Economic Problems in Macon

Macon was recently named the seventh poorest city in the United States by Forbes magazine. Unfortunately, this disgraceful title has been placed on this city. Macon is in the heart of middle Georgia. It was once home to Brown and Williamson, which is one of the big tobacco giants that had an annual payroll of 186 million dollar. It was one of the highest pay wage-earning jobs in the state of Georgia. This company was a huge asset to the local economy. Its departure almost 5 years ago left Macon in an economic slump that it has yet to recover from. Money will not solve all problems but there must be a change in attitude. The big problem in Macon is that there is a high level of apathy here. There is no desire to bring about positive change. It has become content with just being average. For years, the city has been plagued by name dynasties. In some cases, it has had the same people in leadership roles for thirty years or more. Not only has this kept the city from prospering but it has also caused it to miss many economic opportunities. One case in particular was during the 1996 Olympic Games, there were no events held in Macon.

Macon is a city that time has passed by. Recently a decision was made by local government to use 2 million dollars of stimulus money received from the Obama administration to renovate public housing. This is a perfect example of the type of decision making in Macon that further justifies the ranking that was given by Forbes. It gives truth to the maxim that people are afraid of hearing the truth. By renovating public housing are not encouraging people to seek economic opportunity for themselves but instead you are making them more dependent on the government. These funds were to be used to help stimulate the economy; something that will hopefully generate long-term revenue. It is imperative that the city of Macon come up with a solution to resolve its financial problems. Macon is in desperate need of something that will have a positive economical impact on the city. Macon is a major through fare to Atlanta, which means there should be no reason why it should have so many economic problems.