Bev Jordan and Marvin L. Templeton explain what's going on at both the federal and the state levels beautifully.
Here's the link for your reference, and I'm pasting in the LTEs for convenience.
Lynchburg: You ROCK.
GÇÿConservativeGÇÖ is a misnomer
They still call themselves conservatives?
Under President Bill Clinton, discretionary spending grew at a modest 3.4 percent. Compare that to the spending orgy since the Republicans took over. It has averaged 10.4 percent a year, which goes well beyond defense costs. Justice Department spending up 131 percent; Commerce spending, 82 percent; Health and Human services, 81 percent; State Department, 80 percent; Transportation, 65 percent; Housing and Urban Development, 59 percent ... and on and on.
Jobs, and many close by, have gone and are going overseas; health costs are skyrocketing with no end in sight, large corporations are paying no taxes; higher education is becoming so costly that many qualified will be unable to attain a degree.
We have the largest deficit in history as well as the largest balance of trade deficit. Chinese banks and others are financing an ill-conceived war because taxes for the richest among us were cut.
Cowboy Allen has walked lockstep 97 percent of the time with that other cowboy with the same name. James Buchanan, our 15th president, is chuckling out loud now. He is no longer considered the worst president in history along with the worst Congress, (They GÇ£workGÇ¥ from Tuesday through Thursday, some weeks out of the year) and give themselves raises and perks every chance they get while withholding upping the minimum wage so at least a few can rise above the poverty level.
The sad part of the election is that so many in this conservative town will be voting against their very own self-interests, merely because they vote the party line and listen to the propaganda and spins.
I really hope that no one wants more of the same, including needless deaths and maiming of our young people in a war that we should never have been in. If you do not, vote for people who will bring much needed change. Vote Democratic; Vote Webb. Vote Weed.
Bev Jordan
Lynchburg
Demand better leadership
Last month, our state legislators went back to Richmond, at the taxpayersGÇÖ expense, and did absolutely nothing. They went back to solve the transportation problem and the Republican Delegates chose to follow the desires of the Republican Party rather than to do what is best for their constituents. Do not get me wrong, in the past I have primarily voted Republican, and applaud their goals. However, the path the Republican Party is following to achieve these goals is very detrimental to the commonwealth and her citizens. So rather than doing what is best for the Commonwealth and her citizens, they are doing what they are told to do by the Republican Party. For instance, instead of increasing the gas tax, which is the fair and intelligent way to resolve the transportation problem, they have come up with the idea to raise money by using debt.
That would be the same as a private citizen deciding to raise $500,000 by taking ten credit cards with limits of $50,000 each, and getting a cash advance on all ten cards. Obviously this is not a sound financial practice.
Our local Republican legislators seem incapable of independent thought. Furthermore, the mind set of no increase in taxes, even when a tax increase is the appropriate course of action was the hallmark of George AllenGÇÖs philosophy when he was governor. We need to remove Mr. Allen from office. I am not saying that his opponent is any better. However, we absolutely know he is not the correct candidate for the job. Furthermore, it will send two messages. First, it will tell the Republican Party that we are unhappy with the direction our state is heading. Second, it will tell our state legislators that next year, if they continue to choose the Republican Party over the good of Virginia and her citizens, the same will happen to them. We need to start demanding better leadership.
Marvin L. Templeton
Lynchburg