At a recent meet the candidates meeting, a question was raised about the use of a county vehicle. The questioner asked why a county employee was permitted to drive it at taxpayer's expense to and from his home in Hardy County. County Commissioner Cindy Pyles responded that it was a "smart" question. Hopefully she meant well-informed since some interpreted it negatively. Commissioner and candidate for re-election Janice LaRue promised to address the issue and get it resolved.
We are entering an age when every household is looking to find ways to cut expenses. Rising costs at the gas pump and the grocery store have hit many people hard. Of course our tax bill is not getting any easier either. The county must do as the rest of us have done and look for any way to maximize the revenue they bring in. Little bills add up to big costs and if we can slice away some of the waste, we should definitely start passing those savings on to the taxpayers. Commissioner LaRue is in a difficult position as the only Republican member of a three person county commission. She holds Republican beliefs no doubt, but must also at times compromise with the majority. County Republicans need to work after this election to groom a strong candidate to give Mineral County what it deserves, a Republican county commission dedicated to providing jobs and saving the people's money.
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While the Democrats are arguing over Hillary's new found identity as the driver of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, John McCain is trying to come up with solutions to help Americans even before he is elected. McCain proposed a gas tax holiday starting on Memorial Day and ending on Labor Day. He proposes this with an eye towards the states that will suffer from the drop in tourism dollars this summer.
McCain will not handle this hot potato yet but public pressure is mounting towards responsible drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. George W. Bush proposed this years ago and warned of shortages if we failed to start drilling. The shortages have arrived. John Raese campaigned on this issue when running for the US Senate in 2006. It's amazing how we fail to listen to the warnings until the crisis is upon us.
If we are going to open up new areas for drilling, what about the Eastern seaboard? It is far less environmentally sensitive than Alaska, and it is much closer to the refineries and end users. It is pretty rich of the coastal Americans to ship oil in from all over the globe, but refuse to drill for it in their own home grounds.
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