The governor's office recently released a study purporting to show that Missouri had grown from 40th to 28th in a study by the University of Nebraska Bureau of Business Research. The problem with that study is that it does not reflect the whole picture of the area. The fact of the matter is that the whole state is not sharing in this growth that Governor Nixon is touting in advance of the 2012 races, when the political races heat up. And supposedly, Missouri's jump was the greatest improvement of any Midwestern state.
But the fact of the matter is that the bleeding here in Worth County and the rest of this region is continuing unabated. Population is still declining. The Gunstock Factory, which was one of the main lynchpins of economic revival efforts here 10 years ago, shut down and the building is up for sale. Northeast Nodaway had to close down the Parnell school and consolidate with Ravenwood. Over 25 businesses employing over 50 people have closed just in Worth County alone in the last few years. The fact of the matter is that we are not sharing in this prosperity that the governor is talking about in advance of the 2012 election.
The news release goes on to tout all of the governor's accomplishments over the last few years since he has been in office. But the fact of the matter is that we're getting left behind. With the fall sports season on us again, we are reminded that teams are only as good as their weakest link. Even Michael Jordan could not produce a winning season when he played for the Washington Wizards his last two years -- he simply did not have a strong enough supporting cast. As long as Worth County and other such parts of the state are not sharing in this growth, Governor Nixon has not done enough. Numbers are fun to look at and programs are fun to look back on, but they do not reflect the whole picture.
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