Focus on the manageable in 2008

For anyone who keeps track of local, national and international news, whether viewing, listening, reading or writing it, it can seem at times that the same issues keep coming back again and again. It can seem that way because it often is that way.

Is it simply human nature? Do we constantly worry about the same things? Or is it that problems just don’t get solved, so return to haunt us?

On the international level, while breaking news will tell us about any natural disasters that occur, it’s the political and diplomatic news that is all too repetitious. The United States flexing its muscles, much of the world resenting it. The worldwide economy taking a nosedive, the gap between the rich and the poor widening. China making more and more of what the rest of the world consumes.

National news, of course, is now immersed in the looming presidential election, with endless "debates" leading up to the first primaries (finally) in early January. But really, doesn’t the election seem almost anticlimactic after all the money and time spent on the run-up to it? Illegal immigration to fill jobs essential to the American economy. Polarization among voters throughout the country.

But local issues that keep recurring have the most direct impact on our lives, so really should get our immediate attention. In our region this year, we’ve had the push and pull between sprawl and conservation surfacing again and again and affecting housing availability, maintenance of our natural resources, and making the lives of those on any planning and zoning commissions more and more complicated. The lack of affordable housing and good jobs make it more and more difficult for young families to remain in the region, leading to a dwindling public school population.

Revaluation of property in many area towns at a time when real estate was at the zenith of a boom has made it harder for long-time residents to pay their property taxes, which fund the schools. And the taxes aren’t likely to go down, since despite potentially smaller classes in the schools, expenses remain high due to fixed costs resulting from teachers’ contracts, program and curriculum needs and ever-expanding health-care and special education costs.

The best thing we all can do in the new year, though, is to pay close attention to those issues that demand it. If they recur, it’s clear they need some creative thought and action in order to reach resolution. There are many good things about living in the Tri-state region, and they can keep coming back as well to remind us of why we live here.

Here’s to a new year of solutions, as well as resolutions.