Opinion

It’s always about the teachers

    I am writing in reference to the letter in your March 11, 2009 edition submitted: By David Goode “Limited Confidence.” While I agree with Mr. Goode and the point he is trying to make, I do take exception with how he goes about it.

    The problem is with one line in his letter stating “Increase Top Management salary while neglecting those who do the real work (Teachers). While I do believe our teachers need to have salaries equal to the surrounding areas, but what about:

I’m pleased to report that last week, Congress took swift, bipartisan, and decisive action to protect taxpayers. After it came to light that insurance companies who had taken billions in bailout funds had paid or intended to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in “retention” bonuses to the very executives who got us into this financial mess, the House put together a plan to block them.

    In Seattle, Washington, it’s affectionately known simply as “the P.I.” The city’s daily newspaper, the “Seattle Post-Intelligencer,” has announced that it will cease publication and convert to an “online only” newspaper.

    The missionary leading our trip gave out the warning: If you have any reservations about taking this hike, don’t take it. A Philippine woman from the area had stated: “Tell the big ones not to go.”

    I went anyway.

School

superintendent appointment

    Based on what I read in the Bedford Bulletin I find myself in the minority in siding with Talbot Huff who recently resigned from the Bedford County school board and Shirley McCabe who cast the only descending vote.   

    The Obama administration sent a clear signal last week that science, not a mixture of religion and conservative political ideology, will be its guide in all matters of public policy.

    The president signed an executive order that reversed Bush administration rules on embryonic stem cell research, opening the way for more federal dollars to be used on activities that could lead to new methods of treatments for Parkinson’s Disease, diabetes, spinal cord injuries and other ailments.

Sometimes perception is more important than reality. That very well may be the case in the compensation package being proposed for the Dr. Douglas Schuch, the Bedford County School Board’s choice as its new superintendent.

This last week President Barack Obama hosted a forum on health care at the White House.  The forum included Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, representatives from the health care industry including various medical specialties, hospitals, doctors, nurses and technicians, the health insurance industry, the business community and most importantly patients, the health care consumers who must be the focus of this process.  I am encouraged by the fact that so many individuals representing such diverse interests were able to come together to discuss the goal of providing

    Whether an activist presidency is a joyful thing, or a fearful thing, depends on what that activist president wants to do.

    The greatest American president of the 20th century once said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”