Laurels to one consequence of the state’s economic slowdown:  freeze on tax incentives. Taxpayers have long wondered what it would take to reverse the trend toward “corporate welfare” —enticing new industry with generous tax breaks. Former State Treasurer Harlan Boyles provided the answer earlier this week.

Appointed by Gov. Mike Easley to head a board reviewing tax loopholes, Boyles proclaimed a two-year moratorium on new tax incentives. North Carolina might be at a temporary disadvantage in the recruitment wars, but the current economic climate suggests there’s not much new industry to fight for. If the economy slows down all across the country and all states phase out incentives and tailormade tax loopholes, we will arrive at a level playing field by default.

Too bad that didn’t happen at the county level a year or two ago. Rowan might be better off if it hadn’t felt compelled to pony up multi-million-dollar tax-incentive packages to Carolina Power & Light and Entergy.

Dart to whatever security lapse allowed two men to come into possession of five shoulder-fired, anti-tank missile launchers. Authorities are still trying to determine exactly how Daniel Rice, 37, of Concord and Allen Morgan, 22, of Rockwell got their hands on the high-powered military weapons. The rocket launchers can stop tanks or demolish bunkers and, as one officer noted in understatement, are “nothing of use to the people of Rowan or Cabarrus counties.” Not even during deer season.

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Clarification: A Thursday editorial in the Post called former Superintendent Joe McCann “Mr. Caution”for his philosophy toward snow days and suggested Rowan-Salisbury Schools’ new school chief Wiley Doby was taking a different approach.

That was off-base, says Gene Miller, assistant superintendent. The results would have been the same Thursday regardless of whether McCann or Doby were superintendent, because the schools’ method of reviewing road conditions has not changed, he said. Transportation director Jim Christy checks on road conditions with his staff members, then confers with Miller, who passes on the consensus advice to the superintendent.

“The call would have been no different regardless of who was sitting in the superintendent’s chair,” Miller said Friday.

Miller said half the bus fleet was already out Thursday morning before road conditions got bad, and calling the buses back would have caused confusion and possibly more risk. “We acted on the best information we had,” Miller said. “We are not going to put anybody in jeopardy.”