Thanks For All the Fish
After residing more than 28 years in Carbondale, I’m finally pulling-up my tent stakes and moving to the Tall Corn State. I moved to Carbondale in 1979 for a four month curriculum development job at SIU’s School of Technical Careers. The job stretched into seven months and then all the pieces fell into place to stay here for a long stint with the City of Carbondale.
After several other jobs since then, Des Moines has finally lured me away with a great opportunity and a pay scale unthinkable in the depressed economy of Southern Illinois. I’ve written before about the third-world economy of this region where wages remain low and sustainable prosperity continues to be elusive. Things may be improving in some areas, but the availability of high-pay/high-tech jobs in the region is abysmal. I’m encouraged by some of the collaborative work of ConnectSI and their goals to bring broadband communications to all parts of the region and in so doing raise wages and train the workforce for information age jobs. This is a project that everyone should support.
Despite my imminent departure, I will continue to author this blog, albeit probably not as frequently as in the past. So, this is not a goodbye, but an ‘I’ll talk to you later’ message. The blog’s scope of topics will expand to encompass the culture, technology and environmental issues of the Midwest, not just Illinois. Its not that big a stretch. Illinois has many issues in common with its surrounding states: similar expected climate change, the fall-out of utility deregulation and carbon-based energy pricing, the potential opportunities and dangers of expanded biomass-based energy development, similar solar energy development options, the issues of telecommunications convergence and media concentration, an insidious belief that King Coal is the solution to our national energy problems, and many other cultural and economic factors.
I’ve concluded that the biggest long-term threat to Southern Illinois is the lack of leadership committed to a sustainable economy. That problem will only go away with voter self-education and action on the issues. I remain optimistic for the future of the region and hope not to be proven wrong. Please, carry on and thanks for all the fish. (music)
After several other jobs since then, Des Moines has finally lured me away with a great opportunity and a pay scale unthinkable in the depressed economy of Southern Illinois. I’ve written before about the third-world economy of this region where wages remain low and sustainable prosperity continues to be elusive. Things may be improving in some areas, but the availability of high-pay/high-tech jobs in the region is abysmal. I’m encouraged by some of the collaborative work of ConnectSI and their goals to bring broadband communications to all parts of the region and in so doing raise wages and train the workforce for information age jobs. This is a project that everyone should support.
Despite my imminent departure, I will continue to author this blog, albeit probably not as frequently as in the past. So, this is not a goodbye, but an ‘I’ll talk to you later’ message. The blog’s scope of topics will expand to encompass the culture, technology and environmental issues of the Midwest, not just Illinois. Its not that big a stretch. Illinois has many issues in common with its surrounding states: similar expected climate change, the fall-out of utility deregulation and carbon-based energy pricing, the potential opportunities and dangers of expanded biomass-based energy development, similar solar energy development options, the issues of telecommunications convergence and media concentration, an insidious belief that King Coal is the solution to our national energy problems, and many other cultural and economic factors.
I’ve concluded that the biggest long-term threat to Southern Illinois is the lack of leadership committed to a sustainable economy. That problem will only go away with voter self-education and action on the issues. I remain optimistic for the future of the region and hope not to be proven wrong. Please, carry on and thanks for all the fish. (music)
2 comments:
Good luck out there in the great state of Iowa.
Sounds great! Will have time to attend a local bloggers get together before you leave town?
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