Sign up for fresh produce from Cherry Ridge
Edited by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Cherry Ridge Farm in Rockbridge County is taking subscriptions for its locally grown agricultural produce for the 2010 growing season. Read more
David Reynolds: Charting a future
Column by David Reynolds
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Could this be the start of something big? Are we beginning to speak with one voice? Have the members of the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors finally found an issue where they can lead – not just follow – their constituents? Can we keep our own neighborhood pride while still considering the needs of other neighborhoods?
If the answer to such questions is in the affirmative, maybe we need to say “Thank you.” Five times. (I know that it is rare for this space to contain compliments, but it is Lent and a resolution was made.) Read more
CSAs: Get your taste on
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
You might find out what a tomato is actually supposed to taste like. That’s one advantage to community supported agriculture.
“It’s picked fresh that day, so you end up with an incredibly fresh selection of vegetables that have not been treated with Clorox to preserve them,” said David Beebe, the owner of Cherry Ridge Farm in Rockbridge County, which makes its produce available to local subscribers through a community supported agriculture, or CSA, program. Read more
‘Y’ not?
Column by David Reynolds
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The times are tough. And local budgets will be as tough to balance as having an elephant walk across a balance beam. Where do we begin?
Cut spending and raise taxes are the answers usually given. The right says cut; the left says raise. But such conventional methods usually involve the old meat ax approach – one fueled by anger.
But this is not the time – it never was – for crude instruments to satisfy mob mentality. It is time for better medicine, to use a scalpel to carefully trim away low priority programs. While never a popular procedure, such trimming allows us to get to a balancing point without falling off. It is not only favored by the people, it is required by law. Consider a scalpel as a seat belt, one that prevents budgets from serious crashes.
So, if we carefully trim when deciding how best to spend our local tax dollars we will be ahead of the game. And we will not foolishly cut out the heart of government. Read more
What should it do?
Column by David Reynolds
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That’s the multi-trillion-dollar question. It is that big a question because it is one that requires all of us to answer. Yet it is directed to only one segment of our economy, the one with an obesity problem. The “it,” of course, is government.
What should government do? And are we willing to pay for what it does? Or do we prefer to use our grandkids’ weekly allowance?
Please be consistent and logical, as the Greeks taught us. Those ancient Greeks were smart. They advanced civilization. But they might not make it in today’s America. Still, I will go along with them. After all, the Greeks thought of government as a fee for service operation, that whatever government wishes to do, it – meaning we – should pay the bill. Read more
Republicans sweep local House races
Not much to say about the four contested House of Delegates races in the AFP reader area. The Democrats got pantsed.
Jeff Price’s 28.8 percent showing in his 24th District challenge to Republican Ben Cline was actually the best showing of the four, if you can believe that. And Price wasn’t even able to get what a Green Party candidate, Eric Sheffield, was able to do in 2005 in the 24th against Cline.
Erik Curren got 28.3 percent of the vote against Staunton City Councilman Dickie Bell in the 20th District, even falling short in Staunton by 59.8 percent-to-40.8 percent margin. To put the defeat in Staunton in perspective, Barack Obama won the Queen City last fall. Read more
David Reynolds: The budget circus
Posted by afp on May 24, 2010 · Leave a Comment
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Whew! That was close. It’s a good thing that the local budget season is over. One of these years a budget will cause real damage. Or do real good. But not this year.
However, you would never have known it according to the local press. Each week there were doomsday stories of our three governments about to grind to a halt. And that life here would never be the same. It would be paradise lost. Read more
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