October 2008

Another Lost Opportunity For The Silent Majority

Posted by Chris Berry on October 31, 2008 in Elections and Voting, Political Parties

As we enter the final days of the longest presidential campaign season in history, polls indicate that the race is tightening. In spite of the last minute waffling of a handful of voters, the reality is that the GOP will need a miracle to pull off a victory. McCain’s projected defeat represents another lost opportunity [...]

Halloween Handiwork

Posted by Chris Berry on October 31, 2008 in Purely Personal

The street we live on is famous throughout the Roanoke Valley for being a great place for trick or treaters. It’s the kind of place parents drop off kids by the carload from other parts of town. Residents of the two block stretch of Stanley Avenue between 24th and 26th street will have upwards [...]

How Many Of Us Earn A Truly Honest Living?

Posted by Chris Berry on October 29, 2008 in Jobs and Careers, Purely Personal

Yesterday I wrote about the son of Senator Ted Stevens making a lucrative career out of trading on his father’s name. The case of Ben Stevens is remarkable since he truly had nothing to offer his clients other than access to his dad. In return for this access, he was paid millions of dollars in [...]

Stevens Conviction Is Only The Tip Of The Iceberg

Posted by Chris Berry on October 28, 2008 in Elections and Voting

Now that Senator Ted Stevens has been found guilty of lying about gifts from oil industry executives, it will be interesting to see whether federal prosecutors will finally go after his son. As the longest serving Republican in Senate history, the 84 year old Stevens is the poster boy for political corruption. While other politicians [...]

Finger Pointing And Program Cuts At Virginia Tech

Posted by Chris Berry on October 23, 2008 in Frivolous Lawsuits

I wrote an article in April predicting program cuts at Virginia Tech as a result of the $11 million settlement with the families of the shooting victims. Today the Roanoke Times is reportingthat the college is facing a budget shortfall and planning to cut a total of $11.2 million from academic and cooperative extension programs. [...]

The Trouble With The Fair Tax

Posted by Chris Berry on October 21, 2008 in Death and Taxes, Elections and Voting

Every few years a proposal is put forward to abolish the Internal Revenue Service, or to scrap the entire federal tax code and start from scratch. The plans that have received the most consideration in recent memory were the Flat Tax proposal put forth by Steve Forbes, and more recently, the Fair Tax, which was [...]

Marginal Tax Rates And The Politics Of Class Warfare

Posted by Chris Berry on October 20, 2008 in Death and Taxes, Political Parties

When it comes to tax policy, both of our major parties are guilty of manipulating the facts to suit their political purposes. With every election cycle, new promises are made regarding tax breaks designed to appeal to specific voting blocs or to reward favored industries. Both sides resort to hyperbolic claims that intentionally distort the [...]

Random Thought Of The Day 10-18-08

Posted by Chris Berry on October 18, 2008 in Random Thoughts

Will charges of racial discrimination be taken more or less seriously if Senator Obama is elected President?

Random Thought Of The Day 10-17-08

Posted by Chris Berry on October 17, 2008 in Random Thoughts

There is a major difference between voter fraud and voter registration fraud.

An Update On Man’s Best And Most Expensive Friends

Posted by Chris Berry on October 15, 2008 in Purely Personal

Back in June I wrote about my two dogs and their ongoing health concerns. If you didn’t read the original post, this probably won’t make much sense. Since that time, Grover has suffered another nearly fatal bout of pancreatitis and endured several more grand mal seizures. His massive daily dose of Phenobarbital is gradually becoming [...]

Random Thought(s) Of The Day 10-15-08

Posted by Chris Berry on October 15, 2008 in Random Thoughts

When will the GOP finally realize that physically broken old men don’t make appealing presidential candidates?
When the final number of duplicate and fraudulent registrations is known, will ACORN continue to insist that they signed up 1.3 million new voters?
Is it just me, or does Sarah Palin remind you an awful lot of Sally Field?

Random Thought Of The Day 10-14-08

Posted by Chris Berry on October 14, 2008 in Random Thoughts

The young people who are the most fervent supporters of Senator Obama were not alive the last time a true liberal occupied the White House.

Reflections On A Sunday Walk Down Memory Lane

Posted by Chris Berry on October 13, 2008 in Purely Personal, Roanoke Valley

I’ve taken to walking recently, in part to counteract the inevitable weight gain and the mind numbing boredom that come along with months of unemployment. I try to walk anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours each day, and I’ve developed a favorite route that I take at least 3 times per week. From my [...]

Random Thought Of The Day 10-10-08

Posted by Chris Berry on October 10, 2008 in Random Thoughts

How could Citibank possibly suffer $60 Billion in damages from a deal they only valued at $2 Billion?

Another Possible Home For The Food Court Vendors

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

I wrote a brief post last Friday suggesting a number of possible new locations for a downtown food court that would serve the needs of the Market Building tenants and their customers. Relocating the food court vendors would allow them to continue doing business without interruption, and would clear the way for the Market Building [...]