August 29th, 2019 by WCBC Radio
District 1C Delegate Mike McKay hosted a listening session of the Study Group on Economic Stability yesterday afternoon at Allegany College of Maryland.
Local service providers and residents were able to give their observations and opinions on what works, what doesn't work, and what proposals in the works may do more harm than good here.
Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford made a surprise appearance, and gave his read on multi generational poverty. The effect of a benefit cliff, which cause some to lose much of their state aid should they become employed at a certain wage level, was a major focus of the discussions.
Delegate Shelly Hettleman was here from Baltimore County…
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August 29, 2019 at 7:55 am, mac said:
Since they are here asking the answer should be simple; education and employment.
All prospective employers want an educated employee, just as someone with a skill to offer is looking for a decent job opportunity.
Education is available here but, in order to use it and earn a living from that education, they must leave this area to find work.
August 29, 2019 at 11:09 am, Brian said:
The state of Maryland offered Amazon 8 and a half billion dollars worth of incentives to bring White Collar jobs to Maryland Amazon was set to build a distribution center in Maryland with 1800 Blue Collar jobs they were told they were not wanted here I think that shows how Maryland feels about blue collar jobs
August 29, 2019 at 11:12 am, LRH said:
I agree with mac, but there is a chicken and egg issue here. If the locals do not take advantage of getting their edu-man-cartion, why would any decent employer consider relocating here? This mythical employee pool of unemployed, hard working, salt of the earth people doesn’t really exist. We have a pool of folks who work and a pool of folks who are UNEMPLOYABLE and intend to stay that way.
August 30, 2019 at 1:29 am, Ed Dodrill said:
This stuff about a trained workforce … really? What are people to do. Go to college or continuing education and become skilled and sit around and wait for jobs to come Cumberland!!! Identify the industries you want, bring a business here and good people will show up to work if the wages are reasonable. People go to Alaska, North Dakota, Saudi Arabia for good jobs. They will go to Cumberland. This “we don’t have a trained workforce” is an excuse, a way out of doing economic development.
August 31, 2019 at 6:50 am, Ken said:
Maybe the answer should be to educate people to start their own businesses and then provide them the resources to do so.
The reality is that this isn’t the 1950s back when high school graduates could get a manufacturing or assembly job for a livable wage. About as close as we come to that today is working in an Amazon fulfillment center for not enough to pay for a family.