Letter: Beyond Conflict Of Interest
Beyond Conflict Of Interest
When the Virginia journalism awards come out, I hope Michael Pope’s exposé of city hall using the same law firm as the waterfront developers gets an award for investigative reporting. Michael’s feature [“Conflict of Interest,” Oct. 24] is on par for the local level with what major dailies do on a national scale.
Letter: Focus on Economy
Virginia's abortion laws are unlikely to be any different four years after the new governor's inauguration from what they are on the day of his inauguration, no matter who is elected. The Democratic Senate would not allow any additional restrictions, and the Republican House would not go along with the relaxation of current law.
Letter: Move Forward, Not Slide Back
I am a woman with daughters and a granddaughter. The very idea that they could have their lives, and decisions about their health care, restricted by a governor and an attorney general who, because of their personal beliefs, would effectively punish women of many backgrounds, situations and beliefs, makes me very afraid.
Letter: Governance Takes Work
In the Gazette’s Oct. 24 issue, U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly stated some meaningful truths. Congressman Connolly described the recent scene on Capitol Hill as “shameful and dangerous, but sadly, not unprecedented.”
Commentary: Dollars and Sense—Stewardship of FCPS
As many have become aware, the Fairfax County School Board’s budget discussions for the 2015 fiscal year have begun early. It is unfortunate that it has taken a combination of a $140 million deficit and demonstrable efforts by FCPS’ new Superintendent Karen Garza to bring full attention of the stakeholders, including the School Board, to education policy and funding.
Editorial: Halloween Party Safety Net
Make plans for a safe celebration; SoberRide safety net for those over 21.
Halloween is now a major holiday for adults, especially young adults, and also one of the major holidays each year that involve partying with alcohol and the risks of drinking and driving.
Opinion:Flying Saucers
Think outside the dull holiday dinner get-togethers. Think “Sibling Applesauce”!
Ok, now that I have your attention, I must confess that this piece is not about aliens, at least not the kind that NASA is looking for. Rather it is about creating traditions that may help keep members of your extended family from becoming aliens to you and your immediate family.
Letter: Trying to Hijack the Debate
The Great Falls Citizens Association’s planned debate on Oct. 8 with Delegate Barbara Comstock and Kathleen Murphy had to be cancelled this week when four gun control groups threatened to demonstrate “before and during” the debate and said they would “demand” answers to particular gun issues. This debate had been designed to answer questions that Great Falls citizens had submitted beforehand. The GFCA debate team made clear that there would have been a gun question, but that wasn’t good enough for these single issue groups who wanted to hijack our debate and make it all about their issue.
Editorial: Don’t Let Negatives Keep You From Voting
Choices are stark; think about what principles should guide governance in Virginia for the next four years.
Every Virginia voter will have the option to cast a ballot for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and their member of the Virginia House of Delegates. While much of the coverage and advertising at the top of the ticket has been negative in the extreme, it will still matter who is governor. Don’t turn up your nose, hold your nose if necessary, and go vote. You can vote on Nov. 5; most likely you can vote before that.
Letter: The Choice Is Clear
Within one month, Virginians will head to the polls to elect another governor. The choice is clear. One candidate has no experience in public office and is a partisan operative, while Ken Cuccinelli has dedicated his life to public service by serving as a delegate and as the commonwealth’s highest legal authority, attorney general. Ken worked to improve K-12 public education, took a personal interest in releasing an innocent man from serving 27 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, and protected women on Virginia’s college campuses.
The Issue of the Hour
Climate change is the issue of the hour and climbing. Not many people may find this connection, but as we have been discussing in my environmental security course, climate change and the associated environmental degradation problems are a risk to national security.
Unanswered Questions
To the Editor: The debate between the candidates for the 34th District House of Delegates was canceled Tuesday night, Oct. 8. I have seen the various explanations provided by the host, Great Falls Citizens Association, as well as comments that have been posted online which contain statements that clearly are not true. I am a volunteer with the Concerned Citizens Against Gun Violence and was there on Tuesday.
Abject Failure
"The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land," Delegate Plum intones ("The Battle to Insure Everyone," Reston Connection, Oct. 9), omitting to mention that it has already been so distorted by the president with his waivers, exemptions and postponements that it is itself looking a tad sickly. He is studiously silent also on the attendant rise in private insurance premiums, often astronomical, the abject failure of the initial "rollout" of the insurance marketplace (a "hacker's dream")—perhaps several years of preparation were insufficient—doctors refusing to accept Medicare recipients, job losses, and the outrageous Capitol Hill exemptions—all the benefits of redistributed wealth.
Bad Legislation
The local progressives, liberals, socialists, Democrats or whatever the dynamic duo calls themselves now-a-days are at it once more: The Reston Connection, Oct. 9-16, 2013 “The Battle to Insure Everyone,” by Kenneth Plum, and “Republican Shutdown—Shouldn’t We All Get a Turn,” by John Lovaas, Page 6.
Saving Public Libraries
To the Editor: A significant number of planners expect the nation to be illiterate by 2050, so books will not be needed. Instead of planning for my grandchildren’s needs today, the county has decided to prepare for their grandchildren’s needs in an imaginary future where people no longer read, where electronic devices enable them to communicate without written language, where books no longer exist. (From a study on architect Grimm & Parker’s website.)