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Highlands Today

New Veterans Services Building Is Exactly What's Needed

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Highlands Today

Published: August 28, 2008

It's good to hear that Highlands County will finance a new veterans services building. The new building will much better serve the veterans living here, and that's a responsibility we owe the men and women who served our nation.

The new building will be about 3,200 square feet and replace the 325 square feet that's currently used to serve veterans. It will be built on George Boulevard and cost about $817,000, of which a $402,000 grant will cover part of the cost.

Cramped conditions at the current office force some veterans to meet outside and discuss confidential matters with office staff. It's clearly unacceptable to have these kinds of situations. Highlands County has too many veterans in need of a variety of services to continue this way.

We appreciate the effort that the people at veterans services have put out to make this happen. It's way past due, but with luck, bids will start being accepted within the week.

The people of Highlands County value veterans and building this new facility should serve them well for decades to come.

Presidential Conventions Get Folks Excited, But It's Fleeting

Sen. Hillary Clinton gave a rousing speech Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. In fact, each night promises big speeches by powerful people.

The night before, Michelle Obama gave an outstanding speech as well. On Wednesday night, former President Bill Clinton and Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden will, no doubt, whip the crowd into a frenzy. The showstopper will be Thursday, and Sen. Barack Obama will speak to the faithful in Mile High Stadium.

A week or so later, Sen. John McCain and an impressive list of Republicans will inspire their followers in the Twin Cities. There's little doubt that speakers there will be just as impressive.

The problem with conventions, though, is that they whip up excitement, but it's fleeting. Within days of closing a convention, it's the same old campaign trail, the same negative ads, the same old everything.

A lot can happen in a couple of months. Both candidates will likely rise and fall in the polls. It won't be until the last couple of weeks before the general election that matter much. Until then, political junkies will be tuning in, while a lot of people will be tuning out.

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