Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Honor Harrington by advocating safety to young women
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Honor Harrington by advocating safety to young women
We have followed the story of Morgan Harrington for months and the sad ending to her life. Her parents would best honor their daughter by becoming advocates for young women to not lose their lives as she did.
Her death was a crime of opportunity. She made three fatal choices. She left the building without her ticket. Everyone is told you cannot get back in without it. She was drinking. Everyone knows that impairs judgment. She was hitchhiking. Everyone knows that is extremely dangerous.
I would hope that her parents would make this a teachable moment. Go to high schools, colleges and wherever you find young females and tell them that these choices led to Harrington's death.
Young girls need to keep what happened to Harrington in the back of their minds before they make decisions that can end their lives. You have to always be aware that your actions have reactions. Just stop before you do something you know you should not do and think about Harrington.
This would be the greatest honor of her memory. Save another child, spare another parent the nightmare.
Do away with plates that advocate
Re: "ACLU could sue over license plate," Feb. 6 news story:
As the bearer of a pretty cardinalin-the-dogwood license plate that sports my initials, I'd like to go on record as saying that the state should abolish all plates that advocate -- even things that I approve of, like lighthouses, butterflies, the Air and Space Museum and peace, among other worthy causes.
If you want to know how many such plates we have, check out tinyurl.com/y8c994e. There's an alphabetical list that goes on for pages. I lost count somewhere around the Northern Neck.
Maybe we should keep the college/university plates. I'd hate to see the Hokie/Wahoo folks deprived, although I question the need for plates for institutions outside of Virginia. But all the politically tinged plates could go, including the Sons of Confederate Veterans, over which I recall there has already been some controversy.
In the interest of free speech, you can cover your car with bumper stickers, but keep the license plates apolitical.
Be businesslike about government cuts
You concluded your recent editorial "$11 million short of target" (Feb. 4) with, "Roanokers need to be open to a difficult conversation about taxes. There are only so many purchases and maintenance needs to be deferred before the cost of delays overtakes savings. There are only so many jobs to be eliminated before the wheels of government not only grind, they fall off."
Actually, the same holds true for taxpayers. Given your logic, when taxpayer needs overtake savings and income, they should encourage their employers to be open to a difficult conversation about wages. Taxpayers can only defer or eliminate so many of their own expenses before their wheels not only grind but also fall off.
It would be more reassuring if local government officials made systemic business decisions fashionable instead of sounding formidable. It is precisely what taxpayers do as their incomes remain flat or erode due to increased costs of living. Government should reflect the same intent and spirit to thrive instead of sulk in its legacy-driven aches and pains.
Montgomery should welcome businesses
"Residents: Intermodal traffic will be a heavy burden," (Jan. 31 news story) presented scattershot objections to the Elliston facility while ignoring Montgomery County residents (such as myself) favoring this job-creating opportunity.
Saying that a good portion of traffic for the facility will go via Ironto ignores the fact that most trucks will come from Roanoke and points east, not from the New River Valley. Competent drivers coming from that direction will exit at Dixie Caverns and travel U.S. 11, avoiding the circuitous Ironto routing. Traffic from the NRV/west would use the Ironto exit, bypassing Shawsville and Elliston.
Norfolk Southern is a major taxpayer in Montgomery County, with two mainlines generating significant property tax revenue. As an NS employee, I'm proud of the role NS has taken in developing the county over the past 150 years and anticipate its positive developmental role in the future.
Montgomery County should take the opportunity to add jobs and increase industrial development in this developed section of the eastern county instead of wasting tax money on an expensive legal pursuit. If its intent is solely to promote high-paying, high-tech jobs, as noted in an earlier article, should we shut down the Lafayette Industrial Park?
Another reason letters might not make the cut
Re: "Roanoke Times letters section leans to the left," Feb. 3 letter:
To the writer who complained that conservatives' letters were not published as often as liberal ones, I would offer a different reason for their scarcity. His reasons were that The Times was left-biased and that conservatives were too busy working to write opinions. I would say that folks in his camp have as much trouble thinking as they do writing.
Abolishing 'Don't Ask' will cause problems
The president has announced his intention to abolish the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" rule, permitting openly homosexual persons to serve in our armed forces. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen have dutifully fallen in behind him and are preparing plans to achieve this goal. If this is implemented, I predict three results:
1. Recruitment will suffer an immediate drop.
2. Morale and discipline will be seriously degraded.
3. So-called hate crimes against gay service members will become rampant.
Reasons: Gay persons are not content merely to be oriented toward their own sex, but actively recruit others, particularly among the young. Parents, ask yourselves: Would I be comfortable knowing that my 18-year-old son or daughter is in a barracks or shipboard compartment with an active homosexual ring? Such things have happened, and will happen again if this foolish plan is adopted.
Military commanders, ask yourselves: Will I be punished by my superiors if I come down hard on disciplinary and morale problems caused by homosexual practices in my unit? If the answers are respectively "yes" and "no," then go ahead and try it. And stand by for collision.
Cutbacks on welfare will make people work
Generational welfare recipients, we are told, are poor. Well, let's add it up: free housing, free food, free utilities, free health care, free money to spend, free cellphones, free education, free breakfast, free lunch and tax free. Now, be fair and add that up. There is nothing poor about it.
The governor of Virginia has asked what should be done here in this state to improve the economy. Well, how about getting people off their duffs and paying their own way?
As it is now, they are wards of the state, but they come and go as they please. There are no bars on the doors and windows like the other wards of the state have. The difference? Career welfare recipients vote.
If you had a vote as to whether you worked for everything you got and paid for everyone else to sit on their donkey or got all the aforementioned for free, how would you vote?
So, governor, want to see Virginia grow? Cut back on the freebies and watch folks go to work.
