On Tue, Feb 21, 2012, at 08:50 AM, Ken Norton wrote:
> In Iowa, we've had a massive population decline over the past 100
> years in the rural areas. Meanwhile the bigger cities continue to
> grow. Overall, our population has largely remained the same.
Also, the small towns have had the life sucked out of them as big box
stores changed things, railroads declined in favor of trucks and faster
roads. I'm always amazed to discover that 100 years ago such and such
small town had a college in it, and so forth.
> bigger cities have large employers drawing the workers. Des Moines had
> insurance, banking and publishing industries anchoring the economy.
> Cedar Rapids, Quad Cities, Dubuque, Clinton are manufacturing. Iowa
> City supports the prisons through supplying them with college
> athletes...
Nah, that's a service to Florida, Texas, and New Jersey -- AND MICHIGAN
-- where they come from.
> People move to the cities under the misguided thinking of opportunity.
> The fact is, that for any given amount of population there is
> generally the same amount of opportunity. The only difference is that
> in rural Iowa, you just have to drive farther. How about pay scales?
> The cities cost more to live in which offsets that increase in pay.
Seems like you have this choice: pay to live closer to groceries and
hospitals, not to mention good public schools, or drive all the time.
Both work fine, but you can't really have it both ways.
> It does suprise me too that those building materials of Nathan's
> didn't grow legs. Even here in puritan pure Iowa, that stuff would
> have been repurposed within hours. Cyclone Fencing keeping people out?
> No problem. It too would have disappeared. I'm not saying that Iowans
> are crooks, but the law of averages says that even in a low density
> population there is still a vast number of people willing to seperate
> you from your possessions.
Also, prairie cocaine will do that to you.
Joel W.
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