Thanksgiving is time to look past our shortcomings

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I told myself I wouldn’t do this, that it’s too cliché to write a Thanksgiving column.

But I couldn’t resist.

First, it’s the time of year when we’re supposed to take inventory of all things positive in our lives. So, not to do so would deny the holiday its reason for being.

More importantly, I felt that because this year was such a hard one for the Charlotte region, it’s therapeutic for our souls to look past the negative headlines for a change and reflect on the bright spots in our community.

So, forget about the high unemployment, the foreclosures, the screaming and hollering about public schools being closed and consolidated and the Panthers’ abysmal season for a moment. We’ve got a lot of good things happening here.

• The Charlotte region is in high demand. Lots of people are moving here. Just look at the traffic. I’ve been living in Mecklenburg County since June, after relocating from New Orleans. Roughly three to four out of every five people I meet aren’t from here. They are flocking to the Charlotte region because they like the weather, or for jobs or because they’ve heard it’s a great place to raise a family. We should all be proud to live in a place that people love to call home.
• Businesses are expanding. This year alone, Siemens said it plans to expand a manufacturing facility on Westinghouse Boulevard and create at least 825 jobs over the next five years, the American Red Cross said it will create 440 jobs at a Charlotte call center, Celgard said it will add 209 jobs and build a Cabarrus County plant and Citco Fund Services announced plans to bring more than 250 jobs to Charlotte
• We are leaders at being green, and the rest of the county is paying attention. This year, Duke Energy Center received platinum certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’s green-rating program, recognizing it as the most sustainable skyscraper in the U.S. Throughout 2010, there was one announcement after another about different buildings in our area receiving LEED certification. There have been so many LEED-certification announcements in Charlotte this year, it’s almost become a nonstory, although, to be sure, it’s great news.
• More high-speed rail funding could be heading this way. This month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said federal funds meant for Ohio and Wisconsin could be given to North Carolina. LaHood also spoke highly of North Carolina’s work on light-rail projects. Comments like those make the rest of the country take notice of our state and region and could lure more people and businesses here.
• Site Selection magazine in November said North Carolina has the best business climate in the state. How’s that for positive press?

Yes, there are a lot of things that need to be improved in our community. We can always find something to gripe about.

But for one day, let’s look at what we have and agree that, despite our problems, we’ve got a lot to be thankful for.

Editor Deon Roberts can be reached at [email protected].