Economic development

The outbreak of huffing and puffing about economic stimulus in the face of recession should surprise no one, and of course the President's plan is nothing but tax breaks. (Can we take a guess who they'll benefit?) Depressingly, Democrats are chirping in with "me too!" when there's very sound alternative means of providing stimulus that could, you know, improve the country in addition to just getting out the economic defibrillator.

Lots of things to chose from here, but I want to focus on one. It's an option that could help people move about the country better, shore up the collapsing manufacturing sector, and decrease our carbon emissions all in one swoop.

I'm talking about our union's rail infrastructure.

I find myself compelled to different degrees by both sides of the argument on this issue. Generally I support something that offers economic development, particularly if it doesn’t do so by just giving tax-breaks to corporations which is just bad long-term policy. It’s also ironic that a year after fighting to keep all of North Carolina’s bases we are now saying we don’t want expansions of some of said bases and new facilities. All that said I’m also a conservationist and would never advocate something that had a major negative impact on fragile wetland environments or agricultural jobs which are the foundation of our State (that’s the State as an entity not just the economy). But this all leaves me wondering, ‘Are these really the only options?’

There are so many important issues facing North Carolina today. You’ll likely hear candidates for state office debating health care, education and environmental policies. But none of the proposed solutions will work if we don’t have the money to fund them. That is why I believe we must make economic development a top priority for all communities.

Textiles and tobacco no longer form the backbone of North Carolina’s economy. According to the Employment Security Commission, more than 5,000 businesses have shuttered over the last two decades. Many of those closings affected hundreds of workers and their families, making ghost towns of once vibrant communities.

If nothing else, those devastating closings taught us the danger of putting all our eggs in one basket. Instead of working to attract one big business to North Carolina, I believe it makes more sense to support smaller, community-based companies that are less likely to pick up and leave in search of friendlier tax codes. Backing 10 local companies to increase their employment by 30 people is a more economically sustainable solution to job creation than finding one company to employ 300.

The following is a letter I have sent to Governor Easley. I encourage anyone concerned about the environment or North Carolina's economy to contact him as well and urge him to promote the development of bio-refineries here in NC.

Thanks.

Dear Mr. Governor,

I would like to encourage you to take note of the great work done recently by Mr. Pataki, governor of New York. Thanks to his leadership, the state of New York and commercial partners have committed to building the country’s first bio-refinery plant. The benefits of developing this technology are significant, and it will have a positive impact of on the environment and economy of whatever states or regions are at its forefront. I strongly encourage you to learn as much as you can about bio-refineries and to explore North Carolina’s potential to be a part of this critical future industry.

If you listen to tax-nuts at the John Locke Puppetshow, you'd think North Carolina has erected DO NOT ENTER signs at our state borders. According to the Puppets, our onerous state taxes and burdensome regulations are bad for bidness and must be rolled back.

Not according to this story.

California-based Shutterfly plans to invest $31.5 million in the operation over the next three years. The facility is expected to create 233 new jobs and open sometime during the third quarter. The new jobs are expected to pay an average annual salary of about $38,324. "We chose North Carolina for its business-friendly environment and skilled labor force," says Jeffrey Housenbold, company chief executive.