Nice to learn this week the feds finally got around to acknowledging what the blind have been able to see for months now. We are in a national recession and have been so for about a year now. Thank you for that.
At least fuel prices have dropped to almost early 2000s levels, although the cynical among us waits to see how long these circa 2004 prices will last now that the national election is behind us.
Some time ago, in one of his best eye rolling moments of the year, Gov. Baldacci said it would be Yankee ingenuity and community spirit that will see us through the tough times ahead.
Even while Baldacci was informing us that little or no help could be expected from the state this year, he was dead on about one thing: it will be our community that pulls us through.
Times are hard and getting harder and it may well get worse before it gets better, but there is something we can all do to lighten the load. We can all pitch in just a little bit.
We can make a food donation to the local food pantry. If we can’t spare a couple of bucks for the Salvation Army kettles in Damariscotta’s downtown, how about donating an hour, one single hour, to ring the bell?
We could get in on this local storm window construction effort.
We could hit one of these Wish Trees for the Holiday Wishes program and buy a toy for some youngster.
On a grander scale, if we find a spare dime, this Christmas let’s try to buy one thing, just one more present, product or service locally this year than we did last. Study after study shows that a dollar spent in a community business does more to keep that community alive and vital than it does when that dollar is sent out of state.
If we keep it local, we should be able to keep it together.
