To the Editor:
Probably without intending to do so, your December 5-11 issue provided considerable amusement. First—after years of mindless support for Gerry Connolly's determination to turn Tysons Corner into God's Own Junkyard through a secret, no-bid contract—Mr. Horrock has discovered that Metro's Silver Line is badly flawed; no parking, restricted access to the tunnel into D.C. and, alas, doubtful ridership [“Silver Line Faces ‘Daunting Issues’”]. But, not to worry, our fearless Board of Supervisors has a solution, for… Second, as Ms. Tozzi's letter [“Opposing Tysons’ Service District Tax”] points out, everything can be easily fixed with a fine new tax on residential—not commercial—real estate. Problem solved! Third, to top it off, there appears Mr. Kanter's letter [“Tax Cuts for Wealthiest: Not Right and Not Smart”], evidencing his eagerness to pay higher Federal income taxes. Bravo! The theoretical $90 billion of new annual revenue raised by that tax increase will really take a whack out of our $16 trillion deficit. Or, perhaps it is the case that Mr. Kanter is so satisfied with the way Gerry Connolly and the Board of Supervisors have spent his money over the years locally on projects like the Silver Line that he hopes for more of the same from the Federal government. Not to worry, it's coming. For my part of the tax/Fiscal Cliff debate, I would simply paraphrase the criticism of Martin Amis to suggest that Mr. Obama stop pretending to govern and confine himself to giving interviews. Meantime, thanks for the needed amusement.
Jack Gleason
Vienna