Why is it that the city has not progressed much in years despite being 20 miles from the nearest interstate highway and only 35 miles from Louisville? Why don’t the city leaders start moving to get things done? Why is it that our taxes constantly increase despite the fact that we have little industrial base and business base here to offset the pillaging of the local taxpayer through property taxes?

Real economic development means creating and enticing real companies providing real living wage jobs and not some low wage service outfit that pays 8 dollars an hour. Why doesn’t our public servants go work for 8 bucks an hour and see how it feels? Why don’t all the community do gooders that brag about their measly accomplishments such as planting flowers go work for 8 an hour. I would suspect that due to their being placed near some of the good ole boys that you can expect they won’t.

It’s always amazing to hear these people proclaiming their love for leadership but providing little leadership to speak of. Referring to your local population as nothing more than slaves and outcasts of the caste system isn’t leadership. Leadership is setting the example for others to follow, not hollow promises, planting a couple of trees, and patting yourself on your back. However, in their liberal feel good society, I’m sure that it is something for those so called leaders to feel proud of.

At least if you have the arrogance to look down on the local citizenry as nothing but a bunch of rabble, at least make sure that you accomplished something first other than living off of the old mans money.

Why is it that around 40 percent of the people from the county have to drive to the surrounding counties and the Louisville area every day for employment? Doesn’t Salem have enough to offer regarding employment and employees?

Why is it that our county has an Economic Development Zone and tax credits for citizens and the locals, yet little economic development takes place. If one listens to the public maestro of the economic development game, you would believe that he is getting ready to get things booming in Washington County. Or is he? Exactly who does this well placed individual represent? Is he working for the citizens of Washington County? Or is he working for the few proud small businesses that pay substandard wages and offer no benefits? Yet these are often the same people with quite good lifestyles compared to most citizens of Washington County, Indiana.

Exactly what have these economic development officials in Salem done for the past 30 years? Other than a couple of factories expanding, not much? Where is our representatives in the Indiana House and Senate on economic development in the rural areas of Southern Indiana? Why is it that Central Indiana and the metro areas are getting the jobs?

To hear our local economic planning maestro, one would think that he is doing a bang up job regarding economic development. I guess that would be in his case since he hasn’t done much of anything. I would assume that if he gets his proposed motel, then he can pat himself on the back meanwhile the workers will continue finding those seven and eight dollar an hour jobs that might get you a small trailer.

Why is it that Washington County continues to fail at bringing growth jobs and economic empowerment to its citizenry? Does it depend on NEPOTISM? Where have all of the people who have held the mayors office been all these years? How about all of these advocacy organizations that get public funds, yet deliver little. Why aren’t our county commissioners standing up about these issues with the economy, government spending, and little being done to improve the livelihoods of citizens? Or are they more interested at smiling at cameras and looking pretty?

One has to wonder how people so incompetent can continue to run a community straight into the ground with its crumbling streets, crumbling downtown area, poorly maintained areas, and yet be elected to office time and time again. How come every town outside of Salem has been growing and adding new businesses and shopping, restaurants, and paying employers yet Salem does not? Is it more important about looking pretty for the cameras so you can get your mug shot in the paper? Or is it more important that your kids have a excellent quality of life, good schools, good employment opportunities.

Instead, we get sold down the road by the local officials who are pretty much only competent at scratching the backs of those they are friends with.

Where is the focus on true education? Or is it based on the fact that the schools are more interested in getting money for new facilities and sports teams? Why isn’t the school board focusing on correcting the educational issues of the day rather than socially promoting those children who have not kept up with the standards?

One has to wonder where these people are at since obviously the degeneration, loss of family values, loss of living wages, etc have occurred in the local county area. Where are the real ministers?

Or are they scared of offending some political hack so that their 501c3 tax exempt status is revoked. Or do these Christian ministers actually believe in the Bible and truth? If they actually do, then why are they not speaking out on contemporary issues that affect the American family, our people, and those with faith and even those without.

Why is it that some of these people refuse to speak out regarding workplace mistreatment, greed, economic, social and political corruption. Or shall being hypocrites the order of the day not only in the past but the present generation.

Does the new Mayor of Salem have a plan for this as well? I think we should at least give him a chance to see if he can actually bring new businesses to the city rather than letting things deteriorate like the last few administrations have done.

Furthermore, why doesn’t the city and county work on roadside cleanups and instead of pot bellied pigs sitting behind a desk all day, perhaps some honest labor would help. That way you could beautify your community and work at getting healthy at the same time.

Regarding other trash, why is it that standards of personal behavior are so low? Do you not think that you might be an embarrassment to your relatives, family, or loved ones. Do you think that drunken behavior is really healthy? Or that substance abuse problem? And why aren’t the churches of Washington County speaking out about the contemporary issues regarding these behaviors and offering help to those with those problems. Where is the true Christian Compassion and behavior to help those around you in need.

Or has that also been lost to the pop culture, selfishness, and laziness that has been sprouted by the seeds of the modern pop culture and what is constantly being promoted. Why aren’t our churches speaking out about that?

Or is it a case of small minds leading everyone else down the wrong path? So instead of perpetuating the economic vibrancy of a community it is better to create low wage jobs and lack economic improvement? Why is it that 20 percent of the youth in Washington County, Indiana live under the poverty level? Why is it that for a family of four the poverty level is slightly below 20,000 dollars per year when that is a very low figure? Why hasn’t the city produced more in the way of tangible economic and educational opportunities for its citizens. Is this all that we can do as a community to impove the lives and well-being of the citizenry?

Or is it another symptom of 30 years of failure and a lack of vision in this area? 30 years of industrial decline and increasing debt obligations. 30 years of lacking proper planning and development procedures. Lacking results and concrete plans to improve the community through education and jobs. Yet, when we hear these education advocates we never seem to hear how we are going to improve the education system and the curriculum. Instead, it is focused on generating a new building and constructing new facilitiies. Which hardly improves the school but rather puts ill-educated students in a new building. Why has the educational hierarchy failed in this where so many kids have to take remedial classes in a wide variety of subjects. Where is our local officials in producing substantial economic gains and improvement in incomes, job stability, and the like.

Creating low wage burger flipping and retail jobs is not the way to the future but a return to leaner times. Not an Army inspired saying of “Be All you can be” but rather a return to economic slavery and despondency. Instead of promoting self sufficiency and hard work, it promotes economic dependency and a lack of ambition and constructing the conditions that promote economic empowerment. Why is it that our local officials lack understand and education to see where these trends are going?