There will be a Public Hearing on a  Zoning Ordinance change before Christiansburg Town Council at their next meeting. The Planning Commission has already had a Public Hearing and last night (1/30/12) they voted on their recommendation to Town Council on that change in zoning ordinance. The vote was a tied: 4 members voted against and 4 voted for the Zoning Change. The proposed change will go to Council with no recommendation by the Planning Commission. On the other hand, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to endorse a CUP contingent upon that Zoning change for a large apartment complex in one specific area. I personally believe that the application is correct for the land it is proposed for, but I have some problems with the changing of a Town Zoning Code in order to allow it to happen.

So, what was the change? Well, I’ve included a copy of the proposed change, 2012 District B3 Zoning Change to allow high density residential and it pertains to Article XII. General Business District B-3, Section 30-100. Permitted uses of the Christiansburg Town Code.

The long and short of it is that the proposed code amendment would add this statement: “and for multi-family dwellings, the density of development shall not exceed the ratio of twenty dwelling units per gross acre.”

How does that affect citizens? To really see the potential impact of such a zoning change you need to take a look at the current zoning map. (Since I had some difficulties getting the Town’s page for this to load on my computer, I’ve provided an extra copy here of that document: 2011 Christiansburg, VA Zoning Map.

You really have to look at the map in order to see what properties are potentially affected by this change, which properties will have the door opened for high density residential development. On the map, it is all of those areas designated in “Red” color which includes a large volume of land.

Then, take a look at all of the land currently zoned as R3 (Multi-Family Residential which is “Yellow” on the map). These sections provide for a maximum density of multi-family dwellings of 10 dwelling units per gross acre (per Christiansburg Town Article VI. Multiple-Family Residential District R-3, Section 30-48).

Next note that there are 2 other designations on the Zoning Map: MU-1 (see Article VIII. Mixed Use: Residential-Limited Business District MU-1, Section 30-69 which allows up to 10 dwelling units per gross acre) and MU-2 (see Article IX. Mixed Use: Residential-Limited Business-Limited Industrial District MU-2, Sec. 30-80, which, again, has a maximum of 10 dwelling units per gross acre). What is most important is to look at exactly how much acreage is actually committed to these Zoning types. You’ll be hard pressed to even find them on the map!!! And yet, these two designations were implemented as a means of providing a location for high-density development!!!

These other areas share the common “10 dwelling units per gross acre” and one other feature. They are limited to a maximum of 2 unrelated individuals sharing a residence.

Now, looking at the Town Code (Article XII. General Business District B-3), Sec. 30-99 Statement of intent. provides this:

This district covers that portion of the community intended for the conduct of general business to which the public requires direct and frequent access, but which is not characterized either by constant heavy trucking other than stocking and delivery of light retail goods or by any nuisance factors other than occasioned by incidental light and noise of congregation of people and passenger vehicles. This district shall include such uses as retail stores, banks, theaters, business offices, newspaper offices, printing presses, restaurants and taverns and garages and service stations. In view of the extensive application of the district and the variety of conditions which may be anticipated, residential uses are permitted with a Conditional Use Permit. (Code 1972, § 30-77; Ord. 2004-4 of 9-7-04, § 30-77)

As noted previously, the proposed change in the Zoning Ordinance pertains to Article XII. General Business District B-3 Sec. 30-111 would take the existing Code (Section 30-100. Permitted uses. (a) and change it from the original text:

(a) Any principal use permitted in the R-3 Multiple-Family Residential District, with a Conditional Use Permit, except that  uses permitted as conditional uses in the R-3 District but permitted as of right in the B-3 District shall not require a
Conditional Use Permit. Dwellings are subject to the same requirements as in the R-3 District except that a single-family dwelling in association with a permitted office, business or commercial use, in the same building or on the same premises for use by the proprietor or an employee of said business shall be permitted but not subject to said requirements, including one unrelated individual per unit.

to allow for “multi-family dwellings, the density of development shall not exceed the ratio of the twenty dwelling units per gross acre”.

Granted, it will require a Conditional Use Permit which means that depending upon who is in office and how they feel about a particular proposal may be the determining factor in what happens in a neighborhood near you, or in YOUR neighborhood. It also means that citizens will be dependent upon the Town for monitoring and enforcement of the Conditions. (yeah, right, like if a condition gets violated the Town will make someone tear down a bunch of apartment buildings and restore the land). In fact, what would happen if there were violations such as 5 unrelated people sharing the same dwelling? Are there fines? Or, are they just unenforceable words stuck on paper to look good?

Go ahead and take a look at the map. See what areas of Town could be affected by a change in the Zoning Ordinance. Stop and think about traffic problems, the overcrowding of schools, the lack of pedestrian access, limited bus service, impact on existing infrastructure such as water and sewer, and general quality of life related to growth. Of course, given the current economy, it could be that people move out of their homes and into apartments, leaving a lot of empty houses.

At the public hearing, to be held on 2/7/12, Town Council will allow citizens to speak up on the proposed Code change and on the Conditional Use Permit. The packet for that meeting is not available online yet, but it will be there soon. You may want to check the Town’s website often so that you can see what documents Town Council will have before them, or browse through the documents that have been included as part of the Planning Commission Packets for the Jan 30th, and Jan. 23th meetings when these were discussed.

You can also look at the videos of those Planning Commission meetings (http://myvaresources.com/Town%20of%20Cburg/NEWAudioVideo.htm), or Jan. 23rd Planning Commission Videos,  and, Jan. 30th Planning Commission Videos are right here:

In a recent article in the Roanoke Times Virginia is running up the white flag on history for grade school,  By Sen. Mark Obenshain, January 27, 2012 (online version) SB185 is mentioned. http://www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2012/sb185/

After reading the article, I went to Richmond Sunlight to look at the entire bill to see what was actually going on with this.  While the Senator notes that the teaching of history would be de-emphasized, I’m not sure that the bill presented actually reflects that goal.

It seems to me that what the bill is doing is turning the focus on reading. My interpretation is that what the issue is has more to do with rather abysmal scores in Reading on the SOLs. Those materials evaluated by SOLs are not the only things taught in school. However, those things measured by the SOLs are crucial building blocks. I believe that the most crucial building block, particularly in Elementary School is READING.

Hello! How important is “teaching” history if students cannot read well enough to do the reading required to learn history. The same holds true for most other subjects.

I remember (back in the old days — and no, I did not go to school when texts were comprised of stone tablets — but close:) having some teachers who thought it was important to remember key dates, people, and geographic locations when it came to history. I hated those classes. The ones where history was taught and I really learned (and loved doing it) were those classes where the teachers encouraged us to learn about the event, the people involved, and how whatever the event was affect the lives of people.

Not only did I read my text books, I would go to the public library and get more books on the subject and read those. It was like each book would drive me to look for another one, and then another.

Without that ability to read and comprehend, preparing someone for a test in history becomes nothing more than a process of memorization. Memorization of facts and figures does not constitute knowledge and tests merely reflect the ability of someone to regurgitate (aka puke) exactly what was provided. To be able to read, to interpret, to discuss … those are the things of which creativity and ingenuity are born.

Quite simply, to shift the focus towards Reading will allow those teachers of other subjects to continue to teach history, science, and even math more effectively. It will encourage our youth to think for themselves and to come up with new ideas and solutions. Who knows maybe there is some student out there right now with a way to treat cancer:) http://www.geekosystem.com/17-yo-cancer-nanoparticle/.

It is my opinion that focusing on Reading is exactly what we need to be doing! Without the ability to read and comprehend, we become nothing more than robots. Of course, that would also create a more easily controlled workforce. Or, a more easily controlled population overall.

History, Math, Science, etc. will all still be taught, but perhaps, just perhaps, if the ability to read is enhance, classroom discussion will be more exciting, maybe why it is important to learn at all will become more apparent. You simply use the text books for those other subjects as part of the basic tools for reading.

I don’t have a degree in education, so I don’t know of all the journal articles and studies on the topic of the importance of reading to other subjects. I only know of my own experiences. Based upon that, I know that when I got an AS degree with honors, it was largely due to my ability to read and understand. When I got honors in biochemistry, it was because I read and understood the materials, I didn’t just regurgitate (aka puke) facts and formulas. For me, reading has been a foundation upon which all other learning has been built.

Some thoughts on the importance of Reading:

“To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries.”

^{– A C Grayling, Financial Times (in a review of A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel)}

“Give me a man or woman who has read a thousand books and you give me an interesting companion. Give me a man or woman who has read perhaps three and you give me a dangerous enemy indeed.”

^{– Anne Rice, The Witching Hour}

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”

^{– Frederick Douglass}

“A book is the most effective weapon against intolerance and ignorance.”

^{– Lyndon Baines Johnson}

(from: http://www.readfaster.com/readingquotes.asp)

Following the last Planning Commission Meeting, where a change in Zoning Ordinance and a CUP for a large apartment complex, I wrote this article:

333 Apartment Complex Coming to the Mall Area in Christiansburg?

At the 1/23/12 Planning Commission Meeting, this came up again. I had reviewed the documents in the packet and saw that there was still no report on how this could affect our schools. “Our schools” does not mean schools that are owned and operated by the Town of Christiansburg. Only Cities and Counties “own” schools, so it is all taxpayers of Montgomery County who foot that bill. However, at the time of the meeting, apparently a statement from MCPS had arrived and been delivered to the Planning Commission.

Unfortunately, I’d already used a couple of minutes of citizen comment time asking that the Planning Commission please address this in their deliberations. There had also been some other issues raised that resulted in a request by the developer’s representative to ask for a delay in the process to deal with those issues. I did not get to see or hear the contents of the MCPS statement so I requested a copy. I just received that copy about an hour ago and I am sharing it here with you:

MCPS Response to CUP for Major Apt. Complex in Cburg

Every change in population density of an area has an impact on public schools. Much of the current overcrowding of the schools has been due to rapid growth. Sooner or later, someone is going to have to pay for the impact on schools. Whether that is a function of “impact fees/cash proffers” to help offset those costs or through increased taxes, or cutting funding to other services. It simply must be done. Here, that means it is up to Montgomery County to establish such a program. Both Towns would have to agree to it though (I believe that is why we don’t already have such as system … only 2 of the 3 jurisdictions supported this issue when it arose several years ago.) § 15.2-2329. Imposition of impact fees.

The object of the fees is to provide a fair distribution of costs of services. Will those costs actually be born by the property owner? Sure, anyone selling homes is going to pass such costs off to buyers. Those are the people who will ultimately be using the facilities. They will be using what other taxpayers have been paying for over the years.

At some point, someone needs to look at the costs of growth. Montgomery County School Board is already having to look at redistricting in order to deal with growth. Some people will find that their children will not be able to graduate from the same schools, have the same teachers/principals as their other children had through school. It could mean that there would need to be a change as to which high school football team their child plays on next year.

Anyway, this is but one of several issues that have been discussed at the last two Planning Commission meeting. The videos for this most recent meeting will be coming soon. Ooops…there they are now:)

The Planning Commission held a public hearing on these a while back, the next regular Town Council meeting will include another public hearing. What is being proposed is a change in the zoning code and a CUP to allow for a 3 story apartment complex with 333 apartments on the land behind Lowe’s. The only point of access is from Farmland off of Franklin, the same access road used by Wheatland (across the street from Sheetz). The apartments would be up to 3 bedroom in size and allow up to 3 unrelated people in each apartment.

Video of Planning Commission Meeting (6 Parts – also available on myvaresources.com video page):

At the Planning Commission meeting, I asked for and received clarification on the 3 unrelated people thingie. That means that only 3 people who are not related to each other could be residing in the apartment at any given time. However, the following scenario could also apply: There could be a family of 5 who shared an apartment with 2 other non-related persons for a total of 7 people (get the picture?).

Traffic studies that were done several years ago were used to indicate that there would be almost no impact on traffic at the street for access. Note that there was no mention of the impact of that many vehicles on other roads and intersections in the area. Let’s see, just off the top of my head, for a worst case scenario (if there are only 3 unrelated people in the household and if there are “related members” in the household they only have 1 car) 3 vehicles per apartment and there are 333 apartments … that comes out to about 999 vehicles to park and to be coming in and out of the complex. I’m thinking that there could we be an impact on local traffic, particularly on Game Days!

Add to that, the issue that Christiansburg uses a “complaint driven” codes enforcement policy adds to the mix by making it the responsibility of citizens to report any apparent violations of the “3 unrelated persons” promise. That means that there could be 20 people living there and unless it is reported by some citizen (usually one willing to suffer retribution for making a complaint) the situation will continue. If a report is made, Christiansburg Police Dept./Codes Enforcement will need to spend time and taxpayer money following up on the complaint. Of course, given the increased traffic and increased likelihood of vehicle accidents, there may be more Police officers in the vicinity anyway and they can save a few minutes there. ( It might be a good idea to check into exactly how difficult these types of complaints are to enforce to begin with!)

If you’ve taken the time to look at the package of materials provided to the Planning Commission, you can see some of the specifics of the complex and it looks very nice on paper. I’m just not sure that given the traffic problems we already have in that area, that now is the time to add this sort of  traffic increase. And, heck, while we’re at it, why not make it so that the owner of the rentals is responsible for costs of any law enforcement costs required to “police” the 3 unrelated persons complaints so that taxpayers don’t have to absorb that costs. If modifications are required to existing water and sewer system in order to maintain quality of service to existing residents, or if additional traffic lights or alterations in roads are required, then the developer should pick up the costs for that as well, not taxpayers.

I hope Council takes a close look at other land adjacent to this which could also be affected by the change in the zoning ordinance proposed in order to allow this development (as well as other areas of town which could also be affected) and thinks about the potential for growth and future traffic increases that could apply.

At the last Town Council Meeting, we started with a presentation by Jim Politis requesting that the Town of Christiansburg endorse a movement to allow the growing and processing of industrial hemp.  Before you jump up and rant or applause, depending upon your personal perspective on this, let me remind you that industrial hemp is NOT the same critter as that “other form of hemp” (Cannabis, aka marijuana). To learn more about industrial hemp check out some of these sites for additional information:

• http://www.industrialhemp.net/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp
• http://www.agmrc.org/commodities__products/fiber/industrial_hemp.cfm
• http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/sb/sb681/
• http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CDBREC/introsheets/hemp.pdf
• http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h1831/show
• http://www.hemp.com/

There are a ton of others available. What you will ultimately find is that industrial hemp and cannabis are two very different things. The active ingredient in cannabis is THC. In the cannabis version this THC level ranges from 3% to 20% concentration. In the industrial version, the average is only 0.3%. (At those levels, it would require about 10 times more industrial hemp to accomplish the same purpose as cannabis … I’m thinking people would die of asphyxiation from the smoke before they could get a buzz from this stuff!)

But, back to Mr. Politis’s arguments: Mr. Politis has taken on the campaign to legalize the growing of industrial hemp in Virginia and the country.  http://www.roanoke.com/business/wb/301840 . He presented information to the Christiansburg Town Council that focused on saving farms and creating jobs. His goal was to obtain an endorsement from Town Council in support of legislation legalizing the growth of industrial hemp. He left without a clear endorsement as council will be thinking about it and discussing it. Hopefully, they will also be doing some research on the topic.

I came home and went straight to Google and came with a few interesting thoughts. First, an example of another plant and it’s family plants. The wonderful Poppy. Various cultivars of the poppy are grown around the world. You can even find them center stage on many floats in parades where flowers are used. They are probably in Grandma’s garden. Now, those poppy plants are in the same family as the poppy from which opium is derived. In fact, a minute amount of the same active ingredient in the “drug” poppies can be found in the common cultivars. It is simply not in the same level of concentration. This scenario sounds quite similar to the hemp issues. Why are exceptions made for cultivars of poppy but not of hemp? Why aren’t poppies banned like hemp?

To the issues raised by Mr. Politis that allowing for the growth and associated manufacturing related to industrial hemp, the plant requires rich soil and a good deal of water. It is equivalent to corn or a high quality wheat in it’s demands on the soil. Like both corn and wheat, it takes a good bit of land to be able to raise a marketable size crop for manufacturing. Hemp requires little or no in the way of herbicides and pesticides which is good for the environment, but the high nitrogen demands could require extra fertilizer use which could affect nitrogen runoff into streams, rivers, and lakes. Overall, hemp appears to be less detrimental to the environment. Hemp also requires a long front-free growing season in order to mature the plant.

If the goal is to preserve farmland, this may not be the best of options. If the National ban is lifted, it is more likely that growth of the product for manufacturing will likely focus on those areas with the soil, water, and warmth required (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and parts of Texas). What does this mean for our area? Well, we could certainly look at the facilities required to process the hemp into the many usable forms that it can provide (cloth, foods, auto parts, and “concrete” block). For small scale farmers, there could well be a good market for locally grown hemp as a source of seeds, oil and oil products, and “milk”.  It may be unlikely that it could be grown here in a quantity to produce bio-fuel BUT, there are such areas nearby and we are on major transportation routes for grain and plants to be easily shipped to manufacturers here.

There is definitely a lot to consider, but I’m not seeing much of a “down side” in allowing the growth and processing of industrial hemp. The difference in height and foliage density in the 2 forms of the plant (industrial hemp and cannabis) makes it easy to tell them apart.  However, I’m sure that someone, somewhere will try to slip some cannabis in to their fields. For those few, simply come up with a couple of new laws concerning the growing of cannabis in those fields of industrial hemp and make the penalties tough. Give them some really long jail time and the loss of the land farmed for industrial hemp.  After all, how many opium poppies are growing in Grandma’s garden?:) If we can manage it with a source of opium/morphine/heroin, I’m betting we can manage it with cannabis.

For now, the ball is in Town Council’s Court. I say go for an endorsement and let those in Federal Government do the yea/nay on the overall decision and whatever guidelines may be required should the growing of industrial hemp be approved. Then, let’s start checking into some of the economic development options should be be approved. Let’s be ready just in case, and be the first to take advantage of opportunities to create jobs while taking a positive stance on protecting the environment. After all, an endorsement does not mean it will happen.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, one issue that did not come up in the study (at least not directly) was the impact of the “Digital Divide” in education.

From Wikipedia: Digital Divide:

The Digital Divide refers to any inequalities between groups, broadly construed, in terms of access to, use of, or knowledge of information and communication technologies.^[1][2] The digital divide in the United States (and other countries) refers to inequalities between individuals, households, businesses, and geographic areas at different socioeconomic and other demographic levels, while^[3][4][5] the Global digital divide designates countries as the units of analysis and examines the divide between developing and developed countries on an international scale.^[2]

As more and more people are pushing for transforming much of our educational system onto the internet (usually as a cost reducing measure), I felt it might be worth taking a look at the impact of the digital divide on education. What I found is pretty darned scary. Let me share some of those items with you:

From Education World: http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech041.shtml

Caught in the Digital Divide

As record numbers of Americans go online, the gap between those who have access to technology and those who don’t may be widening. Education World looks at the digital divide and what it means to educators. Included: Links to information and resources on the digital divide.

A ‘RACIAL RAVINE’?

Blacks and Hispanics are not the only minority groups caught in the digital divide. According to Evans Craig, of the Albuquerque High Performance Computing Center in New Mexico, the divide also affects Native Americans. In The Native Digital Divide: A Review of Online Literature, a study of the divide in the southwestern United States, Craig states, “The main telecommunications artery for the southwest runs parallel with the Rio Grande. A telecommunications artery similar to the Silicon Valley is generally referred to as the Rio Grande Corridor (RGC). Along the Rio Grande are the Pueblo reservations. The RGC runs through these reservations. … How many of [those people] have access to the RGC? Zero! Although the lines run right through the reservations, people do not have access. Why not? Is the cost too prohibitive to put digital centers there?”

A SOCIAL SPLIT?

The digital divide is not strictly a racial issue, however. The divide also affects rural areas of the country. According to the NTIA report, people living in urban areas are 50 percent more likely to have Internet access than people who live in rural areas are. Smaller telephone and cable providers simply cannot afford to provide the technology to their customers.

Adult learners, many of whom are recent immigrants, are also victims of the digital divide. Sarah Phinney, the distance learning coordinator at Porterville Adult School in central California, told Education World, “In my seven years’ experience working with this population [of adult learners], I have found that a great number of the students we serve, especially those who speak English as a second language, are computer illiterate and thus are on the lean side of the divide.”

IS IT THE PRINCIPLE OR THE INTEREST?

Many people, however, question whether a digital divide fueled by ethnic, geographic, societal, or economic factors exists. The major issue, say the digital dissenters, is not a lack of access to technology but a lack of interest in technology. The educational system does not adequately address that lack of interest, they say.

WHAT’S BEING DONE

In a world increasingly dependent on computer technology, answers to the question of how to prepare students for the workplace of the future are not easy to come by. Finding them is imperative, however. According to the TechWeek article cited above, the difference in home Internet access between people at the highest and lowest education levels increased by 25 percent between 1997 and 1998. The digital divide appears likely to become self-perpetuating– the most highly educated have the greatest access to technology, and those with the greatest access to technology become better educated. Children from families who don’t have access to today’s computer technology will have a hard time catching up in tomorrow’s technological job market.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

You can find out more about the digital divide with the following links to resources and reports.

• Falling Through the Net III The U.S. Department of Commerce digital divide site includes downloadable versions of all the reports in the Falling Through the Net series.
• Japan PM Gets Advice on ‘Digital Divide’ This news article demonstrates that the digital divide isn’t just a U.S. problem.
• Digital Divide Network The Benton Foundation and the National Urban League sponsor this network of professionals working to bridge the digital divide.
• Digital Divide This Public Broadcasting System site discusses gender and race as it explores the digital divide in classrooms and the workplace.
• Distance Learning at About.com This site provides links and information about the digital divide.
• What is the Digital Divide? ABCNEWS.com puts its spin on the digital divide and what it means to the world.
• Bridging the Digital Divide: The Impact of Race on Computer Access and Internet Use This study by professors at Vanderbilt University looks at how the digital divide affects society.

From An Online Journal of IDEA, UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education & Access – The Digital Divide Spring 2001, Vol. 1, No.2

The Next Digital Divides by Howard Besser, co-Director UCLA/Pacific Bell Initiative for 21st Century Literacies.

While these focus primarily on education, what is also of note is that there is another divide that is seldom talked about by anyone. That digital divide is the one that is growing rapidly. For those over 55 years of age, we have seen tremendous changes in the internet and computers over the decades. Some of us jumped into the fray early on and “teethed” stuff like the TRS-80, or the Apple II computer. Others did not. In fact, some of those others may have developed a bad feeling about computers (even fear) as the computer age evolved during the last years of their employment and many were pushed aside and replaced by those “new fangled” machines. My own mother was one of those people forced into an early retirement because of the rapidly changing technology. To this day, even though I bought her a Mac and set everything up, I cannot get her to so much as send me an email. Fortunately, the grandchildren have used it.

Of course, many people have managed to bridge that divide successfully. Some by the “grab a root and growl” method of just jumping in and doing it. Others have taken classes through professional companies that now offer such services or through their public libraries, churches, or other sources. But many, just either refuse to use a computer or try to use it for only email. Many of these people do not have the basic knowledge of computers that allows them to effectively use them without having to pay someone to come out and do routine maintenance on their computers like run a “defrag”, clear a cache, or upgrading their browser.

There is an interesting paper online by Jerry Garfunkel “The Digital Divide Between Age Groups” that shows some of the numbers relating to this digital divide due to age. It does not, of course, take into account the cost prohibitive features of internet access and maintenance of a computer but it does give some interesting insights. This author groups ages as 65+, 50-64, 30-49, and 18-29. He provides a chart based upon 2004 data that shows the following:

Age Group	% online
Americans age 65 +	22%
Americans age 50-64	58%
Americans age 30-49	75%
Americans age 18-29	77%

this chart was created from data reported in
Older Americans and the Internet, (2004, Fox,S.)

and then look at the huge amount of information that is now available online for voters, you quickly see that those age groups most likely to vote are the ones who are least likely to have access that information on the internet.

The Digital Divide looks to be something that can affect voting patterns as well as education and other aspects of life. The Digital Divide might just help to explain some of what we are seeing as to splits in political parties is occurring or why I sometimes talk with people who have no idea of the voting records of candidates they support. The information is getting out there, but is it getting to the people who turn out to vote?

Add to that the information previously discussed about the Digital Divide and race and socio-economic status and what seems to be left is that a large number of potential/likely voters do not have access to much of the online information. Instead, they rely on newspapers, debates, political advertisements, or someone knocking on their door to get that information.

Maybe some of that money used to fund primaries (see: The Burgs – Make political parties pay for their primaries by Christian Trejbal on 1/8/12) could be better used to provide some programs to increase “computer literacy” for those groups negatively affected by the Digital Divide. Maybe taxpayer money would be better used to provide information that empowers voters to make informed decisions. Or, maybe someone will study this more and come up with a whole different perspective:)

Deregulation does not create jobs when you have a failure in …  nope…not there.

Deregulation will not create jobs- CSMonitor.com  nope…not there.

Congressional Budget Office Says Deregulation Will Not Create Jobs  nope…not there.

Cantor, Barrasso Signal That Republicans Will Make Deregulation A …  nope…not there.

Robert Reich: “Bizarre” To Think Deregulation Will Create Jobs …  nope…not there.

Talking Points and Facts « No Interior Design in House Bill 5005  nope…not there.

RealClearMarkets – Deregulation Will Not Create Jobs  nope…not there.

Deregulation Won’t Lead To Job Growth: Congressional Budget Office  nope…not there.

Ahh…maybe this is the one!!!  Daily Kos: Deregulation DOES Create Jobs!  well, there are some valid (if funny) insights here!

While I’m hearing a lot about how important deregulation is to the economy, I just can’t seem to find anything that really supports those assertions with facts. Quite a few potential Presidential candidates argue for deregulation as being the panacea for curing our economic woes by creating jobs, but when I read through all of their statements, I can’t find any real discussion on “HOW” it will do create those jobs.  Iowa caucus candidates point to deregulation for job creation – The …

Personally, I think Daily Kos comes closest to pointing out the potential for job growth due to deregulation. I mean if we create damage to the environment, just think of how many more sick people there will be to help create jobs for health care providers, hospitals, drug companies, and, if you get sick enough and treatment costs enough, all those bankruptcy lawyers, bankers, collection agencies, etc. If we deregulate toy safety, I’m sure we can count on having no more hazards than we have now, right? If we deregulate drug companies, we will all have a much safer source of medications, right? (This could go on for a really long time, but I’ll just stop with those few thoughts.)

Maybe it is important to come up with facts to support assertions concerning job creation. I certainly think so. But, then, I tend to be kind of weird that way. I figure just because someone (anyone) says something does not necessarily make it true. Gotta wonder what is really more important in decision-making, party politics or the facts. So, once again I’ll say, don’t take anyone’s word for things (not even me) … look for facts to support what they say. If the person is in elected office or running for one, take the time to look and see where their money comes from

OpenSecrets.org: Money in Politics — See Who’s Giving & Who’s …

and what bills they have aligned themselves with

GovTrack.us: Tracking the U.S. Congress

OpenCongress – 112th Congress – Track bills, votes, senators, and …

Sure, it takes a bit of time to dig for the details. How much time are you willing to invest in your future, the future of your children, the future of your grandchildren, and beyond! Before any deregulation occurs, shouldn’t citizen be provided with information on the cost-benefit analysis that surely our leaders are demanding before they make such decisions? Show me the facts!!!

Why 2 hearing? Well, the job of the planning commission is significantly different from that of council, and they are suppose to make a recommendation to council about the proposal based on the comprehensive plan and existing land use codes. At the core of the problem, in my opinion, is the fact that once something is presented at a public hearing before council (including the joint public hearing) there is little opportunity to really work with citizens and developers/property owners to come up with a solution that works best for all involved.

The planning commission public hearings are the perfect time for citizens and developers/property owners to express concerns and SOLUTIONS. Some have argued that this will make the process longer (by about 2 weeks) and that this works against developers/property owners who may be under time constraints. I propose that an additional 2 weeks that allow for citizen participation and input, as well as an opportunity for the developer/property owner to identify issues that were not noted in the original proposal and work with their “neighbors” to come up with modifications that work, is not a bad thing. In fact, it creates a situation where the project has the greatest degree of success and citizens are happier with the results.  Of course, it does require some investment on the part of citizens and the developer/landowner who must be willing to work together to come up with the best solution.

Another important issue related to this process is the proposed change in the fees required. Example: Previoiusly, one fee was applied to all rezoning requests, regardless of the size of the property. Whether the person owned 1 acre or 40 acres made no difference. If it would ultimately lead to 4 homes on the property or 100, made no difference. If it affected 5 neighbors or 75 neighbors made no difference.

Town Council is be addressing this proposed fee change at their next meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011. At that meeting a Public Hearing will be held to discuss the new fee structure. You’ll have to check the town’s website for the agenda for that council meeting for the specifics, but what it does is base fees on the size of the property involved. In essence, those proposals involving larger parcels and affecting more people will be covering their fair share of the costs of advertising and notifications rather than letting it fall upon taxpayers to ‘foot-the-bill’ for the difference. (A change well over due!)

While your waiting for the official council agenda version to appear, you can check out what was presented and voted on at the last planning commission meeting at: http://christiansburg.org/archives/66/12-12-2011%20PC%20Package.pdf

For properties less than 5 acres – $500

For properties of 5 -20 acres – $750

For properties greater than 20 acres – $1,000

It remains to be seen if the large property developers/landowners will show up in force to try to get council to vote this proposed change down or not, or if existing citizens and homeowners will show up to support this proposal. If you have an opinion on the matter, consider coming to the public hearing or writing/calling council members to express your opinion.

Overall, it would seem that a more fair and equitable distribution of the costs to the town for having the public hearings would be a welcome change (and a savings for tax dollars, perhaps even enough of a savings to make sure that there is money for the Fall and Spring cleanups!). The separate public hearings will allow for more citizen input and more opportunities would exist for the developer/landowner to work with citizens and the town to increase the likelihood that they can get approval of a project. To me, that looks like a clear win-win situation.

After months, no years, of studying the phenomenal growth rate of social media, I have at last found the hidden pattern. Is it technology based? Nope. Is it psychological in nature? Nope. It is purely biological, and the adaptive abilities of humans.

Ya see, it’s like this: Social media (beginning with the stone-age chat rooms of yore) evolved and continued to evolve at a rate consistent with certain changes in the “biological environment”. Most specifically, it goes hand in hand with NUTRITION!!!

Sure nutrition can affect thinking, moods, general health, etc., but nutrition can have a distinct impact on the social environment that is not related to any of those.

My most recent theory is a simple one and certainly explains the rapid growth and use of social media as it supplants “face-to-face” meetings with people.

As foods are becoming more and more processed and simple carbohydrates flood the plates and take-out cartons of the world, a phenomenon has occurred which has made “social media” a much safer and more socially appropriate environment within which to communicate.

Flatulence! That is the key. All of those little intestinal bacteria are thriving away on the highly processed foods in the diet these days. Even for those who are trying to be healthier in their eating, there is the significant “bean factor” to consider.

Flatulence occurs on a broad spectrum of auditory and olfactory inputs which can directly impact social interaction, and most certainly business transactions. There is the “silent but deadly” mode, there is the “breaking the sound barrier” mode, the “do you smell something” mode, and the “run for your life” mode. In between these, on this spectrum exist a wide variety of descriptions (and impacts) of this eruptive state of gas.

In fact, let us operate under the assumption that there are actually, two spectrums: one for auditory and one for olfactory inputs. Taking a multi-dimensional approach, it is easy to see that a multitude of variations are possible. Imagine a scale for both auditory and olfactory inputs of 0-100, now imagine that there exists the possibility for crossover from any point on one of the spectrums to any point of the other. You can quickly see that giving those limited parameters, thousands of opportunities are created for flatulence to express itself. If one takes time to add another dimension, that of the perception of the hearer or smell-er, then the permutations are legion! (That would have to be a future study!)

I would espouse the theory that Flatulence (Fart-itis for those of us most learned on the topic) is the driving force between the continuing growth of social media. As flatulence has increased in occurrence (due to nutrition/dietary inputs), a great need evolved to continue to function in society (social or business) in such a manner as to prevent the person/persons we are interacting with to experience the event along with us. That is why it is not just the “face-to-face”, “picket fence”, or public meetings that are turning into electronic communications. It is also the telephone (source of auditory input) as well that is suffering.

So my hypothesis: “There is a direct relationship between frequency, volume, and decible levels of Farts and the growth rate of no-auditory social media.”

We’ve got CHOCOLATE!!! Thanks to our old friend Chocolate Spike, we’ve got some wonderful take home holiday treats !

We’ve got sales on Trunki’s at 20% off for the weekend.

And, from now through the 15th of December, we got a package deal on the Melissa & Doug Multipurpose table and the Wooden Railway Set for 20% off when you buy them both. The table and train set do not have to be used together, so you can actually get two different gifts.

See photos of the train set and table here: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002809812890

Okay, gotta get back to work now: let’s see — veggie tray, cheese tray, cookies, mulled cider, apple juice, oh, where’s my list?