Opinion

I've just returned from the first lecture of the new semester to my undergraduate economics class. The topic: What's the essential economic problem, and how do we solve it?

The immediate aftermath was predictable.

In December, we chastised - he said berated - a Smithfield councilman for supporting a closed-door search for a town manager. We're sorry if our words sounded harsh, but we are simply dismissive of the notion that secrecy is essential to good governance.

I was born in 1961, at the tail end of the Baby Boom.

One hears it often in management speak: A company or a chief executive or a work group needs to be proactive, not reactive. Proactive would certainly describe Garner Police Chief Brandon Zuidema.

On Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday, Gatewood subdivision in Garner honored his legacy by unveiling a new subdivision sign donated by a newly formed Community Watch committee.

Every weekday morning, a newspaper carrier places eight copies of The News & Observer on the Record's doorstep. By the time I arrive, usually between 7:30 and 8, the number of papers is down to seven; someone is stealing a copy.

Girl Scouts are ringing doorbells across Johnston County. When you answer your door, remember that it's more than a box of cookies - it's a lasting investment in your community.

Months ago, then-state Republican Party head Tom Fetzer predicted that Gov. Beverly Perdue would not run for a second term.

Some Johnston County commissioners were unhappy that they were debating a panhandling ordinance.

These days, a lot of newspapers are devoting sections of their websites to mug shots of the latest people arrested by police. And why not?

Credit is the life-blood of an economy. Even the best-run business and most-prosperous household sometimes needs access to credit.

One-time uber-lobbyist Don Beason won't be paying a five- or six-figure fine after all.

It seems a silly question really: Does an industry belong in an industrial park?

It is true that employees of Johnston County government haven't enjoyed a pay raise since the 2008-09 budget year, a fact noted recently by a sympathetic county commissioner.

This year - 2012 - is a big election year, and as a result, we'll hear much discussion about economic issues. Indeed, most political analysts say economics will be front and center in the many election campaigns.

The town of Garner has done something novel, at least among the local governments we have covered over the years. The town has calculated how much a house should be worth to pay its fair share of town services.

In Johnston County, Selma leaders have reached the conclusion - perhaps reluctantly - that businesses make decisions based on costs. Only in government could that be an epiphany.

Your Jan. 1 political cartoon shows the "payroll tax cut" blowing up in Rep. John Boehner's face because of the Tea Party. The payroll tax is the ONLY source of funding for Social Security. Everyone knows the Social Security trust fund was spent long ago.

As I work toward my degree in speech therapy with a minor in child development at East Carolina University, I am pleased to know that my health insurance will not be at risk when I graduate in two years.