We landed the big one

There's a "Welcome to Tuscumbia" sign that tells visitors the city is home to about 8,000 nice people "and just a few soreheads."

That ratio probably holds true for the entire Shoals, and likely many other communities in this country.

I wonder what those soreheads are saying today about the area's economic progress during the past five years. Wouldn't it be nice to hear them acknowledge that what is happening here -- at least for now -- is working.

You're right, some have a real hard time praising any individual, group, or -- in this case -- anything positive. You'll never please some people who delight in being negative. The next time we hear from those folks, however, will probably be when something doesn't work out exactly right.

It's shameful because our entire area should be in celebration today after the recent announcement that 1,800 jobs are coming to the Shoals at National Alabama Corp.

Most workers there will make $30,000 to $35,000 annually. They'll have quality benefits and an opportunity to improve the quality of life for themselves and their families.

In my book, that's plenty of reason to cheer and to say thanks to the dozens of people who made it happen. Operations offering that many jobs come around once or twice a year in this country.

Many of those who made it happen are the same ones who have been blamed repeatedly through the years for not making the bad times go away.

Since the 1980s, when the economy of the Shoals took a giant dive, we've all heard people talk about landing the "big one." They were speaking, of course, of a giant economic development project that could provide more than a thousand jobs.

Well, we have the "big one" in National Alabama.

As many of the politicians and local leaders who participated in the National Alabama announcement pointed out, the volume of jobs could change our part of the state for generations. By the way, there was absolutely no hint of politics at that announcement ceremony. Democrats, Republicans and everyone in between were sharing the moment. What a breath of fresh air.

Is it time to sit back and celebrate this "big one?" Absolutely not.

We still have work to do and we need jobs that will bring some of our children and grandchildren back home.

One of our immediate needs is to eliminate the mentality we've held for decades that economic development can only involve a smokestack.

Manufacturing jobs are good, but we need more white-collar jobs. We need hi-tech and professional jobs.

Having a greatly diverse job market is a good goal to have in any area. It should become our next target.

We should pause just a minute, though, to soak in this significant moment in our history. And everyone is invited to the party.

Mike Goens is the TimesDaily managing editor. He can be reached at 740-5740 or mike.goens@timesdaily.com.