companies wanting out of California today because of the taxation out there. Which is a result of overspending but the state government and about ready to file bankruptcy, if they haven't done so already.

Which leads me to what is Elk County doing to try to attract one or two of those companies here. There seems to be a lot of concern about the towns in Elk County becoming ghost towns, there seems to be a lot of concern about the lagging economy, there seems to be a lot of concern in Elk County about the declining population of children to go to school here? But what is being done to rectify these problems?
Wanting to build a larger school for less children, will that bring more people to live in Elk County? NO, I don't think so.

Now, I'm not complaining about these worries of declining population because I am quite content. I'm retired and don't need a job, I brought my retirement checks and my social security check to the Elk County economy and I try to keep my spending at home here in Elk County as much as possible this helps sustain the local economy (businesses) doesn't it?

I have had enough of this thread and I will return to the thread that initiated the conversations about the PowerUps and the feel good story generated about them.

Have a good night.

[Ross]

Ross,  Douglas County is not part of Kansas City. Kansas City resides in Wyandotte County and Johnson County. Douglas County has Lawrence. I have never considered Douglas County part of the Kansas City area.

I understand what you are saying Janet but the powers to be in the area do consider it as part of the Metropolitan area because of the economic ties. and the proximity.

Here is what I pointed out earlier and you can check their web site to ensure the accuracy of what I posted, okay.
I copied and pasted this right off their web site.

Here is an update on tha Kansas City MSA and CSA.
From the web page http://www.marc.org/metrodataline/statisticalarea.htm it is stated:
===========================================================================================
In February 2004, Atchison County, Kan., and Johnson County, Mo., were added to the 15 counties in the MSA to form the new 17-county Combined Statistical Area (CSA).

That was Followed by:

Douglas County
Douglas County in Kansas, although not a part of the MSA or the CSA, is often included because of its cultural and economic ties to the region.
============================================================================================
So do you see the significance of the proximity? Economic isn't that significant?

I ain't no expert on any of this stuff and that's why I quoted the regions experts.

Hell, I ain't no expert on anything and that's why I ask so many questions.

[Ross]

Janet I forgot to mention the town is not considered a part of Kansas City.
As the governing bodies said the county it is in is sometimes considered a part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area which covers 17 Counties.

They call it the CSA and the MSA.

[flintauqua]

The "article in the magazine" wasn't about Baldwin City or Plainville, the article from the Kansas Country Living magazine that Liz wrote was about the "Rural By Choice" movement and one segment of it called PowerUps.  

From:  http://www.cascity.com/howard/forum/index.php/topic,11780.msg207979.html#msg207979

So now I receive my little rag (magazine) called Kansas Country Living which I get monthly for paying my electric bill. And on page 24 I find an article from our very own Liz Hendricks, self proclaimed founder of Elk Konnected, LLC and President of Public Squares Communities, Inc about 21 to 39 year olds.
The title of the article "Is there a New Movement in Kansas?

Baldwin City was presented by me as an example of what can occur when someone decides to start a business in a small town, surrounded by fields and pastures for miles around, rural town in a county that just happens to be large enough to be called metropolitan.

Plainville was presented by me as an example of what can happen when a company EXPANDS into a small town, instead of doing so in California.  You sure don't read very well, or just choose to gloss over things, because the articles about Plainville mention the fact that their production facilities are still in California, and overall the company employs many more now than they did before they expanded.

Do you ever see a glass as being half-full, or is it always half-empty?

[flintauqua]

Janet I forgot to mention the town is not considered a part of Kansas City.
As the governing bodies said the county it is in is sometimes considered a part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area which covers 17 Counties.

They call it the CSA and the MSA.

And neither the 17 county CSA or the 15 county MSA includes Douglas County and Baldwin City.  The "governing bodies" you refer to are not the city government of Baldwin City or the county government of Douglas County.  They are the staff and board of the Mid-America Regional Council.

"The Mid-America Regional Council is composed of nine counties and 119 cities and towns in the Kansas City region.  Not all the counties in the MSA, or CSA, nor Douglas County are MARC members. However, we include their maps and data because many researchers and planners have an interest in the entire region." 

This is from the same webpage that you got you're information, how you missed this little part is a little suspect.

[flintauqua]

Oh, I forgot to mention that in 2007 (latest numbers available) that big bad metropolitan county of Douglas, that just must be nothing but tracts and tracts of houses and strip-malls, managed to more than double-up purely rural Elk County in agricultural production, $41,687,500 to $20,129,400.

Ross do you care to explain that inconvenient (to you) fact away?

http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Kansas/Publications/Annual_Statistical_Bulletin/County_Farm_Facts/2007/book07.pdf

[Bullwinkle]

      There are many factors that would explain those numbers . Type of ag activity, number of tillable acres, etc. I don't think you can prove it's " ruralness" with that. I certainly wouldn't compare Elk county to any of that area, personally, just by driving through.

[Ross]

      There are many factors that would explain those numbers . Type of ag activity, number of tillable acres, etc. I don't think you can prove it's " ruralness" with that. I certainly wouldn't compare Elk county to any of that area, personally, just by driving through.

Well said Bullwnkle well said.

[Diane Amberg]

So how do you define rural?

[readyaimduck]

I will take that question as a carte blanche to anyone?
It generally defined by the State for taxation purposes:  Not within the city limits. 

ready