Plight of a one-industry town

Plight of a one-industry town

EDITOR:

Regarding Forbes magazine’s economics ranking of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, Mayor Williams says we’re “suffering from economic decline.” We have a year 2010 plan that has been widely noted. On August 10 in Dayton a conference on 10 fastest dying cities.

All very interesting; let’s take a close look back at our economic history:

We were a one industry steel town. The employment pattern was simple — dad gets junior a job in the mill, and, with benefits, junior is set for life. But management gave into unions demands, so along with poor leadership, the steel industry was dead. That was the end of the one-industry town. However, along came the savior — another one industry deal — automobile making, with big wages and big benefits. Get a job there and you’re set for life. Once again, unreal union demands and incompetent management brought the end of GM, Chrysler, Delphi and all the unreal “benefits.”

What are the real problems here?

We have to be competitive with our competitors.

We have to have a national health program and stop loading that cost on to the end product.

Most important: change our educational system, from K through 12. Offer a complete training plan by competent teaching, supervision and 21st century curriculum.

Forget two year junior colleges — teach them what they need to know in four years of high school, as most other countries do.

Equip all students in all subjects to ready them to apply, get hired and hold a job instead of having them ending in “the most wanted” criminal column in The Vindicator. Favoring and doting on the upper 2 to 4 percent of students is wrong: Youngstown has to train all levels. Students must have a philosophy to live by and it has to be taught in the school system.

Youngstown cannot be a one-industry city again. The longer the Board of Education drags its feet the worse off Youngstown will become. The board must provide the needed leadership. We must have high school graduates so well taught and trained that entrepreneurs and corporations will want to locate their businesses here.

WILLIAM D. GRAEBING

Youngstown