Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Have the guts to match state taxes with needs
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Have the guts to match state taxes with needs
Welcome to another winter of political discontent in Virginia. Our General Assembly is back in session and bickering over almost everything.
I am always amazed that there are many in our House of Delegates (and a few in our Senate) who would have us believe that a necessary tax increase is a mortal sin.
The commonwealth has massive transportation needs. Instead of demonstrating political courage and leadership, a majority, at least in last year's session, failed to increase Virginia's gasoline tax by an additional 1 cent per gallon to fund these needs. They instead approved the abusive Virginia driver fees.
Now, they vote to end the abusive fees because it was such a bad, unfair law. Duh!
Maybe it's a good thing that this year's session has included discussion of plastic bull genitalia hanging from the back of pickup trucks. Instead of failing to approve background checks for gun show purchases as a fine example of their inadequacies, maybe members of this year's House will have the necessary testosterone-producing glands to realize finally that raising taxes is not a sin, but a reasonable approach to pay for our collective needs.
Lawmakers stood up for gun rights
In response to "Shooting down a gun sales reform" (Jan. 25 editorial):
I find it interesting that any perceived breach of our rights is reason enough to browbeat President Bush when he is attempting to thwart further acts of terror, but in the name of what might happen, what could have been, what may happen someday, we are willing to erode and vacate gun owners' rights.
Bravo to two heroic legislators who stood against the tide for individual rights.
Act against Congolese rape and carnage
Has the decadence of the Roman emperor Nero so influenced Western civilization that our reaction to horrific violence varies minimally from indifference to vicarious sexual identification? If grass-roots protests and intervention are absent, we are part of the problem -- not the solution -- as witnesses of man's inhumanity to man.
Targets are the citizens of the Democratic Republic of Africa's Congolese inhabitants, especially females ranging from prepubescence to the equally helpless elderly.
This female elderly writer was horrified when viewing on Jan. 13 Anderson Cooper's segment on the continuing carnage and rape of Congolese citizens. An ineffective, feeble United Nations military force is present, but reportedly the armed and uniformed military forces continue to demonstrate that the U.N. forces will not stop the violence.
I understand that when prosecution of the perpetrators is attempted, bribes are used most effectively.
Have "civilized" nations plummeted to an amoral level so low that we cannot intervene when atrocities occur beyond our narcissistic priorities?
I appeal to people of all religions, especially evangelical Christians who are forbidden to see another person in need and refuse to respond.
Ban smoking in public
Legislation that would ban smoking in public places is sorely needed.
The next time you stop at a stoplight or sign, pay attention to the cigarette butts that have been thrown out of cars.
The majority of smokers are people who could not care less for their environment and certainly do not care about their health or, worse, the health of others.
Who is covering for the absence of the smoker on a smoke break, as smokers in workplaces abuse the break privilege to indulge? Many nonsmokers are upset by the number of breaks taken by smokers while the nonsmoker is limited to assigned break periods.
The Virginia General Assembly is remiss in its duties to protect constituents from the negative effects of smoking. Dels. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, and Dave Nutter, R-Christiansburg, need to represent their constituents' clear mandate to eliminate smoking in public places.
Elect a president with your values
Virginia voters, please be careful when someone says they represent change in the way our government is run.
The Constitution says for the people, by the people, so if you don't want the wrong kind of change, do your homework early. Find the correct person for president and vote. It is your country, family values and economy you are playing with.
Who can we trust? I want a president who has high moral values and a personal relationship with his creator on a daily basis so the issues of the day could be brought before the almighty God. Government is too complex for anyone to think he could handle the presidency on his own.
Would you want an impeached president to have a second chance through his wife? Would you want Sen. John McCain, who switches his policies so many times, then takes credit for all the good things that happen?
Go to the personal Web sites of each individual running. Don't take the media's viewpoint.
Vick didn't get the time he deserves
I would like to respond to E. Scott Geller's commentary "Society would benefit if Vick stayed on the field" (Jan. 20), about Michael Vick's "inappropriate" prison punishment.
In referring to Vick's crime as nonviolent, I believe Geller missed a pertinent aspect of Vick's crime. His crime was so violent and heinous, the world gasped in unison when we learned of its atrociousness.
Vick deserves much more prison time than he got. But I do agree with Geller about one thing: Vick is not going to come out of prison a rehabilitated man. But that's not necessarily the prison's fault.
Real estate taxes would soar
I could not believe my eyes when I read the editorial "Study up on school taxes" (Jan. 20).
I know The Roanoke Times is tax happy and has never met a tax it didn't like, but this piece takes the rag off the bush. Proposing the school systems have the ability to levy a tax is preposterous.
Pennsylvania, another commonwealth, has this type of tax. Here are some examples. A four-bedroom, 2.5-bath house in Berks County, Pa., has a combined property tax of $7,902, while the same size house in Montgomery County is $2,670. A three-bedroom, two-bath condo in Chester County, Pa., has combined county/school taxes of $3,979, while a similar unit in Christiansburg is $1,800.
Only a madman would empower the school districts to levy this tax burden on its citizens. On its face this school tax sounds great, but it doesn't take long for taxes to skyrocket and drive homeowners away to another state.
If you want to raise taxes on something, jump on liquor. I think someone at The Times has had too much hooch before coming up with such an inane idea.
Now, get back to your next favorite topic, bashing our president.
