Thanks to everyone who has added to thoughts to our discussion about what Erie should be thankful for.
But I also wanted to acknowledge that we're still getting a lot of discussion through the e-mail letter about whether Erie should make a new community college a top economic priority.
In addition to the discussion on this blog, I'm still getting some strong e-mails on the topic, including this one from Rebecca Markle:
"I am all for a community college. A community college gives a student the core courses. After completing the 2 years of courses, the student then transfers credits. to a traditional college for courses in the declared major. As credits at a community college cost less than credits at a more prestigious college or university, the student or her parents realize tremendous savings.
"Secondly, Erie has to stay competitive with an educated work force. If we don't have people who are aggressive learners, Erie will not attract the new technology jobs that are developing. It's not only about the job skills. It's about problem solving and critical thinking.
"Third, a lot of city residents can't afford the private schools. This city needs to find a way to give them a way to bootstrap themselves. I personally am all for bringing back a 2-year LPN program and give these students a lot of hospital time. There's always a nursing shortage. Erie can address that.
"Finally, I wish we could use the existing infrastructure of the Erie School District. Teach students during the day, adults at night. Let's squeeze as much use out of our resources as we can. After all, we are paying for it.
"Another thing I'd like to see is the encouragement of the 'garage business,' where a professor uses his knowledge to start a small business. Sometimes those enterprises can turn into something. If I recall correctly, a couple of well-known Erie businesses started in a basement. I wonder how much of that goes on, or is encouraged, or how many professors in the technical fields are encouraged to develop patent-worthy technology.
"I am thrilled to see that Erie is getting the biodiesel plant, why can't we figure out a way to harness the lake currents to make electricity?
"And there's the technology of running an electrical current through
water, and separating the hydrogen from oxygen, and burning the hydrogen. One of the emerging technologies I'm following is the Scuderi engine. Maybe an industry can be built on retrofitting cars to make them more fuel efficient. There's the continuous variable transmission and more efficient fuel delivery systems. We are not going to jump to new technology, we are going to creep toward it, and in the meantime, we will need to adapt our old tech to accommodate what we have already."
What do you think? Is Rebecca on target -- or way off base?