Opinion

    As this was written, the “tea party” activists were holding their first national convention in Nashville, Tennessee, featuring as their keynote speaker none other than the infamous Sarah Palin.

    If you haven’t followed the story of what’s being called a new political movement in America, the tea party crowd popped up during President Obama’s first year in office, taking their name, of course, after the original colonists who waged the Boston Tea Party protest against British rule.

This makes sense.

    We’re facing record deficits; we’re in the middle of two wars; there’s double-digit unemployment; and there’s that whole health care debate. So now comes word the Obama administration and a long-standing Republican senator are considering several steps that would review the legality of the current college football Bowl Championship Series.

    So that certainly seems like a logical place for the President and Congress to spend time trying to bring about change. Then again, maybe not.

In this economy, every dollar counts — and so does a tax credit worth up to $5,657.

January 29 was designated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day. More than 534,000 Virginia taxpayers took advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and received more than $1 billion in refunds for the 2008 tax year.

It’s hard to believe we are already in the third week of session, but time flies here in the Capital city.  And, even though we’re considering hundreds of bills and crafting a new two-year spending plan, the everyday concerns that come along with possibility of snowfall this weekend have taken over many discussions at Virginia’s Capitol.  This is due to the fact that the delegates, aides and staff come from all corners of our Commonwealth and most return to their families on the weekends.   With the inclement weather forecast upon us for the weekend, th

    It’s always amazing how liberals seem to be living in some sort of fiscal never never land when it comes to taxes. Last week, Rick Howell gave us an example of this in “The Liberal Agenda” as he took Governor Bob McDonnell to task for not proposing new taxes to pay for transportation projects.

In agreement

    Thank you Brenda Babb for your letter concerning the bust of Joseph Stalin being brought to the D-Day Memorial.

    I’m convinced that most of the people in Bedford are in agreement with you. To honor such a man along with those who served this country is unthinkable. By doing so you are bringing dishonor to all the names of our service men written there.

    Think again before you act.

Ouida Witt

Bedford

Lockstep

Since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit on January 12th, the world has

tearfully witnessed the devastation unfold in Haiti, the poorest country

in the Western Hemisphere.  The images of newly motherless children,

people trapped under fallen buildings, and deceased Haitians lying in

the streets have moved Americans into action.  Across our nation we have

rallied to help the people of Haiti - gathering together supplies to

donate to relief efforts, hosting fundraisers to send money, and coming

Virginia now has a new governor in Robert Francis McDonnell. If the state’s roads and highways could make audible sounds, we would probably hear them moaning.

    It’s pretty clear that this governor has no serious intention of doing much of anything about the pressing transportation problem in this state.

Ruff is right

    I’m writing this letter today in support of a letter I read in the 1/6/10 edition of this paper that was written by Richard Ruff and was entitled, “Support Local Shelters.”