Real estate tax reassessments are coming this year in Floyd County and homeowners expecting to see a drop in real estate values are in for sticker shock.

Real estate values, at least in the eyes of the tax assessor, will most likely go up in Floyd County just as they are everywhere else in the area.

County administrator Dan Campbell tells me he expects the new assessments, when they come in, to be higher than the last round four years ago.

Which, of course, begs the question: If real estate and home prices are dropping around the country, how can the values go up here?

Good question. In some areas of Southwestern Virginia, tax reassessments have raised home values as much as 600 percent. Although land and home values are dropping in Carroll County, the assessor there has raised values on the tax roles by more than 300 percent over the last three years.

Roanoke County’s tax rate went up a more modest 2.75 percent last year but even that flies in the face of economic reality where the prices of homes have plummeted in recent months.

We hired a private appraisal firm to assess our home a little over a year ago. The appraisal showed the value of the house and property had dropped since 2004 even though we have made numerous improvements to the property.

Real estate taxes are the primary source of revenue for most county governments. Tax assessors are under pressure to provide assessments that produce more, not less, revenue for cash-strapped government coffers.

Are the new assessments real or a case of smoke and mirrors? That’s a question we all need to ask when these re-evaluations of our properties come in.

A survey of Floyd County residents a few years ago showed more than 60 percent do not have any form of health insurance.

That’s not surprising in a county where, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the per capita annual income is $16,345. Basic health insurance for two people through Anthem Blue Cross costs more than $12,000 a year. That doesn’t leave much for basics like food or rent.

Even those with health insurance find themselves strapped to pay for the things that aren’t covered. We’ve contributed to two fundraisers in recent months for a county employee battling colon cancer.

Carilion Health Care Systems, the "non-profit" company that holds a virtual monopoly on the area’s medical providers, banked more than $100 million in profits in 2007. Yet the costs of medical care provided by Carilion far exceeds that of independent operations in Roanoke and other parts of Southwestern Virginia.

The situation gets worse for Seniors Some 15.7 percent of Floyd County’s 14,789 residents are 65 or older — many living on fixed incomes.

Which means too many residents of our county simply can’t afford to get sick.

AN ADDITIONAL MEDICAL NOTE: Floyd County framer and blogger David St. Lawrence suffered a heart attack recently and is in the Cardiac Care Unit of Roanoke Memorial Hospital.  He’s keeping us updated on his condition through his blog — Ripples. Our best wishes to David for a speedy recovery.

A friend who — for purposes of this discussion will and should remain nameless — walked into Cafe del Sol Friday and opened the discussion with a sneering "what’s with the flag waving?" He referred to that morning’s article on this web site that suggested we put partisan differences aside and approach the problems that face this nation as Americans.

The comment pissed me off. I decided to leave the coffee shop rather than say what was on my mind. I get angry when comments are made that, in my opinion, question my love of my country.

I am called many things: a gadfly, a cynic, a curmudgeon and  a troublemaker among other names. I am all of those things and more. But the only label that I wear with pride is being called an American. As an American, I believe it is my right — and in many cases my duty — to question the leaders of my town, my county, my state and my country when I feel they are wrong but doing so does not mean I ever question my country or those who serve it by putting on a uniform and placing their lives on the line. I do not question the patriotism or love of country of those who hold different points of view and I expect to be shown the same respect for my beliefs.

I tried to open the New Year with a positive commentary that draws on American resolve and hope for the future.  We — as a community and a nation — face serious challenges in the weeks and months ahead and we cannot begin to solve the problems with partisanship or a strident belief that our beliefs are superior to others.

We have become a society with contempt towards others with differing points of view and an intolerance towards ideas, philosophies, attitudes or lifestyles we don’t embrace or understand.

I’ve been as guilty as anyone in the past of being judgmental, dismissive and contemptuous of others.  I realize now that the problems that threaten our way of life can be better resolved through cooperation, not confrontation.

We face a tough year ahead — perhaps several tough years. But we cannot overcome those problems if we insist that only Republicans or Democrats can succeed. We cannot succeed if we believe that only liberals or conservatives have the answers. We will fail if we believe that only the right or the left is the way to proceed.

Partisans cannot save this nation. Americans can.

As a nation, we enter 2009 with a seemingly-conflicting mixture of crisis and hope.

That conundrum prompted me to write the following for a national news web site:

As Americans, we enter 2009 riding a tidal wave of crisis: a plummeting economy, multiple wars and a nation torn apart by bitter partisanship.

Yet we ride that wave on a surfboard of hope driven by a new President, a promise of change and a commitment to approach our many problems by building coalitions and crossing the angry battle lines of partisanship.

It’s no longer a question of "can we do it?" It becomes a mandate of "we must do it."

Americans cannot, and must not, rely on the bitter, partisan crutches of the past. The many challenges facing this nation cannot be overcome by Democrats or Republicans. We must face them as Americans: United in purpose, driven by faith and marching in unison.

Americans have always found a way to muster up the courage and conviction to face monumental challenges ranging from the revolution that founded this nation, a civil war that threatened to rip it apart, the Great Depression, two world wars and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The question we face is "can we do it yet again?"

I think we can. This democratic republic of ours have lasted far longer than others.

As Americans, we have been down many times but we have never been counted out. We may be battered by an economic crisis, two wars and widespread lack of confidence in our leaders but we can struggle to our feet one more time and make it to the bell.

Enough of the metaphors.  Happy New Year from all of us to all of you.