Chris Lydon's Open Source is asking bloggers to report on the State of the Union. Blogs of the Union, or BOTU, will be the basis of tonight's radio show. I'm writing about our little piece of the Union here in Guilford County:

The state of the Union is sound; the sound of the Union is televisions clicking to other channels because we all know what the President is going to state about the state of the Union (that it is sound).

The state of the County is Okay but not Great. Our economy seems better than it was a few years ago, but this may be a case of Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me. The good news is that a local textile maker just announced a new plant; the bad news is it will be built in China. More good news is that even though the furniture industry followed textiles to China, the big industry trade show is making headlines; unfortunately the trade show is in Las Vegas and not High Point. Still and all the bleeding seems to have stopped (with Jefferson-Pilot sold and moving to Philly, there's not that much left to lose) and our downtown is hopping and I, for one, welcome our new logistics industry overlords.

On issues of security, our police chief was locked out of his office by the City Manager and then he resigned and we got mucho bad pub on the alleged racism angle, but our City Council swears justice is being done and it's not all about race. Meanwhile Desmond Tutu says our Truth and Reconciliation process is a Good Thing, even it if means we are looking at problems with the police and race from 1979.

Everybody is mad at our School Board, although for different reasons.

Finally, the environment. Although most of the County is paved over and new Town Home Communities with faux-WASPY names spring up with every rain, global warming has made it very pleasant to be outdoors this January, and despite the dire consequences that may ensue, it feels at the moment like another Good Thing.