by Truth BKnown : 11/16/08 7:04am - Report Abuse

Hellow? How about the thousands of experienced information systems professionals that can't find a job in the United States, or have to compete with cheaper special Visa imports? How about the 40-60 year old that could be retrained in a dime and be productive from day one? What about living wages. What about getting rid off temporary agencies that are just another excuse to reduce the wages of deserving workers?

We have a Information Technology knowledge base of workers already in place. They are older than a highschool graduate and they can't find a job even with years of experience. Look it up...

They just need monetary help to upgrade skills an dyou have the best worker ever...but nobody wants to invest in people....nobody...not even on their own countrymen.

by Marie Sierlino : 11/16/08 8:10am - Report Abuse

You're right...and these people who are trained will be moving to areas like Seattle or Silicon Valley if they expect to have any opportunity as it does not exist in this entire Portland area. Why would anyone stay in an area like this with limited opoortunity AND lack of diversity?

by Truth BKnown : 11/16/08 6:20pm - Report Abuse

Hahahaha...175...you have to be kidding...you are a "dorm church town"...the most boring town in the United States....no night life..no music.....no parks....no culture....no good food but national chains of MSG. Give me a break! Did I say no "intelligent industry"? HP is on its way out an dmake their crap in Singapur anyway...all the other tech industries ar eminimum wage plus....nothing worth bragging about...a mill to the East throwing up dioxin on the river....oh gee..one university "branch" and a second rate community college....Wow! Impressive...NOT!!!!!!!!

by Truth BKnown : 11/17/08 4:53am - Report Abuse

In your mind...

by Just Wondering : 11/17/08 10:15am - Report Abuse

Why is it the business community tends to preface their opinions about why public education is not doing a good enough job with pat phrases like "too many Washington students are graduating from high school unprepared to succeed at college or in the work force", when there are very few studies to actually back up such an assertion? The few studies I have seen indicate that most businesses don't want to hire kids out of high school and most employers are pretty happy with the academic skill levels of their job applicants. Generally employers want more of the "soft" skills that experience brings and which the core academic courses in high school do not provide. We have more college-educated job applicants now than in the past and still businesses want to place the blame the poor employment opportunities available to young people at the feet of public education.

by Marie Sierlino : 11/17/08 6:53pm - Report Abuse

And until this area starts attracting real businesses instead of crappy low paying service jobs, sophisticated businesses/industry are NOT going to relocate here.,,for what so employees can drive across to river to get half way decent cultural venues and anything else remotely associated with cultural.
Have any doubt about that just read the Oregon Live article today about who moves to the Vancouver area:
www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2008/11/slowing_pains_economic_downtur.html

by Truth BKnown : 11/18/08 4:05am - Report Abuse

Good article Marie. The crisis has not hit Clark County yet.....in my opinion...no jobs, no good jobs...kills any area. Diversification as the article states is the only option. For that, we need new people in charge of the County. People with National and International perspective and vision, not the yahoos we have in charge of County Government...