Readers' Hotline 4/11/11

On with the show
My first grade child at Galax Elementary School practiced for over a month for the STPO program and then they cancelled it because it ended up to be a snow day. I don’t think it would have been hard for them to just reschedule a date for all the first graders to be able to do what they practiced. I don’t think that the STPO officers should have allowed this to be cancelled and it should have been rescheduled. I am very disappointed.

An unfriendly elder
A 70-something-year-old woman who hit my car in a parking lot did not treat me very well. She backed into my car and drove away. I was lucky enough to get a picture of her car and tag number with my cell phone. She claims that she cannot pay for my car to get repaired because she is on a fixed income. She drives a newer model Lincoln. I drive a 10-year-old Toyota. I am 17. I work at a fast food restaurant to pay for my car. I make A’s in school and have been accepted by the college of my choice. My dad is unemployed and part of my paycheck puts food on our table. Everyone should be treated politely regardless of age. Age is arbitrary. I cannot change the fact that I am only 17. Some young people are rude. Some old people are rude. I hope not to expect preferential treatment in my old age. I would rather lead by example and be an upright and honest citizen at whatever age I am throughout my life.

Shop downtown
To whoever wrote the Hotline comment “make it thrive,” undoubtedly you have not looked around. There are other stores besides those named. How about the bookstore, the wine shop, the frame shop, the florist? There are a lot of other shops in downtown Galax. People don’t take the time to support the downtown. It is not that city council needs to retire. We need to have younger people, yes. But do younger people have the money to invest and start new businesses? We can’t keep up with other cities and towns like maybe we would like, but let me tell you: Galax is a thriving downtown business. Go to other little towns and see the stores closed. No downtown at all. Galax is to be proud and we should stand behind the people that have businesses downtown. As long as we support them, we are going to continue to see Galax thrive. Maybe be a retirement center. Those retirement people have money. I worked to get there and I am proud of it. I am also proud of Galax and for what Galax stands for. When I have the opportunity, I shop downtown.
Editor’s note: No more calls about this matter.

Hire locally
As a Grayson County taxpayer, I am appalled and upset to read that Grayson County School Board has a Richmond attorney to represent them. Surely there is someone closer by, preferably in Southwest Virginia, that they can get for representation.

Fresh face
Let me say to Mike Goldwasser: many people in Carroll County would love to see you run for supervisor in the next at-large election. I hope you will think about it very strongly. We need new, fresh, intelligent people in our county as supervisors.

Sleeping in
I’m calling in reference to “asleep at the wheel.” I don’t doubt it one bit that a Grayson employee is sleeping in a vehicle during school hours. This school system needs a serious looking-at. Someone must have been sleeping in late [on the morning of April 4] when they ran the school buses with more than an inch of snow on the side roads in town. I can’t imagine what the mountain roads were like. Thank God there were no accidents, as far as I know.

For Obamacare
I can’t believe even another person is putting stuff in the paper about Obamacare. It is the first time we have had anything at all and it is doing a lot of good for a lot of people. President Clinton tried to get it through and was shut down by Congress. All they care about is the insurance companies and the big oil companies that are funding their re-election. They don’t care anything about the people and where we won’t have to have pre-existing conditions and have the chance to have something for a change. They know better when they are saying that. They are supposed to care about the people, not themselves.

Back and forth
I’m calling about the caller, “not a happy meal.” I was at that restaurant that Sunday evening. These people were really rude to the staff at the “not a happy meal” restaurant. And, the preacher started ranting and raving and all the manager did was quietly ask them to please calm down.

Take a look
The Carroll County Board of Supervisors needs to look at the property a citizen recently tried to get them to showcase for him. They should look at the property since it would be an excellent location for a water storage tank to supply water to businesses at the interstate interchange.

Do something about it
Gas just went up 10 cents a gallon. I know it is the large corporations. It is not our locals. But, just think, it went down in the past three weeks, it went down a penny one time and a penny another time. And now, it is up 10 cents. I wish some of our government officials would do something about it. Nobody helps the average American consumer. They are always talking about raising prices. These analysts that get paid very good salaries are always talking about raising prices. You never hear of one of them saying prices are going down in the next week or next month. It is always, “prices are up.” Why can’t some of these big officials do something about it?
Editor’s note: Because government officials do not have the authority to regulate the price of gas.

Delving into Komen
This information was shared with me by a friend and I want to pass it on to the readers and supporters of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which supports the cure of breast cancer. In 2004-2009, the Komen Foundation with its affiliates donated $731,000 to Planned Parenthood. No matter if you are giving $500,000 a year to planned parenthood or $5, people who respect the dignity of human life and are trying to save people with the disease don’t want any of their money going to an organization that is subsidizing an abortion provider and to let pro-life advocates know is the fact that Planned Parenthood is reducing the number of breast cancer screenings while increasing its abortions. What people don’t realize is, abortions certainly play a role increasing the breast cancer risk. So just look into whom you are supporting with your hard-earned dollar. I am sure not supporting abortion by thinking the Susan G. Komen pink ribbon is pretty and cute.
Editor’s note: In the interest of balance, we offer this information from the Komen Foundation’s website: “While Komen affiliates provide funds to pay for screening, education and treatment programs in dozens of communities, in some areas, the only place that poor, uninsured or under-insured women can receive these services are through programs run by Planned Parenthood.
“These facilities serve rural women, poor women, Native American women, women of color and the un- and under-insured. As part of our financial arrangements, we monitor our grantees twice a year to be sure they are spending the money in line with our agreements, and we are assured that Planned Parenthood uses these funds only for breast health education, screening and treatment programs.”
“Another piece of misinformation being spread by many who criticize Komen for the Cure for its Planned Parenthood grants is that abortion causes breast cancer. Well-conducted research consistently fails to support this claim. We agree with the bulk of scientific evidence – from the National Cancer Institute, Harvard, a rigorous study in Denmark and from Oxford University – that there is no conclusive link between breast cancer and induced abortion or miscarriage.”

Walk a mile
To the person who left the “sounds like burnout” comment — until you have worked in the other person’s shoes, you need to wake up and smell the roses.
Editor’s note: But don’t wake up and smell the shoes. Especially after walking a mile in them.

Just get online
This is a call in response to “biting the lip.” Here in Galax, there are a lot — and I mean a lot — of Christians around here. And so for people like me who have problems with faith, standing up for what we believe in, I just want to commend you for that even if you are [in a disagreement] in a local restaurant, which you probably shouldn’t be doing in the first place. I just wanted to let everybody know there are more non-believers out there. If you ever need somebody to get in touch with, just get online. There are plenty of people out there for you.

You, too
If and when you people ever get tired of showing somebody else their own shortcomings and downfalls, maybe you will have time and the ability to look in your own back yard. You don’t have to look for very long.

HOTLINE EDITING
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