Now Here's A List *We* DIDN'T Make...

Fort Wayne has been the target of many lists over the years. We've been called the DUMBEST city and the FATTEST city. We have been called the city of churches, and most recently, we're becoming a city of DREAMERS (at least that's what the city leaders want us to believe). But there's one list we're probably not going to be making anytime soon (in spite of ourselves)...that being the list of WORST CITIES FOR UNEMPLOYMENT.

Sure, we've got plenty of "jobs"....if you like flipping burgers...I (personally) much prefer flipping off idiots in my neighborhood, thank you. We've got to be on some list for MOST low-paying jobs, but I don't see it yet.

Curiously enough, if you were to drive around the confines of my neighborhood, you "could" probably argue the "unemployment" fact, as it would appear that NOBODY works in our area (excluding the few that pay for all those that don't). On any given day, you see strong, healthy young men (and women) in ABUNDANCE with "nothing to do".....simply amazing, eh? Now that's NOT to say that we're all so damn independantly *wealthy* as to not HAVE to work....such just isn't the case. Take a long, hard look at most of the houses and cars, and you'll see what I mean. Take a gander at the way the neighborhood itself LOOKS...it's not some high-end, $200K+ housing addition in some marvelously landscaped corner of the city....not by a longshot! Hell, people around HERE think FiOs is some new brand of ATHLETIC SHOE...lol!

But I digress....

Fort Wayne is not on the "endangered species" list (yet) as far as employment goes. Sure, we're keeping pace with the national average, but isn't almost EVERYONE? There are a lot of LARGER cities with worse unemployment rates than us. Take Detroit (please). Their downtown, once a huge hub of activity, looks more like a GHOST TOWN...at RUSH HOUR! Many of the larger cities, once home to bastions of industry and innovation, have gone the way of the Passenger Pigeon. It's all about the suburbs now. And even they are starting to feel the rumblings of fewer jobs.
The cities on the top ten list are mostly from the "left-coast" area, That surprises me. But see for yourself:

TOP TEN WORST CITIES FOR UNEMPLOYMENT
10) Yakima, WA - 7.5%

9) Flint, MI - 7.7%

8) Hanfiord-Corcoran, CA - 7.8%

7) Yuba City, CA (tie) - 8%

6) Merced, CA (tie) - 8%

5) Fresno, CA (tie) - 8%

4) Sumter, S.C. - 8.1%

3) Visalia-Porterville, CA - 8.4%

2) Yuma, AZ - 13.3%

1) El Centro, CA - 16.2%


I know Fresno is LARGER than Fort Wayne, and used to have a HUGE IRS service facility (I guess they "cut back"?) right nearby with a few THOUSAND people working there. Flint doesn't surprise me, as the industries I talked about have all gone "bye-bye". South Carolina was a sort of surprise, as the history alone should warrant job creation. I suppose if you're not in the LOGGING business (in Yakima)...you are out of work. Not much else there BUT logging.

One thing about all of this that you should be aware of....when the "unemployment rate" DROPS...don't take that (necessarily) as a sign that MORE people ARE working...that just means more people "fell off the dole", and are no longer getting benefits. It's all about "numbers", people. And we KNOW cities LOVE to futz with numbers, don't we?

So, fellow citizens of the Fort Wayne area, don't worry, be happy, and rest assured you will have some sort of JOB here. The way things are going, the thriving DRUG TRADE can always use a "few good mules". God KNOWS the city needs people who can REALISTICALLY plan things (such as a vital downtown, and not some pie-in-the-sky ballpark). The FWCS can use some good, strong people willing to work for almost free to help with the school building repairs ('cause the school system won't be getting anywhere near ALL that dinero they "want" out of OUR pockets anytime soon if the people have anything to say about it).

And the FWPD could uses some auxilliary help with those in the aforementioned DRUG TRADE....a case of citizens arresting citizens...(how novel in concept)...a virtual self-perpetuating "job market"...(wow...who'da thunk?)!

But at least *we* (Fort Wayne) won't wind up on that UNEMPLOYMENT list...right?