Coal’s impact on region positive
A study released by Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) claimed that the coal industry costs Kentucky more money than it brings in. This study only took into account coal’s direct contribution to the economy while ignoring the industry’s overall impact on Eastern Kentucky.
As someone who works in health care in Eastern Kentucky, I see the benefits of the coal industry every day. Coal severance dollars that flow back to counties often wind up being used to treat people without health insurance. That means coal makes it possible for thousands of Kentucky families who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it to have access to quality health care. Those are families who don’t necessarily work in the coal industry benefiting nonetheless.
For an area of the country that is struggling economically, the coal industry provides families a way to make a good living and communities with a stream of revenue that funds many public services.
Twisting statistics to serve a political agenda is not good for our state. I hope people who aren’t from Eastern Kentucky get all the facts about the positive impact of coal before taking some misleading information at face value.
Kyle E. Hoskins, Hyden
Calvary Christian is the ‘real thing’
We commend The Independent for the July 7 story headlined, “Small school, big results.”
Our grandchildren are fortunate enough to attend Calvary Christian School, and believe us, this school is the real thing. We cannot say enough about the staff and their dedication to each child. At this school you can still hear words like, “yes, m’am,” “no sir,” “thank you,” etc.
In their plays and their fundraisers, the children as well as their parents are very much involved. The children act like one big family. It’s amazing how well they work together.
They still have prayer and recite the “Pledge of Allegiance” to our flag. Grace is still said before meals. God is number one in this school,
It’s like going back to the early 1950s at Advance School in Flatwoods when Mrs. Howes would always start the day with a prayer and a Bible verse or a Bible story. Then we would all stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag.
This school may not be for everyone because old-fashion values and morals are still in effect here. It is like it was before we gave away our rights and took God out of our schools and public places to satisfy the whims of a chosen few.
This school’s academics certainly will speak for itself. Our family thanks Mrs. Wallace and all the staff and Grassland United Methodist Church for all their sacrifices and hard work to make this little school possible for our community and our country.
Charles V. and Donna Daniel, Greenup
County ignores laws it enforces
While driving in Ashland several moths ago, I passed a Boyd County deputy sheriff traveling in the other direction. He promptly turned around and stopped me for not wearing a seat belt. I paid the fine the next Friday.
While driving in Ashland on June 27, I observed a pickup truck with several inmate trusties from the Boyd County Detention Center. Not only were they not wearing seat belts, but they were riding in the bed of a truck that was pulling a trailer with mowers and weed eaters.
I guess this means the county ignores the laws that it enforces on others. Government officials seem to think they are above the law.
Jim Sturgill, Ashland
Clearly mark, label your photographs
I’m writing in response to a letter published Monday about keeping pictures and other “junk” for your children. The letter was in response to a column by John Cannon titled, “Mom gives son a record of childhood.” I agree with everything Ms. Hunt said and wanted to add to it.
When my father passed away, he left boxes of photos and other family documents. He threw away nothing! Many of the pictures were more than a hundred years old, some tintype.
A lot of the people were family members I'm sure, but most are unidentified. I’ll never know who these people were because anyone who would know is now dead.
So, don’t just keep pictures and other significant documents but label them, even if they’re not in scrapbooks. Write names, places and dates on the back of every picture. Label every digital photo and disk. A hundred years from now your relatives will thank you.
Philip Hughes, Ashland
Regulate health care like utilities
Last year, my wife had surgery and I had a heart catheterization. We paid $17,000 in health insurance premiums and $14,000 in out-of-pocket co-pays for services and medicines.
I don’t begrudge doctors for the price of care. Their education is exhausting.
What does disappoint me is that part of the money I paid last year was to profit insurance, hospital, advertising and pharmaceutical executives.
If I buy a television, it’s because I want it, and I don’t care about the price of the CEO’s jet.
If I go to a hospital, it's because I need it and I resent the CEO and shareholders profiting from my circumstance.
Decades ago, we made the wise decision that public utilities should be regulated in such a way that all had affordable access. Isn’t health care as important as electricity?
Carl Hostler, Scott Depot, W.Va
Health care reform is needed in 2009
In this country 46 million people have no health insurance. This is unacceptable in such a great nation.
People are trying to work hard but wages are so far behind the premiums of insurance companies. Some people are having premiums growing four times faster than their wages.
Having experience with having financial difficulty and taking a bankruptcy, over one third of our bills were involved in hospitals and medical expenses we could not repay.
Health care reform is needed and President Obama is trying hard to reduce cost and improve efficiency and investing in preventive care, guaranteeing every American the right to choose plans and doctors (even public options), and to ensure quality, affordable care of all Americans.
We must pass the health care reform in 2009 to help all with or without insurance coverage and to provide the needs for all our families in America.
Marilyn Meade, Huntington, W.Va.
1969 Blazer class planning reunion
The Paul G. Blazer High School class of 1969 will be having its 40-year reunion Sept. 11-12 at the Ashland Plaza Hotel. The reunion will begin with a buffet dinner each evening at 6 p.m.
For more information and to hold your place, please call Nancy Schnitzker at (606) 324-4481.
Nancy Schnitzker, Ashland
Letters invited
The Independent invites readers to submit “In Your View” letters on public issues. Letters must not exceed 300 words and must include the name, address and telephone number of the author. “Words of Thanks’ must not exceed 150 words. The Independent does not guarantee of day of publication for lettersbut makes an effort to publish letters in a timely manner. Letters may be edited for length, spelling, grammar and accuracy.
