Letters To The Editor

By Staff Reports

Published: January 5, 2009

Goodman's Column Smells of Hypocrisy

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Agreed -- Kennedy lacks anything beyond a celebrated name, but is shamefully more qualified than the man for whom the Democratic Party is fighting with all the dirty tactics at its command to take the Minnesota Senate seat.

So, how would Goodman characterize a woman with no previous national exposure who has served as a mayor, a reform activist within her party, and successfully ran for governor, earning an 80 percent approval rating, as she sought to become the first female vice president? In Goodman's Op/Ed column of Sept. 3, 2008 she refers to Palin's candidacy as "a bridge to nowhere."

Am I the only one who smells a heavy scent of hypocrisy in the holiday air of Goodman's celebration?

R. John Newhouse. Richmond.

Ready-Made Plan Promises Economic Stimulus

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

The reality is that there are over 200 million cars (not to mention trucks, planes, trains, etc.) in the U.S. now that rely on oil for power and lubrication. It is the second, and in some cases, the biggest hard asset that most people and many businesses have. They cannot simply drive these vehicles to the dump and then go buy an oil-free vehicle.

So, we fast-track and allow for the immediate exploration and development of oil and gas fields in ANWR, offshore, and anywhere else. This effort will produce jobs and royalties that we can use to stimulate the economy, invest in alternatives, and stop sending hundreds of billions of dollars to countries that don't like us.

Simultaneously, we fast-track the building of electric power production facilities as the power companies see fit -- nuclear, wind, geothermal, clean coal, etc. Creating the electrical power production and the infrastructure to deliver it will create jobs and be a big step to getting us to clean energy in 10 years.

So far, we've used the resources of the electrical powers and oil industries as stimulus, both of whom have the resources and want to do it. If the government insists and must be involved, it can offer tax incentives for businesses and individual consumers. As current equipment and cars age out of usefulness, they can be replaced by cleaner alternatives.

And then we are energy independent and clean by 2018.

Charlie Crowder. Richmond.

Conservative Readers Don't Advertise Beliefs

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Now letter-writer Robert T. Adams ["Maybe Liberals Are Simply Less Ignorant"] judges my reading interests based on bumper stickers outside a book store. While I appreciate his efforts at analysis, inductive reasoning fails.

I am a conservative who regularly reads and even buys real books. I'll admit to not going into chain bookstores. I believe I should pay for the privilege of reading another person's work, either by purchasing the book or borrowing it from my tax-supported public library.

I don't advertise my beliefs on bumper stickers. My conservative message doesn't require anti-anything. I try to be positive in my words and deeds.

Maybe it's time for Adams to become a bit more accepting of others' points of view.

R. Bruce Chisholm. Goochland.

There Is No Comparison Between Kennedy and Palin

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

It is true that Kennedy has no experience and has done nothing to qualify her for a Senate seat. But Gov. Palin is multi-talented, having served as a mayor and now as governor of Alaska -- the most popular governor in the nation. She supervises hundreds of state workers, commands the Alaskan National Guard, and manages a multimillion-dollar budget.

Palin has more executive experience than Barack Obama and Joe Biden put together and is fully qualified to be vice-president or president of the United States.

Caroline Kennedy has done nothing, is qualified for nothing, and her claim to fame is merely her name.

Raymond C. Germeroth. Mechanicsville.