In 1982 Greensboro, North Carolina was rated as the #1 best place to
live in America. In the years following everything went to hell. For
2015, Liveability.com ranked Greensboro at #91 but in 2008 CNN Money rated Greensboro at #50-- what happened? 41 places in 7 years-- how could any city fall so quickly?
Our corrupt and inept "leaders" will tell you it was a result of the
Recession but the Recession was nationwide, worldwide even.
Saying Greensboro fell 41 places in national rankings because of a worldwide recession just doesn't cut it. Greensboro fell 41 places because our "leaders" and economic development "gurus" failed to look for new ways to survive a changing economy. Greensboro now ranks #4 for empty industrial parks nationwide and our "leaders" believe we need to continue building new industrial parks using taxpayer dollars.
And rather than put those industrial parks in the parts of the city where unemployment is highest they want to build them on the county lines in other cities. They know it won't work and they don't care.
They're building a downtown performing arts center that will net zero new jobs for Greensboro. They know it won't work and they don't care.
Corruption is what happened to Greensboro. Banks won't lend money to build new homes so developers and contractors are lining up with their hands out to Greensboro City Government with project after project to be paid for by the taxpayers. It's nothing new, the fact that so many of our older projects are empty simply shows it's been going on for years.
Take the Nanoschool on East Lee for instance: There was supposed to be 180 full time students attending labs there. 10 students are registered for the next class. $60 Million Dollars for what? So we can spend $90 Million more on a downtown campus that will never be filled.
Now you know what happened to Greensboro.
I have a plan, do they?