The Bedford Bulletin
Bedford, Va.
September 21, 2005, 8A
Opinion Editorial

A lack of 'common-sense,' acting with 'Vision'
by Samuel Edmund Coffey, Bedford

As we look without "self-focus" which today's "society" promotes via Hollywood, medias and "education" systems, at the extensive suffering via the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, let us examine things deeply in regard to human choices and ignorance. New Orleans, as well as many other places, have been overdeveloped and built-up in places thy shouldn't have been, while humans have totally ignored the effects of nature, and the costs of the infrastructures(roads, sewage, H2O, fire and emergency , police, etc.), upon themselves. Human greed, ego and ignorance have largely been the factors that led to these errors in when, where and the extent of over-development. As your hearts cry for those humans and other beings who lost homes and/or suffered and.or died, in Gulfport, Biloxi and New Orleans or the Asia tsunami last year, --or any other natural catastrophe, STOP and think. . . Humans wrought these things upon whomever suffered. Humans have over-developed and polluted and ravaged Mother Earth and the ozone. Global warming is the fault of mistakes of greed, ignorance and lack of concerned attention, by humans for a rather long time and continue to be so. So, whose fault is it that all those suffer? We are all accountable. Hurricanes (cyclones in Asia) and tornadoes spawn and grow stronger over warm waters.

Bedford had an ideal little community. Now, it is a community which is stressed. Taxes are getting burdensome for the average citizen. County administration isn't frugal. The Sheriff wastes money, much to get his picture in paper, or department personnel driving citizen paid vehicles to stores and home. The county is getting over-developed, over-run and ugly. Big-box chains and strip malls are all over and as we drive by we have to close our eyes to avoid the hideous signs and buildings. The hard working small merchants and struggling farmers are having a tough time. Each residence costs $1.21 of each tax dollar, for infrastructure expenses, whereas farms and small businesses cost approximately 18 cents and 36 cents, respectively of each tax dollar collected. In higher density areas, as per:Charlottesville and Northern Virginia, the costs of infrastructure per residence is much higher. It's a never ending cycle, more development, more and more and more costs via taxes and less and less community, and more and more danger to environs -- then more and more open to natural disasters. . . In Moneta, there is work on a "planned development" to be named "Mayberry Hills." The beginning home costs will be $258,000. It is projected to bring in probably 600-700+ people and create more traffic congestion, need for police and paid fire and emergency services at your expense. On Sept. 26 at 7:30pm (be early) the Board of Supervisors will discuss and vote upon that development issue at the count administration building. Concerned tax payers must attend to vote against that development, as well as all their supervisors. We must protect farms and natural resources. We must have a community and a nation that has some wisdom and vision, or the sad example of New Orleans, Gulfport and Biloxi will be repeated over and over again and we all fall down. We must think "stewardship" for the future--children, grandchildren, 100, 200, 300+ years down the road. Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, Washington, Paine and others even our families past, tried to guide us.