Special to the Daily Times
GLASGOW — Dear Editor,
A few weeks ago Bob Morrison had a letter in the paper and I thought he made some very interesting points. He said Germany has plans to build l million electric cars in the next 10 years and that we should do the same.
I believe the letter writer is on to what presently ails this country. Not long ago I was watching one of the financial channels and most of the conversation was about the deep recession that we are in and the lack of jobs because of it. Then someone made a comment along the lines of what Mr. Morrison stated in his letter.
The financial analyst said, “What we need is something big to come along, some new industry, some new innovation, just something on a large scale that would bring millions of jobs and revolutionize the economy.”
Take a look at the past and see the multitude of inventions that changed our world. Every idea first begins with a thought, and that‘s exactly how new things come about. Who would have thought that you could light up a room by flippinging a switch? Thomas Edison did. Who would have ever dreamed of people sitting in a machine that would carry them across the sky? The Wright Brothers did. Of course, there are thousands of new inventions that have changed our lives but you get my point.
Just consider how many people are employed in these two great industries alone. Today there are probably millions of people over the world that owe their living to Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers. And no one has to tell you what Henry Ford did to change the way we travel and even live. Look at the off shoots of the automobile industry and it becomes almost mind boggling.
What about the way we communicate? When I was going to high school back in the dark ages of the 1960s, would anyone have even dreamed that people would be carrying around little phones in their shirt pockets? That would have had to be science fiction to the max. Now think of today, from small children on up, we all have our own personal numbers where we can be reached anytime of the day or night. Reckon how many new jobs have been created just in the mobile phone industry?
I remember reading about the Lewis & Clark Expedition of the early 1800s. As they made their way to the Pacific Ocean, President Thomas Jefferson had no way of knowing if their journey was going along smoothly or even if they were still alive. Now move forward about sixty years and the Civil War. President Lincoln could communicate with his generals because there was a new innovation called the telegraph. New thinking has changed people’s lives, while at the same time bringing millions of jobs, and that is what is desperately needed today.
President Obama has just announced the construction of another nuclear power plant. This will be the first nuclear facility our nation has built in the last thirty years. Does anyone remember hearing about a small power unit that could be purchased economically that would run on free hydrogen from the air that could be placed outside a home to provide electrical power for everything in it? I have no idea what happened to that technology but someone needs to get back on it quick.
Consider Barren County and Glasgow today. The unemployment rate is in the double-digits with no end in sight. Drive through the county and check out the countryside. It’s some of the most beautiful anywhere but you will have to admit that there’s not a lot happening. You see some beef cattle, a few dairies, some land where grain is raised, and a few farms where tobacco is still being grown but on the vast majority of farms nothing is taking place that could provide a living. Some folks have placed their farms in government set aside programs with the land sitting idle. That’s some money coming in, but it’s just that, it doesn’t solve the problem of what’s next.
Mayor Pickett stated recently that Glasgow was in better shape than many of the small towns that he had visited. Factories that provided jobs in many communities across the nation have shut down and along with that, many small businesses have closed. I often travel to towns in the local area of about a 50-mile radius from Glasgow. With the exceptions of Bowling Green and Franklin, who happen to be located on the I-65 corridor, very little in the way of economic growth is taking place. In fact, one could say most of this area is in a general malaise. There’s hardly any other way to describe it.
Then again, much of the nation is in the same boat. There are many theories as to how we got into this mess but only one thing can get us out — new thinking —turned into ideas that will transform and remake our economy for the better.
David Keith
Glasgow
Medical supplies have left for Haiti
Dear Editor,
Our emergency medical supplies left Glasgow on Feb. 8, 2010, on way to Med-Share, Atlanta.
There it will be sorted, packed and shipped to Haiti.
Thanks to everyone for responding to a call for help.
Dale Harmon Moving Co. was kind enough to transport supplies to Atlanta. We collected about seven pallets of medical supplies.
Our hospital, several physicians, nursing homes, pharmacies, churches and individuals made generous donations.
Thanks to North Jackson Elementary School, the Beta Club at Temple Hill School and FCCLA Club at Glasgow High School for their efforts.
Also, thanks to Temple Hill Baptist Church and several individuals for generous cash donations.
I hope, we can continue to help according to the need of the people of Haiti and reduce their pain and suffering.
Again, thanks everyone. I appreciate everyone’s efforts.
Dr. Bharat Mody
Glasgow
Beautification Act used against religious signs
Dear Editor,
Recently the legal issue of the religious billboards along Interstate 65 has been brought to light. The signs in question are located in LaRue, Hart and Warren counties.
Although the signs have been in place five years, it now seems that they are in violation of certain billboard placement laws and the Highway Beautifica-tion Act of 1965. Poppy-cock.
The Highway Beautifica-tion Act of 1965 was initiated by President Lyndon Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird, to help clean up the roadsides of America’s highways. This included the removal of some outdoor advertising signs and junkyards.
However, I highly doubt a religious billboard was what the President and First Lady had in mind when they created this bill. More likely the risque signs of certain adult bookstores would have been the target, and there is more than one nasty junkyard along I-65 that would fall into this category.
What’s being done about these things? I would assume nothing because, even though we’re living in the era of “green” everything, no one is suing the junkyards to clean up their messes that may or may not be affecting the environment. And let’s not bother those adult bookstores that bring in revenue, even though their signs are so detailed even a young child can comprehend the message.
The billboards cited in the lawsuit are nicely printed and neatly kept, unlike many other business billboards along the roadside.
If the Highway Beauti-fication Act is going to be the crutch of this case, it must be enforced everywhere on everything that’s in violation, and start with the highways.
Let’s ask the question, what’s the real push behind the removal of these signs? It’s not any placement law or beautification act, that’s simply a scapegoat for the real issue of religious prejudice. These signs are not offensive, only reminders of Christ’s teachings. You may choose to read them, or not, just as you choose to read, or not read, any other billboard along the highway.
It’s time we as Christians take a stand against religious discrimination, and this is a good place to start. Keep these signs in place and clean up the real trash along the highways.
LaDonna Mathis
Bowling Green
