I read the "Our Opinion" column Monday (24th), that is all about "State should build on livability strength". Now for those who knew better than to even start with it, it was all about getting Retirees, read mostly elderly to move here to live.
Now in a list published by SeniorAdvice, it published a Senior Score list on the State and how it scored/ ranked in various categories. The lowest score was a 61 out of a possible 100 for Health and Safety. Supposedly, Williamstown scored an overall 90 and Vienna and Washington W.V. had an 86. P'burg came in at 77 and Mineral Wells at 73.3. Pretty neat scores if and I repeat IF? There were numerous areas that contributed to the totals, for example: recreation, leisure, finances, general quality of life and the above noted health and safety.
Now, SeniorAdvice is supposedly located in Scottsdale, Arizona but in some way alleged to be connected with Zero Four Media out of Austin, Texas. In turn, it has a Registered Agent Service known as Incorp Services Inc., also located in Austin. A registered agent is a person or entity, designated in the articles of incorporation / organization, who can accept legal documents and notifications from a state office on behalf of a corporate entity. This appears to be a front for document and notification receipt as needed?
Why am I noting the above? Because it smacks of the same type of company that was advertising hundreds of jobs in Vienna last year that in reality was a nothing more than a company that for the appropriate considerations would offer to place a person with a job? Now many of the noted jobs were to be found at the local Military Recruiter Station or with "Over the Road" (OTR), trucking firms that in actuality had no connection to Vienna.
Does this mean that SeniorAdvice is not legitimate? No, just suspect as to whom was paying it to do the survey/ listing?
Of course one group called Imagine WV., which "studies the opportunities and challenges facing the State", acting as a policy think tank that advises policies to policy makers seemed to run with it? Does it sound like a group that once advised on a particular outcome might go out and insure it finds that data to meet the required goals?
What really made me suspicious, was the thought that " Guess who visits seniors: children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Now for some reason, it is felt that this will attract exactly the people that West Virginia really want to come here to live?
The above is actually somewhat correct as most money making ideas are. The flaw is that while the above DO visit, the likelihood of them moving to a location to live by the Grandparents is not so much, unless they are ill and some want to provide care for them in their later years? Otherwise, it would appear that far, far more often, it is the Grandparents moving to where their children, grand children are located. This because those folks are in a work environment and grand children in schools. These are NOT flexible groups as are the Grandparents.
Here as many of the more observant ones know, decent family wage jobs are at a premium if at all available. We have major issues with the quality of Education and last but for sure not least, a rapidly growing Drug Epidemic.
Cannot imagine how Vienna got a score of 86? Must have been a long and fruitless meeting with the City Administration be it Mr. Rapp or Mr. Thornton extolling the virtues of their new Park and Commercial Development that we know as the Johns Manville site?
Health and especially safety are NOT high on any list at City Hall that I have found? And the failing infrastructure will not fix themselves with out funding availability.
Any time and I mean ANY TIME that someone puts out one of these pie in the sky ideas for creating gated communities with prosperity for one and all, I get skeptical, suspicious, jaded and just plain distrusting?
it is "possible" that in the Northern third of our State, there may well be some very possible opportunities for the referenced type of happenings? But unless the powers that be are not being forthcoming, the bottom two thirds would present few chances of success? 'nuff said'.