APPROPRIATE TITLE

Karen Hoffman's July 2007 article, "Irrational Numbers" (a number that has no end and no pattern - an apt description of educational reform), did an excellent job of demonstrating that irrational decisions by some business, educational and political leaders have produced irrational results. Those same people are again making suggestions for educational reforms that are irrational.

Corporations and foundations have an opportunity to introduce real changes into the educational system by changing those plans for educational progress they will fund. The experts that can show demonstrated results are outside the traditional educational system and their proposals are not even considered by corporations and foundations. Now, that really is irrational!

IT'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Casey Corr's observations about the impact of the arts in new business recruitment (August 2007, "Putting Priority on People") represent a common misunderstanding regarding the definition of economic development. While the "soft" features of a location such as its appearance or "quality of life" activities such as the arts may have an influence on a company's site selection process, these features better represent what is called community development. Economic development focuses on essential business needs such as power, water, sewer, transportation and shipping docks.

It is also important to make a distinction between primary industries and secondary industries. Primary industries add wealth to a region by creating a product or service and selling it outside of the region. Secondary industries are supported by the distribution of that wealth with the purchasing and selling of goods and services inside the region. The best thing that can happen to a secondary business like a mom-and-pop pizza joint is for a primary business like Boeing to flourish and prosper ? "make that extra large please."

The role of government in economic development then becomes a question of how to reap the job-creation benefits of primary industries ? do we collectively pay for the infrastructure needed for businesses to locate and grow in our region or do we place the entire burden on the private sector? Obviously, there is a role for both public and private investment, and the best type of infrastructure projects are public-private partnerships. While on the surface public contributions to the infrastructure needs of private industry may seem like "sloppy science" and corporate welfare, for government to view the operational needs of businesses from their perspective provides a better understanding of what really stimulates economic development.

PAT HALEY, DIRECTOR Port of Douglas County