Optimism: All the good news and investment in county sign of good times ahead

It has not been easy to think positively about the economy this year.

With all the doom and gloom from Washington, and the analysts who might as well throw up their hands and announce, "Heck, we don't know what is going on either," it has been more than a challenge to consider where to spend money and how much.

Local businesses have not been able to keep a solid footing either in this slip-sliding economy, as worried shoppers put away their wallets -- just in case.

But in Goldsboro, there are signs that good times might be just around the corner.

The recent building boom -- and interest from some pretty powerful national retailers and restaurants -- should tell us all something.

Someone sees some pretty big potential in this small community.

How about that for a boost?

And that means that aside from the chance to be grateful for the opportunities that have come our way, we should also think that perhaps there is a reason to be a little more confident in our fiscal futures as the new year rings in.

There are still some challenges we will have to face. The national economy is still not exactly where we want it to be. Plenty of people are still waiting for their wages to increase -- something that has not been possible for many businesses of all sizes for a number of years.

More buying power means more business for retailers, restaurants and other consumer-driven enterprises. More business for local and national retailers and restaurants means they need to purchase more stock from manufacturers.

And you know what that means -- jobs.

Despite what you might have heard, there is no one leader in Washington who knows exactly how to keep an economy on track.

And you can bet there are a whole lot of business people -- from small businesses to large industrial interests -- who wish they had the answer, too.

But one thing is certain, crippling business and taxing the heck out of consumers is not the answer -- or at least it has not been for the last few years.

Goldsboro is lucky -- there is hope in all this building and new competition. It should make us all a little more confident, a little more willing to take a risk.

And as we get excited about the new members of our business community, we should also remember those who have been with us for years -- the community's small businesses. They deserve our support, too.

With a little faith and some good fiscal decisions, it looks like Wayne County just might be ready for a boom.

Not a bad way to start 2015, huh?

Published in Editorials on December 21, 2014 12:18 AM