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Eliminate the arts at students' peril

Do you like to draw? How about making a movie? Maybe some of you like to play an instrument. A lot of people like to do these activities, but they are being taken away from students in many schools.

In my opinion, funding for the arts should not be taken away. Certainly, these programs have some expenses, and they do take away study time. However, arts education expands creativity and critical-thinking skills.

Math is combined with band when you are counting the beats in a piece of music, and even English is taught when a child is reading a script or writing one.

Also, students who take classes in an arts program are getting higher SAT scores. Despite this, many teachers in arts education are losing jobs whenever a certain class is cut.

Finally, some students' dreams may be to become musicians or artists, and if we cut the program, they will lose interest in that dream and will not follow it.

We can help by raising money possibly through a fundraiser to fund arts education. Together, we can take a stand to keep this creative education running.

Sixth grade

Woodrow Wilson Middle School

Stop writing about girls gone bad

I think The Roanoke Times is doing a disservice to your excellent newspaper, the people who buy it and especially to the young people who read this negative stuff daily.

On the second page of The Times, the "Talk of the Day" page refers to Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and so on and on and on.

We used to call these people who acted like this juvenile delinquents. When did it change? Strange, seems to be girls acting badly now.

As parents and a Christian people in general, we should be sick of seeing this daily -- the doings of these immature airheads.

I know there are writers, producers, actors and people in general doing good things. Please tell us some good news, just plain news. You have no idea how it would help me emotionally and mentally to read that.

Reynolds throws the switch on electric vote

Prior to 1997, the State Corporation Commission tightly regulated electric utilities such as American Electric Power. That year, with forced federal deregulation looming, Virginia's General Assembly began studying deregulation of electric utilities.

After two years of study and a couple of bills that were designed to pave the way for deregulation, the General Assembly passed SB 1269, the Electric Industry Restructuring Act in 1999, designed to eventually permit all Virginia electricity customers to purchase services from the provider of their choice.

Sen. Roscoe Reynolds, in the minority, voted to keep the pre-1997 system of regulation.

Fast forward to 2007. Amid warnings from experts that Virginia's regulation structure was in danger of following the same path California recently experienced, Virginia's General Assembly passed SB 1416.

This action reversed the effects of the 1999 bill and, with minor differences, took Virginia's electric utility regulation structure back to the pre-1997 system that Reynolds unsuccessfully had earlier tried to retain.

Once again, he voted against changing Virginia's electric utility regulation structure.

So, Reynolds voted against deregulation before he voted in favor of it. Each time he was in a ridiculously small minority. Has he been in Richmond so long that he is beginning to lose connection with reality?

Smith will fight for the people

Four years ago, I supported Sen. Brandon Bell. I have been disappointed with his performance. This election I am supporting Ralph Smith.

Smith is a fighter and isn't afraid to stand up for what he believes in. That's rare in this day and age.

America had great leaders like Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Abe Lincoln. What made them great? They were fighters. They fought for the people.

It seems some of the people we elect and send to Washington or Richmond join the Big Government Country Club and start answering to the special interests, big business and the almighty dollar. Then, they forget the people who trusted them and put them in office.

We, the people, become an afterthought -- just that group back home the professional politicians have to deceive every few years to stay in office. This is exactly the kind of thing that Smith fights against.

Like Jackson, Roosevelt, Truman and Lincoln, he's a man of "we the people," who will stay a man of the people. Unlike many professional politicians, he won't tell you one thing and then flip-flop.

Smith will never forget where he came from.

Bigoted people should not hold elected posts

I received an obscene phone call. A pleasant woman, who identified herself as a political worker, said she wanted to ask me two questions.

The first was whether I believed gay and lesbian people should be allowed to hold government jobs. I was shocked. I shouted, "Of course they should. What a stupid question."

The second question was, "If the primary was held today, would you vote for Brandon Bell or Ralph Smith?" "Neither one."

The tragedy is, I suspect many people will be deluded into voting on the basis of these issues.

Should bigoted and prejudiced people be allowed to hold government jobs? Of course not. Capable and qualified people should hold jobs.

Why do we keep voting for people who run campaigns on the basis of such trash? What has happened to our political system where the most qualified candidate, not the most bigoted, is supposed to win? Have we sunk to the point where we determine qualifications on ridiculous sound bites that reinforce bigoted attitudes about people we do not even know?

Our nation, the home of the brave and free, is losing perspective. There was nothing brave or free about that obscene phone call. It was cowardly and prejudiced.

Advisory committee does just that

In your May 30 editorial "More twists on Mill Mountain," you write, in part: "It is true the [Mill Mountain Advisory] committee holds sway on all things Mill Mountain and that perhaps it exercised its authority prematurely."

As its name implies, the committee is simply an advisory board. City council accepts or rejects recommendations from the committee as it sees fit. The committee has no authority whatsoever.

Member

Mill Mountain Advisory Committee

Parking fee will drive away market customers

I seldom agree with Joe Kennedy, but in his column about downtown parking fees, he is dead on target (May 30, "Who'll pay the price for market's fee to park?").

My wife and I are foodies, more specifically, slow foodies. We are members of the C.S.A. (Community Supported Agriculture) in Floyd County, and we try hard to buy local food whenever we can.

We come to the City Market about every other Saturday and spend between $25 and $50 each time. Sometimes we eat and shop, but the reason we go downtown is the market.

Since we live in Salem, about 10 minutes from its market, it would be easy for us to alter our habits and go there. It would cost less time, less gas and less money. It's a no-brainer really.

It never ceases to amaze me how inept the leaders of Roanoke are at public relations and basic math. If the parking price increase takes place, the city will lose money and goodwill. The fees will not offset the loss of tax revenues.

I ask the city to rethink this penny-wise and pound-foolish plan.