|
Between traveling and a constant barrage of meetings over the last two weeks, I have been unable to think about much of anything outside of business....................especially politics. And each time I thought about expressing my opinion with this column, there was some fat ass taking some shot at me for having an opinion. Oh well.......you gotta feel sorry that someone can't express their opinion because they might be in the minority or they could lose their job. Do people really think we have freedom of speech in this country? Get a clue - give your opinion and God forbid if someone disagrees with it.
There is no such thing as a “clean” debate any longer. Consider this. If you are a Republican and you speak out against Obama, you are labeled a "racist". If you are a Democrat and speak out against Republicans, you are labeled as not having the values of being a Christian. No longer do people voice opposition to your opinion in a debating way. Nowadays, they simply think of the worst labels they can put on you and hope they stick.
Roanoke Tanker Crash. The photos from Saturday night’s tanker truck crash in Roanoke are horrific. The Roanoke Times seem to have the better shots online. US 220 and I-581 were shut down thru part of this morning. The driver’s body has been found but not identified. Speaking of this wreck and other 18-wheelers involved wrecks on I-81 lately, it does seem like the Virginia State Police are working to take back that stretch of road running between Troutville and Christiansburg. More often than not I see State Police Vehicles and motorcycle patrols on that stretch of the Interstate and it seems like the trucks have slowed down. Now it is the cars doing all of the dangerous speeding. Gas Prices. Looking for the best car out there for fuel efficiency? Fuel Economy.com is picking the Toyota Prius as being the most efficient. You’ll get about 45mpg. And have you been keeping up with the T. Boone Pickens happenings? If you are a little fuzzy on T.Boone, let me lay it out for you. T. Boone is a big time Texas oilman – some might even say he was one of the group that took us down this path of energy deficiency. Now, T. Boone is all over TV with ads and on talk shows saying he has a plan to fix our problems. And folks..he does. See his video at pickensplan.org. Over the next few weeks we will be running ads and more information on Pickens’ plans. Let’s hope it stirs some people in our area to join together and start the grass roots campaign needed to turn this problem around. If you do nothing other than visit the site and watch the videos you will be affected by what Pickens has to say. Can You Believe? A law regulating yard sales. The City of Radford decided they needed a law to regulate the number of yard sales a person can have. The law now says that a person can only have 3 yard sales a year, you must have a permit and the only sign one is allowed is the on their property. The new law is the result of citizen complaints of residents who were having yard sales quite frequently. Folks, there are a couple of things happening in this country that is causing people to do things they wouldn't normally do such as doing yard sales (although my wife and I have fun hosting and going to them). The City of Radford must understand that many people are already working two jobs to make ends meet, and many need the 3rd income that yard sales generate. But noooooooo, these "All-American" citizens in this "All-American" city decided to regulate the income of some people............IN THE MIDST OF A RECESSSION. Perhaps the city might have thought thru this a bit more? Perhaps the city could hold one monthly, grand yard sale perhaps at Bissett Park and invite residents to participate for a modest fee. This is much needed income to some families and the City of Radford needs to understand this. Fireworks are Everywhere. There were some really fun 4th of July festivals going on around the NRV and our gang seemed to have captured many of them on video and in our picture gallery. My wife and I chose to take my daughter to the events at the Fairgrounds in Dublin. When are the Pulaski organizers of this event going to get it? Does it not register that as each year goes by, there are less people on the inside of the fairgrounds taking in the events there as opposed to the several thousand who park along Rt. 100 just to see the fireworks display? Every year people are parking and standing next to the road while cars and trucks speed by. This year, there was absolutely ZERO law enforcement presence past the fairgrounds towards the airport on Rt. 100. Thus, cars and trucks were not only breaking the speed limit for that area, but coming dangerously close to hitting people as well.
For 2009, get it right. Dump the shows like the “Hanna Montana” look-a-like deal although this created the best line I heard all night when I overheard a woman say, “hell, I don’t even like that Hanna Montana deal, much less an ‘imposternator’.” Get the people off the roads and into the parking lots, AND get law enforcement off their lazy butts to move the crowd safer and faster at the conclusion. They have, no doubt, the best fireworks show in the NRV…………..but the planning and logistics of what understanding what people want to see and moving people to see what they want, are poor.
The Obama Watch. Yahoo’s Real Clear Politics opinion writer Blake Dvorak suggested Friday that Obama may have lost Virginia when Senator Jim Webb removed his name from VP consideration. While I think Obama will certainly win the state, I do believe that Webb could have helped the Obama campaign by putting a veteran and someone with Department of Defense credentials on the ticket. Still, with Webb, Warner and Kaine all comfortably in Obama’s corner, he’ll take Virginia handily. If you are one of those who think that Virginia is still a “red” state, you’ve haven’t been watching.
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
