Vote responsibly
I am a retired coal miner, a senior in my community, a homeowner, a voter and a taxpayer of Greene County. I am amazed with what is going on in our county in the past few years. We have had an increase in taxes to the tune of over 35 percent. We now look at money spent on ATV trails, while our three industrial parks are all sitting in a ghost-like condition, and yet only certain individuals seem to dominate the money, politics and control of the county. I know of senior citizens living on less than $500 a month. I know working families struggling to make it every month, and somehow all the tax monies being spent, just isn’t fair. We need to elect office holders who will work everyday to care for our tax money. It’s a travesty that a few individuals seem to be able to control the spending and waste money on fruitless projects for their own gain, and watch our tax base increase at an alarming rate.
I want full-time public officials in office, not politicians who have an agenda for themselves. We need a wake up call, and it can only be accomplished by the voters of Greene County.
This Nov. 4, vote for the people who will work honestly, full time, and with the residents of Greene County in their hearts and minds. Show the politicians that we have a strong voting spirit, and prove to them that Greene County belongs to us, not them.
Vote for the person, not the party this election.
John Burnette
Carmichaels
Art of news shaping
The Washington Post recently did a study of what Americans believe about the war in Iraq. It found that many of them are mistaken about basic facts. The most likely to be mistaken were people who relied on Fox News for their information.
Most Fox News viewers believe U.S. troops have found “clear evidence in Iraq that Saddam Hussein was working closely with the al-Qaeda terrorist organization.” President Bush himself admits they have not.
More Fox News viewers than viewers of any other network believe the U.S. has found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq since the end of the war. The American weapons search team reports it hasn’t found any.
More Fox News viewers than viewers of any other network believe world opinion was in support of the war. International polling found very little support for the war.
These are not matters of opinion; these are factual mistruths that Fox News viewers believe more than the viewers of any other network. It is clear that Americans are not getting good hard-nosed reporting of what is going on, and it is clear that Fox News is distorting the facts more than other news sources.
The Bush administration has taken the art of news shaping to new extremes. If the media simply report the administration line, then the American people will not be informed.
Phil Coleman
West Brownsville