Published: August 03, 2009 05:02 pm      

In Your View — 08/04/09

Health care reform is far from dead

Did you hear that the stimulus failed, that health care reform is dead, that Obama’s job approval is crashing, and that “cap-and-trade” is a jobs killer?

Is any of this true? Of course not, but I heard it on Fox News.

Unemployment will lag and stay high for a while, but we are in the strongest economic growth since 2006: Dow back over 9000, three straight months of increasing leading economic indicators, highest increase of new housing starts in 8 years.

Health care reform will be done before the holidays because the “blue dogs” will howl to look more conservative but ultimately won’t betray the president. A couple of moderate Republicans will come over to leave the rest swinging in the breeze in the remnants of the confederacy.

Regarding the president’s popularity: Never before has a new president had to withstand this withering level of 24/7 assault that Obama is receiving from Fox News and right wing radio where O’Reilly, Limbaugh, Beck and Cavuto continue to spew lies and GOP talking points as if they were news.

The small drop in Obama’s job performance rating is strictly due to GOP leaning independents that voted against Bush going home to the party of “no” and “don’t know.” Oh, and if you think “cap-and-trade” is a jobs killer, just wait until the coal starts to run out.

Kentucky relies 92 percent on coal-fired electricity and we are sitting on a 50-year supply at current usage and our absurd plans to build more plants will lower that number more. No Cinderella, we don’t have 300 years worth as industry and Republican-backed sources will quote. Try USGS and CalTech rather than the “Coalition for Affordable American Energy” and other “fox guarding the henhouse” propaganda lobbyist organizations.

Ed Edwards, Ashland



Cooksey called area’s best coach

I was saddened to hear about the retirement of Fairview’s Rex Cooksey. In my humble opinion. Rex is the best overall coach to ever wear a whistle in the Tri-State.

His record stands for itself. No one has ever done what Rex has done.

Rex and I go back a long way. His Fairview team was my first opponent after I became a head football coach at Raceland. We went from there to one of the most intense rivalries around.

His teams were always well coached and very fundamentally sound. When Paul Reliford worked with him, his teams were among the best prepared teams we faced. Those two were a formidable combination.

I’m sure Rex will continue to work behind the scenes in scouting or in the press box. Superintendent Bill Music and Principal Gary McPeek are both outstanding coaches in their own right. They are far too smart to let a resource like Rex Cooksey slip away.

I wish Rex the best and want to be the first to predict he will come out of retirement. As Arnold would say: “He’ll be back.” He can’t live without it, and Fairview can’t live without him.

Bill Tom Ross, Catlettsburg



‘Parade of Praise’ a huge success

After almost a year of striving and planning, some of our area churches held a “Parade of Praise” in downtown Ashland on July 18.

The vision came from an incident that happened to a young lady while in a foreign country. She found herself in the middle of a parade honoring their false gods. Feeling like she was betraying God, she and her friends left the procession and prayed there on the sidewalks of that capital city so very far from home.

We were quite moved by the young people’s boldness and faithfulness to God. The question was asked, “Why can’t we have a parade honoring our true God?”

The vision was born and we began to work on it.

The parade was a huge success with 150 people and 16 different congregations represented. Some people came from as far away as Gallatin County, Ky., Point Pleasant, W.Va., and Prestonsburg. We sent up almost 450 helium balloons with our handwritten notes of praise to God. One went as far as Harrisburg, Pa.!

We had a great reception from the passing cars, with lots of horn honking and waving. We are proud to be in a city, state, and country where we can freely and openly praise Jesus. He is so very worthy of our praise. We need to praise Him more.

For all of those who were involved in any way, we give our thanks.

There will be another “Parade of Praise” next year. We hope to see this grow into something great! We look forward to you joining us!

Sherry Castle, Fresh Vision Class, Grandview Church of God, Ashland



May praise parade be annual event

On Saturday, July 18, I participated in the first annual "Parade of Praise” on Judd Plaza and on Winchester Avenue in Ashland. I thank sister Sherry Castle from the Grandview Church of God for organizing this wonderful day.

We were blessed with the most perfect July day that you could ever imagine:. 70 degrees and sunny. We had around 130 people attend, some from Prestonsburg and a group from Point Pleasant, W.Wa., and all denominations. It was truly a day to thank God for our many blessings.

I still get tears in my eyes when I picture the 400 helium balloons that we released into the beautiful blue sky — each with a card on which we had written our praises to God.

I hope that this becomes an annual event in Ashland, and I pray that next year we will double or triple the number of Christians who will come out and let this town know that we love God and are ready to stand up and show it.

Ann Wiseman, Ashland



We must remain a nation under God

I agree with the July 28 letter by Duke Sheridan of Ironton about what “In God we trust” stands for.

We should never allow “In God we trust” to be taken off of anything, money, building, etc. If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, we will be a nation gone under.

Let's keep it one nation under God and trust him and not man before we lose our freedom. We have fought World War I and World War II and are still fighting to keep us free and one nation under God.

Ann Miller, Greenup



Good news page pleasure to read

The Independent’s front page on Sunday, July 26, was a pleasure to see and read: Three stories about good news.

Most of the time the front page news is about crime, violence, politics, etc.. but the stories on Jly 26 were about benevolence: “Green team comes to help”; “One bucket at a time” and a third human interest story: “Ironton parade honors Mayo,” a centurian.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could see more good news? It certainly would brighten one’s day to know there still are good peope doing wonderful deeds in our town.

Jean Robinson, Ashland



1964 McKell class planning dinner

The McKell class of 1964 will have a dinner and fellowship evening beginning at 6 p.m., Aug. 22, at the South Shore First Christian Church Fellowship Hall.

There will be no letters sent to classmates, so we are asking readers to help us pass the word. Donations will be taken that evening to cover the cost of the meal. The dress is casual and we ask that you bring any memorabilia that you have to share.

Please contact us at (606) 932-4862 or kaykay2@windstream.net to let us know you are coming.

Diana Kouns, Regina Hayden, and Brenda Howland, McKell class of 1964