posted 01-04-2013 05:50 AM                  

...we had a Chrysler plant employing 5-6 thousand people in its good times, we also had a Firestone plant...in a few short miles from New Castle we had a Perfect Circle/Dana plant, several other Chrysler plants, Ford, Guide Lamp, Borg Warner etc, all hiring thousands of people at good pay and numerous other non automotive industries

...as a kid in the late 1960s, when we graduated from highschool, or even dropped out in 10th grade, there was a job awaiting you...many of my friends hired in at auto plants and most have now retired...there were grocery stores on every block, restaurants on every corner, gas/service stations everywhere, a thriving economy with opportunity for everyone

...the picture below is the New Castle I remember as a kid,a thriving downtown, people shopping everywhere, spending money, jobs of some sort for everyone who wanted one...now, the factories are closed, most of the buildings have been razed...our downtown is a ghost town, empty buildings everywhere and many of the buildings in the picture have also been razed, the owners abandoned them...the Kresgee building on the far left of the picture and several more attached to it are the latest to be scheduled for demolition

...recently the federal govt gave the city 3 million dollars to revitalize a downtown building, it is finished and the city can't find anyone to buy it, they're asking a very small percentage of the amount spent...the feds also gave the city more money to build homes at a cost of $240K each, the city was supposed to sell them for $60K when they were finished, none have sold...this happened in cities and towns everywhere

...I am sad to see hundreds of homes in my old neighborhood abandoned, demolished, burned for insurance payments, all the old neighborhood businesses closed

...people quit looking for jobs several years ago, they know there is nothing for them in New Castle and with the current administration there isn't going to be a job in their future...in New Castle, theft and selling drugs are the main sources of employment, the others just sit at home and wait for their "Obama Checks"

...we have had more armed robberies and break ins at our businesses in the last 6 months than we had in the previous 20 years, people are becoming desperate for survival...the under educated, the under qualified are unable to find work because the businesses that hired them are being forced out of business or not hiring due to impending tax increases and Obama-care

...America needs jobs, not handouts...put people to work, don't pay them to stay home

posted 01-04-2013 08:44 AM                  

quote: ",,now, the factories are closed, most of the buildings have been razed...our downtown is a ghost town, empty buildings everywhere and many of the buildings in the picture have also been razed, the owners abandoned them......"

When I moved to Mesa, Az in '75, the population was 57,000 souls and it grew rapidly during the Reagan economy years, to 475,000 today. Growth and the economy were good until the Clinton years, when the Az/Mexico border was trampled with illegal aliens flooding into the state and began working for half the pay scale of Americans,,,crime and drugs flourished,,,state coffers drained by excess benefits drawn by illegals and their anchor babies, school rooms overflooded, hospitals taking a bath on non-payers. The population continues to grow, but with no jobs and businesses closing the past four Obama years, this city is looking exactly like how you describe New Castle, and CJ describes Detroit > going to HELL FAST and no relief in sight.

Now, we have an excess of closed businesses, boarded up and empty,,,,while if any new small business is opened, the sign out front is in Spanish. What happened to America? What happened to speaking English? We have let 25 million illegals 'in',,,,and if we debate for another 15 years about securing the border instead of actually doing so,,,,,allowing another 25+ million illegals a free pass to Obama amnesty,,,,,,,our children and grandchildren best learn another language to survive in an entitlement country. Once the population reaches 55% of unemployed, government assisted, food stamp drawing, WIC approved, housing provided, free school lunch, free healthcare, free cell phone equipped, ADC surplus households, and the lazy bastards waiting on their government check to arrive.......

posted 01-04-2013 01:52 PM                  

Legitimate question.....

I realize that you,,a $even figure executive, may not want to answer that here, so you can tell me this sunday
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