Editor, the Advocate:

Richard Florida wrote a book a few years ago titled "The Rise of the Creative Class." He talks about which cities are thriving and which are struggling. He discusses many reasons why this may be, but basically he contends that vibrant cities are vibrant because they attract creative people. The city of Victoria is mentioned several times in his book. Unfortunately, it is not mentioned favorably.

Creative people, in terms of municipal growth, are private sector workers who foster growth by creating more jobs, particularly jobs in growth industries. Yet when one reads any of the several articles recently printed by the Advocate on this topic, one concludes that government, not the private sector, is the solution. Every single one of the articles printed recently advocated the expenditure of more tax dollars. Walkways and other such changes might be nice; they might even have a crucial impact by making Victoria more visually attractive, but they are not, according to Mr. Florida, fundamental to attracting talent.

To the city fathers, I humbly recommend you read "The Rise of the Creative Class" to get a perspective on this topic that is different yet complementary to the Advocate's notion that more government spending is the solution to the problem.

Mark Egan, Shiner