More on the job of creating work and the work of creating jobs

GroveAtopia has been thinking more about our city's apparent reluctance to spend time creating more jobs.   

I heard the city's more elaborate response on the Beeper Show on Monday, and GroveAtopia is willing to see things from that perspective.  Maybe it does take too much staff time and maybe the money is not worth the effort.  Maybe the money won't really pay for any of the road projects we need.  Maybe the only jobs that will be created are for contractors from Eugene.  Maybe it's better to let the money be used elsewhere.

Maybe.

But what GroveAtopia needs to hear is that our city is not turning up its nose at stimulus money.  That we have prospects for good uses of stimulus money in other areas.   That we will work to make sure the money is distributed more equitably to rural areas.  That we will work to make sure we can give the money to contractors who hire local workers.

But GroveAtopia did not hear any of that.  Instead I heard about all the problems shrouded by a tone that said this is not going to help us.  We are better off without it.

It could be a simple communication issue.  Or it could be that our city truly believes that stimulus money will only help urban areas and that for the rest of us, it is a waste of time.  A joke.  

But I have not heard a better plan for helping our city out of its economic slump.  Have you?