I think the economic development efforts of local and state governments tend to be gushy, haphazard promises and bets. A better way to look at the issue would consider two things: 1. What "things" might a given industry or employer want or like, when it moves into the area? 2. Why not sit down, beforehand, and look at all the options, scales and costs?

For example, if an industry such as a gas-fired generating plant looked favorably upon ACC, could the local government have a plan to boost water reservoirs to meet the needs of the new business?

The old saying goes, "You have to spend money, to make money!" Of course, when it comes to local government -- or any government -- too often it seems to be the case that money is spent, but little good comes from it.

If local political leaders would try and boost public confidence in the decisions they make -- build more unity of purpose -- then I think Athens would have an even better chance to attract industry. Of course, I realize efforts have been made, already, to do this.

There are, now, various industries struggling to make it in Athens. Some of them are centered here, and others are offshoots of far-flung companies. It probably goes without saying that it's easier to save an industry than to build one from the ground up. In other words, probably a large share of economic development efforts should be going towards keeping what we have. As far as I can tell, such a proactive stance is decidedly missing from local and state efforts. (Have some interpreted "globalism" as such a good thing that attempting to "keep" jobs and industry would be the heretical "protectionism.")

Well. If you're looking for editorial material, I'm ALWAYS willing to help out there. (Speaking of which, where did "blog bits" go?).

The Career Academy is an excellent idea, but I'm here to tell you that unless there is a fundamental change in attitude at the CCSD, it is doomed to failure. The idea of "vocational" education at CCSD is met not with indifference, but with outright animosity.

The following comments are premised in part on the basis of being educated in one of the premier public school systems in the country, and taking AP everything. Even in those circumstances a routine part of our "language arts" instruction was how to write a job application letter, and how to write a routine business letter. "Declamation" was part of every level of English instruction, which included the type presentation you would make in a job interview.

Several times over the past few years, I've made the observation to various and sundry school officials that there are very very few people who have ever been responsible for hiring any one for whom they likewise will be paying. I suggested that part of the educational process should included instruction on the matters I addressed in the preceding paragraph, i.e. how to get a job. Not being content to merely opine matters theoretical basis, I offered to provide some instruction/mentoring/tutoring and to line up other small business owners to assist.

Universally, the response has been that CCSD is not in the business (pun intended) of training students to work; it is there to "educate" them. In fact, the charade is intentionally performed by designating all mainstream classes as "college preparatory", even though half to three fourths of the students have no intention or desire to go to college. I have been told on by officials at all levels that it is not their "job" to train students in the skills necessary to get a job, that any student who completes the course of study (which is only half anyway) should be "employable", and that it is primarily the employer's prejudice and "lack of understanding" that prevents these budding scholars from being able to get a job.

Given the general penchant of all ACC agencies to reinvent the wheel, I'd direct the collective attention of the CCBOE to Walton County, where there is a very successful career academy, that is run by business people, and run like a business.

Ghost, if you're willing to come out from under your cloak of invisibility, we'd be happy to offer you some space on the editorial page. In fact, one of the reasons we stopped running Blog Bits was that you too often made the usual gang of idiots who populate the editorial page -- my own self most emphatically included -- look like the wannabes we are.