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From November’s historic election to the ongoing meltdown of our financial system, we are living in “interesting” times.  Here are the Top 10 items on my holiday gift list for this noteworthy year.

For N.C. Governor-elect Beverly Perdue:

A broom, a clothespin and a sharp pencil. The broom is to clean up what her unsuccessful challenger, Republican Pat McCrory, termed a culture of corruption. The clothespin is for Perdue to pinch her nose to cover the stench of graft that sent six of our state’s top officials to prison during the Easley administration. The pencil is to address a probable shortfall of more than $3 billion in the 2009-10 budget.

The good news is that as our first female governor Perdue clearly is, by gender, not a member of the good ’ol boy network. The not-so-good news is that she has been in state government for many years and has been messin’ with the ’ol boys for a long time. Hopefully, she can muster the courage and wisdom to rise above the back-room dealers and prudently apply these three gifts.

For outgoing Gov. Mike Easley and first lady, Mary:

A mirror and a list of discount travel Web sites. The mirror will allow the Easleys to take a long look at themselves and own up to the dishonesty of charging the taxpayers for Mary’s chauffeur-driven limousines in France, Russian ballet tickets, five-star hotel bills, $300 caviar cocktails and lying on an expense report that hid the cost of a linen jacket by calling it a “Meal for 4.” The Web sites will help them understand that, with a little planning, travel costs can be managed, not manipulated.

For our Guilford County Commissioners:

Medals and tickets to “The Wizard of Oz.” Just as the lion discovered courage in the face of adversity, our commissioners put a sales tax proposal on the November ballot and, for at least a short time, rose above their contentious past. Although it didn’t pass, they deserve courage medals for, in a time of economic meltdown, attempting to pay for school construction without raising property taxes.

For uninformed voters who picked judges at random or because they liked their names:

A “go to court” card directing them to the mediocre judge of their choice the next time they have legal issues. Regardless of your views of whether judges should be elected, they are, and it was not easy to judge the judges on this past complicated ballot.

At this newspaper, editorial writer Doug Clark especially did an excellent job in objectively presenting the candidates, but it required homework to be a responsible voter.

For concert and theater patrons:

Road maps to Charlotte and Raleigh.  Last month, voters, for the second time, did not approve bonds to keep our atrophying coliseum auditorium from crumbling. Times are tough, but if we have aspirations of cultural relevance, we need a proper venue for our symphony orchestra, touring plays, lectures and concerts. If we don’t do something, War Memorial Auditorium could shut down — and that wouldn’t just close the doors to the building but also to some of our quality of life.

For those who voted for the parks and recreation bond:

Eye drops and swim goggles. The eye drops are for cleaning out remnants of the wool that was pulled over their eyes. The goggles are to use in our future $12 million swim center. Previous attempts to use public funds for pool projects failed, but this time, using deceptive bait-and-switch tactics, the swim center was added to the ballot at the last minute and, even though it was the largest ticket item at more than one-third of the cost, it was buried in the overall bond promotion.

For home buyers who purchased within their means, made their payments and saw a house as a place to live:

A thank you card and the No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Award. They may not benefit from a government bailout, but they do have that inner satisfaction that results from responsible behavior.

For home buyers who fudged their income, colluded with greedy lenders and saw their house as a speculative investment:

A lump of coal in their Christmas stockings and wishes for a cold winter. They may get reduced payments based on the public dole, but deep down they suffer from the anxiety of knowing they pulled a con job.

For lenders who cooked the books to qualify subprime borrowers so they could make money: 

A half a lump of coal and wishes for a longer, colder winter.  Unchecked greed shrinks the soul. Let’s hope some emerge from this winter of discontent with a new perspective.

And for taxpayers who think the government bailout is a painless panacea:

A course in basic economics at one of our area’s educational institutions. There is no free lunch. We can’t just print more money or go deeper into debt and not pay the price whether it be at the national level, in North Carolina, or right here in Greensboro.

David Noer (dnoer@elon.edu) is the Frank S. Holt Jr. Professor of Business Leadership at Elon University and an honorary senior fellow at Greensboro’s Center for Creative Leadership. He writes a monthly column for the News & Record.