Dear Editor:

As a ten year resident of Troup County, I have been truly embarrassed by the constant KIA bashing. In a recently televised county commission meeting, our elected officials complained that Troup County’s high unemployment rate is due to KIA hiring from outside the county. So, unemployment is caused by companies that are hiring employees, not by companies that are firing employees. That makes perfect sense to me. It seemed every third sentence was bashing KIA for hiring from outside the area, but no one ever uttered the words, “Milliken layoff”.

“But the citizens of Troup are paying millions of dollars for infrastructure and tax abatements. They should be first in line for the jobs.”

I’ve got news for you Troup County and LaGrange - GM, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan are not hiring. KIA is. You are in competition with experienced workers from California to Connecticut and from Michigan to Mississippi. Any business should and will hire the best worker it can find for a position. To do otherwise is simply moronic. Stop waiting for a hand out and start competing.

The fact is, our government leaders don’t know how many Troup county residents have been hired by KIA or its suppliers. They only speculate. They act as though they don’t know how much KIA and the suppliers have generated in taxes, contributed to local charities, and contributed to the local economy as a whole. It is no secret that KIA has yet to earn a dime from car sales but has incurred millions in taxes and contributed tens of thousands to local charities. Our elected officials don’t know what the full economic impact has been and they do not have forecasts of what KIA and its suppliers will generate in taxes and economic activity next year, in 2011 and beyond. They don’t know who the unemployed are in Troup County, whether they have the skills to be hired by KIA, or how many have even applied at KIA. They have no plan for making sure that the citizens of Troup County benefit as much as possible from the coming KIA boom.

So, leaders of Troup County and the City of LaGrange, instead of bashing KIA based on speculation - why don’t you get some real data on which you can make informed decisions. As a first step, I would propose the formation of an economic analysis group - a miniature version of Georgia State University’s Economic Forecasting Center. The GSU center collects data on the Atlanta, Georgia and regional economies and industries and provides analysis to governments and businesses for improved decision making. I am sure there are people and resources at LaGrange College, West Georgia Tech, the Callaway Foundation and local businesses that could collect and analyze economic information regarding the city, the county and the surrounding area. The LaGrange Forecasting Center’s first project could be a detailed analysis of the unemployed in Troup County. Armed with information on the demographics, education level and skill sets of the unemployed, we could implement programs to make sure these unemployed garner the skills they need to compete for positions in KIA’s next round of hiring. Hiring for the 2nd shift is quickly approaching. Without a plan, the citizens of Troup County may miss out on these 800 new jobs and will be left only with listening to our leaders whine and complain.

Leaders of Troup County and the City of LaGrange, it is time to take the red pill and wake up. You know something is wrong, but you don’t know what it is. Only with real information, hard data and informed analysis can you make smart tactical and strategic policy decisions. Stop blaming KIA based on anecdotes and speculation and get a move on.

Fuller Sloan

Hillcrest