4 ms·

And yet if Wyoming wanted to grow its economy, they could add more ski resorts, winter sports facilities, hotels, and other tourist related businesses. They are

And yet if Wyoming wanted to grow its economy, they could add more ski resorts, winter sports facilities, hotels, and other tourist related businesses. They are doubling down on the wrong ideas.

toomuchtodo 10y ago
Unless you're prepared to make up the difference in pay with social benefits, its disingenuous to suggest industries that are going to significantly lower quality of life for people. Disclaimer: I propose making up the difference with social benefits. "Basic income lite" if you will until society can catch up with the fact that your job and income does not define you.
Spooky23 10y ago
They could add more ski stuff...at wages 50% less. Mining is a horrible business and worse job. If people are fighting for that, they have no options.
tomjen3 10y ago
I don't disagree that it is a wrong move, but those are all service jobs, which have crap pay and probably a mine employs more people than a hotel.
oh_sigh 10y ago
Tourism is a shitty way to make a living. It's basically retail writ large.
cloakandswagger 10y ago
Do you think those blue collar coal workers are going to be amenable to switching careers so they can service wealthy ski resort visitors? All while making much less money? On a personal note, I've always been troubled by the over-representation of unnecessary services and useless gadgets in the US economy. Luxury ski resorts and $400 cookie baking devices (with connected smartphone app) are not noble products, and they demoralize the workers who provide/build them. I know this might not be a popular sentiment to those on HN who Uber home from their San Francisco office to pick up their Blue Apron delivery and pre-order their new iDevice, but there it is.
- narrowrail 10y ago
  As someone that lives in the region (and used to live in Jackson), resorts can be quite lucrative. Black lung is not a great condition to acquire. My ex was a bartender pulling down $400/night. The service economy is basically a sales training job where connections can be made, and advancement is a possibility. I'm a telecommuter, but I know many people that live/work in these areas and do ok. It should be a known cost to living in such great environments with heavy tourism.
  - username223 10y ago
    You know service workers both living and working in Jackson, and doing okay? Those lucky few! Jackson refuses to build more affordable housing (because tourists and rich locals think poor people are gross). Therefore you see many of the people who work there commute daily from Idaho, and many of the seasonal employees camp out in the national forest behind the Strategic Elk Reserve. Jackson is a terrible model (Vail is similarly bad). That said, coal and fracking seem like a bad idea for Wyoming's future. It has plenty of wind and empty land.
- krapp 10y ago
  > Do you think those blue collar coal workers are going to be amenable to switching careers so they can service wealthy ski resort visitors? All while making much less money? The value of their time is determined by the market, whether and how in demand their skills are. They can make themselves amenable to whatever other career options are available, or else make themselves amenable to starve waiting for the resurgence of a dying industry. The days of lifetime employment in a single career are rapidly coming to an end - globalism and automation are constantly reducing the value of employment in many professions, or making human employment obsolete. Those industries which haven't been gutted by these trends yet will be, inevitably. Nearly everyone is going to have to learn to take what little they can get when they can get it, in time. And instead of pandering to blue collar workers, Republicans should actually be trying to help them prepare for the future, rather than yearn for the past. But they can't, because what would help would be subsidizing education and healthcare to reduce the crippling burdens of debt on the lower and middle class and make it easier for people to find other jobs, and possibly institute some sort of basic income so that a lack of employment won't be devastating, as lack of employment becomes the norm for more and more people.
planteen 10y ago
Gillette, WY is never going to be a ski resort town. There are no mountains near there to develop. Most of the state is flat and dry.
orasis 10y ago
The bulk of Wyoming is quite desolate and the touristy places have high real estate costs. Your ideas wouldn't help Wyoming citizens.
- knieveltech 10y ago
  About the only thing that would is relocation assistance. Source: lived in Laramie for a while.

And yet if Wyoming wanted to grow its economy, they could add more ski resorts, winter sports facilities, hotels, and other tourist related businesses. They are doubling down on the wrong ideas.

toomuchtodo 10y ago

Unless you're prepared to make up the difference in pay with social benefits, its disingenuous to suggest industries that are going to significantly lower quality of life for people. Disclaimer: I propose making up the difference with social benefits. "Basic income lite" if you will until society can catch up with the fact that your job and income does not define you.

Spooky23 10y ago

They could add more ski stuff...at wages 50% less. Mining is a horrible business and worse job. If people are fighting for that, they have no options.

tomjen3 10y ago

I don't disagree that it is a wrong move, but those are all service jobs, which have crap pay and probably a mine employs more people than a hotel.

oh_sigh 10y ago

Tourism is a shitty way to make a living. It's basically retail writ large.

cloakandswagger 10y ago

Do you think those blue collar coal workers are going to be amenable to switching careers so they can service wealthy ski resort visitors? All while making much less money? On a personal note, I've always been troubled by the over-representation of unnecessary services and useless gadgets in the US economy. Luxury ski resorts and $400 cookie baking devices (with connected smartphone app) are not noble products, and they demoralize the workers who provide/build them. I know this might not be a popular sentiment to those on HN who Uber home from their San Francisco office to pick up their Blue Apron delivery and pre-order their new iDevice, but there it is.

narrowrail 10y ago
As someone that lives in the region (and used to live in Jackson), resorts can be quite lucrative. Black lung is not a great condition to acquire. My ex was a bartender pulling down $400/night. The service economy is basically a sales training job where connections can be made, and advancement is a possibility. I'm a telecommuter, but I know many people that live/work in these areas and do ok. It should be a known cost to living in such great environments with heavy tourism.
- username223 10y ago
  You know service workers both living and working in Jackson, and doing okay? Those lucky few! Jackson refuses to build more affordable housing (because tourists and rich locals think poor people are gross). Therefore you see many of the people who work there commute daily from Idaho, and many of the seasonal employees camp out in the national forest behind the Strategic Elk Reserve. Jackson is a terrible model (Vail is similarly bad). That said, coal and fracking seem like a bad idea for Wyoming's future. It has plenty of wind and empty land.
krapp 10y ago
> Do you think those blue collar coal workers are going to be amenable to switching careers so they can service wealthy ski resort visitors? All while making much less money? The value of their time is determined by the market, whether and how in demand their skills are. They can make themselves amenable to whatever other career options are available, or else make themselves amenable to starve waiting for the resurgence of a dying industry. The days of lifetime employment in a single career are rapidly coming to an end - globalism and automation are constantly reducing the value of employment in many professions, or making human employment obsolete. Those industries which haven't been gutted by these trends yet will be, inevitably. Nearly everyone is going to have to learn to take what little they can get when they can get it, in time. And instead of pandering to blue collar workers, Republicans should actually be trying to help them prepare for the future, rather than yearn for the past. But they can't, because what would help would be subsidizing education and healthcare to reduce the crippling burdens of debt on the lower and middle class and make it easier for people to find other jobs, and possibly institute some sort of basic income so that a lack of employment won't be devastating, as lack of employment becomes the norm for more and more people.

planteen 10y ago

Gillette, WY is never going to be a ski resort town. There are no mountains near there to develop. Most of the state is flat and dry.

orasis 10y ago

The bulk of Wyoming is quite desolate and the touristy places have high real estate costs. Your ideas wouldn't help Wyoming citizens.

knieveltech 10y ago
About the only thing that would is relocation assistance. Source: lived in Laramie for a while.