Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Holland is enforcing state tax laws
Letters to the Editor
Recent letters to the editor
- Pick of the day: Passing the buck won't stop abuse
- Letters: Illegal traditions should not be tolerated
- Pick of the day: Teacher's conviction should scare parents
- Letters archive
From the RoundTable blog
Read the latest entries
Holland is enforcing state tax laws
Re: "Walker can lead effective office," Oct. 20 letter:
Someone must set the record straight. For a campaign to take unsubstantiated, politically motivated opinions and turn them into misinformation is not what works in Roanoke.
We will not be fooled by letting Sherman Holland take any blame for a sales tax distribution that was registered at the state level and twisted around locally to publicly spout figures that are not relevant to our commissioner's office. Ever since Holland took office, he has passed every yearly audit by the State Auditor of Public Accounts and by KPMG, an independent auditor that is hired by the city.
Certainly, anyone who knows state tax law realizes Holland does not work for City Manager Darlene Burcham or city council, therefore state law does not authorize any local/municipal auditor to pry into our personal tax records or conduct issue-motivated performance audits.
Thank goodness for the tax laws and the man we elected 12 years ago to uphold and protect such laws. I am not in favor of getting my wallet out and handing over what I have to someone from Lynchburg who just moved here in April.
This type of campaigning won't work in Roanoke. Instead, I will cast my ballot for a good man, an honest man, a man of integrity: Sherman A. Holland, commissioner of the revenue.
Build affordable, quality houses
Re: "Appraisals are hurting the housing recovery," Oct. 2 letter:
Ronald Boothe's letter states that home builders are losing sales because appraisers are using "inappropriate appraisal practices." He wants Congress to intervene.
As to Boothe's request for a congressional remedy, I would suggest that for many years the housing industry has been a beneficiary of substantial government support. Also, home builders prospered during the recent housing boom (largely engineered by the government) when builders could sell just about anything they built, regardless of price, to just about anyone, regardless of ability to pay.
The housing industry was further aided by the cozy relationships among mortgage brokers, appraisers, builders, real estate agents and banks. Also, during this time, no one in the housing industry was complaining about appraisals, or anything else for that matter. Business was booming, and the money was rolling in.
The best way to increase sales and improve the housing market is to forget about more government help, and concentrate on building good quality homes and selling them at a fair price to people who can afford to buy them.
Cuccinelli works for families
The contrast between attorney general candidates is remarkable. Republican Ken Cuccinelli has a great track record of conservative values. He supports Second Amendment rights, supported the marriage amendment and is a champion in the Senate on private property rights. Cuccinelli got an excellent rating of 91 on the Family Foundation scorecard that rates senators and delegates on their votes that help Virginia families.
Democrat Steve Shannon has a strong record of liberal votes in the House of Delegates, with a very poor score of 13 on the scorecard. He opposed a bill to provide increased safety standards for abortion clinics and opposed a bill to eliminate state taxpayer funding of abortions.
The choice between conservative Cuccinelli and liberal Shannon is clear. I will vote for Cuccinelli for attorney general.
It is clear where Cleaveland stands
It seems that not until Sept. 29 did Gwen Mason briefly spell out some position on issues on her Web site. She has been the Democratic nominee longer than her opponent Bill Cleaveland has been a candidate, and certainly had long enough to develop her positions on important matters.
Was she conducting polls and then hoping to tell us what she thinks we want to hear? Perhaps her liberal record on Roanoke City Council made her reticent to share what she really thinks.
On the contrary, Republican Cleaveland has had his positions clearly spelled out on the Web for months now. Whether or not you agree with his positions, you at least know where he stands. The 17th District deserves a delegate with backbone to replace William Fralin, someone who will look out for the wallets of Roanoke Valley citizens.
Right now, it looks as if only Cleaveland can fill that requirement. Vote Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling, Ken Cuccinelli and Cleaveland.
Smokers' litter raises questions
Daily, my three impressionable teenagers and I see smokers throw their cigarettes out their car window and onto the street. My middle child asked, "Mom, don't they know they are littering?" I told her, frankly, I did not know the thought pattern of a smoker since I have never smoked. I would love to hear from smokers so I could answer my daughter's question.
How do you justify throwing your cigarette onto the ground? If I were to give you 50 gum wrappers, would you feel comfortable throwing the wrappers one by one out the window? Are all smokers compulsive litterers who throw lots of other things out their windows or do they limit themselves to just cigarette butts? Let us hear from you smokers. I think those of us who are trying to live in a litter-free community deserve an answer.
For you smokers, every time you throw your cigarette out the window of your car just remember there may be a young child watching you and asking the same question my child asked me.
Adult center gives caregivers a break
I was quite interested in all the comments that Dr. Michael Camardi made in his monthly column on Oct. 20 about the ups and downs of caregiving ("Caregiver at the breaking point"). He made numerous great points and suggestions on how to handle the situation. Many people early on in this experience don't realize just what they are getting into, but after a steady diet seven days a week for a few months, it all becomes quite clear. I would like to add an additional comment to Camardi's thoughts.
What I have discovered is a means of respite that is effective and gives the caregiver a well-deserved and needed break. This is done through a nonprofit organization in the area called the Adult Care Center.
The Salem center is open Monday through Friday during the day and is a perfect place for mom or dad to allow the caregiver a break. The center is full of fun, activities and is closely supervised by a program coordinator, registered nurse and a large group of certified nurse assistants.
