Deja Vu

Our dear leader and his underlings are now saying the "fundamentals of our economy is sound." Does this sound at all familiar to anyone???
The Republican's ridiculous and weak candidate in the general election, John McCain, was ruthlessly hammered for saying the "fundamentals of our economy are strong."
After finally being called out for hypocrisy, the administration is saying it is a vastly different statement due to "sound" and "strong."
This is a good teaching moment for Americans. The administration is obviously splitting hairs to save face. The argument is absurd when looking at the statements and arguments at face value. The economy is in much worse shape now than it was last September, yet the administration thinks NOW the world is full of flowers and sunshine.
I happen to honestly believe we are in fact in a position to recover from the recession, if we change course. If the government continues to hand out money like candy, without concern for where it is coming from, the economy will be driven further down. But if we see the error of our ways and buckle down, we can come out stronger. As we have before.
All is not hopeless however. If the Obama administration stubbornly continues on this path to economic destruction, it will be painful but not permanent. The American spirit has survived one such leader in Franklin Delano Roosevelt and we will survive this one.
I have no doubt whatever the obstacle, whatever the price, we will thrive. That is the American way.
— Lauren Ricks, Staff Writer

All things must pass.

The great former Dallas sportswriter Blackie Sherrod was fond of the saying "You can't do something again, you can only do something similar."
That's kind of the way it is here at the Athens Review with the departure of Benny Rogers after 27 years of sports coverage. I met Mr. Sherrod. I told him I'd read his column since I was a kid. He replied, "I'll bet your daddy did too."
It was kind of getting to be that way for Benny I guess. When he started covering sports, the players looked like kids-now it's the coaches.
Benny has his opinions-his likes and dislikes-but he always covered sports with a positive spin. Not that he would varnish the truth, but he seemed to prefer to use words that would build up rather than tear down.
Like Mr. Sherrod, Benny's interests reach far beyond the arena. He was a valuable source at the Review for what happened when in weather or in the news. And of course he new the newpaper business inside and out.
Like Sherrod said, "You can't do something again." There'll never be another Benny, but the guys in the front office are already looking for someone with the special set of skills it'll take to keep the ball rolling. As for another 27 years-bet the under.
Angela Weatherford left the Review February 27 after about 18 months on the job. She wasn't born when Benny took over the sports desk, but that didn't keep her from jumping in and impressing us with her abilities. Angela grew up in Athens and I'm sure her family, friends and the folks at the AISD are more than a little proud of the job one of their own did at the hometown paper.
Miss Weatherford resigned to move to Los Angelas, which I'm sure she thinks means "City of Angela." She may be right.

RIch Flowers