New Name, Same Location

Yes, I have changed the name of this blog to The Compassionate Quilter. I am still the same Quilting Ranny and this blog will not change much except maybe in the area of more talk about finding work and how our family may have to split up to do so.

We have just come to face the facts that there is no work in our area for what I do and if there is, it is given to those who know someone. I get that, it is a small community where many of the people here were born and have been raised here and many have never left the area even for vacations. I get that they want to help friends and family.

For our family having only lived here a few short years and knowing very few people, I have just come to realize that I am not going to be able to find full-time work while I remain in this area. Funny thing is, when I look around at many of the places around me that do not rely on logging or fishing as their main source of employment, they are doing well.

Not only did many people lose their jobs in this area when Weyerhaeuser closed down the mills, but the county has raised our property taxes, some of the cities have raised their taxes and the slim are getting slimmer. When the mills closed in our area, the cities and county decided that 'we the people,' have to make up for it. While we have a local city mayor that thinks it isn't his or the cities responsibility to bring work back into our area.

Hmmmmm, let me think about that for awhile! WRONG! I worked for a city in Arizona for over twelve years that went from a small struggling community with volunteer fire fighters to one of the best communities to live in with great amenities, good jobs and when I left, they had four firehouses. Why? Because the city manager, city council, mayor and citizens all worked together to make it an unbelievably wonderful place to live.

I have done all I can to try to help this area out. I have written letters to companies that are looking for a new location, I have written to companies that can't find enough people to work for them and told them to locate to our area and they would have plenty of great people to hire. I have written to the mayors of several cities and business owners. Only one wrote me back to let me know how they are trying to change.

One of the things I strongly believe in is that municipalities must enforce their city codes. If you have a code that says no abandoned vehicles on the roadway, then enforce that code. Tag the vehicle, send a notice to the owner with a three day window and if it is still sitting there, tow it away!

If you say no junk vehicles in the yard, no high weeds, no graffitti on property, no abandoned refrigerators, junk, etc. Enforce those laws and when home or business owners do not comply, fine them and if they continue to not comply, fine them!

No one wants to move to a place that looks run down and falling apart. No one wants to buy a home where the neighbor leaves trash in the yard to pile up for the rats. If you want to win business owners and corporations, a city has to be willing to spend money to get money in.

That is my rant for the day!