For Saturday we're writing about Gov. Tim Kaine's wager with the governor of Kansas on the Orange Bowl. Is a Virginia Ham really the best symbol for the state?
Note: Kaine's office is aware that there is a mistake in the press release. The game is on Jan. 3, but that is Thursday, not Saturday
For tomorrow, we'll write about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, and what it means for both Pakistan and the United States.
Pork is pork, even when it's local
The earmark problem will never be solved as long as legislators like Bob Goodlatte continue to make sure their districts get a fair share of pork.
Your mother wouldn't accept "Everyone else is doing it" as an excuse. But that's the best Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke, could come up with when the Heritage Foundation called him on more than $1.8 million in federal spending the conservative group deemed wasn't of "national necessity."
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Moran's misplaced good intention
The intent of a Toy Safety Act is good, but Virginia should keep its nose out of what is federal business.
Four days before Christmas, as Virginians scrambled to find toys safe enough to place under their trees, Del. Brian Moran announced the Virginia Toy Safety Act, a measure that aims to keep unsafe toys off store shelves statewide.
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No one has given up on Day Avenue
Joseph Lee
Lee is chairman of the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
Recently the development efforts of the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority have resulted in dividends for the citizens of the city of Roanoke with the unveiling of the much-anticipated Carilion medical and education complex in South Roanoke and the burgeoning downtown condo and apartment market.
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Friday's letters can be read here.
This week: The state Supreme Court has not yet ruled whether the Northern Virginia Regional Transportation Authority had the power to levy new taxes and fees to generate revenue for transportation projects and services in that traffic-clogged part of the state. But on Jan. 1, the seven new taxes and fees will take effect. Why the rush? The Hampton Roads Transportation Authority, which was given the same power as Northern Virginia's under the flawed transportation package the General Assembly approved earlier this year, moved its implementation date to April 1. The Northern Virginia authority has failed to do the same, and a legal challenge looms. The new taxes and fees should not be imposed until the Virginia Supreme Court issues a ruling.
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is studying hound hunting int he commonwealth, and hunters are worried it will lead to limitations. Maybe, maybe not. The debate should take place after the facts have been gathered by the department. At least one hunting tradition, letting people and their dogs trespass on private property, certainly deserves reconsideration.
Torture is un-American
Sen. John McCain has a proposal for a corps of specialized interrogators to ensure America doesn't think it needs to torture suspects.
America should never torture prisoners, even suspected terrorists. "These tools are not American tools and the easy way is not the American way," said Republican presidential candidate John McCain during a commencement address at Newbury College in South Carolina. Yes, these are dangerous times, and "enhanced interrogation techniques" may occasionally provide information that could disrupt terrorism plots and save lives. But McCain, who knows all too well the realities of torture, believes there is a better way. He proposes a 20,000-strong corps of soldiers trained in strategic interrogation.
Read more.
Let localities make the smoking call
Not just Hampton Roads localities should get the authority to ban smoking in restaurants.
The Hampton Roads region will push the General Assembly hard to win the ability to restrict smoking in restaurants. As a recent editorial in The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot noted, city councils representing more than 1 million Virginia residents have petitioned the General Assembly for permission to ban smoking in local restaurants.
Read more.
A tip at year's end
John Long
Ever hear of a carrier's address? I thought for this festive season I'd leave the weightier matters of the news aside and, assuming my role as a local historian, recall an almost forgotten holiday tradition.
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Thursday's letters can be read here.
For Friday: State Del. Brian Moran proposes that Virginia take action where the federal government has dragged its feet. No, not illegal immigration, but keeping unsafe toys off store shelves. Moran's Toy Safety Act would fine merchants who knowingly sell recalled toys. State lawmakers should keep their hands off this proposal, however well-intended. Toy safety is a matter for the feds, not Virginia.
Virginia lawmakers in January will consider sending a constitutional amendment to voters that would allow localities to exempt some people from some property tax. Later in the week we'll argue that giving localities more power over their own destiny is usually good, but this amendment needs a lot of work if it's going to help and be fair to all Virginians.
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