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Economic Security = National Security

January 19, 2015

The recent terrorist acts in Europe have brought to light the difficult subjects of immigration, race, religion, and yes, economic development. As John Hope Bryant stated at the HOPE Global Forum in Atlanta last week, “the most dangerous people in the world are those without hope.” This does not justify these murderous acts against innocent citizens, but it does serve as a call to action right here at home.

When our economy is strong, we are able to not only stay on the offense against resilient enemies, but to negotiate better deals with our allies. Economic growth fortifies our neighborhoods family by family and it strengthens the United States’ ability to stand against those who wish to limit freedom. Economic strength in real dollars helps create infrastructure and a military to protect us and generates hope for a better future.

Especially on this day when we honor Martin Luther King, Jr., it is important to be reminded of the power of opportunity. In his final book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?, he wrote extensively about the cycle of poverty, the far worse condition of hopelessness and the many challenges of broad-based economic development. Perhaps he would be proud of how far we’ve come on certain issues. I’m certain he would observe that we still have much work to do. Let’s honor him with our commitment to create economic security for our neighborhoods, our cities and our country.

–Kenny McDonald

One Columbus Update

  • Congratulations to The Ohio State Buckeyes on winning the National Championship! Your winning season reflects the standard of excellence achieved every day in the Columbus Region.
  • It’s another special week in Central Ohio as Columbus hosts the NHL All-Star Game at Nationwide Arena.
  • This Friday is the last day to register for the One Columbus Investor Update on January 29, featuring the Columbus Region Global Trade and Investment Strategy and 2015 Global Economic Outlook. We’ll be joined by the Brookings Institution and International Strategic Analysis as we take a look at the Columbus Region and its role in the global economy.