Proclamation Celebrates Harry Lee and Robert E. Lee
The following proclamation was issued by Mayor William Euille on Jan. 10.
Letter to the Editor: Feels Betrayed
The roundabout issue for western Fairfax County seems to have a bonus hidden inside of it. When any government representative actually shows contempt and arrogance towards the constituency, the time has come to replace that representative.
Letter: Don't Frack the GW
The Forest Service is under intense pressure from the oil and gas industry to lift the ban on fracking on the George Washington National Forest.
Editorial: Extend Health Coverage in Virginia
Standing on what is essentially scorched earth, Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly have condemned hundreds of thousands of poor Virginians to living without health coverage even though it would be fully funded by Federal money for the next three years, and with Virginia paying 10 percent after five years.
Friends Forever
Since it had been more than a few months, today I summoned up the courage to Google my long-time friend and fellow stage IV lung cancer survivor, Suzanne. Suzanne and I had been years out of touch (for no real reason other than initiative and the geographic consideration that she lived in Barnstable, Ma. and I live in Burtonsville, Md.) and recently back in touch – due to our identical cancer diagnoses. I learned that she had succumbed to her disease back in October, 2013. We last had contact electronically back in the summer. She was extremely weak then, she said, too weak to talk, so e-mailing was best. In that e-mail, ultimately her last, she wrote that the most recent chemotherapy drug with which she was infused was no longer effective and that her oncologist had no other drugs left to recommend. Not that she said it in so many words, but at that point her prognosis was grim. She offered that her two boys were with her and from them she would gain great comfort. The news was very unsettling to me and I was afraid that this e-mail might be our last – and so it was.
Letter to the Editor: Reconsider Fee Increase
I was recently made aware of the fact that ACPS was raising the fees for community use of school facilities. Why ACPS would do this without considering the full spectrum of implications is mind-boggling. An email was sent out by Alexandria Little League stating that they were canceling their six-week winter baseball clinic due to the inflated prices.
Development Taking Wrong Direction
To the Editor: Thanks for the great article about The Most Important Issues in Great Falls, including the "Walker Road Diet Project." At last we can put a face and an organization on the most ridiculous waste of tax-payer dollars since the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere." Reducing a four-lane road with unobstructed visibility at the main commercial intersection in town, to two lanes with hazardous parallel parking and no turn lanes for customers or semi-trailer delivery trucks is not only irresponsible, but dangerous. I sincerely hope the first accidents will not include fatalities, but the risk of youngsters darting from parked cars, or drivers trying to back into parking spaces or opening doors into traffic is obvious. When I first saw the plan for the project posted in the Library a couple years ago, I thought it was a joke and posted my comments. I was sure that sound minds and austere budgets would prevail. But, I was wrong and never dreamed of "stimulus dollars." I have talked to many neighbors, residents, and business owners/managers and have not found a single person that thinks the project is a good idea. In fact, all of them would like to see the project stopped immediately, and Walker Road restored to its original configuration.
Preserve School Quality
To the Editor: Our teachers are bringing home less money in their paychecks today than they did in 2010. Seventy percent of teachers at McLean High School need to have second jobs to make ends meet. We’ve cut our county school support staff to student ratio levels to 50 percent lower than any other school district in the metro area. Fairfax County gets $1,855 per pupil from state aid while other school districts in the state get on average $3,420 per pupil due to an antiquated state allocation calculation. And, we continue to look for ways to cut costs in the school operating budget.
Education, Transportation, Mental Health
Del. Bulova unveils his legislative priorities.
Greetings from Richmond! The 2014 General Assembly is now in full swing. In addition to considering nearly 2,000 bills, we will adopt Virginia’s biennial budget, which must be balanced as required by Virginia’s constitution. Thanks to everyone who has contacted me about issues throughout the year. This session I have introduced 13 bills and several budget amendments. Below is a summary of issues and initiatives I will be working on during the 2014 session.
Tobacco Challenge
To the Editor: This month is the 50th anniversary of the first Surgeon General's Report that let everyone know smoking was linked to cancer and other diseases. Much has changed since then, even in Virginia - smokefree restaurants, youth smoking prevention programs, federal tax increases, free phone counseling (1-800-QUIT NOW). All have helped lower adult smoking rates in Virginia to 19 percent.
From Late Night Comedy to Your Bedroom
Why the General Assembly matters more in Virginia than most states.
The Virginia General Assembly began its annual session last week on Jan. 8. The actions of the Virginia General Assembly matter more to localities than it would in many other states. In Virginia, localities have only the power specifically granted by the General Assembly, the Dillon rule. So, for example, Montgomery County and Prince Georges County in Maryland recently voted to increase the minimum wage in those localities. They didn’t need permission from Maryland General Assembly to do so. Arlington and Alexandria might be inclined to follow suit (the District government also voted to increase the minimum wage) but do not have that power.
In Case Someone Is Wondering
I don’t mind being alive, really I don’t. Occasionally though, I receive well-intended inquiries – electronic and otherwise, from people (who know my cancer story) who are sort of wondering if perhaps I’m not. When people haven’t heard from me in a while – and this is a category of people with whom I don’t have regular/recurring interactions, but rather a group of people who reach out and attempt to touch me (figuratively speaking) every three or four months or so – there is a presumption on their part that my silence (so far as they know) is not in fact golden, but rather ominous, as in the cancer might have won and yours truly didn’t. And when I respond, their pleasure/relief at my not having succumbed to the disease is quite positive, generally speaking. Their honesty and joy in learning that I’m still alive is both rewarding and gratifying. Rewarding in that they care and gratifying in that I must be doing something right which enables me to sustain myself through a very difficult set of medical circumstances: stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer, the terminal kind (is there any other kind?).
Commentary
Five Million Dollars a Day
Virginia taxpayer dollars not returned to them has amounted to five million dollars each day since Jan. 1, and will continue at that rate each day that Virginia refuses to expand its Medicaid program. In addition, at least 400,000 working Virginians will continue to be uninsured.