THROUGH MOUNTAIN MISTS Ethelene Dyer Jones THE OFFICE OF JUSTICE OF THE PEACE AND NOTARY PUBLIC FOCUSING ON ROBERT LEE NELSON, JP The offices of justice of the peace and notary public were perhaps more important in the earlier days of our county that today.  Before convenience in travel made it possible...

From My Daily Devotional Journal Ethelene Dyer Jones                        Is there a right and wrong pride? Thursday, July 15, 2010 “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide...

The Green Column by Richard C. MacCrea, Andrews Valley Initiative rmaccrea1@gmail.com How Living Green Can Save You Money That is the title of a “lunch and learn” seminar I have been asked to give in Andrews on July 28. Details: A lot of people think they cannot afford to live green. But living green...

History as a Guide to the Future. Understanding the effects of government policies on the economic well-being of the majority should be the major focus in picking our elected leaders.  Andrew D. White, a history professor, ambassador and first president of Cornell University wrote one of the first detailed...

Leaning Left Jim Fitzgerald When Social Security (SS) was signed into law in 1935, the poverty rate among seniors exceeded 50%. As far as I know, there were no private retirement programs at that time. Unless a senior was wealthy, they either had to work until they died or depend upon family to care...

Did it work? by Paula Canup On February 19, 2009, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – a.k.a. the Stimulus Bill. Eighteen months later, many people, including myself, are asking, “Did it work?” It certainly doesn’t feel like it. Unemployment remains at nearly 10%, the...

What can one person do? by Paula Canup Understandably, many people hate politics and want nothing to do with it. They may also believe that one person can’t really make any difference. But I would like to offer ten suggestions for what you can do to help build a stronger America: 1.  Do your own thinking. ...

It appears that the White House and Democrat Party leaders have settled on their Fall campaign strategy – the economy! They will say it is a choice between the economic policies of Bush and Republicans that led us into this mess and those that are leading us out, namely Obama and the Democrat’s...

Leaning Left Jim Fitzgerald You would not know it by listening to pundits but Obama’s less than two years in office has been a bittersweet experience for the left. Many progressive ideas, like an affordable public option for health insurance, have been left off of the table. Obama, contrary to what...

The Green Column by Richard C. MacCrea, Andrews Valley Initiative rmaccrea1@gmail.com 6% Electric Rate Increase July 1 A friend recently showed me a newspaper article announcing a 6% rate increase for Blue Ridge Mountain EMC customers. I was surprised that the article blamed energy conservation for the...