tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post5592895806953707547..comments2024-02-09T12:12:37.636-08:00Comments on best minimum wage job a middle aged guy ever had: A Serious TownDuncan McGearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857388833850939721noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-37958344562400751862009-10-04T08:57:37.945-07:002009-10-04T08:57:37.945-07:00Looking out of my windows this morning (Oct. 4) an...Looking out of my windows this morning (Oct. 4) and seeing three inches of snow on the ground, I have to wonder if Bend even has much of a future as a retirement mecca. Most people don't want to retire to a place where the winter lasts from October through May.<br /><br />You can try to spin it any way you want, but the bottom line is Bend is a boring little town in the middle of nowhere with a shitty climate. And its dreams of greatness are just that -- dreams.H. Bruce Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14613347512240617956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-28323340627356797712009-10-03T20:21:40.470-07:002009-10-03T20:21:40.470-07:00'rotorman: There's a lot more to "the...'rotorman: There's a lot more to "the right climate" than low taxes.'<br /><br />Low taxes is important, but you're right. I think #1 on the list is predictability. A business can't plan if rules change.timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04558612755834018291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-73003244318995925222009-10-03T19:09:56.413-07:002009-10-03T19:09:56.413-07:00A waterpark in Bend makes as much sense as a golf ...A waterpark in Bend makes as much sense as a golf course in Antarctica.H. Bruce Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14613347512240617956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-35893793815914507662009-10-03T15:15:43.884-07:002009-10-03T15:15:43.884-07:00rotorman: There's a lot more to "the righ...rotorman: There's a lot more to "the right climate" than low taxes.H. Bruce Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14613347512240617956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-77739294132481431212009-10-03T15:13:33.495-07:002009-10-03T15:13:33.495-07:00"You need to hope that it can sustain 75-80k ..."You need to hope that it can sustain 75-80k because if it were to drops back to 50,000 you will see houses going for 10k each."<br /><br />Maybe so, but "hoping" won't make it happen.<br /><br />Okay, maybe we should try to sustain at 70,000-80,000, but definitely not aim for higher. We already have way too much housing stock for the present population.H. Bruce Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14613347512240617956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-31546850623004534482009-10-03T14:01:10.344-07:002009-10-03T14:01:10.344-07:00You need to hope that it can sustain 75-80k becaus...You need to hope that it can sustain 75-80k because if it were to drops back to 50,000 you will see houses going for 10k each. Even relatively small population drops have significant down side pressure. Look up the history of places that have had substantial drops in population, like Midland Texas during the late 80's oil crash.RDChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13033979029490801023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-38238995399558980402009-10-03T13:47:38.798-07:002009-10-03T13:47:38.798-07:00Serious jobs come when the business climate is rig...Serious jobs come when the business climate is right. OR, as a whole, has not been good about creating the right climate. The tax foundation ranks OR 14th for business climate taxation. That doesn't sound bad except that compared to the previous year they are going the wrong way. Raising taxes during recession is about the dumbest thing you can do.rotormanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14984759214858357037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-26757697895454631982009-10-03T12:34:04.091-07:002009-10-03T12:34:04.091-07:00"We need a serious effort for serious jobs.&q..."We need a serious effort for serious jobs."<br /><br />Couldn't agree more. But let's get down to specifics. What would these "serious jobs" be? What industries/businesses that provide significant numbers of "serious jobs" would want to locate in Bend, Ory-gun, a spot in the middle of nowhere with no particular resources to speak of?<br /><br />We have been trying since I arrived here more than 24 years ago (and probably long before that) to attract those "serious jobs," and our success to date has been just about zilch.<br /><br />Real "serious" cities with a lot more to offer than Bend has are having trouble attracting "serious" jobs these days. What makes us think we can?<br /><br />I think we have to finally give up the fantasy of becoming a big city. 80,000 is not a sustainable population for this town. We were able to sustain it temporarily because of the real estate bubble and accompanying construction boom, but that's over and it ain't coming back. Since the mills closed this has been, and always will be, a tourist and retirement town. We cannot sustain a population of 80,000 on those industries. I don't know what the sustainable number would be -- it would take some heavy research and analysis to find out. 50,000 maybe.H. Bruce Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14613347512240617956noreply@blogger.com