Posted: October 14, 2011

Dear editor,

Your article "AsiaTown seeks foreign investors," in the Sept. 26 issue, was well written and made me think about some tough issues. I wanted to share with you my thoughts that fundamentally question Hampton Roads' economic development strategy that highlights the area seeking foreign investors for an "AsiaTown" corridor.

Economic development should take a more holistic approach. Is this the right long-term strategy for HR? What are the impacts near-, mid- and long-term? Perhaps a better strategy would be to seek out American investors from within the U.S. Virginia, after all, is one of the nation's most business-friendly states. I believe a melting pot is a better long-term strategy than using government to create an Asian corridor in HR. This creates new pockets of society rather than assimilating into American society with deep cultural ties.

In Hampton Roads, the Asian population has increased 70 percent since the last census to 5.5 percent of total population. The jobs created would most likely service the foreigners who move here first temporary, then permanently. So beyond the revenue ROI for the city, what are the societal benefits for citizens?

If we learned anything from unbridled growth without profit balanced with other societal equities, there are second- and third-order effects that reveal themselves down the road. To recap, the AsiaTown economic development may increase revenue in the short term, but it impacts the other equities that take time to reveal themselves in our society.

Along a related path, China's workforce is 761 million with unemployment only 4.1 percent. The U.S. has a workforce of 150 million and unemployment of 9.2 percent. The Asian "Made in China" impact on the American economy is profound, undeniable and with no end in sight.

Cheap labor, regulations, etc. destroyed our manufacturing and textile base. The exact tipping point is debatable, but there is no doubt we have tipped.

It is also undeniable that Asian products already dominate our region. They dominate virtually every shopping category in military exchanges' inventory, lower-end products, goods and services in Walmart to small gift shops. Even our very own Luray Caverns in Virginia is now dominated by merchandise made in China.

Today, China (Asia) produces high-tech products by starting small and slowly overtaking jobs, technology and using our own education system as an engine to achieve advanced degrees. We have outsourced civil engineering infrastructure jobs, technology jobs and manufacturing.

So, turning back to attracting foreign Asian investors, is this a short-term fix to generate more revenue for more spending by government? Is this the correct strategy for economic development in HR, Virginia or the nation?

I believe that there are clearly equities that are not being considered in the context of what makes us unique and qualities that make us uniquely Hampton Roads.

To your knowledge, is anyone having these discussions?

Barry C. Ezell, Ph.D.

President, Salem Woods Civic Association