Easy to get a ticket in Boone
Editor:
The easiest thing in the world is to get a parking ticket in Boone, North Carolina.  That recent statement from a friend struck me as absolutely true!  
My wife and I recently made a trip from the coast to Boone to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  We anticipated the beauty of the area, the snow and all the quaint aspects of the town.  Our first day there was proving all of our expectations to be true as we went from store to store in the downtown area.  Then, about mid-day we began to run afoul of Boone's dirty little secret - parking violations and its ticket system.  It turns out that Boone's reputation for parking tickets is no secret at all.  
Suffice it to say we did not see the sign indicating one-hour parking nor did we see the less-than-visible sign for paid parking.  
After an enjoyable afternoon of shopping and spending several dollars in several downtown stores, we decided to check out the rest of Boone.  It was then we found not one, not two, but three parking tickets on the windshield of the car.
One ticket would have delivered the message.  We understand Boone is a college town and college students often park where they will with little regard to the law.  That is true especially when parking is very limited as it appears to be in Boone.  But, we were there to experience and enjoy the downtown stores at Boone.  
The next day I expressed my frustration with the multiple parking tickets to a local merchant.  To my surprise the local merchant shared my frustration about the parking situation and the zealous officials who issue parking tickets.  
I proceeded to the downtown basement office dealing with ticket collections.  I was not a happy visitor and expressed my unhappiness to two ladies in the office.  The lady in the back of the office began to defend the ticketing policy with, in my opinion, a sense of arrogance and unprofessionalism that would make any government official proud.  
She proudly proclaimed the town merchants wanted the parking/ticketing policy and the town had to honor their wishes.  After paying the fine, I immediately surveyed enough merchants to understand there was little to no support for Boone's parking/ticketing policy.  In fact, the merchants expressed a great deal of frustration with Boone's politicians who refuse to change the policy.
I believe Boone's policies regarding parking downtown work to curb tourism, and they certainly discourage visitors to the downtown merchants.  Signage advertising the little bit of available metered parking and pay parking lots are well camouflaged.  I believe my friend, the easiest thing in the world in to get a parking ticket in Boone, North Carolina.  
Larry P. Ferrell

Editor's Views
Don't count Old Man Winter out
Am I the only one who thinks snowfall is like that psycho in every horror film?
You know, the hero seems to kill the nut job - the villain lies still, glassy-eyed, with some farm implement planted in his midsection. Inevitably, the hero or the hero's kid, for some stupid reason, draws closer to the supposed corpse and - WHAM - the villain growls, reaching out for any unsuspecting necks before finally giving up the ghost after being whacked again.
I have this sneaking suspicion that, once we start to break out the shorts and sun block, skipping happily off to Price Lake - WHAM - Old Man Winter's going to make one final grab.  Call me a pessimist but don't stash your North Face gear away yet. Most locals will tell you that we often get an Easter snowstorm.


Speaking of snow
Although it's great to finally see our yards again, maybe you've noticed the uglier side of winter thawing - litter. Unfortunately, one of the grimmest sites is just as one drives into the east side Boone on U.S. 421. The area near the "welcome" sign is plastered with cans, paper, cardboard and plenty more roadside detritus. I think I'd almost rather see a fresh blanket of snow than all that trash.
That's why it's so important to come together as a community on Saturday, April 17 for Boone Clean-up Day. The town will provide the bags, safety vests and other equipment. All you have to do is donate a few hours to making our area cleaner. More details are coming soon.


More Fun Than the Big Dance
My sports colleagues, Steve Behr and Mark Mitchell, will no doubt argue that the Final Four is the most exciting contest this spring. But let's not forget America's Real Pastime: Politics.
In Watauga County, we have a nine-way race for school board but like the NCAA tourney, the brackets will whittle that last down - first to six in May and then to three in August.
We'll know more about the money game in April when candidates have to file their first quarterly reports of the election season. Watauga farmer and radio-host Billy Kennedy will likely face the most uphill battle in the war for war chests as he squares off against incumbent U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx. At last count, Foxx reported $1.175 million on hand. While Kennedy has shown some ability to raise grass-roots funds via online blogs, it's going to take some heavy lifting from the state party if he is expected to offer Foxx a serious challenge. Either way, this will shape up to be the most-watched race this season.
Party officials for both sides don't seem to except Foxx's Republican challenger, Alexander County resident Keith Gardner, to put up much of a primary fight.
On the local campaign trail, county-court clerk candidate Lowell Younce wins the early-bird award as his signs are the only ones so far in evidence along area roadsides.
Of course, maybe there are others still buried in snow but it's unlikely.
On the digital side of the street, clerk candidates Diane Deal and Wanda Howell have both built Facebook fan pages and are actively seeking friends. This year should be the first test to determine how effective online social media will be in local races. Will face-to-face beat Facebook? Will Twittering beat out the fish fry and pie supper?

Jason Reagan is the editor of the Watauga Democrat. He can be reached at reagan@wataugademocrat.com

Green technologies are not always 'green'
Editor's Note: As with all letters to the editor, all responsibility for fact-checking a letter in question belongs to the writer. Readers should take note that letters containing technical or scientific information may only represent one side in an arena with divergent views and interpretations of data.

Editor:
Recent articles from the New York Times and PBS address the issue of rare earth mining and bring to light that "green" technologies are not always green.
Some of the greenest technologies of the day - electric cars, efficient light bulbs and wind turbines - are made possible by rare earth elements.  These elements come almost entirely from China from some of the most environmentally damaging mines in the country. The industry is dominated by criminal gangs and the workers have little or no protection.
Rare earth processing in China is a messy, dangerous and polluting business that uses toxic chemicals, acids, sulfates and ammonia. The environmental problems include air emissions with harmful elements, such as fluorine and sulfur, and wastewater that contains acid and radioactive elements.
There are 17 rare earth elements.  Two of these elements - dysprosium and terbium - are in short supply mainly because they have emerged as the miracle ingredients of green energy products.
Tiny quantities of dysprosium can make magnets in electric motors lighter by 90 percent, while terbium can help cut the electricity usage of lights by 80 percent.  
You buy a Prius hybrid car and think you're helping to save the planet. But each motor contains a kilo of neodymium and each battery more than 10 kilos of lanthanum, both of which are obtained from environmentally damaging mining practices in China.
One of the biggest users of rare earth elements is wind turbines, which use these elements for the magnets in their generators. Some reports claim that a single wind turbine may contain up to two tons of these elements.
I hope that those who are concerned about the destructive nature of mountaintop coal mining are just as concerned about the destructive nature of rare earth mining, even though it isn't happening in our backyard.
Tonya Bottomley
West Jefferson