Columns

&Each week, folks across Virginia and the nation are confronted with the rising cost of energy, from the price at the pump to soaring electric bills. However, Virginians understand that a major component in lessening energy costs is to produce more energy. 

    Last week, the best entertainment value in Bedford turned out to be a board of supervisors budget work session. During the course of the work session, District 1 Supervisor Dale Wheeler likened Dr. Douglas Schuch to a copperhead and Xerxes, the 5th century B. C. Persian monarch who tried to conquer the Greek city-states.

    I don’t know if describing Dr. Schuch as a copperhead is accurate. He doesn’t seem particularly venomous. Overpaid, perhaps, but not venomous.

In my first three months in Congress, our work on the Financial Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over all aspects of our nation’s financial and housing sectors, has been geared towards creating a better economic environment for job growth across the 5th District and the nation.

    A central feature of the unfolding revolution in Egypt has been the use of the Internet, specifically, the use of “social media” outlets, such as Facebook, to organize meetings and protests.

    In our country, so far, the Internet is primarily used as a fundraising tool for candidates and campaigns. But if we ever had an upheaval such as the ones now circulating through the Arab world, the Internet would surely play a powerful role in organizing.