Readers offer their goals: conservation, commerce, freedom

On New Year's Day, the Post asked readers to suggest three things the community should strive for in 2003. Here are the responses:

Plan for tomorrow

My overarching wish and dream for this county in the coming year and beyond is that we begin to take steps to ensure that we leave the next generation the same opportunities to live lives of dignity and opportunity that we have enjoyed. To this end, we obviously need continued economic development. However, it should be the type of economic development that is sustainable and geared toward the new economy. For example, initiatives that support tourism, retiree relocation and technological innovation all result in jobs but require less infrastructure, fewer county funded services, and have a lighter impact on our natural world than the heavy-industrial, lower-wage jobs of the past.

In order to attract sustainable economic development, we must promote and protect the unique characteristics of this county. At the top of the list should be the protection of our beautiful, vibrant and fertile countryside and natural areas. We must strengthen our land use plan, start a county-funded farmland and open-space preservation plan, and work towards guaranteeing greater quantity and quality of our vital water resources.

While the new Wal-Mart and countless nationally owned and managed chain restaurants around the interstate are thriving now, I hope that we will begin to realize that locally owned hardware stores, vibrant and quaint downtown areas, and the plethora of wonderful smelling family-run barbecue restaurants are the gems that set us apart from the rest of the rapidly homogenizing world. These, along with our strong sense of community, are the types of qualities that managers and CEOs look for when deciding where to locate a new business.

And finally, while passage of the school bond was a great first step, we must go further in promoting education of our citizenry to attract the employers we want. For every person in this county with a college degree, there are almost two who cannot read this letter! This must be reversed through increased support of our teachers and administrators, promotion of our wonderful colleges and bold leadership from our elected officials.

I also wish that the coming year will begin to bring a cure to the lethal plagues of apathy and ignorance that appear to be taking hold of more and more citizens. Whether it's participating in the school PTO or just going to vote in elections, I hope more citizens of this county will want to educate themselves on the issues that affect us all, and then be willing to voice their opinions to those in charge.

Jason A. Walser

Salisbury

Editor's note: Walser is executive director of The LandTrust for Central North Carolina.