Jim Fitzgerald
The easiest way to write an article is to castigate your opponents and avoid their arguments. The easiest method to deal with political differences is to deride opposition arguments as ill-informed, stupid, unsubstantiated opinions, and illogical. The easiest path to frame your opponents in a bad light is to pick out the inconsistencies in [...]

Working for our Veterans and Military Families
This week, I had the honor of taking part in the Murphy National Guard Armory Naming for Staff Sergeant Bobby Franklin, who passed away at the age of thirty-eight on August 20, 2003 while serving our country in Operation Iraqi Freedom.   His service, heroism and bravery were [...]

REEL MEMORIES NO. 139
Stagecoach
by
William V. Reynolds In the late 1930s John Ford found a film location that became one of his favorites. Using the story by Ernest Haycock “The Stage to Lordsburg,” and a company of actors that will long be remembered, Ford produced one of the most memorable Westerns ever made. The [...]

Should we extend the Bush tax cuts?
by Paula Canup
The Bush tax cuts are set to expire at the end of this year, and Congress must decide whether or not to extend them. This is bringing about an important discussion about taxes, spending, stimulus, and the deficit. As noted in a previous column, economists are divided [...]

What can we do to end the corrupt political system of wasteful spending in Washington?
Recently I learned that 81% of all donations to our Federal elected representatives come from one twelfth of one percent (0.0012) of our voters, principally funneled through lobbyist groups.  Incumbents received 99% of these lobbyist donated funds in the last election [...]

Leaning Left
Jim Fitzgerald
We have allowed our media and politicians to present a black and white political world that reduces very complex issues into a sound bite or two. Consider the issue of illegal immigration. In the early 80’s, Reagan handled the issue without a lot of fanfare; granting amnesty, cracking down on employers, and allegedly [...]

The Green Column
by Richard C. MacCrea, Andrews Valley Initiative
rmaccrea1@gmail.com
Less Smog in Our Mountains
TVA has agreed to install scrubbers and catalytic converters on three coal fired plants in Tennessee and one in Alabama. Emissions from these plants has been blamed in contributing to smog in our area.
According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, North Carolina sued TVA to [...]

Acting to Increase Jobs in American Manufacturing
I voted to pass legislation last week that is designed to promote and increase U.S. manufacturing jobs. The “U.S. Manufacturing Enhancement Act of 2010,” H.R. 4380, is expected to support tens of thousands of American jobs, reduce the cost of doing business, promote U.S. manufacturing and production, [...]

The Truth, the Whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth…
by Paula Canup
If you have been a faithful reader of this column, you know I have written more than once on the importance of getting facts straight, especially when information comes from the Internet. Guess I should have sent those columns to the White House and [...]

What should the winning candidates for national office do when they get to Washington next year to turn around our economy to increase employment and prosperity? Below, in no particular order, is my list. What you would add or subtract from this list and why.
1) Pass legislation only if it can be done more efficiently [...]