Economic development through government

Yesterday Bob Mercer wrote a column that ran in various South Dakota newspapers (I don’t believe it is online) that covered the government’s control of economic development in South Dakota. Excerpt:

Twenty years ago, the administration of Gov. George S. Mickelson emphasized manufacturing as a vital piece in South Dakota's development strategy in response to the agricultural depression that had rocked the rural economy.

The REDI fund for business loans and related financial-assistance programs were instituted by the Legislature at Mickelson's urging to encourage manufacturers to open or relocate or expand existing plants in South Dakota.

And the Republican Tide points out the Rounds administration success with the economic development through governemnt agenda:

So what has Republican leadership done for South Dakota over the past 5 years? For starters:

- over 30,000 new jobs

- one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation at 2.6%

- 537 new and expanding businesses

So, we have a government that used taxpayers’ monies to create 30,000 jobs. The 537 businesses that got the government subsidy financially benefited. But how about the 30,000 who got jobs? Mercer has this answer:

Here's an insight into the condition of South Dakota today.

Among 85 business leaders participating recently in the statewide manufacturing summit, 55 said life skills — dependability, punctuality, responsibility — were the most lacking in new employees.

Another 17 identified work ethic.

So the taxpayers helped create 30,000 jobs for those who have a poor work ethic which leaves manufacturers facing this problem:

Many South Dakota manufacturers can't find enough good workers for their production and technician jobs. They say they're up against perceptions that manufacturing doesn't pay well and the workplaces are dark and dirty. They say potential workers either don't know about the career paths that are available or have misconceptions about them.

The difficulties look to be worse in the future as the Baby Boom generation's workers continue retiring.

So the state government created jobs with taxpayer’s funds, but lacked South Dakotans to fill those jobs. But never fear, the government will use more taxpayers’ monies again to fix that problem:

Last year, coming off his 2006 reelection, Gov. Mike Rounds and members of his senior staff and Cabinet sat down to look at what they should focus on during their remaining four years in office together. Out of that process came the Workforce 2025 project.

Workforce 2025 is being led by Labor Secretary Pam Roberts and involves in some way or another nearly every department in state government as well as the state universities, the public technical institutes and the K-12 school systems.

Some of the components are existing efforts repackaged. Others are new. It is the most comprehensive approach attempted in South Dakota in recent history.

There are five main pieces. Live Dakota focuses on keeping South Dakota’s current workforce. Grow Dakota aims at preparing young people for the workforce. Dakota Roots is an attempt to help former South Dakotans return. Dakota Seeds promotes internships and assistantships for young people. Build Dakota is the data and analysis of workforce conditions and needs.

Now note the above reference to the education establishment as I remind you of this excerpt from my pre-school post:

For two years we have been successful at stopping the joint efforts of RINOS, liberal Democrats, the mainstream media, and also the Chamber of Commerce from advancing the government monopoly that includes creating Hillary’s village.

So why is the Chamber of Commerce involved in the pre-school agenda? Because they want cheap labor that is possible thanks to the taxpayers subsidizing day care for single mothers. The pre-school agenda and the Workforce 2025 project are simply ways for businesses to profit from cheap labor that is subsidized by the taxpayer.

Certainly not a conservative plan being fostered by South Dakota RINOs. Of course the liberal Democrats will hold their noses as their Educrat fundraising donors are getting some of the action too. No wonder the two politcal Parties are against IM10. We might find out too many details about who are the real beneficiaries of this big governemnt taspayer rip off.

And we can look to the Educrat's entitlement socialist indoctrination that causes "new employees" work ethic to be lacking in "dependability, punctuality, and responsibility".  They learn to say "screw the rich capitalists, I can get food stamps."

Comments

[Mike]

Steven, Excellent post with dead on analysis of the mentality of the South Dakota business community.