Ever since I started writing this column, I have purposely refrained from writing about local topics. My reasoning was that, as an out-of-towner, I was in no position to comment on another city's idiosyncrasies without knowing the background of the area.
But in the three years I have been here, much has been said about Muncie's problems with economic classes - both in The Star Press and in the Daily News. Being from out of town, I mostly withheld any judgment as to why Muncie's economy is stagnant, but this weekend, I might have found an answer - symbolically, at least.
I was driving back to campus when I saw it - the worst municipal advertisement I have ever laid eyes on. Downtown, on the western side of Madison Street, about even with Jackson Street, stands a large sign that reads: "Muncie - We're having a ball."
In spite of the corny slogan, that might not sound bad. But trust me, it is worse than you can possibly imagine. It is a metallic-looking sign that appears to have been made at the height of 1970s fashion. Perhaps the sign was once a grand display of civic pride, but at this point, the colors have faded, the paint is chipped, and there might even be some rust mixed in. It looks as if nobody has bothered with the upkeep of it since it was first put up.
This, of course, makes the sign a perfect symbol for the city.
The vast majority of Muncie's roads have not seen repairs in what seems to be decades; the sewer systems flood the streets after even modest rainfall; the city's plan for snow removal seems to be to let nature take its course and wait until spring.
The reason these structural problems are such an issue is that they give visitors and newcomers such poor impressions of the city. Do you think many businesses will be willing to relocate to the city after their CEOs chip their teeth while driving into town? What family would want to buy a house in a residential neighborhood after seeing that last week's snow has turned the street into an ice rink?
The answer, apparently, is: very few.
This problem is cyclical. With few businesses coming in to replace the exodus of manufacturing jobs and few incoming residents replacing those who leave, Muncie's tax base has diminished, making these improvements even harder to fund. And with conditions worsening, even more will businesses probably be leaving.
Some might disagree with my assessment and point to the plan for Sallie Mae's 700 jobs at the debt management center to open in Muncie. However, I have news for those who think of Sallie Mae as the savior of Muncie: Most of those 700 jobs are going to out-of-the-area workers, and the new jobs will only pay $9 per hour. That's only half of what current Muncie manufacturing jobs pay, according to a Sunday Chicago Tribune article, and it is well below the poverty level for a family of four.
Another new employer is Wal-Mart, which is opening a new store on the south side of town. Anyone who thinks Wal-Mart will be a positive addition to this community has another thing coming. Within a couple of years, I predict even more small businesses will be closed, and the tax base will be further diminished.
I'm not quite sure how to fix Muncie's economic problems, but I'm pretty sure celebrating new employers that pay below-poverty-level wages will not accomplish anything positive.
I also understand that blindly hoping for a rebirth in manufacturing won't do it either.
Instead, the solution might be to use tax incentives to draw employers from the technological and service sectors. I'm not an economist, but I don't see how it could hurt. And paving the roads might not be a bad idea, either.
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