Opinion

Its official:  The economy now belongs to Barack Obama.  

No more blaming Bush, no more blaming Republicans.  With the passage of the Stimulus bill Obama has now taken ownership of the American economy, for better or for worse.

The recent passage of the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 showed that the change promised by both Obama and Congressional Democrats is the kind of change that America can’t afford at this particular time in our history.  

Will you be my valentine?

 Isn’t that the question that most people were asking someone they love, or care about when Feb. 14 came around?

We try to express our love through cards, flowers, candy, jewelry and many other ways to let special people in our lives know that we love them.

Everyone has his or her own way of celebrating Valentine’s Day. I only hope all the money that was spent and all the effort that went into it came from true and sincere hearts.

I can’t stand for good people to be manipulated.

Major League pitcher Bill Lee once said, “Society tends to find its heroes in the most obvious arenas, and I don't regard that as a healthy thing. We should find our heroes in the bathroom mirror each and every morning.”

When you were in school, who did you see as a hero? Was it the captain of the football team? Was it a cheerleader? Perhaps, it was one of the popular young people whose very presence radiated a room?  

When I was a kid growing up, my heroes were quite different.

While writing a final story for the Jellico Advanced Sentinel this week, I was struck with a deep sadness to see it go.

Like many before me, I have worked tirelessly to write compelling stories for the area, carrying on the tradition of the Jellico news.

Interviewing Jellico Fire Chief Gary Troxell was one of my first endeavors at the LaFollette Press. Him and others who I have met along the way are all amazing people.

Here’s a riddle for you: What comes to you freely and leaves you bound forever? It can place you on cloud nine or can kick you into the lowest emotional hell in a matter of minutes. It’s easy to step into and hard to step out of. Wonder what it is? No, I’m not talking about the gum on the bottom of your shoe, or an in-law that won’t cease. I’m referring to that incomparable feeling of love.

Yes, that right.

Citizens who read my story reporting on last Monday night’s LaFollette City Council workshop must have thought I was a liar if they attended the meeting on Tuesday night.

I even began to wonder if I was in the right place as the council handled business, acting responsible and professional.

I asked myself “What are the intentions of those councilmen and mayor, who sit high above the audience?”

Is there someone you know of who’s made so many mistakes that you end up negatively consumed in how bad their lives are?

If so, then this week’s story is for you.    

I got this week’s story idea from a Casting Crowns song. For those of you who don’t know, Casting Crowns is a Contemporary Christian band.

An old proverb once said, “Reality is only a possibility, it changes constantly.”

How true that statement is!

With the changing times, there’s a lot of firsts that are taking place as we speak: the first African-American President of the United States, the first time in years when the temperature has reached record-low temperatures, and various other things that have faded into the realms of time forever.