Opinion: Despite differences, many reasons to be thankful around here

It’s not easy to find much we can be collectively thankful for in these divisive political times. So we’ll toss out a few issues that we think we can mostly agree on this holiday week:

• While we’re not all thankful eastern New Mexico could soon be home to a racetrack/casino, surely we’re all thankful our economy is healthy enough that four private investor groups are competing for that opportunity.

A feasibility study completed for the New Mexico Racing Commission found that Clovis could bring in as much as $66.2 million in “new money” in 2021 should it be selected for the racino site.

Tucumcari could produce a net impact of $42.9 million if the Racing Commission selects that community.

This is not the day to rehash the pros and cons of a racino, but it’s a great day to appreciate that outside investors are seeing numbers like that when considering whether our region is the place to set up shop.

Target? Sam’s Club? Blake’s Lotaburger? Are you guys reading this?

• We are thankful Clovis and Portales city officials have said municipal drinking water is safe in both communities, despite recent contamination discovered in some rural wells.

The New Mexico Environment Department said the contamination stems from Cannon Air Force Base’s since-discontinued use of a special firefighting foam.

It’s frustrating — and frankly difficult to understand — why the federal government hasn’t yet stepped up to resolve problems it’s apparently caused, especially at a local dairy which is essentially out of business because of the water concerns.

But we are particularly thankful for the response from Clovis’ private water supplier, EPCOR, which sent this notice to its customers:

“It’s important to note that none of our Clovis production wells fall within the 4-mile radius of the area of concern — the water we deliver is safe to drink.

“However, given the current situation and out of an abundance of caution, we are collecting new samples at our nearby wells to test for substances that are not typically present in our region’s water.”

EPCOR has a stake in our communities’ future and its responsible actions are speaking loudly.

• Elections are over. We’re always thankful for the end of the attack ads on television.

And this is also a good time to remember that despite our disagreements on right vs. left, big government vs. small, or how would Jesus vote, we live in a nation where we can talk openly about the issues.

We can yip and yap and scream at each other, without fear of going to prison for our positions.

We might be better served to do more listening and less screaming, but we’re still a great nation, with a foundation of freedom.

Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the Clovis Media Inc. editorial board, which includes Editor David Stevens and Publisher Rob Langrell.