This meeting unites the Economy Corps with representatives from the President’s Economic Recovery Plan.
The Obama administration requested this meeting as the beginning of visibility regarding the actions and results of the plan and as an effort to improve the middle class.

Groups like this have an opportunity to connect the President’s plan with their community.
President Obama is concerned that the communities will benefit from this plan and expects regional monitoring from groups like we are convening.

This is a two-way link, giving us the opportunity to make suggestions to our regional government and returning innovative ideas to the President’s office.

It begins with organizing, recruiting, research, analysis, and then presenting ideas to all levels of government.

• For example, we might start with these neighborhood issues: It looks as though the unemployment in Orange County is as high as 18 percent when you consider all of the people who are not working or not working full time at their normal trade and making an average of $26,000 less than they did in 2000. At 25% we will be in Great Depression II which can be recognized as early as March of 2010. That’s barely more than a year from now.

• President Obama has stated that economic development is a regional responsibility. There is no believable, sustainable, economic development program at the city or county level. To the contrary, the efforts by local government focus on construction endanger the workforce compared to encouraging manufacturing which develops the economy.

• Our houses have fallen in value by approximately 50% with no believable, provable reason why this collapse should cease. Housing values track average salaries. If we are to recover the value of our homes we must increase the quality of jobs that are created. Just adding jobs as in the past won’t do it.
Most important actions that should be done in the future:

• The neighborhood must develop a voice that the politicians at all levels hear and heed.

• Economic development requires participation of federal, state, county, and city level but it must begin at the level of citizen participation in asking that each level of government do the job we expect.

• Focus on the recovery of the middle class job opportunities which now a special effort lead by Vice President Biden. Orange County is 94th of the largest 100 cities in the nation in its ability to maintain a middle class.

I hope this is enough to get you to attend regular meetings and participate.

Bud Warrick

Please invite others.