minnow 
Group: Members
Posts: 2243
Joined: Aug. 2003
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Posted on: Oct. 13 2003,6:56 am |
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I gleened this letter from the Mason City Globe Gazette and it made me wonder how many people like this guy live here.
"By JIM HALE, Mason City
After reading Tom Jolas' Guest View, I am left wondering what point he is trying to make. The heart of his writing seems to be that without casino gambling, the quality of life will erode for residents of Cerro Gordo County.
I would ask all your readers to ask themselves how they measure their quality of life. What makes your life better? Is it population growth? Most arguments seem to be that a larger population base will decrease our taxes. But governments don't seem to have economies of scale. If they did, Mason City taxes should be much lower than Ventura taxes. Is it larger retailers?
Is your life better because you can now buy groceries at Wal-Mart? Is it a new highway to Waterloo? Only if it makes you happy to leave town. It is hard to imagine that my three teenage children would be more likely to remain in Cerro Gordo County after they graduate from college if we only had a casino, a bigger Wal-Mart or a new four-lane road to another major metropolitan area. If you think a better-paying job will make you happy, don't put your development efforts into attracting a new retailer, restaurant chain, hotel chain or casino.
Manufacturing jobs have left this area, but those jobs are leaving the country. No area is immune. The local economy is down the last two years, but the national economy is down the last two years. Our population is not growing, but I consider that a good thing, not a bad thing. I live here because I like small-town living. If I was a real estate investor, I would probably feel differently. Then I would see how growth would improve my income and thus perhaps my quality of life."
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