posted May 19, 2008
Man, what are we in Chattanooga doing incorrect not to have a plant like Toyota come to this area?
Let me see, the beautiful area of east Tennessee or northern Mississippi?
Seems logical to me.
Has to be something. Would be curious to know why.
Larry Kearns
Ringgold
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If you look at the school system in Chattanooga, you will see that there is something lacking. To these companies, their future employees will be coming from the youth of this town. And when you have a city of decision makers that care more about pouring money into attracting tourists than the education of the future of this city, that doesn't sit well.
The standards of public education here are awful. Between the lack of a work ethic, the gang problems that no one wants to openly admit to, and the obvious "class" separation going on, it’s no wonder no one wants to bring their companies here.
The lack of a work ethic comes from the lack of caring when it comes to education. That is just as much the parent’s fault as it is the lack of proper tools (budget) to teach and to keep kids interested in learning. If I were a big company like Nissan or V.W., I wouldn't bring a multi-million dollar company here until some much needed changes were made.
D. Moore
Hixson
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I highly doubt when a major company is scouting locations for their next plant that one of their major considerations in making that decision is how beautiful or not the potential city is.
What is Chattanooga doing wrong? Here are just a few reasons:
Our public school system is atrocious, and definitely not a selling point. While most of the big whigs of any plant that actually came here would more than likely send their kiddos to private schools here, some of the employees who are a bit lower on the totem pole would be looking towards our public schools, and then realize there's not much to look at.
Our crime rate is one of the highest in the nation for a city the size of Chattanooga.
Many cities the size of Chattanooga give companies, such as Toyota, tax breaks on certain things, which is a major selling point to any company. Chattanooga doesn't grant companies any such tax breaks. Why would a company come here when the price is cheaper elsewhere? And because of that ridiculous policy, Chattanooga missed out on many major companies putting plants here: Toyota, Saturn, Budweiser, Coors, just to name a few. Imagine the booming industry this city could have had.
Certain officials gave the excuse that they "didn't want to bring in the wrong element to our city." Apparently they didn't want to bring any jobs here either.
Aubrey Buchannon
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I agree with the rest.
Chattanooga did not get Toyota because of several reasons. Here are some of them:
1) Insufficient rail system-transportation nor freight.
2) Schools: This one is not hard at all. Our school system lacks a lot. Instead of putting money into the schools that we had, they built magnet schools. Our school system is stretched to the limit. The school system should have put the money in the teachers' hands. Being a teacher should be one of the highest honored jobs. It is one of the hardest jobs. They do not just teach now. They babysit children until school is let out.
3) Freeway system in and out of Chattanooga is terrible. There are pot holes that could swallow small cars.
4) Chattanooga "small town" opinion from other cities. When people from other cities hear of Chattanooga, they have this small town opinion of Chattanooga.
This could be the reason or at least some of them.
Laura Crane
Red Bank
ToBSketching@aol.com
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