-
Seasons change
We are entering into a different season in America. It’s not a season everyone likes or voted for but the season is changing. For some it’s better; for some it’s worse. For some it’s good news; for some it’s bad news. Your perspective colors your season. For example, if you love autumn then you have…
-
Things will change for the U.S. in 2025
As I write this column a week away from the big election for our next president, all I know is that things will change in the year 2025. If you believed the polls you knew that it was likely going to be a close race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. These candidates…
-
Martin County making war on the poor
Editor: I read with dismay and great disgust of one Larry Oaks, a poor disabled veteran, who is being hounded to bankruptcy by our county officials simply because he cannot afford to clean up his place. How can it be that Martin County, the place where the War on Poverty began, now is making war…
-
Halloween was a special time growing up
One of my favorite holidays as a youngster in the 1960s was Halloween. We all looked forward to trick-or-treat night. We were not allowed out after dark so it was one of the few nights we could roam the neighborhood on a cool autumn evening. Leading up to Halloween, we always got a large pumpkin…
-
Let’s end Halloween by Nov. 6.
This may be the most frightening Halloween of all time. People across America are scared stiff as we are bombarded 24 hours a day with terrifying scenes splashed across television, our telephones and tablets. We can’t get away from the howls, screeches, growls, ghastly facial expressions and horned-headed characters spewing menacing rhetoric. All of this…
-
Are we stupid enough to vote for Amendment 2?
What is Amendment 2? According to Senator Phillip Wheeler Amendment 2 would allow the Kentucky Legislature to take money away from public schools and give it to private schools. In simple terms it would take money away from our children and give it to children in private schools. One of the recent advertising flyers mailed…
-
Americans are living in financial strain
The average monthly car payment for a new vehicle is $734 according to second-quarter 2024 Experian data — up 0.1% year after year. Used cars have an average monthly payment of $525, down 2.1%. Meanwhile, new lease payments average $586, a 2.3% decrease. The average house payment is around $2,700 per month. Average rent is…
-
Helping others in times of disasters
Many states have suffered from natural disasters in the past few weeks. Wildfires spread rampant out west, and hurricanes, torrential rains that led to flooding and severe tornadoes have ravaged the south. These are trying times for the people affected by those disasters. The one positive thing that comes from these types of events is…
-
Who will you make your next donation to and why?
Churches raised $135.78 billion in 2021. (GivingUSA) Churches in the U.S. received 27% of all donations in 2021. (GivingUSA) Forty-four percent of U.S. adults are digital donors. (Barna) An average congregation records a yearly income of $242,910. (Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion) Congregations in the U.S. collect around $74.5 billion each year. (Interdisciplinary Journal…
-
School vouchers bring theft of tax dollars and other crimes
BY JOHN SCHAAF If Amendment 2 passes and Kentucky adopts a dangerous school voucher plan like other states, there will be unaccountable private school operators who will misuse or steal millions of taxpayer dollars and be involved in other criminal activity. That’s exactly what’s happened in states that bought into the radical policy of throwing…
