Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Ace's What Lexington Needs entry

I just finished re-reading the latest "What Lexington Needs" piece on Ace Weekly and I must say that, from the get go, she is correct. Her solutions are a little off but we do need Ms. Watson, her and the thousands that she refers to.

Ms Watson and the rest of those in her age bracket are asking for the very things that they have been told could be theirs, top jobs, high pay and their choice of the good life. She (and they) left for the starry promises of the larger population centers and the myriad activities for the post college crowd. Was she disillusioned by the job, the location, the weather, or the pace of living she dosen't say, but if she and they are like the many of my generation, who have experienced the same thing, she can come home again.

The flaw in her thinking is in the first sentence of the third paragraph, Lexington must create new jobs. Lexington does not create jobs. The people of Lexington are ones who create jobs, and the creative ones among us create the job that needs us. State and local governments do create any new jobs, they may relocate positions from other areas so that our gain is someone else's loss, but there is no NEW jobs created. Just like the gambling question, states can attract the wagered money from another state, but they cannot create more money.

Ms Watson speaks well of the successes of the existing businesses engaged in emerging technologies, but these technologies were created by the people who brought something to the position not just filled a position. She also speaks of altering the industrial path of Lexington as if we should decide which industries to EXCLUDE, instead of letting the research and development efforts start to synergize and grow. What we could discourage may become the next innovative marvel of the age. She seems to want the jobs to exist for her choosing instead of taking her talents and really creating THE job, by filling THE need and starting THE field of whatever new technology that she wishes.

Young people have, for the past 50 years that I know of, wished and tried to live life on their terms. I have seen some try the same "new" things that I tried(or my friends tried) with limited success. And they have complained (as we did) that the older generation just did not understand. I do understand just like my father understood, but he also knew that I had to make my own mistakes. I had to find my own way through the maze of society and carve out my own niche. The tasks that I now do for work are based in the same principles as when I began, but the methods for completing them are vastly different, some of my own making and some not.

I would welcome Ms Watson and all her new found friends home and as she said "Lexington has great starts on so many of these(her posted ) ideas. Lexington also needs to bring good people home.". I feel that it is her(and their) task to find a way to keep themselves here.

No comments: