Letter: Strongly Opposed to Cutting Food Aid
Last week, Elizabeth Berry wrote a letter expressing concern over a bill passed by the House of Representatives that would cut food aid for nearly 3.8 million people, and asked that I oppose this legislation. I strongly oppose it. The cuts recommended by the House would eliminate free school meals for 280,000 children and aggravate an already difficult situation for many families in Virginia struggling to put food on the table. We must protect nutrition assistance programs because it’s our responsibility to ensure the neediest among us have access to food when times are hardest.
Editorial: Vote Nov. 5 or Before
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
For voters in Virginia, it is hard to overstate how important it is to go out and vote next week. All Virginia voters will see statewide races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, plus one delegate race. In addition, there are a few local races in Alexandria and Arlington, a bond question in Fairfax County and a referendum question about the housing authority in Arlington.
Column: Excuse Me, Pardon Me, Excuse Me…
If it wasn’t a coincidence, it was the next thing to being one. What it was, was the hiccups; occurring after chemotherapy infusion number one and again after chemotherapy number two. The first episode lasted only a few days and annoyed my wife, Dina, way more than it annoyed me. The first hiccuping episode was fairly constant; however it was not exhausting – and I wasn’t having any trouble sleeping because of them. Nor was I making any disturbing sounds or having any difficulty breathing – when caught in mid-hiccup, and/or eating because of the herky-jerky movements/spasms of my diaphragm. In general, it was a fairly benign effect. In the big picture, it didn’t seem particularly important that it was the hiccups I was having, so I never called my oncologist. It was the hiccups after all. It might as well have been a skinned knee. Jeez. And sure enough, within a couple of days, I was “hiccuped out.”
Time to Pay Attention to the Master Plan
The 4-year planning process for a new Reston is reaching its conclusion and the news is not good for those who value Reston traditions and values. Now is the time to pay attention to this slow-moving effort. Although there are positive elements in the new plan, particularly its stress on mixed residential and commercial redevelopment, it promises to bring in 40,000 new residents and 60,000 new office employees to the already congested areas around the new Metro stations. Reston Association and the Reston Community Association have each made pleas to Fairfax County that the plan provide for sensible re-development. Unfortunately, some of their points made have been dismissed and most ignored by a county apparently bent on getting more tax money from the property owners.
The Issues Are Power and Politics
To the Editor: In response to my friend John Lovaas’ opinion piece "Draft Plan Jeopardizes Urban Reston" [Reston Connection, Oct. 23-29, 2013], the real issues are power and politics. The community groups have no real approval power and the Fairfax County Board can completely ignore any and all concerns. This lack of power is directly related to politics because that is the only way to exert any power over the master plans and the serious concerns John expresses, and I agree with (except for his use of the word "urban" since I did not move to Reston 42 years ago to be in an urban setting.) So, unless and until we are all ready to make these issues our only concern when voting for all of local elected officials- Hudgins, Plum, and Howell—we will have no power. We should disregard social, budget and other issues and become single-issue voters. Otherwise we are talking into the wind. Bruce Kirschenbaum Reston
Attorney General Needs to Uphold Justice
To The Editor: As Delegate Ken Plum knows, The chief law enforcement officer of Virginia is the governor. The attorney general serves as the action officer to carry out the governor's duties ["Science Goes on Trial in Virginia,” Reston Connection, Oct. 16-22]. The attorney general is obligated to enforce the laws of the commonwealth. However, all commonwealth attorneys do have discretionary powers on which possible violations of the law to prosecute; e.g., whether or not to prosecute a Class Four felony. Attorney generals also have a duty to bring justice and prove innocence when there is evidence of a miscarriage of justice. Del. Plum cites the case of a University of Virginia professor who appears to have violated a Commonwealth Law. The situation demanded an investigation into the possible use of proven, faulty research on climate change of which there are substantial reams of examples. Judges, not necessarily expert in science, decided that state taxpayer funds could be expended on research without oversight. Climate change has been politicized; rational discussion has been forced to take a back seat. Extreme, radical solutions have been proposed by the EPA; e.g., the War on Coal without consideration for the moral, economic and cultural values.
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.
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.
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.)
Commentary
Science Goes on Trial in Virginia
Not since the Scopes trial in Tennessee in 1925 has science been on trial as it has been in Virginia over the last few years. The Scopes trial was of course about Darwin’s theory of evolution. That trial concluded more than 85 years ago, but the debate goes on with fundamentalists who prefer the teaching of creationism over evolution in public schools. No amount of scientific evidence will convince those who read the Bible literally as to how humankind came to be on this earth. Likewise, in Virginia today there are those who deny that human behavior is jeopardizing God’s creation through climate change.
Editorial: Get a Flu Shot, Register to Vote
Getting a flu shot has never been easier.
Commentary: The Battle to Insure Everyone
Last week saw the beginning of a federal government shut-down—at least a partial shut-down. Even the most ardent of the angry fringe element that subverted the Congressional legislative process to cause the partial shut-down seemed willing to admit that there were some “essential” services of government that needed to continue. To be able to use the words “essential” and “government” in the same sentence is a step forward for some people who severely criticize government for whatever it does or does not do and for whatever happens or does not happen. There is still a wide chasm to bridge between what is considered necessary for the government to do and what should be left to individuals. Health care is at that juncture. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the law of the land that has been passed by the Congress, signed by the president, reviewed and approved as constitutional by the Supreme Court, and was a key issue in a campaign in which the president was re-elected by more than five million votes. While some would argue with the details of the Affordable Care Act, it is clear that as a country we have taken a stand that each individual is entitled access to health insurance regardless of whether their employer provides it. A small but vocal minority in the Republican Party disagrees and has decided to block the ability of the federal government to pay its bills as they try to get their way on stopping a law they have been unable to overturn in 40 attempts.