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Taxpayers may be sacrificing service from firefighters

Regarding "Roanoke budget pinches all," May 5 editorial:

Roanoke firefighters must give up something? What should we have given up? Taxpayers are giving up something: service. Eighty-seven percent of our budget is salary, leaving little room for cuts.

The safety concerns of these cuts are obvious. The facts are in our report to city council. The media mentioned our raise this year; it is projected to be 2 percent. That is about $12 a week for a new firefighter. That will do nothing to offset the rising costs of living. July brings a raise, then health insurance costs rise about 9 percent and take it back.

The editorial mentions our "intimidation tactics." That is unity and solidarity. Intimidation is individual firefighters being retaliated against for speaking out. They can't punish 91 of us without raising eyebrows.

The 2008 budget document states "public safety is top priority and cuts will come from other departments first." The $880,000 given to a developer could fund these positions for two years. Roanoke city taxpayers have been providing Roanoke County with six free firefighters. Those firefighters would be more useful in the city.

The question is, are city officials being good stewards of taxpayers' money?

Member, Roanoke Firefighters Association Local 1132

Global warming scam is hurting the nation

Well gas prices are up, again. On May 16, President Bush was reduced to begging Saudi Arabia to produce more oil, never mind that America has vast reserves of oil that are untouchable thanks to the environmentalists.

It is time we stop kidding ourselves: America is no longer a democracy. We are under the dictatorship of environmentalists, and our leaders bow down to their every whim and fantasy. On Nov. 17, 2007, John Coleman, founder of The Weather Channel, stated that "global warming is the greatest scam in history."

This March, Coleman appeared on several national news networks urging business and industry leaders to unite and sue Al Gore for the financial hardships being foisted on our nation and "to finally put some light on the fraud of global warming" perpetuated by Gore.

Only a miracle can protect us from the financial disaster the global warming crowd has in store for us. My prayer is that God will continue to bless our great nation in spite of the cruel, hard-hearted and smug environmentalists.

Great project, but why was it needed?

I applaud the Franklin County community for building a playground for children with disabilities, but I am stunned by some of the statements in the news story ("Playground for every child to enjoy," May 16).

Why hasn't the school system provided these same opportunities for the children? Why is a child who is wearing leg braces and a boy with autism playing alongside their peers for the first time? Why are the children with disabilities bused across the county to a school where they are segregated from their peers without disabilities?

Segregation based on race was outlawed in the 1960s. We have known for years that busing children away from their neighborhood wasn't working. So why segregate and bus children with disabilities?

It's shameful that a school system would provide so poorly for these children.

Don't resist progress on Mill Mountain

Regarding the story about the New River Valley and Roanoke and why we have regressed in terms of going forward and keeping people here ("In these times of economic uncertainty, what's at stake in the Roanoke and New River valleys? $15.8 billion," May 18 Business section):

I wasn't surprised. I was born and raised here and have seen Roanoke "grow" at a snail's pace. It's pathetic the way it just creeps along.

I ask those who are against building anything on Mill Mountain: What do you think that large object is that sits to the left of the mountain and shines brightly at night? Did it fall to Earth from outer space and transform itself into neon tubing that glows red, white and blue each night? I think that object might be a manmade star.

Also manmade is the road up the side of the mountain that takes you to the zoo and to the manmade star.

You do not have a legitimate argument when it comes to an inn being built on the mountain. It's a fantastic idea and would draw more tourism to this area.

We need to keep Roanoke moving forward not behind.

Lessons learned from hoofing it

I decided to give walking to work a try. I live only about two miles from work, but it's a steep mountain road with shallow shoulders. I am pleased to report that the experiment was a success.

Here are a few lessons I learned:

n People are mostly nice. I was offered at least five rides. Technically, I could have accepted a ride since the drivers were already using the gas, but I stuck to the plan.

n There's a lot of scary stuff along the roadside. Poison ivy galore, a disturbing number of beer cans and at least one vodka bottle. Two groundhogs did not appreciate being disturbed, and a couple of hidden things made a noise. I hope it was birds and not anything that slithered.

n I don't need to carry around so much stuff. My bag got very heavy about halfway home.

n Even though I'm eligible for the senior discount at the grocery store, I can still climb a mountain.

Overall, I'm pleased with myself. I didn't save much money. My carbon footprint is still pretty big, but I proved I could do it.

Science opens a door to God

I find the exclusive belief in either science or religion to be a tragic mistake. Einstein once said, "Science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind."

Astrophysicist Bernard Heisch, in "The Physics of God," refers to those in science who deny all aspects of theology as "the fundamentalists of science" who believe that all things can be reduced to the actions of their parts. Consciousness then becomes just brain chemistry -- a viewpoint that explains away the reality of their thoughts.

Likewise, fundamentalist views in religion refuse to embrace the reality of scientific discovery, even though solid evidence provides proof well beyond reasonable doubt.

There is much in our knowledge of religion that dogmatic science will never be able to explain without embracing a spiritual source, and much in our rapidly expanding scientific knowledge that dogmatic religion will be unable to explain unless they are able to embrace scientific discovery without feeling threatened.

Pope Pius XII in 1951 said, "True science to an ever-increasing degree discovers God as though God were waiting behind each closed door opened by science."

Gay marriage editorial was insulting

I read your editorial column frequently, agreeing with your views on many subjects and disagreeing on others. Most I find to be reasonably articulated and balanced, even considering your liberal slant.

However, the May 19 editorial "Gay marriage remains far from Virginia" was insulting and just plain offensive in both tone and content.

The certainty of your moral rectitude and intolerance of socially conservative viewpoints came through loud and clear, and lend credence to the cliché that liberals are tolerant of everything and everyone except conservatives.

I live in Virginia in large part because I prefer the lifestyle and social values that I find in this part of the country, and I think that more than a few others agree. I have lived in California, and those who prefer that lifestyle are welcome to it.

I don't need Dan Radmacher or anyone else telling me what is right or wrong. A lifetime of experiences has formed my values, and they will not be shaken by any flavor-of-the-day social philosophy.