Selected
Article:
Delta Regional Authority stays true to mission
By Pete Johnson
“Free
enterprise is the mighty horse that pulls the wagon on which
all of us must ride.”
– Winston Churchill
Mr.
Churchill was a keen student of history who knew all too
well that his own country, Great Britain, began to flourish
when free enterprise came into its own in the early 18th
century. This entrepreneurial, independent spirit has been
the foundation on which Britain and America were built.
It is this spirit that led to the settling and clearing
of what we now know as the Mississippi Delta Region which
encompasses some 240 counties and parishes in eight states.
This Region has a long history of dramatic economic swings
of prosperity and poverty of dependence and independence.
The Delta Regional Authority was created in December of
2000 by the Congress to “Remedy severe and chronic
distress in the Region by stimulating economic development.”
This is indeed a tall order. In the pursuit of this mission,
President Bush believes that government’s role is
to create a climate of opportunity so that free enterprise
will flourish and the principles that help make this great
nation the land of opportunity will prevail.
We will be successful in our efforts by:
• Establishing systems that sustain economic growth;
• Ending the fragmentation of programs and funding
by coordinating and targeting various forms of assistance;
• Eliminating duplication, overlaps and gaps of service
by developing comprehensive well-thought-out solutions;
• Continuing to address quality of life issues until
economic independence is achieved; and
• Maintaining an ongoing strategic planning process
to identify and remove the barriers and obstacles to economic
development.
Our cities, towns and states will prosper only if the following
basic thresholds are met in what I would term “critical
mass issues”. I would submit that all of these issues
must be effectively addressed and critical mass achieved
if the free enterprise system is to work.
Health Care: A child who is sick can’t learn and a
worker who is sick can’t work. It’s as simple
as that. And, oftentimes something as simple as a toothache
or the common cold can destroy their ability to compete
and fracture their fragile future. Access to affordable
health care must be achieved if the region is to be successful.
Education: The importance of education is undisputed. However,
we have failed to recognize that a child born into poverty
and not properly nourished enters our educational system
at a significant disadvantage unless we intervene at a very
early age. It is an undisputed fact that brain cell development
in the first 18 months to three years of a child’s
life can literally determine the child’s ability to
compete in an ever-changing world. Additionally, lifelong
learning opportunities for everyone must be continuously
addressed.
Housing: A child can’t learn in a house that is hot
in the summer and freezing in the winter. Nor can we expect
our workers to be productive if they have to sleep in a
house that is as hot as an oven or as cold as a freezer.
Decent affordable housing affects productivity at all levels.
It is not only a quality of life issue; it is an economic
issue. The fact is that home ownership is the number one
wealth builder in the U.S. and we must strive to help many
of our renters become home owners if they are to ever enjoy
the American dream.
Transportation: Access to health care, education, housing
and markets are essential if the free enterprise system
is to work. This not only includes highways, bridges and
ports but also rural transportation systems.
Capital: Capital is the mother’s milk of entrepreneurship,
and access to capital is oftentimes an insurmountable hurdle
for many small businesses. New Markets Tax Credits recently
introduced by the Treasury Department is one of many important
programs which can have a dramatic impact on private sector
investment in the Region.
Leadership, however, serves as the foundation on which these
five critical mass issues must be built, for without effective
leaders who possess the skills to develop these issues we
will fall short of our mark. I am reminded of an ancient
proverb that is true even today: “Without vision the
people will perish.” We must move to develop leaders
committed to the common goal of uplifting the people of
our Region who are men and women of vision and purpose.
Government can do just so much. The rest is left up to us
entrepreneurs who know and understand the free enterprise
system. DBJ
(Pete
Johnson is the Federal Co-Chairman of the Delta Regional
Authority based in Clarksdale, MS.)
