ASHLAND —
We should all be Americans first
What are we?
First of all, most of the people living in America should be naturalized Americans, meaning they were born in America. The rest of the American people are legalized immigrants. But nevertheless still Americans.
Unfortunately, we also have people who look at themselves as Democrats, Republicans and Independents and seem to forget about being Americans. This is where the problem lies. We should all be Americans first.
Our different political parties are empowered by politicians with agendas that are not always in the best interests of the country or the people. The politicians are supported and influenced by the political machines they belong to and hardly ever put the country first.
Unfortunately, we have lobbyists and big money machines that want to control and dictate the directions the country will take, and in so doing, dictate how each of us live within our government. They are attempting to change everything our Constitution has always stood for.
The American people can put a stop to the corruption taking place in Washington. We need to vote together for the common good. Forget the political party squat, belong to the party of your choice but vote for the men and women in Washington who want to do positive things for our country. Don’t be blindly led by party loyalty. Think like an American should — responsibly.
Norm Rist, Ashland
VISTA workers are real asset
In recognition of National AmeriCorps Week, March 10 through 16, United Way of Northeast Kentucky honors our sponsored AmeriCorp VISTAs.
We appreciate the hard work, creativity and leadership of Ashley Traylor at CAReS, Vicki Aleshire at the Northeast Kentucky Care Center, Julia Vice at River Cities Harvest, Rose Snowden at Two Hearts Pregnancy Care Center, Candy Goldie at the Shelter of Hope, B.J. Fraley at Ashland Community Kitchen and Darrell Caldwell at The Neighborhood.
Started more than 45 years ago, VISTA — Volunteers in Service to America — fulfills a nationwide commitment to fight poverty.
We appreciate the talents VISTA workers bring to their agencies, from coordinating annual Christmas toy collections, food drives, fundraisers, volunteer recruitment and more. UWNEK proudly salutes them for their service and dedication during National AmeriCorps Week.
Steve Towler, director, UWNEK
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 letters are limited to no more than 150 words. The Independent cannot guarantee a day of publication for letters, but makes an effort to publish letters in a timely manner. The Independent reserves the right to edit letters for length, spelling, grammar, accuracy and appropriateness of language. Letters that cannot be verified will not be published. Questions about letters should be directed to John Cannon, opinion page editor, at jcannon@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2649.
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The next step
The people — or at least those who took the time to vote in Tuesday’s special election — have spoken. The issue of alcohol sales in Grayson has ben settled for at least the next three years.
In an outcome that surprised many, Grayson voters rather convincingly for the legal sale of alcohol in the city for the first time since 1937. With 511 voters answering in the affirmative to the question, “Are you in favor of alcoholic beverages in Grayson, Ky.?” as opposed to 393 voting “no,” the results were not even close. The measure passed in all seven of the city’s precincts. -
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Top Father
In the Spade family, the vote was unanimous. Both 12-year-old Emma Spade, who will be a seventh-grader at Verity Middle School this fall, and Emma’s 11-year-old brother Will, who attends Hagar Elementary, both thought so highly of their dad — Ponderosa Elementary School principal Matt Spade — that they both wrote essays nominating him for the Ashland Breakfast Kiwanis Club’s annual Father of the Year award, presented annually on the Tuesday before Father’s Day.
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An unselfish act
Even before the start of the recent Boyd County Health Department’s Bicycle Rodeo, Gavin Eckard said that if he won one of the two bicycle given away at the event, he would give his new bike to someone who needed it more than he did.
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Crop still banned
When their colleagues in the U.S. Senate rejected their efforts to legalize industrial hemp production as part of the Senate farm bill, Kentucky’s two Republican senators — Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and freshman Rand Paul — reacted to the Senate refusal to include their hemp proposal in the bill by saying they would oppose the comprehensive farm bill.
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It's not the breed
Lorie Akers wants the Ashland City Commissioner to adopt an ordinance banning pit bulls in the city. Since she claimed her Chihuahua Paco was attacked and killed by a neighbor’s pit bull while the little dog was chained in the back yard, it is understandable that Akers is worried that her children and other pets could be endangered by pit bulls.
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A necessary evil
The shifting of the tax burden that began when the Ashland Board of City Commissioners first adopted the payroll tax in the 1990s continues as the mayor and four elected commissioners prepare to increase the payroll tax from 1.5 to 2 percent while at the same time decreasing property taxes.
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No time to read
The complaints of two leading legislators about a provision added to a complex pension reform bill approved by the 3013 Kentucky General Assembly points hat can happen when legislative leaders wait until the final days or even hour of a legislative session to bring major pieces of legislation. In so doing, they force legislators to vote on bills they have not even had time to read.
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