CityView Magazine

publisher's note Reasons for Thanksgiving J ust recently President Obama announced all the troops will be coming home before the end of the year from Iraq. To the citizens of Fayette- ville and Ft. Bragg this has special meaning. The families of the troops can be relieved their loved ones will no longer be in harm's way. To Fayetteville in general it should be an economic shot in the arm. Although most of the families stayed in Fayetteville and Ft. Bragg while their soldiers were deployed, (something which did not happen dur- ing the 1990 Gulf War) it still has had an economic impact on our community when they are gone. Families make major economic decisions together and therefore major purchases normally wait until they are all together again. Fayetteville has been blessed by the strong payroll of Ft. Bragg, but taking 4,000 to 5,000 people out of the equation takes its toll. Economics is a trickle down process. Normally speaking, a dollar spent has a three-fold effect on the over- all economy. Our economy in Fayetteville has suffered, but not tremendously like some of our neighboring communities. People have been very careful about spending their money, mainly due to all the negative news in the press about the na- tional situation. However, we should see good growth in the first quarter of 2012 as a result of the troops coming home. This should mean more jobs and less uncertainty. It will have a tremendous positive effect on Fayetteville and Cumberland County. Most important is that family life in Fayetteville will im- prove with all these families being together for the Christmas holidays. People will be back home and also in church again, giving thanks to God for the safety of their spouse, daddy, mother, grandson, son and friend being home again. Studies show that when a family is fully intact as a full unit the mem- bers of that unit are happier and more productive in society. This Thanksgiving let us all give thanks for where we live and praise God for the troops, for what they do for our coun- try's freedom and the fact they are back home again. Correction: Clyde Randall Boone is not related to Debby Boone, Pat Boone, Richard Boone or Daniel Boone. A story in the Anniversary Issue of CityView stated his name and family relations incorrectly. CityView regrets the error and apologizes for any confusion. 12 | November/December • 2011

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