There are plenty of reasons not to look forward to 2013, most of them stemming from the fact that the new year could look a lot like the old year.
That, as we all know, has been a year of divisiveness, rancorous political debate and paralysis in Washington. It has, in North Carolina, been a year of high unemployment and a lame-duck administration too often distracted by scandal.
So now we are left searching for a quick fix for putting this country back on track.
Americans have found themselves struggling to stay afloat, both as individuals and as a nation, but we remain a resilient bunch that knows how to pick ourselves up, roll up our sleeves and begin the task of determining what is wrong and how we go about fixing it.
We don’t allow destiny to take the wheel; instead, the American people recalibrate, and begin to restore whatever has thrown us off-balance in the first place.
This time, it will be a big job.
Americans — and Tar Heels in particular — will face many challenges in this brand new year ahead, ranging from finding ways to preserve fairness in finding tax dollars to searching out places where government can shear spending.
Like many Eastern North Carolina counties, Lenoir, Greene and Jones face pressing local issues: a public education system that, while improving, still lags behind the ideal that parents, school administrators and community leaders know we need; persistent poverty and the related issue of job creation; and the difficult task of keeping tax rates down to levels that won’t place too heavy a burden on their citizens, while at the same time ensuring a level of service that residents expect from their governments.
It’s won’t be easy. We can only hope we have elected the right people to lead us into a future. November’s general election returned a number of familiar faces to positions of authority, but it also meant some new blood for school boards, boards of commissioners and legislative seats in our area. Optimistically — and that is the only way to face the new year — we expect that combination of experience and fresh ideas to make a difference.
No one can point to 2013 and claim to possess all the answers. Because resources are tight and the needs so great, each of the 50 state legislatures have plenty of work ahead if this country is to avoid going the route of Greece. North Carolina is no exception.
So, make no mistake; the months ahead will be both hard and painful. Americans can no longer expect the government to fill in every crack and cranny in their lives.
It’s time for our self-sufficiency, both as individuals and as a nation, to coalesce and guide this country through the times ahead. It is something we can do. It is something we will do. And the time to do it is right now.