Ranting About Regional Governments And Making Change

[Wake-up!]

My apologies if this is too political for Coffee Shoppers:

There is an economic evaluation tool called a Gap Analysis. On a county by county basis, it looks at retail sectors, and assesses how many retail dollars, available in each county, are being spent in the county, and how many retail dollars are leaving the county. For those readers who are interested, a Wichita State University (WSU) website has a 2011 Gap Analysis available as a free download. The web address is at the end of this rant. Check it out over coffee.

The 2011 Gap Analysis states the obvious for Elk County. Most of the available retail dollars leave the County. We do not have a lot of retailers, do we. Most of us go to surrounding counties for goods and services. So other tools beside the Gap Analysis may be needed to understand solutions to rural jobs' maintenance and growth. But gap analyses have utility, especially when comparing counties, and identifying retail sectors to expand into.

WSU also has a 2016 Gap Analysis of all the counties in Kansas, completed by the Center for Economic Development and Business Research (CEDBR) via WSU's School of Business. It has an expanded number of retail sectors and has added service sectors. It offers more detail and more current economic data. At least that is the claim. It isn't a free download, but can be purchased. After some months of procrastination, I decided to buy.

Here is Rant Number One. I clicked the purchase button to find a $1200.00 price tag! Yep, the number of zeros are correct, twelve hundred dollars. That's beyond unreasonable! I emailed WSU asking to verify the purchase price, saying I thought the decimal point had to be in the wrong place. The price was verified at $1200.00 per county. Per county? Not for the entire State? Longton, Howard, Moline, can you afford that price? Elk County, how about you? Do you have a copy of the 2016 Gap Analysis? If you do, I want access to it, I want that information. And I'll except you from my rants.

Here is Rant Number Two. WSU is a public endowment university. They have a 235 million dollar endowment! The cost of completing the 2016 Gap Analysis is pocket change to that school. The Analysis has been paid for. It should have, as a matter of course, been sent to every city and county government in the State. And to every public library. And willingly sent to every inquiring mind. That is the purpose of education, is it not?

Here is Rant Number Three. I decided to contact my local State government boys, House member Doug Blex, and Senate member Bruce Givens. I don't know either one. I was directed to them by internet information, assuming it is correct. I emailed them my need for the 2016 Gap Analysis as well as rants number one and two. I did that on September 16th. I haven't heard a peep from either one, or from anyone representing either of their offices. WTH? If I had made a similar inquiry to a private business I would have had a call and or reply within a day. Just how the  ———— long (fill in your favorite word) does one have to wait for a 'representative' of the people to answer his/her constituency? A month? A quarter? An election cycle? Would a pay-off campaign contribution help? If early returns are any indication, neither official will be helpful. And of course making this rant public may just guarantee no help.

What is clear to me is that government and government-funded organizations will provide me or others little assistance. We are alone. If job growth in our County and other rural counties is to occur, it will be up to private parties to see to it. Our Mayor has told me that the area has had an economic advisory group of some sort that has made several presentations to City Council. I left a message with a member of that group, only to get a reply that he/she was no longer involved and didn't know if the group was together any more.

I'm hopeful a group of residents are motivated enough to become involved, to evaluate and seek solutions to job maintenance and growth. Desire and motivation to help is more important than the county you live in, than the work you do, or don't do, than your age, or sex, or religion. I'm sure there are many out there with thoughts and capabilities to offer. We need to meet, organize a little and seek solutions. I hope some readers of this forum are motivated.


See 2011 Gap Analysis here;  http://kansaseconomy.org/retail-gap-analysis
Click on access this report.

[redcliffsw]

Just another government financed analysis to herd us to their economic thinking.

Yeah, somebody thinks it's worth $1200.  What if it was free?  It still wouldn't be worth much of anything - only for a review of government socialism.

[Alosromax]

I'm glad every time I get involved in hearing about this great comment. I will go researching to talk again.