Valley needs more than low wages

Nelson Graves
Published: September 11, 2008

The other day I had a discussion about municipal budget shortfalls or really the strains on them. Now that it’s time for increased home appraisals to be mailed I wondered if Augusta County residents that were so against Toyota locating here now regretted their objections. The person answered she doubted it.
Reluctantly, I had to agree.
Asking a rhetorical question, I said, “What’s the difference between environmentalists in Washington state and farmers in Augusta County?” Neither group gives an inch when it comes to holding their positions.
On the West Coast the radical environmentalists march, sit in or even sabotage builders’ projects. In this area agriculturalists are steadfast and make it plain they don’t want to lose acreage to non-farm use.
Before Augusta County farmers and their supporters place wanted posters on me, please understand, I’m not saying by any stretch of the imagination that Augusta County’s agriculturalists are as radical or violent as the environmental wackos (Rush Limbaugh’s words) in Washington and other places. But philosophically, they’re the same.
Augusta County, Staunton, Waynesboro and the rest of Virginia face tough budgetary choices. Individuals, unless they’re in the high-middle or upper class financially, are looking for discretionary dollars. Bottom line: they can’t be found.
Faced with rising food and fuel bills, higher home assessment values and taxes and health care costs (if you’re fortunate enough to have health care coverage), people are struggling to remain solvent.
Children of most farmers relocate, usually in other fields of employment, and those whose children stay to run the family businesses will face ever growing operational costs. I hate to say it, but in most cases, it’s only a matter of time before the developers win anyway.
Farmers’ heirs, more times than not, will sell off all or only the higher assessed parcels of land leaving the county without jobs that industry would have created or the property.
Almost daily, the governor’s office sends announcements about new or expanding job opportunities being created seemingly everywhere in Virginia except in Augusta County, Staunton or Waynesboro. Oh, we get the new retail stores or a few job opportunities from current industry but the jobs are mostly the same – minimum wage, no benefits.
As we move deeper into the 21st century, the county and both cities are getting the problems of the changing times that happen in bigger locales. Locally, all three are seeing increases in crime, drugs and violent gang activity. To combat any or all effectively takes money.
Many residents in our part of the Valley are retired or recently relocated and retired. They need more higher-paying jobs with benefits just as much or more so as the young residents do. Ladies and gentlemen, maintaining our current level of services and law enforcement protection will require more tax dollars.
Low wages won’t pay for either.
Nelson Graves, Western Virginia director of the Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council, writes a weekly column for The News Virginian. E-mail him at .