President Roosevelt seized the Great Depression as an opportunity to change life for generations to come. If he is to be successful, President Obama must do something similar.

I have had the privilege of working with Bill Fuller since the mid-1960s, when he began work as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney. From his first day in office, he had enthusiasm and zeal for finding the truth, an attribute which after more than 40 years of trials and many adverse situations still burns within him. Of all the people I have encountered in my 44 years in law enforcement, I have not seen another elected or appointed official that had the dedication and devotion to the people they served as he has demonstrated.

Many people do not realize that the Employee Free Choice Act (the so-called Card Check Bill) that was introduced in Congress earlier this year is still being debated on Capitol Hill. It’s true that a key provision of the original bill — elimination of employee right to vote by secret ballot — appears to be off the table, but negotiations are ongoing to formulate new legislation that will be just as detrimental to Virginia businesses as the original version.

It would be nice to get some facts as we all try to wade through the war of words that has become the current national debate over changing health care. It would be nice, but I do not really expect anything to change until this matter actually goes to a vote in Congress.

Until that bright and shining day comes, we will continue to allow the harsh, loud voices to embarrass this nation and its citizens by a calculated disregard for the honor and civility that has, until now, set America apart from much of the rest of the world.

The Virginia General Assembly’s failure to secure state and other non-industry funding is jeopardizing the credibility — and perhaps the execution — of its proposed uranium mining studies. A study paid for by Virginia Uranium Inc. does nothing to avoid the appearance of influence.

As another school year rolls around, so do more tales of the woeful state of the country’s education system.

Stories pour in from every state imaginable, filled with accounts of blatant incompetence, injustice and outright bureaucratic nonsense. In this age of the it’s-not-my-job mentality and zero-tolerance policies infiltrating every fiber of every school’s being, those who managed to escape in one piece must ask, “What has happened to education?”

What has happened to education?

America is a nation adrift. We have to look no further than the nightly news to see that there is overwhelming anger and distrust concerning our government.

In 2008, Americans turned out the party in power and focused their hope on a candidate who offered change. It is clear to this writer that while change was on the minds of Americans, support for any other agenda was not. The Republican Party had clearly lost its bearing and many Americans felt they had no alternative but to vote for a Democratic candidate. I am gravely concerned in the direction our country has taken, not only under the present administration, but in the past ones as well.

As members of Congress return to Capitol Hill after Labor Day, they face a major economic and environmental decision that will affect the daily lives of all Americans for years to come: What should be done about climate change?

Most Americans agree that climate change is an issue that must be addressed — but how to do that is a multi-billion dollar question.

It really came as no surprise to me that U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Fifth District, faced a mostly hostile crowd during his most recent town hall meeting in Campbell County last week. So far, Perriello has held nearly 20 such public forums in an attempt to explain proposed congressional legislation aimed at national health care reform.

Have you ever asked someone what time it was and had them tell you how to build a watch?

This is the surreal environment we find ourselves in today. Shell shocked by a new administration and massive spending on a scale never before seen, citizens of all classes are asking for concise and precise answers that are not coming.

For most small businesses, 2008 brought tough times and a stark economic landscape filled with layoffs, wage reductions, slumping home sales, absentee customers and rising prices for food, fuel and energy.

If that wasn’t enough, Murphy’s law kicked in to change access to the capital markets and business credit for years to come. It started with the purchase of Countrywide Mortgages by Bank of America in January, followed by the Sept. 15 filing of bankruptcy by Lehman Bros. and culminated with the automotive bailouts in December.

Rely on science and proven facts, not the Internet or rumors

When my wife and I moved to the Danville area from Massachusetts six years ago, our health insurance premiums went up 40 percent, with an actual decrease in coverage and quality.

By the third year, the premium was double. As a Richmond native who’s spent more than 40 years as an actuary in the insurance industry, I have seen how insurers restrict access and cherry pick whom to cover and what claims to contest. I have come to realize that reforming our health care system is not just an economic or business issue, it’s also a moral one. My business sense and my faith tell me that we need health care access for all.

I follow the Danville Register & Bee on Twitter from my home in The Netherlands and I regularly read what’s going on in and around Danville from across the ocean.

Earlier this month, I introduced the Adult Education and Economic Growth Act of 2009.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu could not have picked a better spot than Pittsylvania County to sound his ringing call for “restarting” our nation’s nuclear energy program, as well as endorsing Virginia’s state-sanctioned study to assess the safety and feasibility of mining and milling uranium in the commonwealth. 

I have always been proud to be a native of Pittsylvania County and the Danville area. Throughout my professional career — from my days of interning at the General Assembly with State Sen. Onico Barker to working on Capitol Hill with Rep. L.F. Payne, through my years with Universal Leaf Tobacco Co. and onto my current position as the commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services — I have always bragged about the region’s strong agricultural base and “can do” attitude when faced with challenges. I’ve never been more proud of that base and this area than last Saturday.

As a history teacher, I am a bit bewildered by this whole TEA party movement. The abbreviation may make a great acronym, but, historically speaking, it seems there is little similarity between the real tea party in Boston harbor in December 1773, and this new so-called movement now.

In 1773, colonists disguised as Indians crept aboard private ships and dumped the property of a private company into the murky waters of Boston harbor.

We must have health care reform now, for failure to do so will only result in a continuation of a failed system that will only increase in cost and the unnecessary loss of life. The high cost of care is hurting us all — whether you have insurance or not.

Virginians need electricity. We need a lot of it. In recent years, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative’s demand, for example, has in-creased more than twice the national average.

In response to Glenn Giles’ recent letter, “Take chance to learn about uranium,” (June 20, page A8), I, along with others, did as Giles did and contacted Virginia Uranium Inc. for their “briefing,” as they like to call it.

It has been a busy news week for local animal stories.

“It’s All Here!” has been the campaign slogan used to promote consumer participation in the purchase of products and services — as well as active involvement in entertainment and recreation — offered in the local community.

Five months into the Obama administration, both friends and foes alike continue to ponder what makes President Obama so popular.

Recently, I received an e-mail which caused me great consternation. Although the author of this digital communication shall remain unidentified, the subject of the message and its major tenets will not.

News reports regarding the work and responsibilities of the Uranium Mining Subcommittee do not begin to inform the public about the true status and complexity of the uranium study process. There may not be a market for such information, yet there is certainly a need. Urgent questions remain unanswered.

Commitment to community is a principle Danville Regional Medical Center holds in very high regard.

Too many of us are simply watching too many of the wrong channels — both literally and figuratively

These are critical times and they call for drastic measures

Are you Chicken Little or the little engine that could?