When manufacturing was plentiful in rural
counties, life was much easier. The need for a farmer to have a good job in
town was fulfilled. This is no longer
the case.
Agenda 21 implementation has been thwarted in
rural counties due to the dynamics of their politics and their wisdom. They
have much to lose with Agenda 21. The
Agenda 21 map has no rural counties or occupants, except wildlife. They know their property is at risk. And they love their land.
I lived in Salina Kansas from 1975 to 1983.
Salina is a city in the middle of Kansas at the intersection of I-70 and I-35.
Salina started as a “market town” for the wheat farmers and had the usual
agricultural support businesses like banks, grain companies, auto, truck and
farm implement dealers.
During World War II, Kansas became a popular
state for military activities. Missile silos in Wichita followed.
In 1943, Salina what chosen as the site of
what would become Shilling AFB that closed in 1949. It was reopened in 1951 as
a SAC base for B-52s. It finally closed in 1965, but the wake-up call
experienced by its closing in 1949 prepared the town fathers to act with a plan
in 1965. They got Shilling AFB to lease
space for manufacturing companies on the base and open an Airport Authority to
run the airport.
When I arrived in 1975, Salina had 45
manufacturing companies. Some on the base and others nearby. The population was
about 40,000. We had 2 colleges and a Tech School. We had a community theater,
2 country clubs and 3 reservoirs nearby. I started a group for the companies to
do wage surveys and have monthly meetings. The Chamber of Commerce had the
merchants and took their cues from the town leaders.
Politics in Salina was honest, clean and
serious. It was the county seat. The town fathers who ensured its future were
still there and their heirs were becoming the town leaders. Roots make a
difference. They took turns running for
Salina Mayor and Council and Saline County Commission.
Those of us who were running the
manufacturing companies were invited and encouraged to be active. That’s how I
got to know them.
We were in a meeting one evening and the
Mayor asked if we should consider building an amphitheater for concerts and
events, but she was hesitant because she didn’t know if it would be a success. These
were very conservative folks who viewed government as a service monopoly and
were hesitant to go beyond the basics unless it was self-supporting and
sustainable. I asked if she would like
to know what our manufacturing employees thought of that idea. She gave me an emphatic Yes. I had the other companies poll their
employees and we got a unanimous Yes, with lots of suggestions and requests for
specific guests.
We had an honest, dedicated, rooted
leadership and lots of good smart folks running our 45 manufacturing companies
with no conflicts of interest. We were
blessed. But that is still a model that
can be used in other rural towns and counties.
Before I left Salina, I was called on to
install a Personnel system in Saline County. I got to meet the county
department managers and key employees. I wrote their job descriptions, process
mapped their functions and developed a wage survey they could use to survey
other counties. Like the town fathers, these folks were first class.
My image of good rural county politics is
where honest, smart, tight-fisted old farmers, with no conflicts of interest
prod each other to take turns running for and serving in public office. They
should be financially well off with enough help to run the farm. They would
ensure that the county is not overcharged for projects and that these projects
were done properly. They would take the lowest bidder, but insist on a
performance bond to insure their work. They would question every expenditure
and ensure that they had an honest, hard-working county workforce.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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