I don't want to be the next blogger waxing rhapsodic about how lame or awesome Fresno really is because there's a lot of that that going on right now. But thanks to a recent survey ranking my hometown as one of the worst for business, and a recent piece in USA Today (written by former Business Journal editor Valerie Gibbons), Fresnans are once again gathering pitchforks and torches to either slam Fresno or the rest of the country.
I subscribe to the philosophy that it's never as bad as they say it is, and it's never as good as they say it is. I think that is apt for Fresno, and really any other city in the world. I was born here, and have learned to appreciate cruising the wide open expanses of the Westside, or dipping my feet into the flowing Kings River or admiring the snow-capped Sierras after a good rain. But there are also plenty of things to hate (unemployment, poverty, lack of education, etc.) It's a yin-yang thing. That's life.
Instead of focusing on the problems, everyone should be about solutions. Here are some steps I think are necessary to improve the quality of life for all Fresnans (because that's really all that matters, right?)
• We need an affordable high-speed rail system so folks can live in Fresno and commute to other parts of the state.
• We need to continue finding ways to improve our air quality, and we need to approach it as an economic opportunity.
• We must do everything possible to increase green technology that turns agricultural waste into something useful, because there's plenty of it.
• Though it's controversial, we need to seriously look at building a nuclear power plant in the region. That would reduce emissions from natural-gas-fired plants and provide more affordable energy to businesses so they can hire more people.
• We need more vocational training in schools to give kids who aren't college-bound the opportunity to make a good living.
• We need business leaders who are interested in investing their profits back into the community. While pure capitalism means people can do with their money what they wish (including hoarding it), in the long run investment in technology, education and business pays dividends for everyone.
• We need to move away from race-based division and get united. In the business community alone, there are black business owners, Hispanic business owners, Hmong business owners, South Asian business owners, etc. They tend to do their own thing. They could be doing more business with each other.
• We need to take these Fresno sucks lists with a grain of salt.
• We need to recognize that Fresno will never be perfect, but continuously aiming for that goal could make it a true world-class city.
02:45:32
