Yea, where are the jobs? (Denver, Colorado Springs: restaurants, military, floor)

[neptronix]

Originally Posted by lurtsman

Government restraint of itself is crucial to job growth. The fact that the springs is not pursuing backwards plans to try to spend their way to a recovery is a good sign.

I am a leftie but i agree. I came from Portland where they are in serious debt but are spending like crazy, and usually on what the right would call 'socialist' things. The only budget cuts being made are to schools. The state has been awful about attracting business and has made up some policies that sped up the fleeing of business from that state. California is even worse.

State budget issues, 2010-2011 - Sunshine Review

Oregon has twice the debt that Colorado has but half the population.

All the blue states that are really suffering tend to be trying to spend their way out of this with stimulus. Restraint is not in their vocabulary. They may be taking advantage of cheaper labor during this time, but still...

[Terytee]

A job's a job. Call center or not....if a person is out of work, especially for a long while, can he or she afford to be picky??

[Mike from back east]

We need to keep this thread centered on COLO SPGS. National issues can be discussed at several places in the General Forums.

[ryanek9freak]

The Tech jobs need to come back!

[mtngigi]

Well, it's not just about being picky - and you're right, a job is a job.

That said - it's still a sad situation when that kind of work seems to be all that's going to hold our local economy up. I worked a call center job as a temp back in March and April - it's not something I could stand to do long-term, nor was the pay even remotely anything I could live on. And I live a very simple lifestyle.

Originally Posted by Terytee

A job's a job. Call center or not....if a person is out of work, especially for a long while, can he or she afford to be picky??

[lurtsman]

The stronger industries may suck to work in. It's unfortunate CS job growth is in call centers. At least they are jobs, and there are several people who will be better served with them than with nothing. Now if only they could produce more nursing jobs....

[levamp59]

Originally Posted by ryanek9freak

That's old news Kat, They turned most of them back on, and because they made those initial cost cutting measures, they now have a budget surplus of over $20million.
The city did what they had to do during hard times, nothing wrong with that.

Yes, but if you cut costs at the expense of safety for the people who live there then it means you don't care too much about your citizens. That"s why I don't live there any more. I miss Colorado, but not Colorado Springs!

[lurtsman]

levamp, i think that's a personal issue. Different perspectives on how government should be ran and what people are entitled to lead to very different emotions about the city. Having lived in a few very different cultures, and I am thrilled to be moving to Colorado Springs. Your case is so vague it can be applied to any city at any time in the history of not only our country, but of every nation.

[proveick]

Here are some sobering statistics.
From the Gazette:

Manufacturing (in Colorado Springs) employment has declined by more than 14,000 jobs, or nearly 55 percent, since peaking in 2001. The local manufacturing sector now employs 12,100, the fewest since 1978 – before the HP plant was built.

Read more: HP to demolish former manufacturing plant in Rockrimmon | building, manufacturing, space - Colorado Springs Gazette, CO
We're not out the woods by any means. RP

[orngkat]

I'm interested as to what you believe local government can do to improve the economy and bring jobs here?

Promote small business expansion and entrepreneurism
We stayed in the Springs last summer to check it out as a retirement spot and were amazed at how little local business is promoted compared to where we are living now. Seemed like mostly chains dominate.