Page 4 — Thursday, February 8, 2024 — The Hastings Banner
The Hastings Banner
Devoted to the interests of Barry County since 1856
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News and press releases: [email protected] • Advertising: [email protected]Frederic Jacobs
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Chris Silverman
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Jayson Bussa (Editor)
Molly Macleod (Copy Editor)
Brett Bremer (Sports Editor)
Greg Chandler
Hunter McLaren
Subscription Rates: $78 per year in Barry County
$85 per year in adjoining counties
$90 per year elsewherePOSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
P.O. Box 188
Hastings, MI 49058-
Second Class Postage Paid
at Hastings, MI 49058Have you met?
Do you remember?
Did you see?
This economy is
fantastic – the TV and
internet told me so
“Why are Americans so gloomy
about their great economy?”
That was the bold question that The
Economist posed to its readers last
month. It’s not just The Economist ,
either – I’ve noticed a growing trend
where various media outlets or pundits
are not just highlighting the positive
movement within the economy, but
simultaneously telling people that they
should be thankful and happy for it. If
for some reason you don’t see anything
but a positive outlook in this economy
or don’t overlook its share of scars and
warts, you’re some sort of partisan hack
who wants to slime the current admin-
istration.
For starters, let’s just get this out of
the way – the economy, and exploring
ways in which to make it stronger,
shouldn’t be a partisan topic. Sure, both
sides of the political spectrum have
different ideas on what a healthy econ-
omy looks like and how we should get
there, but it should be a very non-parti-
san statement to say that America has
the resources to foster a strong econo-
my where everyone who is willing can
at least survive comfortably.
The latest campaign touting this
alleged strong, bullet-proof economy
certainly isn’t lacking its share of mer-
its. All the metrics that high-powered
economists use to measure the health
of the economy are trending in a pos-
itive direction (i.e. surging stock mar-
ket, slowing inflation, low unemploy-
ment). But, what are you supposed to
do when the metrics are saying one
thing and that sentiment is not felt in
your own home? You have economists
in Manhattan talking about high-level
trends in the economy and how strong
it is, but you have folks in Barry
County who feel like they’re still
drowning with stagnant wages that
have pushed them well behind the
skyrocketing inflation we all experi-
enced coming out of the COVID-
pandemic.
The metrics say wages are up and
inflation has slowed, but there are plen-
ty of people who have scaled down
their monthly grocery lists because they
just can’t afford it anymore. That’s the
reality for many, and just because it
doesn’t show up on an economist’s
report, doesn’t mean that their struggles
are contrived or any less real.
It’s one thing to hear it from the
media, but it’s a whole other problem-
atic scenario when the ruler of the free
world strong-arms you into believing
that the economy is nothing but roses.
Frustrated that not enough Americans
were impressed with his self-branded
Bidenomics, President Joe Biden railed
against the media late last year, claim-
ing that they’re not portraying the state
of the economy accurately.
“All good. Take a look. Start report-
ing it the right way,” he was quoted as
saying, somehow suggesting that the
media is overlooking his master class in
economics.
Federal and state leaders would do
themselves a huge favor if they spent
less time trying to tell people what they
should think about the economy (and a
whole host of other issues, for that mat-
ter) and, instead, took time to listen and
learn why these same people are strug-
gling.
They would quickly find out that,
while some good things are happening
in the economy on a macro level, there
are still factors bubbling underneath the
surface that are dictating how people
feel right now.For most, the beginning and ending
of it is inflation. Sure, perhaps inflation
has slowed, but everything costs sig-
nificantly more than it did just years
ago. If you’re one of those people who
are fortunate enough to see your wages
increase, it’s still a push – you’re mak-
ing more but you’re spending more.
Look at the growing ALICE popula-
tion, which I wrote about a few weeks
ago. It’s an acronym for Asset Limit-
ed, Income Constrained, Employed,
which is just a long-winded way of
referring to a person or family that
works hard and still doesn’t have
enough to get by. It’s a growing seg-
ment of our population, too, which
should send a message.
From young families that have no
prayer of buying a house right now
because they have been priced out of
the market to the aforementioned strug-
gles with getting through a single gro-
cery list, for years now, Americans have
had to sacrifice and learn how to get by
with less and less.
The government, under either politi-
cal party, never has to do that – they just
take more. Sacrifice is not in their
vocabulary, so it makes sense that they
don’t understand why we’re so fussy
about it.
Watching inflation “cool” isn’t
enough. Maybe it’s simple-minded, but
people want to see deflation. They want
to see prices come down. But they
won’t.
On top of inflation, there is still plen-
ty of fatigue from the COVID-19 pan-
demic lingering around. That’s under-
standable, too – bringing the economy
to a literal screeching halt has, and will
have, long-standing ramifications. The
damage has been done.
In that vein, it’s not all doom and
gloom and I do think you need to give
credit where credit is due. On the heels
of a once-in-a-lifetime economic event
like the COVID-19 pandemic, things
could have been far worse. While a
recession is somewhat of a nebulous
phrase these days, it appears that the
economy was able to sidestep a long-
term recession and it has rebounded in
many ways. We can applaud that while
at the same time demanding that our
leaders take the necessary steps to alle-
viate economic issues that have dogged
us and stressed us out for years now.
Next time you come across headlines
that tell you the economy is great and
you’re ungrateful or partisan for think-
ing otherwise, just know that the author
hasn’t had to weather any economic
hardships themselves. There is no other
explanation for that sort of lack of
empathy.
The economy will take center stage
in this pivotal 2024 election season, as
it should.
If this is a central issue in your life, as
it is for many families, don’t be afraid
to vote for the candidates who have the
most promising plans. We deserve
results – not to be preached to.Lopsided Victory
While the scoreboard may have
shown one team dominating the other,
everyone proved to be a winner on
Tuesday during a first responders vs.
teachers charity basketball game at
Hastings High School.
The event was designed to raise
money for Noah Howard Hall, a
Central Elementary student who is
battling brain cancer. The game was
one in a series of fundraising events
planned to benefit Noah and his fami-
ly. The basketball game generated
$7,000 for the family.‘Chilly Reception’
revisited
Banner Jan. 11, 2007Planning for the annual Gun Lake
Winterfest is coming together nicely,
organizers are reporting. A committee
of more than 15 volunteers met
Tuesday afternoon at Bay Pointe
Restaurant in another series of brain-
storming sessions. Some activities will
be held Friday evening, Feb. 16, but
the bulk of the action, including the
ever-popular Polar Bear Dip, is sched-
uled for the following day.Hastings native LeeAnn Miller-Busson
has dedicated her career to the welfare of
Barry County children.
She attended Michigan State University,
earning her associate’s degree in early
childhood education and a bachelor’s
degree in family studies before returning to
work right in her hometown of Hastings.
“I started out in child psychology at
MSU, but it kind of morphed into this,” she
said. “I really, really love children and want
to make a difference and an impact in our
community.”
She started working with the Head Start
program through Community Action, where
she worked for 15 years. She worked as a
daycare director and preschool teacher for a
bit, before moving to the Great Start Col-
laborative in 2018. She’s been at the Barry
County GSC office ever since, moving into
the director role two years ago.
“I kind of missed being on the frontlines,
but didn’t want to be in the classroom,” she
said. “In this job, I get to impact lots of
families without having to be in a class-
room every day.”
Her work at GSC puts her in connection
with organizations and leaders all over
Barry County. While the Great Start Readi-
ness Program focuses more specifically on
preschool, GSC takes a look at a broad
approach to encouraging healthy early
childhood health and development.
“We focus more on community and
advocating for early childhood. I sit on lots
of committees and advocate throughout the
community, and then we have a collabora-
tive. We bring in community members to
that collaborative and meet every other
month and have work groups,” she said. “A
lot of my day is checking in with the work
groups, helping them plan their projects.
Our main goal is to help children be ready
for school and make sure they’re healthy
and developing on time.”
Miller-Busson works alongside cowork-
er Geneva Knapp, who acts as a parent
liaison for GSC. Through the office, they
work to connect families, organizations,
schools and libraries with resources and
information to support early childhood
development. GSC recently received a
$58,000 grant to purchase books for local
schools, daycares and library programs.
“A lot of my time is spent movingbooks,” she said. “Just yesterday, I deliv-
ered $10,000 worth of books.”
Currently, she’s busy as the committee
chair for the Very Barry Family Event,
scheduled for June. She’s working to gather
as many family-oriented resources and
organizations at the event for parents to
learn about and utilize. It’s just one of the
ways her office supports childhood devel-
opment and community building in Barry
County,
“It’s been really great making new con-
nections,” she said. “It’s different from
preschool, where you mostly focus on the
kids. In this role, I’ve met so many people
in the community and built stronger bonds
with them.”
Miller-Busson said she never questioned
where she wanted to be.
“I love Hastings,” she said. “I went to
Michigan State and came back because
that’s where I wanted to be. The support
network of our community is amazing.”
The Barry Community Enrichment Cen-
ter, which houses the GSC office, exempli-
fies what is so special about the Hastings
community, she said.
“I think this building highlights all the
best of our community. We have so many
different non-profits in this building,” she
said. “I just got a referral yesterday from
Kent County for somebody who lives in
Barry. Every step I need is in this building.”
“I can go down to the Family SupportCenter and see how they can help. I can
step over to Barry County Cares or United
Way. I need to book entertainment for Very
Barry, so I can go upstairs and talk to Thor-
napple Arts Council,” she said. “This build-
ing is kind of magical. There’s a lot of good
stuff going on.”
For her years of dedication to the welfare
of Barry County children, LeeAnn Mill-
er-Busson is this week’s Bright Light.
Favorite books: I like books that make
me see life in a new way. So I really love
Wayne Dyer, Maya Angelou. (I’m part of a)
book club. It really broadens my horizons.
They’re not books that I’d normally read.
“Lessons in Chemistry” was really good.
What kind of music I listen to: Music
to me, is like indicative of my mood. So if
I need a pick-me-up, I like happy music. I
like Jack Johnson. I grew up listening to
country because I grew up on a farm. But I
just have an eclectic taste in music.
Beyonce, Lizzo. I like some classical.
Whatever mood I’m in.
What I like about my job: Everything.
I have loved all the jobs I’ve ever had. I’ve
been really passionate about helping chil-
dren, but this job fits my personality really
well. I feel it’s one of those jobs where
there’s not enough hours in the day, and
that’s a good thing. Some other jobs, like in
college, you’re working at a store or at a
restaurant and you’re just counting down
until you get to leave. This job is like,
“Man, it’s three o’clock or four o’clock and
I need to go home but I didn’t get enough
done today.” It’s always something new.
It’s always something exciting. I’m always
thinking about what I can bring to the com-
munity, who I can partner with next, look-
ing for unexpected opportunities.
Greatest thing about Barry County:
The people. There’s a wide variety of peo-
ple and I’ve seen them, so many times, pull
together to create something great. It’s
beautiful when that happens.
Each week, the Banner profiles a person
who makes the community shine. Do you
know someone who should be featured
because of volunteer work, fun-loving per-
sonality, for the stories he or she has to tell,
or for any other reason? Send information
to Newsroom, Hastings Banner, 1351 N.
M-43 Highway, Hastings, MI 49058; or
email [email protected].LeeAnn Miller-BussonJayson Bussa
Editor, Hastings Banner