For Wednesday, we're writing about franking, the congressional authority to send out junk mail to constituents on the taxpayer dime. Rep. Virgil Goode is one of the less abusive of this privilege, for which we commend him. The rest of Congress, though, should stop killing trees.
Hunting for truth about hounds
A Virginia study of hound hunting and the conflicts it causes will allow informed debate.
Hunters sometimes are a paranoid bunch. The slightest hint of scrutiny sets them off defending tradition against encroaching modernism. It is therefore no surprise that a Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries review of hunting with hounds has hunters reflexively on the attack.
Read more.
Delay new taxes and fees in NOVA
Collection shouldn't begin until the Virginia Supreme Court rules on a constitutional question.
Will the messy consequences of the transportation package the General Assembly passed during its last session never cease? The legislation authorized the Northern Virginia Regional and Hampton Roads transportation authorities to raise money for roads in those traffic-clogged parts of the state. That meant imposing seven new taxes and fees, effective Jan. 1.
Read more.
Year-end reflections
Steve Huff
Huff, a family physician from Patrick County, is a Roanoke Times columnist.
Oh-Seven has been quite a ride;
We laughed and we cursed 'till we cried;
Let's start at the first,
Mix the best with the worst,
As opinion and whimsy collide.
The LOST debate
Will Reisinger
Reisinger is a resident of Blacksburg and attends law school in Ohio.
There is an intense political and legal debate going on just below the surface in Washington. The controversy has to do with whether the United States should ratify a somewhat obscure international treaty, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, also called the Law of the Sea Treaty -- LOST to its opponents. Surprisingly, however, the LOST debate is taking place entirely within the Republican Party (Democrats all support it) and is indicative of a fundamental debate about the future of the GOP itself.
Read more.
Monday's letters can be read here.
A Homestead Act would strain localities
Lawmakers pander to homeowners by having everyone else pay higher taxes for local services.
It is easy for lawmakers to look tough on taxes when they are slashing someone else's revenue. With a shortfall cramping state spending, some in the Virginia General Assembly realize they cannot target state finances for cuts. Instead, they push a Homestead Exemption Act that would let them posture while counties, cities and towns deal with the fallout.
Read more.
The realities of animal fighting
Animal fights are cruel and bloody. They also often involve gambling, drugs and organized crime.
Credit Michael Vick for one thing, if nothing else: His high-profile arrest and guilty plea highlighted the sordid, cruel world of dogfighting. State Sen. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Henry County, wants to ride the resulting wave of revulsion to pass a bill making dogfighting a qualifying offense under Virginia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act.
Read more.
New River editorial
Maybe if he offers $1 billion for the road
Pulaski County residents still have uses for Neck Creek Road.
Southwest Virginia's only billionaire wants Pulaski County to give him a road. Randal J. Kirk's personal wealth might lend some insight into the arrogance of his request, but it is irrelevant to the substance of it. Officials should look at his petition as if it had come from any other citizen, and as such petitions go, it is almost laughable.
Read more.
Cheaters corrupt the year's best shots
Christian Trejbal
Someone always has to spoil the fun. On most days, The Current prints reader-submitted photographs on page 2, hundreds of them in a year. "Your Best Shot" showcases the moments that make the New River Valley special. For some end of the year fun, the paper selected 30 of the year's best photos and asked readers to choose the best of the Best Shots in an online poll.
Read more.
Special clothes aren't required for a special Christmas
Bridget B. Winston
Winston traded a newspaper career for a more demanding job -- motherhood. She continues to write in her free time -- after changing the diapers, putting away the toys and lulling her son to sleep. She lives with her family in Christiansburg.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, I searched high and low for "Baby's First Christmas" apparel. It wasn't hard to find in the department stores, toy stores and children's clothing stores. But they don't seem to make it in my baby's size.
Read more.
Rockledge is not just about a restaurant
Jay Foster
Foster is president of SoftSolutions. He lives in Roanoke.
Some regions have a certain "new economy" attraction that is beyond question. For example, when I meet people who are working in Silicon Valley, Austin, Boston or Raleigh, the question "Why is your firm located there?" never comes to mind.
Read more.
Downtown apartments are critical
Bill Carder
Carder is executive director of Downtown Roanoke Inc.
A glimpse into the past: downtown Roanoke in the 1930s -- bustling streets filled to the brim with cars, people of all races, creeds, ages and economic strata -- shopping, working, playing and living. Downtown -- a thriving urban environment. Living in downtown and its adjacent neighborhoods was efficient, functional and desirable. Families, the elderly, young couples, rich and poor alike lived in or near the center of our city because it was where they worked and the goods and services they needed were provided.
Read more.
Sunday's letters can be read here.
Pakistan on the verge
Bhutto's assassination crushed the best hope for a stable and democratic Pakistan. Negotiating the dire path ahead will require great skill and diplomacy.
The strategic importance of Pakistan in the war against Islamic extremism cannot be overstated. After the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan -- which President Pervez Musharraf supported -- both the Taliban and al-Qaida found sanctuary in Pakistan's remote tribal regions.
Read more.
Is he giving points?
As if Virginians needed one more reason to cheer for the Hokies on Thursday, there's a ham on the line. In the grand tradition of elected officials wagering on collegiate athletics, Gov. Tim Kaine and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius are backing their teams in the Orange Bowl with meat.
Read more.
Growth isn't necessarily good -- or inevitable
Michael Abraham
Michael Abraham is a businessman who lives in Blacksburg.
My late Grandpa Henry was a crusty, upstanding New Yorker with little patience for my impertinence. To warn me against an impending faux pas, he'd curtly insist, "It just isn't done." One does not question conventional wisdom, he would admonish. Perhaps no wisdom in contemporary American economics is more unquestioned than the inherent rightness of growth. In the collective mind of economic developers, politicians, businesspeople and everyday citizens alike, growth is not only inevitable, but natural and desirable. The intrinsic worthiness of growth as a social construct is inviolable and sacrosanct; few argue against it. Yet as we enter this new century, natural constraints are forcing us, often kicking and screaming, to re-evaluate.
Read more.
Saturday's letters can be read here.
Next week: As Virginia legislators begin tinkering with state dollars in the upcoming General Assembly session, legislators from the Roanoke area must make sure that money proposed for the Roanoke City Health Department survives. The department's long-awaited move to a better location is long overdue. Additional state funding will ensure the move happens.
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