Thursday, October 29, 2009

Growth At Any Cost

Just pondering here...

Our local "watchdog," the Journal Sentinel always supports (if not outright, at minimum with a subdued advocacy): real estate development, stadiums, convention centers, pretty much any spending proposed by our private sector growth machine.

I'm all for the unionized jobs created by projects. Especially if they're publicly-supported projects, they need to be employed with union workers. I just think there are projects that are more important and make more sense for our economy, now and in the long-run.

Do we need more apartments and condos? If so, how about we repair blighted buildings, rather than building anew. Why not steer the investment toward the most depressed and needful areas of our city? Aren't there more important issues to address, which will also provide a better return on investment?

Conversely, why is the Journal Sentinel always against: sick leave, prevailing wage clauses, community benefits agreements, union workers, pretty much any public-sector-related (or moral) issue, program, or project?

For Further Reading:
Sick Over Sick Days

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