In my personal opinion:

It would be wonderful if Floyd County could once again have its own newspaper.
The locally sold paper is actually owned by out of county and out of state interests and it publishes content from all over southwest Virginia and even Tennessee.
Some folks may like that but I share the concern of many who do not.
And if Floyd ever does get its own newspaper, please, please let only trained actual reporters/journalists cover the subjects and write the articles as the paper now allows everyone to write their own copy and have it published in the paper as though it was written unbiasedly and not as self promotion, which it is.
We need real reporters who write objectively and follow up on topics rather than what they now sell as a newspaper under the guise of providing real reportage but contains 90% of marketing ploys by various local promotors and people who cannot write onbjectively and are influenced by direct or indirect relationships with the subject matter.
And while we're at it, if we do get another newspaper, please, please keep the columns/writings by Mary Beth Starkey and Fred First out. Let them continue to publish their rubbish in the old paper.


- D.Martin - Floyd  

In my personal opinion:

Hope it didn't slip by y'all when in June our elected board of supervisors of the county decided to raise our property taxes by 8%.
Doesn't sound like much to you?
Then you could possibly be among recent residents of Floyd.
But you've done your share to have added to the county income already.
Those lovely homes you had erected or the houses you purchased at inflated prices certainly added and adds taxable increases to county income.
Obviously, all costs are rising and that affects counties as easily as it does an individual.
But there is less of everything being offered by the county (how is your secondary road these days?) unless the focus is the school system.
Just wish the person sending 6...7 of their kids to public school would cover their share of expenses to balance those sending only two or one or none.


- T. Philips - Floyd  

In my personal opinion:

I live in NC, at the beach and love being a tourist in Floyd.
If retail as well as residential development continues in the area there will be no reason to vacation here.
I have the mega-stores and many subdivisions where I live.
I will save my vacation dollar and stay home.
Please never change just continue with a community way of life which I believe is the original intention of our heavenly father.
Do not fall prey to the ways of this world whose god is money.

- L. Wells - North Carolina  

In my personal opinion:

We do not need a fence or walls at our borders.
The best way to deter illegal immigration is to imprison any CEO or business owner who hires them.
- L. Mcpeak - Dennison, OH  

In my personal opinion:

New Gas Plan....Bush wants us to cut the amount of gas we use. The best way to stop using so much gas is to deport 11 million illegal immigrants! That would be 11 million less people using our gas. The price of gas would have to come down as a result.

New Immigration Plan... Bring our troops home from Iraq to guard the border. When they catch an illegal immigrant crossing the border, hand him a canteen, rifle and some ammo and ship him to Iraq. Tell him if he wants to come to America, then he must serve a tour in the military. Give him a soldier's pay while he's there and tax him on it. After his tour, he will be allowed to become a citizen since he defended this country. He will also be registered to be taxed and be a legal patriot. This option will probably deter illegal immigration and provide a solution for the troops in Iraq, and the aliens trying to make a better life for themselves. If they refuse to serve, ship them to Iraq anyway, without the canteen, rifle or ammo. Problem solved.
- M. Byers - Franklin County  

In my personal opinion:

International events are placing pressure on the current administration, and the common man, although the later often does not have the time to decipher what is really going on. This report will aid the reader to be better informed and ready to make better decisions concerning their investments, lifestyle and abode.

The recent deployment this week of the USS Eisenhower CVA 69 and escorts to the Persian Gulf is a show of force to the Iran hardliners. The USA is ready to take preemptive strikes on nuclear sites that are believed to be developing plutonium, which is the key ingredient in making weapons of mass destruction.

This decision appears to coincide with the November election where in the current administration is waiving the banner of protecting the Americium man in the street from terrorist aggression. You may witness a limited strike against Iran.

This appears more certain when we consider that North Korea has detonated a small 3 to 5 kilotons nuclear blast, which is in the range of a missile tactical yield. It is also interesting that North Korea has recently sold 18 tactical missiles to Iran.

North Korea, aka: "Missiles R Us" is well known as an arms producer, and will sell anything to anyone at anytime. The recent nuclear test, and another forthcoming, gives caution to the high stakes of a pre emptive strike on Iran as they may have the ability to retaliate with nuclear tipped missiles-Israel being a first strike target based on their anti Semitic policy.

Assuming the worst-case scenarios of a missile exchange in the Persian Gulf, which controls 40% of the world's oil transportation, there would be an immediate strain on the world's economic interests forcing everyone into a global recession. If the exchange continues it will escalate with Syria and Palestine attacking Isreal on two fronts. Egypt will eventually be swept into this war, Libya staying neutral.

The stakes are high with a full-blown war spreading through Eastern Europe, Turkey and back into the Balkan States.

These pressures on the current administration is the weighing of " nipping it in the bud" now, vice another decade of appeasement wherein South Korea, Iran, most likely Japan, and certainly a host of terrorist groups will have nuclear weapons ready to level American cities.

- Mark Steel USN(Ret.) Floyd,Va.

In my personal opinion:

The Floyd County Board of Supervisors "kindly" decided against raising the local property taxes for year 2006. And we Thank them. Pretty amazing considering how consistently our property taxes have risen in the past years.
Would the Board of Supervisors, knowing you are chompin' at the bit to raise revenue next year and thereafter, please consider a tiered tax plan.?
A tiered tax plan would charge lower taxes to Floyd County residents who have lived in Floyd County atleast three years and reside in Floyd County atleast 8 months of the year.
Non resident property owners and land speculators and developers buying Floyd property only for investment purposes would be, and should be, taxed at a much higher rate.
This way the county would receive needed revenue while not bleeding locals dry.
It might also help preserve some of our larger farm acreages from being lost forever.
- D. Cox - Floyd County  

In my personal opinion:

- L. Goad - Floyd, Va.

In my personal opinion:

The Floyd County Government hired out-of-county web designers to construct the Floyd County Goverment's own website. They hired a company located in Blacksburg even though there are more than a handful of local web designers available in Floyd trying to make a living. This out-of-county made website was apparently paid for by Floyd County taxpayers.
- Annie Shaeffer