Few Americans would dispute President Bush’s State of the Union assertion that our nation “has never been stronger.” The war against terrorism has invigorated the country with newfound unity and a sense of common purpose.
But if you ask North Carolinians about the state of their local communities, many could offer a different story — and one where they will be waiting for more details from the president on his vision for stimulating growth, creating jobs and shoring up overstressed safety-net programs that give help to the unemployed.
While our military has been putting terrorists on the run, many regions of the country have seen jobs take flight in wholesale numbers, too. In North Carolina, the focus has been on manufacturing and textile layoffs, but the slowing economy also has taken a toll in the banking industry, high-tech firms and even retail sectors. December’s unemployment figures showed that 61 one of the state’s 100 counties, including Rowan, had unemployment rates between 5 and 10 percent, with nine exceeding 10 percent.
In his speech Tuesday night, President Bush rightly put homeland security and national defense at the top of his legislative agenda. But, in turning to domestic issues, he noted that economic security was just as important for Americans, and that it was our economic power that the terrorists had targeted in their September attacks. In words directed at the 1.4 million Americans who have lost jobs since the economic slump began last March, Bush said that “Americans want more than unemployment checks; they want a steady paycheck. When America works, America prospers; so my economic security plan can be summed up in one word:jobs.”
Toward that end, Bush offered a list of broad goals intended to offer near-term relief for the unemployed, as well as long-term strategies for creating jobs and boosting the economy. He called for increased aid for the unemployed, as well as tax credits to help those without health insurance. Noting that “good jobs begin with good schools,” he urged expansion of early childhood education programs and teacher training” programs.
For long-term economic expansion, he called for more tax cuts to stimulate consumer spending and business reinvestment, and he urged restrained spending by Congress — even though many of the programs he advocated are potentially expensive.
Those economic initiatives sound good, and few would disagree with their intent. Some, such as expanding Head Start programs and other school resources, are even likely to gain bipartisan support. But as the administration and Congress turn more of their energies to domestic issues, the question will be whether the unified front against terrorism will translate into a similar resolve to shape tax, trade and social-service policies that better enable communities to fortify themselves against the inevitable fluctuations of a rapidly changing global economy.
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