Page 4 LEVY COUNTY JOURNAL THURSDAY, APRIL 27,2006 YOUR VIEW Changes will be made To the editor: I just finished reading a news article that the President of Iran was delighted that gasoline prices have gone up. Now, we all know that this demented pinhead has no use for sane human beings, and the more kool-aid that he drinks the more he becomes eccentric. , Now, we all know what is going on with the increased fuel prices. The executives of all oil. companies are reaping huge profits at the expense of hard working class folks. They were earning millions, now they earn billions. They have’ more stupid excuses why they raise fuel prices, and these statements are made to divert attention from their outrageous actions. I tried to phone the executive for Exxon/Mobile and he was hiding under his desk, so I cut up my Exxon/Mobile credit card and mailed it to him, and in my letter, I suggested that he take some of the almost $400 million bonus and share it with the poor folks-in this country. Of course, he will never do that, because he needs his money to support his eight bathrooms, and 10-bedroom mansion with a pool and tennis court. I can assure you, he will not receive any more money from me so that he can live like a king. Increased fuel prices affect the economy and consumer prices will increase. The oil companies know that we have to drive to work, drive to doctors’ office, and the grocery stores etc. They do not care. Our government is not working for us, and they are to blame for not doing something about these oil price increases, and both the Republicans, Democrats and Independents are responsible for these outrageous defiant oil companies’ actions. I have e-mailed all our political leaders in Tallahassee and Washington and expressed my concerns; I am hoping that everyone else will do the same. Tallahassee and Washington © know that we are upset but they say and do nothing to help. Many of these politicos ride to and from their offices in limos and we pay for their fuel. I watched the Senate hearings when the oil executives were being questioned and it was like watching the Disney Channel, and not one senator put the hammer to these executives, and they walked out of the hearings laughing - with a care not attitude. . In a week or so the Congress is going to hold hearings with the oil executives attending and I will be watching, | hoping that the Congress hammers these executives and, if - they do not, then it is Disney World all over again. ' The citizens of America need to rise up and let our - government leaders know that “we are mad as hell” and we are not going to take it anymore and changes will be made at the polls this November. ee Dave Bibby ~~ Williston This week in Levy County History From the pages of the Levy County Journal - April 30, 1936 The Board of Public Instruction for the County of Levy State of Florida convened at noon April 27 in Yankeetown and accepted the new Yankeetown school building. The Cedar Key school district voted for $13,200 in bonds to fund a new primary building. _ Levy County necelyed over $9,130 from the state for ‘ schools. Several students. from Raleigh enjoyed picnics at Fanning Springs. Other Raleigh news included Miss Mogene Putnel spending the weekend with Miss Elsie May Putnel; Mrs. L.F. Dodd went shopping in Gainesville and Buster Patterson had an accident and broke his leg. William C. Hodges announced his candidacy for governor of Florida. His platform planks included old age and moth- ers’ pensions, $5 automobile tags, sales tax opposition and preservation of the homestead exemption. “Hodges left his office, took a sound wagon and visited every city, village and hamlet in this state urging the people to ratify” an amend- ment in support of the homestead exemption. The Seminole in Jacksonville advertised air conditioned rooms for $2 per night, or $4 if guests wanted a private bath. Buster’s Pressing Club in Williston advertised tailored — - suits for $14.95 and up. Loretta Young and Franchot Tone were starring in The Unguarded Hour at the Florida Theater in Gainesville. The Levy County Journal boasted 20 pages this week, See LCJ Page 18 ~Copyrighted Material Syndicated Content Available from Commercial News Providers” The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak other day with a reader [: commiserating the that there was some- thing mystical about turning _ 42. - For years, every time I vis- ited the optometrist, he kept warning me that bifocals were on the horizon. He:started when I was about 38 telling me that while I could still wear single lens corrective eye- wear, I should brace myself for bifocals. : “Tt will happen,” he pre--— dicted. “You’ll be 41 when you go to bed.and be able to see fine,” he began, “but the morning you wake up. 42, you'll discover you have presbyopia and you’ ll need those bifocals.” When I was 40, he tried to convince me to go ahead and get the bifocals so,I could get used to them. When I was 42, he couldn’t believe his own examination. * [still could wear single lenses. The next year I decided it was past time to convert to contact lenses and when I went, at 43, he was still astonished. I hadn’t crossed that imaginary presbyopia line. _ And yet I did the unthink- able. I let him convince me that I was an anomaly and it would catch up with me sooner rather than later. I let him prescribe bifocal contacts. ; I did OK with them, but my long distance vision--the real source of my blindness- -suffered. I switched optometrists. After the exam, the new eye doctor told me that my nearsightedness was worse but I was still fine for close up reading. However, in order to get the contacts strong enough and able to compensate for my astigmatism, I may need reading glasses. He suggest- ed the dollar store variety. COUNTY JOUR FRE COUNTY PAPER + EST. Our Mission The Levy County Journal is published to serve the people of Levy County as the leading information source that empowers the, community while never compromising our principles. We: . *reflect our community in everything we do. *provide leadership that contributes to the betterment of our community, *record the history of our county and make a difference in the quality of life for our residents and merchants. *promote readership of community events that foster _ better citizens. *promote readership of advertising thereby fostering a healthy economic environment. LS2a Who We Are Managing Editor . Carolyn Risner Office Manager/Chiefland Robin. Heath Photographer/Producticn Miriam Blitch Staff Writers Jeff Sirmons ‘Jeff M. Hardison Sales Representative Laura Catlow Typesetter Wilma Jean Asbell And so my passion for - $1 reading glasses was born with a pair in the bedroom, a pair in the bathroom, a pair -in the living room, a pair in the car and a pair at work. And a spare pair in my brief- case, lest I lose one. But if 42 was supposed to be the harbinger of eye ._ maladies, I couldn’t help but wonder what would greet me in the later years. I am finding out. Last year I was walking ’"’ 9 up the steps to my apartment after a busy day of church, lunch with friends and a :. ~ baby shower. As I opened the kitchen door, I felt a twinge in my back. By morning I was crawl- ° ing to the bathroom. I couldn’t stand, sit or walk. I could lie, however, and the couch and I bonded quite well. When I was sable to _maneuver, I carried a heat- ing pad and pillow to work and took itsy bitsy baby steps around the office. Four weeks later, as quickly as it came on, it went away. - Until last week. I felt that same twinge sit- ting in my office but chalked it up to many, many hours in front of the computer. I had planned a mini-vaca- tion for the latter half of the week, and it’s a good thing. I could not have sat in the ‘office. I’m not sure I will be able to sit long enough to finish this. And the odd thing is, in my mind I am jumping rail fences and moving like a THINKING OUT Carolyn Risner tornado across the LOUD prairie. ’ Easter weekend’s visit with the aunt and uncle posed a question that only I dared to ask. “Do you feel old?” I asked my 64-year-old aunt. Her answer was the same thing I was feeling. “No,” she said. “In my mind I’m still about 30. But my body betrays me every morning when I wake up.” And that’s exactly what it is: betrayal. You pamper it. You doctor it. You feed it and exercise it, but your body betrays | you” little by little. Presbyopia at 42. Sciatica a few years later. Hearing, tooth and hair loss on the horizon. ‘ I go to bed feclifig won- derful with ambitious plans - for the next day but when the sun rises, I discover an ‘allergy headache, a stiff back and an upset tummy that limits social behavior. I want to do more, be energetic, conquer each day with a zeal that astounds oth- ers, but am brought back to reality by the aging process. And while some of it is compounded by my own recklessness and ignorance, ~ a good deal of it occurs just because. It’s certainly not fair. I never asked for it. Like my aunt, I am eter- nally young in my mind- -some days I am 21 and care- free; others I am 30 and wise beyond my years. And if age is an attitude, then why, oh, why do I feel 40 years older than I am--but only when I move? Carolyn Risner is man- aging editor of the Levy County Journal. : Miss Honey says onday, April 24, 7:45 a.m. Good morning! Isn’t it .great to be alive and well? I didn’t sleep much last night; it was the wee hours of the morning before I went to sleep. I missed church yesterday. By the time I caught Peewee and got dressed and started, it was too late. Well, to make a long story short, Peewee doesn’t live here anymore and some of the others are going away, too. I awoke and realized I am too old to get out and run a dog down. I love them, but I am letting them go, one by one. But I will keep Little Bit and Sweet Pea and that’s it! If | had a fenced yard, it would have been different! I can buy posts and I can buy wire, but I can’t put up a fence! My kids promised, but never did put it up for me! I have lots of dolls and I'll keep them. They don’t bark; they don’t tear up paper and they never run from me. I’ll keep Sweet Pea and Little Bit and let the others go. With all of MISS HONEY Ether and time, love and money his is my second column for the Levy County Journal. It dawned upon me -- as I zipped past forests and pastures this week -- that I could write a wonderful and happy column. Yes, it would be JEFF M. “Somewhere i ARDISON “out there in the ether, and yet it would be down to earth. My thought in this fraction of one moment was Columnist it. A couple of definitions for the word “ether” are “the: rarefied element formerly believed to fill the upper regions of space; the upper regions of space,” according ~ to an online dictionary. . I wrote this very excellent column. Then, I deleted it. Those words are in computer oblivion now. By the way, another column I was tempted to write would tell readers about time. Yes, time. Tick-tock. I could have } noted that time does not exist in certain itsy-bitsy regions. I’ could discuss time as a factor in a space-to-speed ratio. Then, I thought of how I could write a column about ©* love. Yes, love. Something I consider to'be esSential >''« , tolife: Many others: have’ . written about this special gift... Instead of all that, I =~ changed my mind. I want to note my apology to a few men and to all other readers. In the caption for a photograph last week, I misidentified school board member Billy R. Morrison. I wrote that he was Director of ' Secondary Education Mike: Todd. Mr. Morrison and Mr. Todd, I imagine, are equally affected in a bad manner by my error. Even worse, I typed in “Brown” for the last name of Raymond Powers. That may not have been so easily noticed, because some parents have different last. names than their children. Well, this couple is not among those people in that circumstance. _. [ pray that Mr. Powers, Mr. Morrison and Mr. Todd excuse and forgive me. I apologize to the readers too. I really hate to confuse the people I want to understand See Jeff Page 19 these I didn’t need a paper shredder. They did that very well, thank you! They unplugged the telephone and they unplugged the lamp and put ‘ me in the dark. Need I say more? I do love them, but I have had enough. - [’m not mad just disgusted. They stole my glasses and chewed on them and Debra took the old ones and had some made for me. Oh, where would I be without good friends? Her husband said just bake him a cake. Hush, Donald, I still love them, but enough is enough, and I have had See Honey Page 18 ~~ that some folks would enjoy ~ eevee tor Aiea reser ey