Readers' Hotline 1/28/13

Soaring debt
Regarding debt and dogs, you have a convoluted way of explaining away Obama’s spending and then you try to make Bush look bad in the process. Please, let me hear how you explain the fact that Obama has spent more in his years in office than all previous presidents combined have spent.
Editor’s note: According to FactCheck.org and the U.S. Treasury Department, total debt has increased by $5.8 trillion under President Obama, or by more than 50 percent. It compares to the $10.6 trillion in debt accumulated under the prior 43 presidents.

Be decisive
I am a parent of a student in the Grayson County schools. What is it with whoever calls off the schools in Grayson County due to snow? I am sitting here now watching and it is snowing like I don’t know what — 7 or 8 inches on the ground out here right now. Roads in front of my house are so bad, people are stuck all over. They are in the ditches and everywhere else. Yet, all the schools around us have already said they are closed, but Grayson County can’t pull the trigger, can’t make a decision what to do. You know, the parents and students alike would love to know what is going on. Do they go to bed early tonight because of school tomorrow? Can they sit up just a little bit longer? Do they have to worry about these things or what? Why can’t they just make a decision and let everybody know. It is not that hard to do. What’s the problem? Maybe they need to find somebody that can at least make a decision.

Design a better system
This day and age, we can send rockets to the moon, spaceships to Mars. Yet, Appalachian Power can’t design a better system that keeps the lights from going out. They are using the same system Thomas Edison created over 100 years ago with lines up on top of electric poles. The thing about it, after this is over, they are going to want to raise their rates again. How about paying us back for the millions that people throughout Virginia lost from all their groceries and all their food thawed out. They going to pay them all back millions? Put it all together, it is millions of dollars worth of food gone to waste. You would think they can design a better system. The telephone company put their wires underground. Why can’t they put their wires underground? It’s all antique.

Case status?
I am inquiring about the lady that is handicapped and was allegedly abused by her caregiver. Is she all right and will she be okay? What was done about the woman [accused of abusing] her? Is she going to go to court, or what?
Editor’s note: Melanie Melton was charged with abuse of an incapacitated adult, causing injury, and she entered a guilty plea on Dec. 21, 2012, in Grayson County Circuit Court. Melton is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 22 for a sentencing hearing. There is no information available about the condition or status of the victim.

Community use
I attended a ceremony a couple years ago at the Fairview Ruritan Club and it was supposed to be an evacuation center. Why — during the snow storm, when everybody in Grayson in the Fairview community didn’t have any heat, water or anything because of power outages — why was that not opened? Why were we not allowed to have water, showers, a place to stay? What was that for, that ceremony I went to and all the speeches that were made? Is that not a center for people, to help us?
Editor’s note: Grayson County opened several emergency shelters in the area during the storm and power outages, but very few people took advantage of them. It’s possible that the low demand for shelter did not require the county to use the Ruritan Club.

Come and serve us
Isn’t it wonderful how the Fairview Ruritans take care of the elderly and crippled in their community by clearing their walks, driveways, porches, carry their mail in for the people that can’t get to their mailboxes. This is what a good Ruritan club should do.

Glad he’s back
I sure am glad that Mongo is back. I enjoy his comments and I hope that Mongo keeps calling in to the Hotline, because in times like these. we need Mongo. Thank you very much, Mongo, for coming back.

Hearing threats
I heard President Obama on TV say that if the Republicans don’t do something that he wants them to do, he is going to punish the poor, elderly, disabled and the helpless young by delaying their Social Security. He had the audacity to say that if Republicans didn’t do what he wanted by the time he wanted, he would delay the income of veterans. If the Republicans aren’t doing what is right, shouldn’t he be punishing them? Or, is the threat he is making a terrorist threat by holding the elderly, the poor and us all hostages? Very sincerely, an old disabled vet, just trying to look out for the helpless and the poor.

Being honest
I want to thank the person that found the $20 that was lost at the shopping carts at Food City and turned it in to the service desk. My husband dropped it after I handed it to him to get my prescriptions. Thank you very much for being honest and God bless.

Coyote attacks
People ought to kill every coyote they see. A coyote attacked my cat and thankfully he survived, but it cost me $1,100 to get him back to himself.

Polls at odds
Can we trust our news media? In recent days, there have been several so-called polls run about Obama’s gun ban, with most reporting 52 percent or better approving of this ban. However, Newsmax ran a similar poll on Sunday. It ended up, “Should Obama’s gun ban be approved? Should the federal government regulate guns of any type?” Seventy-three percent of a half-million people said, “no it should not.” “Should Congress ban semi-automatic weapons,” 79 percent of half a million people voting: “no it should not.” “If Congress does not act, should President Obama use an acceptance order to ban or strictly control sales in automatic weapons?” 81 percent of half a million people said “no he should not.” “Do you agree the Second Amendment against citizens‚ rights to own and bear guns without infringement?” 83 percent and a half-million people, “yes, I agree.” Where are NBC, ABC and CBS getting their information?

Can’t see the difference
I guess I got the last laugh on the person that was laughing in amazement and thanking God for Republicans because the Republicans are everything completely that she said Obama is. That’s what the Republicans are and everybody knows that. I can’t believe they can’t see the difference. Republicans, get that through your head instead of taking up for somebody that cares nothing about you.
 
Goodbye, Grayson
I can’t believe the audacity of giving a $50 bonus to everybody in the county plus, you have outrageous salaries. You have leaders who make outrageous salaries and have assistants and assistants to the assistants. I have never seen anything so absurd. When my taxes are four times higher than in Smyth County for farmland, goodbye Grayson County. You just spend, spend, spend. It is like a country club at the courthouse now.
Editor’s note: Grayson County estimates that it cost about 75 cents per citizen to pay one-time bonuses to county workers. That includes sanitation workers and police, not just county office employees. The money used for bonuses was derived from funds saved on insurance costs last year.

Had to work
I would like to thank Vaughan-Bassett for working all day on the Thursday when it was calling for really bad weather and I had to walk about five miles with my child and my child being sick. Next time y’all want to have a safety meeting, this is very safety.

Back for more
I would just like to call and ask why someone voted off the Grayson County recreation board would go above and get back on there. You just need to get a life and realize that half the Grayson County softball team is not wanting to play varsity softball. I just don’t understand why you would want to do that when you are not wanted. You just need to get a life and sit back and look that you are doing more damage than you are doing good.