We're dying.

I drive by the mall on Industrial and I see an empty Inudstrial complex on my left and an empty mall on my right. I walk down the hallway of the mall and I see stores that have one or two people in them. I drive down the streets of our city and I see more houses for sale each day. 1,550 Jobs, 50 Jobs, 10 Jobs. More than headlines, these start to seem like body counts. Left behind are the hopes and dreams of families as they are uprooted and shifted out of our town. The sound of a Tornado siren echoing throught the empty store fronts of our strip malls and bouncing off the closed doors of the busineses going out of business or already gone. Our city is dying. I am not a pessimist, I was having a talk with an older gentleman, who was telling me this lament has been spoken every ten years sinces the sixties. He told me that the city was still here, that should silence all the doubters. I think he is wrong. The city may never die, I think we are to big for that that. But it is dying. Who will save it? Not our city leaders. Not our elected politicians who continue to drive our tax rates up, while increasing the debt that we bear. Who? Sadly I don't know the answer. i hope someone does.

Trying to survive.

Our national economy is tanking, the state is beginning to issue IOU's for your taxes, and if you are a state employee, you were unsure if you would be paid this week. My family is in California, three of my family members are state employees. They are receiving a ten percent pay loss so that the state can fix itself. It is not working. I own a bar, on the average I am taking in 100-1,000 dollars a day less this year than last. The economy is not good. We in Emporia are being affected by it. I thought it would take longer to reach Emporia than most other areas. We are a smaller community, it usually takes a little time for national ripples to splash our pond. I am concerned with the students at the college who will be graduating in the coming months. A year ago there were jobs available in most areas for college graduates. In this time of economic woe the job market is the worst one in recent memory. The other day I read a story that said that we had broken the record for number of lay-offs in one day. These are not the type of records we like to see broken. Winters furniture here in town is going out of business. The market was not favorable. We cannot afford to lose one more business to this downturn, one job, one source of income for tax revenue for this city. Each loss of said resources is unimaginable loss to our community and brings us one step closer to failing our next generation of Emporians. Alarmist, I hope not. So, what are we going to do about it?

Sometimes doing the right thing, is not the right thing.

As a bar owner I have to deal with a different clientele than most other business owners will encounter on a daily basis. Your mild mannered farmer when sober may be the cream of the crop. Three beers into the night he might become a fist swinging, hell raising bad ass. Your straight A college student becomes a holy terror three shots of tequila into a binge drinking session. Are these extremes? Yes they are. However, in life we sometimes deal with extremes. Last night I was assaulted on my property after asking an individual to leave. This led to an altercation. The result of my defending self and property when assaulted by a drunk was that I was given a disorderly conduct. The same punishment that was dealt to the individual initiating he entire event. After being threatened that he would "kill me" and then physically assaulted (he kicked me) I was told that I would be treated the same as this criminal. I have the utmost respect for law enforcement personnel. I understand that their job is a difficult one. I feel that last night I was wronged, justice was wronged because one person did not take the time to analyse the situation before making a decision, or if done. Made the wrong deductions before speaking with me. Sometimes doing the right thing, can give you the wrong results.

Why I moved here.

I lived in Fresno for two years after i had left the Marine Corps. In those two years I never met my neighbor. It wasn't the fact that we had different schedules. I saw her every morning and evening as we both got home. You don't talk to strangers in big cities in California. It is one of those unwritten rules. When I was a young child, driving through Los Angeles my mother would always caution us "Don't point at people while we are driving, they might think it's a gang sign". This is the environment I grew up in. The first time I came to Emporia someone came up to me and shook my hand. Out of the blue, just walked up and said hello. I have people wave at me when i drive by. Strangers greet me as I walk down Commercial street. I have met all my neighbors and was over at one of their houses last night for some homemade soup. These are the things that I love about this town. This is why I moved here. This is where I will raise my children. This is my city. It was different when I moved here. Sometimes something that is different is much better.

Whats wrong with Emporia.

We have a beautiful city. We have history. We have entertainment. There is nothing "wrong" with this city. However there is something horribly wrong with the perceptions that quite a few people and organizations have in regards to our fair city. Why are we a college town that does not embrace our students? Where is the disconnect between our city leaders and the voting populace? I have heard that this is a "suitcase" college. Fine place to go to school, but if you plan on having fun, go somewhere else. I am tired of watching tax dollars leave this community. I am tired of having to explain that yes, there are other cities in Kansas than Topeka, Wichita, and K.C. We need to embrace all that is good with Emporia and broadcast it to the world. I was driving down the interstate and saw a sign that read " Emporia, front porch to the flint hills". I was saddened to see this. I may want to go sit on the front porch after a long days work, however that slogan does not inspire me to ever want to visit. There are a few people in this town who feel change of any kind is bad. Change is necessary for survival. Our city is dying a slow death. The students who graduate from our college cannot stay in this community to use their degrees. We must help them. We need the youth of our community to take responsibility in shaping their futures. I will do my best to facilitate this change. I hope you will help me.

Stephen Cole.