Letters to the Editor for 01/25/10

Get ready for painful budget cuts

I must be psychic. My last letter pointed out that there would be many state and local cuts coming because of Medicaid funding changes, when and if this healthcare plan passes.

Lo and behold, cuts are taking place well ahead of time, much like credit card companies scrambled to increase interest rates well ahead of the February deadline that they were given by the feds.

If you look at the cuts reported in The Gazette Dec. 21, it is amazing but pretty predictable.

There also was a story about how Grayson County can afford to pay more toward the educational budget, and guess one of the reasons that gave that indication to the state? Higher true-value personal property taxes.

Now guess when Grayson did its latest assessment on those properties? Right after it was apparent that many homes would be foreclosed on in this area at a much more rapid rate.

They had to pull in revenue as quickly as possible and homeowners were the easiest target, even though property values were decreasing rapidly everywhere in the U.S.

It doesn’t matter that none of us could sell our properties if we needed or wanted to for what they assessed. We could not get a new assessment to lower what they determined was “fair and true.”

High unemployment and fixed-income Social Security recipients who are not going to get a cost of living increase weren’t taken into consideration either.

When any government agency needs money, they will grab it from wherever they think they can get it, and a homeowner is usually the easiest target because the agency knows that unless a bank takes the house, we aren’t going anywhere and will sacrifice in order to keep payments up.

Batten down the hatches, people — they’re just getting started. Oh, and thank you senators Webb and Warner for voting for this piece of garbage healthcare bill.

It’s nice to know we have you two jerks watching our backs up there in D.C. I hope neither of you has the nerve to put your names on the next ballot.

Antoinette J. Hackler

Independence

Company thanked for employment

I worked at Vaughan-Bassett for 27 years and six months. I retired in 1992.

I was one of the first five women to work there. I was respected and treated nice. We worked the same jobs as men. I can’t ever remember being on short time much.

If needed, we went to other departments to work. Everything had to keep moving.

The factory has come a long way since then. The new shipping department was built on. That gave more room in the old shipping department, which was very much needed.

And then came the trees, new fences and flowers in the summertime. The grounds are kept clean and it makes it a nice place to work.

Thanks to John Bassett for keeping jobs at home for our people to have work. All I can say is, “go man, go.”

God bless each one that works there. Keep up the good work.

Ona Noblett

Galax

Seniors at Rooftop need heaters

I am writing about the seniors at Rooftop in Galax.

They have yard sales at the meeting to have money to go out to eat. The ones from Rooftop that are over this group ask for their money to buy heaters so they can stay warm.

Some of them probably don’t get to go out other than when they go with the seniors. I’m sorry if I’m talking out of turn, but fair is fair.

Why can’t somebody supply things they need at the meeting, so they don’t have to take away from the seniors?

They get enough taken away from them. Those young people know older folks stay colder than they do.

Somebody needs to regroup and give their money back. I hope I get an answer to why they have to pay for these heaters.

Maybe I’ll feel better about it.

Linda Wilson

Galax