Losing Mindset

Living in an impoverished border town with nothing to do or see, longtime Blaine residents have apparently adopted a losing mindset, one where they are resigned to that longstanding situation. City leadership, such as it is, is no exception. 

To turn this untenable situation around and set a course for prosperity requires looking at long term public investments in attractions that draw tourists, like they did in La Conner. Tourists want to see art galleries and museums, not churches downtown. 

Tourism appears to be what the city chose by default as its economic recovery plan, without any idea as to how to make the transition from a fishing economy that died two generations ago. The city could solicit fresh ideas from its citizenry, but that would take a change in mindset. 

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