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Today's Opinions

  • Grayson opted out of ag districts

    In the Jan. 21 edition, you quoted Virginia Cooperative Extension agent Webb Flowers as saying, "I don't believe there's a single board of supervisors in the state of Virginia that have rejected an application."
    Flowers needs to be informed that Grayson County holds that distinction of rejecting an application.
    In November 2003, the Grayson Board of Supervisors rejected the very first (and I believe the only) application it received.
    It was for a forestal district of 250.96 acres involving two landowners. The reasons given were:

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  • Goldwasser not afraid to ask

    Mike Goldwasser is a friend of mine. Anyone who knows Mike, knows he can be passionate about issues involving his community and the openness and fairness of local government.
    Mike is not afraid to step forward and ask questions or make statements that many of us wish we had the nerve to verbalize publicly.
    Mike knows he sets himself up for criticism and ridicule, but is willing to take the heat for what he thinks is right.
    The Carroll County Board of Supervisors erred when it did not allow him his three minutes.

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  • Driven by care for community

    In response to the ill-informed Readers’ Hotline comment, “Misplaced anger,” during the 38 years that Mike and I have been married, I have never seen him lose his temper or lose his sense of fairness.
    By temperament, he is compassionate, caring and controlled.
    In various organizations, he has been pressured to be on their board because of his ability to listen objectively to all sides.
    His clarity and fairness would have made him an excellent lawyer had he continued at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

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  • Empty prison an outrage

    This state prison controversy is a sterling example of well-intended officials who "have no clue."
    These folks failed to envision how the world really works.
    To end up with an empty structure sucking up precious taxpayer dollars in this struggling economy is nothing short of outrageous, particularly at a time when prison officials all over the nation are sounding a clarion call for help with overcrowding.

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  • Do the work, then get paid

    My trash has not been picked up by Waste Industries since November.
    I truly believed that it was because I owed a bill. Last week I paid what I believed was a past due bill. There were late charges and 1.5 percent charged for late fees with a minimum of $5.
    Immediately afterward, I received another bill. It is due by Feb. 13 for March-May 2011.
    So I pulled the invoice for the "late bill," that I had just paid. It was for December-February. Mind you, my service was stopped at the end of November for a "late payment."

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  • Tea Party keeping eye on Republicans

    To elected Republicans: please remember the issues which got us control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
    Otherwise, risk losing all in the 2012 elections.
    If you cave in to Obama and Reid pressures, you will lose both our votes and our money.
    Many think the "Tea Party" revolt was a one-time anomaly.  Wrong! It will be even stronger in 2012.
    And, if Republicans don't firm up resistance to Obama, we will see many more Tea Party type candidates, with votes and money going to them instead of to mainstream Republicans.

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  • Restaurant lets soldiers eat free

    I would like to thank Squealers Barbeque of Galax for being very nice to our active military men and women.
    My son was in for a visit and he wanted to eat there before he left. We asked if they gave a discount and we were told all active military can eat for free.
    There are not many places here that do that. If there are, you must be in uniform. There, all he had to do was show his badge.
    Thanks again for supporting our military from this area.
    Josie Bise
    Galax Gazette

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  • Citizens free to speak?

    [Carroll County Board of Supervisors Chairman Tom] Littrell says citizens are not silenced, but it strikes me odd that the supervisors adopted a rule in January after Mike Goldwasser took Gary Larrowe to task for his alleged conflict of interest in December.
    I don’t recall any other citizen ever being denied to speak on any subject.
    Why did the board feel it necessary to adopt such a rule at that particular time? It certainly would leave the impression that they did not want the subject broached again.
    A county government "whitewash?"

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