Better to Have Had and Lost, Than to Have Never Had At All

The Saturn Plant that was first announced in 1985 for location in Spring Hill, Tennessee closed in 2009.

Is Spring Hill worse off for having had the Saturn plant for 24 years in their community or would they have been better off than if it had never come there at all?

When people look backward at what an industry or what a company used to employ and compare that to what it does today, aren't they asking the same question in their community?

Newark, Ohio used to make more lawnmowers than any other place in the World.  Today, we make none.

Should we all walk around and mope that lawnmower-manufacturing left?  Or should we be glad for the economic benefits that lawnmower-making once brought and celebrate the impact its one-time presence still has today? 

The remaining buildings in the community have, albeit less, an impact on the tax base and employment still today.  The manufacturing base of today remains a key part of the Licking County economy and owes a lot to our area's manufacturing history.  The skills, work ethic, and capabilities of today's workforce have roots in our past too.  These are all good.

It's a tough question to answer, but to me, having once had something, even if it is lost, is better than to have never had it at all.