Lost Jobs: We're Not Alone

"In the global marketplace, those commodoties operate with ever thinner margins," says Mark Drabenstott of the Center for the Study of Rural America."So the real challenge for most rural areas is (getting) from a commodity {or in our case manufacturing community} economy to a knowledge-driven economy." This is something for our next mayor to consider. We have the skilled workforce. We have a willing workforce. We have lost around 3,000 jobs as local companies have shifted positions, headquarters and eliminated jobs in Freeport. Have you had friends or family have to relocate to keep their job? An NPR report on Rural Sourcing, specifically in the community of Magnolia, Arkansas (pop. 10,000). There are enough service calls that go to India and other countries that could just as well be directed through Freeport, Illinois. We have to look beyond our manufacturing base and move into the service and knowledge sectors of the economy if we are to thrive or even survive these economic times.