March 2008

Hats Off To Howard

Posted by Chris Berry on March 29, 2008 in Purely Personal

After fighting off a nasty flu for nearly 3 weeks, I decided to hit the golf course yesterday for the first time this month. It was my longest layoff in nearly a year, and I was looking forward to a quiet round by myself. I often play alone because I enjoy the solitude and the [...]

Healthcare Is Not A Right

Posted by Chris Berry on March 25, 2008 in Healthcare, Political Parties, Rights and Wrongs

With every new presidential election cycle, the debate over healthcare returns to the front burner of American politics. There is no question that we have major problems with the delivery of healthcare services to the uninsured and underinsured among us. A host of complex factors contribute to the problem, not the least of which are [...]

Thinking About A “Real Job”

Posted by Chris Berry on March 20, 2008 in Jobs and Careers, Purely Personal

The last time I had a job with a steady paycheck was 1988. I had never really given this much thought until a couple of days ago when I realized just how remarkable that sounded. This doesn’t mean that I’ve been unemployed for 20 years, only that I haven’t held a traditional 9 to 5 [...]

Council Follows Predictable Path

Posted by Chris Berry on March 18, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Local Politics

At a time when our city is in dire need of fresh thinking from our elected leaders, the city council has followed the predictable path in their choice of applicants to interview for the seat vacated by Alfred Dowe. Of the twenty-two people who applied for the seat, council apparently only sees fit to grant [...]

Focus On Skills Over Experience

Posted by Chris Berry on March 17, 2008 in Jobs and Careers

Depending on whose statistics you believe, most of us will change careers between 3 and 7 times during our working lives. We’re not talking about moving from one widget company to another, but switching career fields entirely. Many of these changes will be involuntary, resulting from downsizing or obsolescence. Other changes will be based on [...]

Transportation Museum Should Hold A Yard Sale

Posted by Chris Berry on March 10, 2008 in Local Politics, Roanoke Valley

The local papers have been filled lately with articles and letters bemoaning the sad state of the Transportation Museum. Many writers place the blame directly on lack of funding from the city and state, while others seem to suggest that contributors to the new Taubman Museum of Art are somehow responsible, since they haven’t supported [...]

Calling All Angels

Posted by Chris Berry on March 6, 2008 in Economic Development, Roanoke Valley

One of reasons the reasons I started blogging was to change the nature of the conversation about economic development in the Roanoke Valley. It’s easy to complain about lack of opportunities, but complaining doesn’t change anything. Opportunities start with ideas, and sadly, original ideas have been have been few and far between.
Two organizations have put [...]

A Brief History Lesson

Posted by Chris Berry on March 6, 2008 in Local Politics, Roanoke Valley

I am not a particularly enthusiastic supporter of the Rockledge Inn proposal by Valley Forward, but only because I do not believe that it has as much potential to attract people to the valley as the group suggests. There are legitimate pros and cons to consider, and these have been debated vigorously over the last [...]

New Ideas for Development Incentives

Posted by Chris Berry on March 5, 2008 in Economic Development, Local Politics

There has been a great deal of discussion over the past few years about the need to attract young professionals to the Roanoke Valley. In spite of all the talk, we’ve made little in the way of actual progress. Roanoke is looking down the barrel of a demographic crisis similar to that faced by our [...]

Coming Around to Wishneff

Posted by Chris Berry on March 4, 2008 in Local Politics

Let me begin by saying that I’ve never been a fan of Councilman Brian Wishneff. Pomposity and spite are not the hallmarks of a good public servant, and Wishneff possesses these qualities in spades. His steadfast refusal to give up on the Victory Stadium issue after the last round of council elections reminds me now [...]

Business and Politics Don’t Mix

Posted by Chris Berry on March 3, 2008 in Elections and Voting

As another election season approaches, I’m reminded of one of my pet peeves. Even though it’s an all too common occurrence, I’m always dumbstruck when I see an office building or storefront plastered with campaign posters. Business owners have the same rights as anyone else to support candidates and causes of their choice, but as [...]