James Traficant, Jr., the disgraced Democratic former representative from Youngstown, Ohio, gets out of federal prison this week. He's been locked up on corruption charges. The guy's scum who accepted bribes and kickbacks, but I confess a soft spot in my heart for him. He was colorful and made Congress a little more entertaining. Who else could have taken 15 percent of the vote running as an independent from prison?
During the congressional recess, Republicans are giving another partisan twist to town hall meetings dominated by health care reform. GOP challengers hoping to unseat incumbent Democrats are holding counter-town hall meetings and, given the intense public interest in the debate, are scoring local press coverage they could never hope to see normally, given it's a year before the next House election cycle.
The meetings have served the dual purpose of flushing out some incumbents who had avoided scheduling town hall-style meetings, which often have been raucous, to put the most polite spin on it. Southwest Virginians can't complain that their Democratic incumbents have been avoiding them. Rick Boucher in the 9th District held two three-hour sessions on health care, and 5th District Rep. Tom Perriello held 21. You suppose that's a record?
In the 6th, Republican Bob Goodlatte initially scheduled only "tele-town hall meetings." If he thought his GOP credentials would let him phone it in on this hot issue, he has rethought: Aug. 19, he announced he'd be holding three town hall meetings around the district. The first will be Thursday, 7-9 p.m., at Hidden Valley High School in Roanoke County.
In an upcoming editorial we will welcome the clarity from the State Board of Elections new residency rule changes. College students can decide what they consider their primary residency. The rules allow for dorm rooms to be used as home addresses without prompting registrars to question whether the would-be voter plans to stay beyond graduation.
We're writing an editorial for Tuesday about gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell and the 1989 master's thesis he wrote at Regent University. McDonnell has portrayed himself as a moderate in the campaign, but the person who wrote this thesis came from the far-religious-right extreme of the Republican Party.
We believe people can change over time as they learn new things. McDonnell even says he does not hew to everything he wrote in his thesis. In our editorial, we'll ask him to affirm or deny some very specific claims in that document, many of which manifested throughout his political career, and to explain what changed his mind where he no longer agrees with his 34-year-old self.
(Read his thesis here.)
In an effort at transparency, the Obama administration ordered federal agencies to publicly report contacts with lobbyists for any of the $88 billion in stimulus money that will go to projects by way of competitive grants and loans. Yet fewer than 200 contacts have been reported since Congress passed the stimulus package in February. Tuesday, we'll write that lobbying subterfuges used by interest groups to seek funding while flying under the radar of open-government rules will add to Americans' cynicism about government. The administration needs to close loopholes as fast as K Street can find them.
Grandma and Grandpa have had a rough summer. As if worrying about death panels weren't enough. Now the government's coming for their Social Security checks. At least that's what the news stories indicate: Millions of older people will see their Social Security payments shrink. Shrink! It would be a blow if it were accurate. Social Security payments aren't getting smaller. They just won't grow. It's the first time since 1975, when an automatic cost-of-living adjustment was added to the benefit, that the cost of living did not increase. So Social Security income will be as stagnant as many millions of Americans' paychecks this year.
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In 1983, the television show "Reading Rainbow" launched, and it soon joined the pantheon of great PBS children's shows. It is right up there with "Sesame Street," "Mister Rogers" and "The Electric Company." And like all but "Sesame Street," it is ending. The last episode was recorded in 2006, and the final rerun airs this weekend. "Reading Rainbow" taught entire generations of young people the excitement and joy of reading. During its 26-year run, it won two dozen Emmys and many other awards.
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Cabell Brand
Brand, of Salem, is a retired businessman, civic and political activist, founder of Total Action Against Poverty and author of "If Not Me, Then Who?"
The front-page headline on the article in The Roanoke Times on Aug. 25 "Is Deeds planning a Kaine mutiny?" was very misleading. In running for governor, Creigh Deeds is not trying to distance himself from Gov. Tim Kaine. A cursory glance at Deeds' Web site reveals several images of the candidate with Kaine, and he has campaigned with the governor whenever he has had the opportunity.
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Jerri B. Etheridge
Etheridge, of Salem, is active in church and community affairs.
Many readers were surely saddened to see the publication of the words of Graham Brown on The Roanoke Times Sunday pages ("Selfish bigots masquerading as patriots," Aug. 23 commentary). As a Roanoke Valley resident of more than 57 years, I request space to respond. First, let us acknowledge Brown's shame and urge him to reconsider. Brown says, "I am ashamed to be called an American." How tragic. Given the facts of history, Brown's ingratitude is jarring.
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NASA, electric rates, VAT, school bus privatization and more in today's letters to the editor.
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