Denial Ain't a River in Egypt

http://jeffersonpost.com/news/home_top-news/2461229/BOC-terminates-Mitchells-appointment-3-1

Our fine Ashe Gang of Three can't decide on whether to revisit an annual budget six weeks after they approved it, can't communicate effectively enough to fire someone, have a rumored walk-out of county employees on their hands, and still can't tell us why they fired someone they begged less than two years ago to take the position of county manager. 

We doubt they could find their way out of a wet paper bag.

But, hell no, Commissioner Judy Porter Poe cries, they are not in political jeopardy, chaos or turmoil. And they say shame on anyone for second guessing their Tea Party asses.

They have had double digit unemployment for more than four years, no vision for digging out anytime soon and presently neither a county manager nor anyone at the helm of economic development.

They may not be in political jeopardy, chaos or turmoil. 

But their constituents are royally you-know-what.

A fine time in the land of plenty

No need to tune in to cable news for misery and struggle in Japan.

A new study released today shows nearly 1 in 5 in Ashe have problems just putting food on the table.

The Winston-Salem Journal last weekend highlighted the plight of the hungry in northwest North Carolina --  and there's a lot more people with empty stomachs than anyone wants to admit: 1 in 4 Americans are worried about having enough money to eat.

Shameful.

Planning? That's a novel idea...

Our brethren to the south last week discussed planning for growth along U.S. 421 in the Deep Gap community. Leaders in Watauga County are already looking toward how water and sewer infrastructure could be expanded to meet the growth that 's likely to happen in the corridor, especially with the planned widening of U.S. 221 to West Jefferson in the coming decade.

Watauga took time to develop an impressive planning report two years ago that identifies the opportunities and challenges facing the county in the future.

Ashe County leaders don't like to hear it, but they could learn something from their neighbors. Ashe has no such planning tool. A blue ribbon panel appointed to study land use issues three years ago completed an extensive study of the county's needs but Commissioners shelved all that hard work without so much as a thank you.

Six years ago, Ashe Commissioners were asked by Watauga counterparts to participate in a regional water cooperative with the Deep Gap area as a focus. Both counties could have benefited from such a regional effort. Alas, Ashe leaders gave this offer the cold shoulder and now Watauga will go it alone.

With the current lull in economic activity and the likely dead stop in any progressive policies from Watauga Commissioners following the November election, now is the time for Ashe to actually plan for the future. When the local economy gets going again, there will be no time for planning, only regrets for time squandered.

New River Loses a Dear Friend

Ashe County's boldest treasure is the New River and for the past half century, one of the river's best friends and strongest advocates has been Phil Hanes.

Hanes, 84, died on Sunday. His friends in his hometown of Winston-Salem may recall him more for his devotion to arts and culture, but here in the hills of North Carolina and southwest Virginia, his passion for the environment and the New will be his lasting legacy.

First Amendment Alive in Alleghany

Alleghany County Commissioners have voted to keep praying, quietly. A majority of the commissioners, following the advice of their attorney, decided not to reinstate an opening prayer and instead stick with the moment of silence that they now observe before taking up business.

Forsyth Commissioners have been waging a costly battle for prayer recently after a federal judge ruled that the board's sectarian prayer violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

With Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court still opening with a prayer, it's unlikely they'll be any definitive ruling on this practice for a few decades to come. However, it's heartening to see that Alleghany Commissioners recognize the problems that conducting government business with a sectarian prayer presents. Whether they admit it or not, continuing to offer prayers under the guise of official government business is establishing a religion.

According to the Alleghany News, before the vote Commissioner Larry Cox pointed out the passage from the Sermon on the Mount in which Christians were urged not to do as the hypocrites and pray on the street corners, but to offer their prayers in secret.

We find it interesting that the pro-out-loud prayer crowd at the Sparta meeting was not receptive to having the those particular red-letter words recited out loud.

Oh yeah, we're nonpartisan

Late this afternoon, the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce sent out a "SPECIAL" email message to announce that Republican-elect Jonathan C. Jordan will be sworn at, err, sworn in on Saturday at the Taj Mahal in Jefferson.

We all knew that counselor Jordan is a member of the Chamber Board of Directors but we were a bit astonished that the Chamber has allowed its email list to be co-opted by a young fellow who still can't decide whether closing Mt. Jefferson State Natural Area is a bad thing. (We're guessing that Art Pope hasn't yet told him whether this is an acceptable proposal.)

Nonetheless, our new fearless leader, Mister Jordan, goes on in his Chamber-delivered message to quote from the Gospel of the Gipper: "As President Reagan said in his 1981 Inaugural Address, "The economic ills we suffer have come upon us over several decades. They will not go away in days, weeks or months, but they will go away."

We think we're supposed to be inspired by this, but we're just not feeling any tingles.

For sale: cage with bikini

We learn from the better-late-than-never local print media that a Superior Court judge has swatted down an apparently feeble challenge to West Jefferson's ETJ action last summer.

The Board of Aldermen pushed forward with extra-territorial jurisdiction despite some mighty angry residents who supposed the whole effort was nothing more than a communist land grab. Town leaders jumped on ETJ after rumors of an impending invasion of caged bikini dancers started swirling around town. If Art Pope and his pals get their way in the legislature, cities and towns across North Carolina will soon see their ability to use ETJ and annexation severely limited. Heaven forbid anyone actually plan for growth. Chaotic suburban sprawl seems to work so well.

Conversely, we're a little misty-eyed about the loss of caged bikini dancers. They could've added some life to Christmas in July.