Sunday, March 22, 2009
Horse patrol duties are mainly for show, not public safety
Horse patrol duties are mainly for show, not public safety
Retired Roanoke Police Officer Rick Arrington had a commentary in The Roanoke Times recently, "Mounted patrols are worth more than they cost" (March 5). He has unintentionally misled the public to believe they are cost-effective.
Arrington asked readers to consider: "If they mean so little, then why are they always requested for any large political event or visits by dignitaries? Why are they called upon to be present when the Virginia Municipal League has a conference in Roanoke? Why are they present at all significant downtown activities? Why do the neighborhoods request them for their activities? Why are they requested at the D-Day Memorial Service?"
Why? Because they have nothing better to do and all the above events are attended more for show than anything else.
Our police chief himself said something to the effect that, in the end, they have little to no effect on safety.
Arrington's other error was in comparing operating cost to that of a patrol vehicle. The comparison of savings comes from comparing the cost of maintaining a horse or a high-maintenance patrol car to that of maintaining a bicycle. Bikes are statistically proven to be a great crime-fighting tool.
'Limbaugh' piece was a low blow
Sam Riley's drivel, "Go low to do the Limbaugh" (March 5 commentary), was disappointing for a professor. A more intelligent treatise was expected from a member of Virginia Tech's faculty. I used to dance under the pole doing the limbo, but I never got as low as Riley.
School funding is inexplicable
The largest component of Roanoke's budget is the funding allocation for the school system -- something in excess of $60 million.
I've heard repeatedly about Roanoke's school funding formula. Assuming responsible management of the city, I thought surely there's some basis for the funding formula, so I asked.
The funding formula is 36.42 percent of all Roanoke's tax revenue.
However, no one can explain the number's genesis. It was apparently plucked from air, to a precision of two decimal points, no less, and is good enough for (city) government work.
Also, in the school system funding allocation is $9 million for debt service. Since the school system has no ability to raise money and therefore incur debt, why is it paying debt service? The answer I received is: Debt service is in the funding allocation because debt service is in the allocation.
To recap, the school's $60 million-plus funding allocation is based on: I don't know and I don't know.
Yet, council delved deeply into $20,000 for the mounted patrol and $80,000 for the volunteer EMS.
What's wrong with this picture?
It's time for a (real) chief financial officer at city hall reporting directly to city council.
Give schools' fans a rest room break
Everyone must tighten her belt in this economy but everyone still must use a rest room on occasion. Is there any type of law that states that for a gathering of a certain number of people, there need to be bathroom facilities?
My granddaughter plays softball for a Roanoke County middle school. The games are played at the schools. I attended a game and in attendance was the opposing team from Franklin County and family and coaches from that team. Also in attendance was my granddaughter's team plus family and coaches. Keep in mind, these games are approximately 2½ hours long and there is no access to the school.
I'm not sure what the players do, but I guess if you are not on the team you leave and hope to make it to a public rest room.
Jurors' award was driven by emotion
Re: "Lawn mower fatality settled," March 10 news story:
If God were truly omnipotent, he would not have put the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. He should have been able to foresee man's downfall, thus absolving man of any and all responsibility. Perhaps Adam just didn't have a good enough lawyer.
I sit here at my computer worrying that the monitor will fall on my fingers and crush them and wondering why Dell didn't have the sense to foresee this problem and make it finger-crush proof. These examples are no sillier than blaming a lawn mower company for an accident that could not have possibly been anticipated. The verdict was based solely on emotion. Tragic, yes, but not liable by any reasonable or logical standard.
Judge Clifford Weckstein, the jury and the law firm of Brown & Jennings are all guilty of a gross injustice. The judge should be removed, the jury made to read the Constitution a million times and the lawyers -- well, Dante's "Inferno" awaits.
This case is another example of litigation nation and the blame game. The $2.5 million settlement (plus interest) is nothing but blood money.
Start asking unbiased questions
Re: "FOIA: the wedge that keeps government's door open," March 15 column by Luanne Traud:
You wrote "we take seriously our charge that as your surrogates, we should leave few questions unanswered, especially the ones that people in power would rather we not ask." If this is your creed, you should have researched President Obama's background and published it. Were you enamored by his demeanor or by a false guilt of treatment of blacks? Why did you not research the illegal management of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and publish it?
I hope you believe we "have a right to know." Will you apologize for past mistakes? Will you do honest and fair research regardless of your political or religious beliefs? A change we can believe in? Yes, I do read The Roanoke Times.
'Assault rifle' is a misused term
Re: "There's no 'sport' in military weaponry," (March 12 letter):
The term "assault rifle" is once again demonized by someone who is anti-gun and knows very little about firearms.
What is a true assault rifle? The Germans developed the first true assault rifle during World War II, followed by the Russians with their infamous AK-47. Unlike submachine guns that fire pistol ammunition and are capable of both full and semiautomatic fire, a true assault rifle fires an intermediate cartridge somewhere between a full-scale rifle round and a pistol round and is, of course, capable of full and semiautomatic fire. These weapons cannot be purchased at gun shows or sporting goods stores.
Now, for political purposes, an assault rifle is any firearm that Congress or anti-gun folks look at and then state "that is an assault rifle." This controversy will never end. Thank God and our Founding Fathers for the Second Amendment and the NRA.
FORMER MARINE
