SEARCHING FOR THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THE ECONOMY

Back during Christmas, I talked to a relative who sounded apologetic that she had spent money on herself. My response was “good for you!” You are helping the economy and helping a small local business. We need more people like you.

We are The Bright Side, always looking for the positive side of life. There are days lately when the economic news is so gloomy that we forget to see that sunnier side of life. But I do believe that, if we allow free enterprise to continue without excessive government interference and taxes, we will continue to prosper as a community and a country.

Right now, however, many small business owners are furrowed with worry, struggling to survive as more people either don’t have the funds to spend or are cutting their budget. True, there are many folks in our community who have been laid off or had their income cut.

But the bright side is that many of you are earning the same income and have the means for life as usual. You are the people who are strengthening our economy by continuing to shop in our local stores, eat in our local restaurants, and use our local service providers.

Many of us are watching our dollars these days. However, every dollar that is spent in our own neighborhoods helps our small businesses and helps our county. There are some great deals out there for homes and autos and for other purchases. I hope many of you can take advantage of these good deals in the next few months.

I know I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: we really, really appreciate our advertisers each month. They are reaching out to the community with information about what they have to offer. They are the reason we are able to publish each month and send the paper to so many homes. We hope our readers will use their goods and services when the need arises.

It is a scary economic time for many of us in southern Cobb and throughout the nation. Together let’s keep looking for those glimmers of positive news, supporting one another as we move from the winter of economic gloom to the summer of economic resurgence.

February 2009