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I'm not sure where Paul lives, but he's making it sound like all of us here in Kokomo are huddling around fires to stay warm, eating mayonnaise sandwiches and drinking sugar water. I assure you that's not the case.
Sure things are bad, people are losing some jobs but things are bad everywhere. Kokomo is not like Detroit. I think the Forbes article is ********; Kokomo was an easy mark for that story because, unlike a city like Anderson that's lost all of its high-paying manufacturing jobs, Kokomo still has its big three: Haynes, Delphi and Chrysler. Yes, at least two or those are on life support as we speak, but the fact remains that you can call any city -- not just Kokomo -- with American automotive jobs left to lose a "dying" city in this economy. As long as those places are still operational here, Kokomo will exist in somewhat close to the same state it's in now. And to be honest, the state it's in now is not too terribly bad, as I see it. Sure, the car dealerships are dropping like flies, but there is growth in other areas.
I understand that one or all three of those factories that sustain my hometown could cease to exist literally tomorrow, but I hold out hope that they pull through. Because I like my city. It's goofy, but I'm proud of where I'm from.
As far as the Speedway goes, what K.O. said in the intro to his Staab interview rings true: the race fan will find a way to show up. I will see the same faces this summer that I've seen for 26 years prior, and some new ones. In fact, as the pro sports leagues circle of the drain (which has just begun, I promise you) I think that grassroots entertainment like what we have every Sunday night will get a boost. That's another of my hopes, anyway. Because as bad as it would be to see Kokomo go to hell, seeing Kokomo Speedway boarded up would just about kill me.
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