Yes under obama the country took a hit. But passing all the Blame to the federal or state level is a cop out. Illinois is a disaster. Career politicians, like Madigan, have let our state go to crap. Corrupt Chicago is a mess all of its own.
GC has for to long relied on the industrial rust belt. With SWIC, and potential our town could of had if proper land acquisition had been done, we could of brought tech or other white collar business to town. But with Selphs and Eds failures we are land locked.
Good union jobs are fine, but skilled professional fields are better and what is needed to raise the bar in the town. RT 3 and areas by SWIC would of been great for this. The proper retail on rt 3 is needed as well.
Ed has no concept of quality restaurants or clothing as that's above his class level. He is more on what can I get for a dollar.
The age old living in the same town I work is really out dated. Yes more opportunities for that are good but really don't matter. Bringing people to do business in your town is more profitable, as long as its good people. We go to Edwardsville for all shopping as that's what they did and cater to. I go to Lowes in granite but our Walmart is a disaster and I go to the one in Glen Carbon. We have to draw the right people in and push out the bad.
Obama was the worst in history, but this town was in trouble before him and Ed's focus was in the wrong place. Ed of course was a obama supporter.
Art has a better vision for all of GC and not just one part. His plan is moving us out of the past and the deep hole we are in. NAFTA killed the steel mill and that's unrecoverable. Reliance is one industry is a historical death. Look at all the old mine towns that are now ghost towns. But when your eyes can't see the country and you keep bottled up in little cold GC club, you can't learn anything or prepare for tomorrow.