Larry W. Stout has worn lots of hats over the years; a decorated military veteran, ordained pastor, university professor in Europe, and missionary to the former Soviet Union. He has authored textbooks on human resource management and leadership that have been translated into six languages as well as had published two novels. He currently invests his energies as a foster parent and board member for eight different community organizations. He is a native of Montgomery, graduating from Montgomery Area High School in 1970, who married his high school sweetheart Debbie, and together they have raised two sons and two daughters, one of which is adopted, but they cannot remember which one.
No matter how much a person may have studied or prepared for a new job or occupation, the cold water of reality hits almost immediately. Sooner than later, many ask themselves, “Dear God, what have I got myself into?” In previous columns, I have noted my own awakening to serving in local government. For this
This marks my eighth year of covering county government, and I am being very honest in saying that I enjoyed this year above them all. I am a person who likes to focus on the positives and not just dwell on the negatives, and there were many positives for the county in this past year.
The one comment I receive more often than any other from this column is the discovery of the role of county government. Most citizens focus their attention to local government and those who are directing it: city or borough council members or township supervisors. This is normal because Pennsylvania was designed this way. Townships and
The federal government in Washington, has an advantage that state, county, and municipal governments do not have. These governments must have the money to meet their budgets through either taxes, grants, or investments. The federal government has these as well, but it also has the ability to create money. They literally represent the saying, “Money
There are five fundamental rights listed in the first two Amendments to the US Constitution: – Freedom of speech. – Freedom of assembly. – The right to petition the government for grievances. – The right to bear arms. The one that does not get much attention, however, is the freedom of the press. I am
Let’s face it: we love competitions. It is amazing how people who have almost nothing in common become bosom buddies when rooting for their team at a sports event. There is nothing like victory, no matter what it represents, including elections. These ‘races’ on election day result in someone coming in ahead of the others.
