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    <title>Letters to the Editor for Richmond Times-Dispatch</title>
    <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/</link>
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        <title>Letters to the Editor for Richmond Times-Dispatch</title>
        <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/</link>
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    <dc:language>en</dc:language>
    <dc:creator>Richmond Times-Dispatch</dc:creator>
    <dc:rights>Copyright 2009</dc:rights>
    <dc:date>2009-07-05T00:49:35-05:00</dc:date>

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          <title>Correspondent of the Day: Private Insurers Fear Obama&#8217;s Health Plan</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-POWERS5_20090703-201406/277894/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: To respond to a question posed by President Barack Obama during his Rose Garden press conference: &#8220;If private insurers say that the marketplace provides the best quality health care; if they tell us that they are offering a good deal, then why is it that the government, which they say can&#8217;t run anything, suddenly [is] going to drive them out of business?&#8220;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:01:35 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor: News Coverage Isn&#8217;t Always Accurate</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-TRUEP5_20090703-201406/277895/</link>
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News Coverage Isn&#8217;t Always Accurate Editor, Times-Dispatch: You are to be commended for printing a letter by China&#8217;s noted dissident, Wei Jungshen, who contradicted an earlier editorial, &#8220;Ghosts,&#8220; concerning Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi&#8217;s recent trip to China and her presumed lack of emphasis on China&#8217;s deplorable human rights record. Wei, who had read the official transcripts of the meetings Pelosi had with Chinese officials, noted that she had brought up the human rights issue, together with other important U.S.-China issues such as trade.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:01:01 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor: Multiple Income Streams Ease Cash Flow Pain</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-DECKER3_20090702-182004/277674/</link>
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Multiple Income Streams Ease Cash Flow Pain Editor, Times-Dispatch: The recent article, &#8220;Museum Official: Fundraising Slow&#8212;Confederate Director Still Backs Expansion Beyond Richmond,&#8220; demonstrates as never before the importance of interagency cooperation and the need for multilateral, cross-interest fundraising efforts on the part of nonprofit entities.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day: Notes Say &#8216;I Care,&#8220; Hand&#45;Written or Not</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-BOWMAN03_20090702-182004/277673/</link>
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Notes Say &#8216;I Care,&#8216; Hand-Written or Not Editor, Times-Dispatch Correspondent of the Day Cecil Johnson, &#8220;Hand-Written Notes Show Old-Fashioned Love,&#8220; lamented the lack, apparently, of people who hand-write their expressions of love, sympathy, and gratitude, choosing instead from a wide array of pre-written cards.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor: Insurance Companies Will Suffer the Greatest</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-LOGAN2_20090701-180204/277374/</link>
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Insurance Companies Will Suffer the Most Editor, Times-Dispatch: President Barack Obama and the Democrats aren&#8217;t tired of spending money we don&#8217;t have. While the United States has the best health care system in the world, they propose health care reform that by their own estimates will cost $1.2 trillion to $2 trillion. Not only is the cost astronomical; during a time when even Obama says we&#8217;re broke, this proposal could make our health care system worse.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of the day: Closing Rest Areas Endangers Driving Public</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-FROSTS2_20090701-180204/277373/</link>
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Closing Rest Areas Endangers Driving Public Editor, Times-Dispatch: Virginia is missing the point when it closes rest areas around the state. The rest area is as much for interstate safety as it is for saving money. (Remember when the state closed DMV offices a few years ago? It didn&#8217;t work.) The rest areas are needed for drivers who are tired and need a place to rest and a restroom. How many drivers every year fall asleep at the wheel? Does the state need to raise that percentage?           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor: Hit the Ground Running Or Simply Running Blind?</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-BUCKINGHAM1_20090630-181805/277211/</link>
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Hit the Ground Running Or Simply Run Blind? Editor, Times-Dispatch: Today the Richmond City Council will vote on the mayor&#8217;s only choice for chief accounting officer (CAO), Byron C. Marshall. There is some controversy around Marshall&#8217;s degree from Syracuse University, a terminated contract in Durham, and consulting work done for Austin, Texas, while he was CAO in Atlanta. He resigned as Atlanta&#8217;s CAO related to that controversy.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:01:57 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day: An Aureate Stab At Antediluvian Prose</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-BURNETTE1_20090630-181805/277212/</link>
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An Aureate Stab At Antediluvian Prose Editor, Times-Dispatch: Keeping in the same vein as the Carey Orr political cartoon from the Chicago Tribune which you ran recently, a veteran political writer of that same period might predict that the upcoming debate on socialized health care will probably become a callithump of snollygosters absorbed in their own magniloquent rodomontade.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Events in Iran Bode Ill for Democracy</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-GASKINL29_20090628-165403/276913/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: As I watch the events in Iran unfold, I am disturbed. Not with the political posturing&#8212;that is an inherent by-product of the political process&#8212;but rather the deconstruction of a democratic society before our eyes. The original election was supposed to take place in a 24-hour period. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did not expect the turnout at the polls or the thronging of the ex-pats to the international polling places.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:01:04 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-ELLERSON28_20090626-215805/276629/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: I generally agree with the conclusions and recommendations of Heywood Fralin and Thomas Farrell in their Commentary column, &#8220;We Must Upgrade Virginia&#8217;s Colleges and Universities,&#8220; about state support of higher education. I specifically agree that the number of persons schooled in math, science, engineering, health care, and other technical disciplines should be a state priority.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:01:53 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters to the editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-LID28_20090626-215805/276632/</link>
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A Round of Applause For New Ha&#8217;Penny Stage Editor, Times-Dispatch: What a pleasant surprise to see the new Ha&#8217;Penny Stage in Byrd Park. We went to an afternoon performance celebrating Chinese culture, which was superb. The new stage is higher so one can see better and the backdrop is high enough that performers can stage themselves without being seen. Simple concepts, but they add tremendously to the audience&#8217;s enjoyment.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:01:32 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor: Editorial Treated War as Afterthought</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-RAWLSW26_20090625-174402/276367/</link>
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Editorial Treated War as Afterthought Editor, Times-Dispatch: In your lead editorial, &#8220;Civic Spirit: History, Arts, Sports,&#8220; you made the excellent point that Richmond&#8217;s unparalleled array of cultural attractions has us well-placed in the major league of cities and distinguishes us far more than minor-league baseball. And, much to your credit, you proceed to list many of the city&#8217;s greatest attractions.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day: Despite Little Progress, Fight Must Continue</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-OHARAK26_20090625-174402/276365/</link>
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Despite Little Progress, Fight Must Continue Editor, Times-Dispatch: In a recent news article, &#8220;Police Wage Constant Fight to Curb Prostitution,&#8220; regarding prostitution arrests in the metro area, VCU professor Jay S. Albanese says, &#8220;Obviously, if there were a deterrent effect, there would be a declining number of arrests.&#8220; I am sure that this was extracted from a longer comment. However, as written it raises the serious question: If we&#8217;re not making any progress here, why even bother?           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-GRIGNOLR24_20090623-180404/275810/</link>
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Change Virginia Law To Promote Fathers Editor, Times-Dispatch: Regarding Del. Bill Janis&#8217; recent Commentary column, &#8220;Success Requires Thousands of Fathers&#8221;: Janis is correct about the importance of fathers, but more is needed than marriage education. Virginia&#8217;s family law system incentivizes family breakup, fatherlessness, and marriage avoidance.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:01:37 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day: Hand&#45;Written Notes Show Old&#45;Fashioned Love</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-JOHNSONC24_20090623-180404/275811/</link>
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Hand-Written Notes Show Old-Fashioned Love Editor, Times-Dispatch: Recently I strayed into one of those cavernous bookstores resembling an antiseptic neo-Pavlovian condition room with bright lights and white walls. What jumped out was a single row. I estimated it to be 54 feet long packed with hundreds of species of cards&#8212;the invention of psychological engineers and polished up by artists and wanna-be poets churning out private, random, gratuities of filial devotion. There were also countless cards for funerals, birthdays, graduation, get-well, weddings, and the consequences of weddings.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-IRBYE23_20090622-175804/275440/</link>
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Letters To The Editor, 6/23/09 Will Regulation Give Altria Immunity? Editor, Times-Dispatch: At last, the dreams of Altria (Philip Morris USA) have come true, and all the money it spent lobbying legislators has paid off. Congress has now passed legislation that Altria has wanted for years&#8212;namely, to get the federal government into the cigarette business.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:01:51 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>CORRESPONDENT OF THE DAY</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-BALDWINH23_20090622-175804/275436/</link>
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Are Judges Politicians Who Sit in Court? Editor, Times-Dispatch: Ellen Goodman&#8217;s Op/Ed column, &#8220;Politics and the Identity Dance,&#8220; explains how personal experience can affect perceptions. She noted former Vice President Dick Cheney&#8217;s comments on his daughter&#8217;s same-sex marriage and the identity politics of her native Boston. She then contrasted these examples of goodness with criticisms of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, prospective justice of the Supreme Court.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:01:24 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor: For a Legal Product, Tobacco Gets a Bum Rap</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-EATONT22_20090621-165802/275183/</link>
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For a Legal Product, Tobacco Gets a Bum Rap Editor, Times-Dispatch: So the feds now want to regulate big tobacco. Every day, the FDA, concerned citizens, and state and local government come out with onerous restrictions, regulations, and taxes targeting the tobacco industry. Enterprising lawyers strike it rich with punitive damages levied by sympathetic juries. It would appear that American tobacco is in the crosshairs of an increasingly hostile populace and rapacious federal government.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:01:37 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day: Third World Tyranny Has Come Home to Roost</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-FATZINGER22_20090621-170003/275185/</link>
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Third World Tyranny Has Come Home to Roost Editor, Times-Dispatch: Third World tyrants Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro periodically nationalize the assets of foreign corporations, in effect stealing those assets from their legal owners. Tyrants typically justify those expropriations with claims that they are redistributing the assets of wealthy capitalists to their own poor citizens. The corporations affected and their respective governments rightfully cry foul as legal contracts and obligations are trampled.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:01:22 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day: Special Interests Call the Shots</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-PERAINOC21_20090619-202603/274838/</link>
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Special Interests Call the Shots Editor, Times-Dispatch: Western Europe, Australia, and Japan have universal health care at a lower cost per patient than the U.S., and their health statistics are comparable to or better than those of the U.S. Those democratic countries establish their health care systems by law, so their citizens can vote for leaders to end them if they are unpopular. But they don&#8217;t.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor: Random Stats Don&#8217;t Prove Anything</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-MANDASS21_20090619-202603/274837/</link>
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Random Stats Don&#8217;t Prove Anything Editor, Times-Dispatch: Michael Paul Williams&#8217; column defending a dog&#8217;s right to be a dog stumbled going into the eighth paragraph. Even though I agree shooting a defenseless dog is bad form in policemen, the use of groundless statistics lost those of us who expect accuracy. It is improbable that the 16,000 page viewers, 100 Web commenters, and 2,000 video viewers agreed with the column&#8217;s convoluted judgment of the policeman&#8217;s response.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day: Where Is Decency In Today&#8217;s Politics?</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-THOMASC20_20090619-182404/274814/</link>
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Where Is Decency In Today&#8217;s Politics? Editor, Times-Dispatch: As an independent voter for almost 40 years, I have no inclination toward defining or attacking any politician based on party affiliation. I often split my ticket&#8212;choosing the individuals whom I believe to be most qualified for the positions they seek. I must say that the current double standard that allows liberal media jokes and attacks on their conservative counterparts has become absolutely unacceptable and even frightening.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor: Singletons&#8217; Generosity Made School Possible</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-HUBBARD20_20090619-182404/274812/</link>
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Singletons&#8217; Generosity Made School Possible Editor, Times-Dispatch: The article regarding the philanthropy of W.E. and Dale Singleton was a very nice one. Staff writer Zachary Reid should be commended for recognizing the generosity of the Singletons to George Mason Elementary School and other institutions in our community.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of the day 6/19</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-POOLE19_20090618-182203/274611/</link>
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18 Is Too Young To Be an Adult Editor, Times-Dispatch: I am not surprised to read of the necessity for legislation to protect students from credit card debt. It continues the list of things 18-20-year-olds have proven they cannot responsibly handle since they were declared adults by law in 1974. This was enacted in an attempt to rectify the injustices of requiring a young person in the military to go to war although he could not legally drink alcohol nor vote.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor 6/19</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-PLOTKIN19_20090618-182203/274610/</link>
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Amidst the Horror, Goodness Still Shines Editor, Times-Dispatch: When the United States Memorial Holocaust Museum opened in 1993, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City had not been bombed and 9/11 had not taken place. Terrorist acts had not come to America yet. However, when I went to visit the museum, I noticed something different from any other museum I had ever toured. There were traffic barriers out front, security cameras, metal detectors, X-ray machines, and armed guards. I thought to myself, why does this museum need so much security?           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>CORRESPONDENT OF THE DAY</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-WHITER18_20090617-175602/274360/</link>
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Yearly Elections Burn Voters Out Editor, Times-Dispatch: The governor and state and local legislators are always looking for ways to cut costs and save the taxpayers money. I have an easy solution that will save millions: Do away with off-year elections. Why must Virginia have an election every year? This cost could be cut in half by having our elections every two years when national elections are held. Let the officeholders serve a threeor five-year term to get everyone on the national election cycle. This could be done within two election cycles and save millions.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:01:56 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor, June 18, 2009</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-FITZGERALD18_20090617-175602/274358/</link>
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Rep. Waters Has Done Quite Enough, Thanks Editor, Times-Dispatch: After reading the news story, &#8220;Lawmakers Act on Foreclosures,&#8220; one word instantly came to mind: Chutzpah! I know little about the background of Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, one of two individuals named in the article. However, the other lawmaker, Rep. Maxine Waters of California, has played a very prominent part in recent events&#8212;namely, the collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which triggered our current financial crisis.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor, June 17, 2009</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-RINGJ17_20090616-174602/274177/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
GOP Coverage Was Out of Dems Playbook Editor, Times-Dispatch: Regarding the newspaper&#8217;s coverage of the Virginia Republican convention, &#8220;Cuccinelli, Bolling Join GOP Ticket&#8221;: In recounting Bob McDonnell&#8217;s acceptance speech, the first item mentioned in the news story is McDonnell receiving applause when he commented on &#8220;innocent human life&#8221; and the right to bear arms&#8212;as if that was the main thrust.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day, June 17, 2009</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-HUMPREYB17_20090616-174602/274176/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Theories Aren&#8217;t Bare Facts Editor, Times-Dispatch: In his letter, &#8220;Evolution Isn&#8217;t Fact&#8212;Don&#8217;t Present as Such,&#8220; Ron Ellyson is absolutely correct in stating that the theory of evolution is not fact. In science, theories are not facts, nor do they ever become facts. Theories explain facts. They are not hunches or speculation; they are the method by which science explains observable laws and phenomena. Theories are not concrete, they are fluid and ever-changing.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-HUMPREYB17_20090616-174602/274176/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor, June 16, 2009: Fan of James River enjoys weekly articles</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-DELLINGER16_20090615-191403/274025/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Fan of James River Enjoys Weekly Articles Editor, Times-Dispatch: Reading this newspaper has been part of my daily routine since I moved here in 1985, and I feel fortunate to have the news delivered to my doorstep every morning. Lately, the loss of so many wonderful features has been disheartening and I&#8217;m sure it has been devastating for the newspaper staff. However, one thing I look forward to monthly is the James River Journal by Rex Springston. These thoughtful and informative pieces are a real asset to the paper.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:01:21 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-DELLINGER16_20090615-191403/274025/#When:04:01:21Z</guid>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day, June 16, 2009: Merit selection for judges is a must</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-DONOHUE16_20090615-191403/274026/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Merit Selection For Judges Is a Must Editor, Times-Dispatch: Regarding the news story, &#8220;Who&#8217;s Judging Our Judges?&#8220; by Tyler Whitley: During more than 30 years as a practicing lawyer, I have had extensive experience with courts around the nation. Let me assure the citizens of Virginia that we have extremely high-quality judges in Virginia. The professionalism and civility of Virginia courtrooms is legendary.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-DONOHUE16_20090615-191403/274026/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Letters to the Editor &#45; June 15</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-VIDRICKRO15_20090614-170403/273873/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
How About Taxes For U.S. Aid? Editor, Times-Dispatch: Somewhere, somehow, Congress is looking to come up with $200 million to give to the Palestinians in the guise of humanitarian aid. Where are they going to get it? Haven&#8217;t we expended enough on foreign aid? It is interesting that an American family man who has just lost his job is seeking aid himself to take care of his family.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:01:29 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-VIDRICKRO15_20090614-170403/273873/#When:04:01:29Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Correspondent of the Day, June 15</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-HILLDRUPR15_20090614-222202/273956/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
WWII POWs Posed Much Bigger Problems Editor, Times-Dispatch: Guantanamo Bay should not be closed and the terrorists there should not be moved. But, before we get all a-twitter about moving them to prisons in this country, we should remember that 65 years ago, we brought hundreds of thousands of German and Italian prisoners to this country during World War II, many of them Nazis or Nazi sympathizers. Many came to Virginia.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:01:06 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-HILLDRUPR15_20090614-222202/273956/#When:04:01:06Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor, Continued, June 15</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-DILLK15_20090614-170403/273867/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Restaurant Smoking Ban Is Still Unconstitutional Editor, Times-Dispatch: The debate about the smoking ban in restaurants has overlooked an important aspect. It&#8217;s not an issue of public health, nor is it an issue of the sole excuse of the state&#8212;to provide for the general welfare of the citizens. It is simply a power grab by Gov. Tim Kaine and his minions as they try to keep in lockstep with the federal trend toward government control of businesses.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-DILLK15_20090614-170403/273867/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor, June 14</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-SHEILDSB14_20090612-204805/273543/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Editor, Times-Dispatch: When a Republican-controlled government is streamlined and the greed of a capitalist society is allowed to run rampant, we soon complain when we have such huge calamities as the potential collapse of our entire banking system. When a Democratic-controlled government increases the size and power of government, we soon complain about higher taxes and out-of-control debt. History has shown that any long-term successful democratic government must have strong rules that are strictly enforced. There also must be careful thought given to long-term, sustainable direction as the population grows. Neither of these traits was evident in the Bush era.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:01:46 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-SHEILDSB14_20090612-204805/273543/#When:04:01:46Z</guid>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-RUSSELLG14_20090612-204805/273542/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Editor, Times-Dispatch: The editorial, &#8220;Against Liberty,&#8220; was correctly worded but incorrectly used. Liberty University, in living up to its religious standards, is censured by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for doing so, while Notre Dame is lauded for abandoning its principles for the sake of a short-lived feather in its cap in encouraging a sitting president in his abortion views&#8212;which are antithetical to the beliefs of the Catholic Church&#8212;by awarding him an honorary degree for speaking at the university&#8217;s commencement exercises.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:01:32 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-RUSSELLG14_20090612-204805/273542/#When:04:01:32Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor, Cont&#8217;d, for June 13</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-MAYLED13_20090612-204202/273531/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Editor, Times-Dispatch: With the news that the jobless rate recently jumped to a 25-year high of 9.4 percent, the time is right to remind those affected of the advantages of going back to school. Times have changed, and our area is fortunate to have rich and diverse educational opportunities that can help people meet those changes and lead directly back into the workplace&#8212;in many cases in better jobs.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:01:51 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-MAYLED13_20090612-204202/273531/#When:04:01:51Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-KOONTZJ13_20090612-203804/273523/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Henrico citizens should heed Nicole Anderson Ellis&#8217; concerns about the county&#8217;s proposed 2026 Comprehensive Plan. In her recent Commentary column, &#8220;Henrico Doesn&#8217;t Value Open Land,&#8220; Ellis reveals the county&#8217;s deafness to citizens&#8217; pleas for environmentally sensitive planning and restrictions on new development in rural areas.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:01:51 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-KOONTZJ13_20090612-203804/273523/#When:04:01:51Z</guid>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Year</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-LANDISL13_20090612-203804/273524/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Before we slide into another costly, long-term strategic confrontation, the White House should give serious thought to the then brain-dead status of our &#8220;experts&#8221; when Soviet communism collapsed in August 1991, ending the Cold War. As stated frankly by James H. Billington, librarian of Congress, to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences the following year: &#8220;We are living in the midst of a great historical drama that we did not expect, do not understand, and cannot even name.&#8220;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:01:26 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-LANDISL13_20090612-203804/273524/#When:04:01:26Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-IPPOLITOG12_20090611-184806/273285/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
GOP Convention Vibrant and Unified Editor, Times-Dispatch: My take on this year&#8217;s Republican Party of Virginia state convention is slightly different from what was reported in the newspaper article, &#8220;Cucchinelli, Bolling Join Republican Ticket.&#8220; I saw a large crowd&#8212;in fact, the largest Virginia GOP convention in about 15 years. The more-than-enthusiastic crowd, over 11,000 in number, did not &#8220;fall short&#8221; in any way. Rather, the crowd stood tall quite often in united applause for its candidates. Gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell is perhaps the most qualified (veteran, business manager, member of the House of Delegates, accomplished attorney general) and philanthropic good guy who has ever pursued that office. McDonnell is also a man of ideas who will revive Virginia&#8217;s economy.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:01:41 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>correspondent of the day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-GUNLICKSR12_20090611-184806/273284/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The Camps Held Germans, Too Editor, Times-Dispatch: Regarding the article about the more than 20,000 camps and prisons in Europe during Hitler&#8217;s Third Reich: Besides the millions of Jews, Gypsies, Russian and other Allied soldiers, and others confined in these camps, many German opponents of the regime also were imprisoned.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-GUNLICKSR12_20090611-184806/273284/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>CORRESPONDENT OF THE DAY</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-GRAYB11_20090610-180402/273014/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
How Can God Still Bless America? Editor, Times-Dispatch: World War II Gen. Omar Bradley said that by the end of the 20th century, we would be a nation of &#8220;technological giants and moral midgets.&#8220; Did he know that we would be putting men in outer space, but that back at home we would be killing babies by the thousands, while quibbling over waterboarding terrorists?           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:01:38 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor, Continued; June 11; Wars&#8217; Costs Burden Future Generatiions</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-TYACKV11_20090610-180602/273019/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Wars&#8217; Costs Burden Future Generations Editor, Times-Dispatch: In the uproar over the burden of debt resulting from the recent federal financial rescue spending, some have overlooked the enormous debt incurred by the Iraq war, which has now spawned the Afghanistan-Pakistan war. The Iraq war was foisted upon credulous American citizens and legislators by what has been proven to be appalling, reprehensible lies and deceptions by the Bush administration.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-TYACKV11_20090610-180602/273019/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-NELMSW11_20090610-180402/273016/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
America Shouldn&#8217;t Tilt at Windmills Editor, Times-Dispatch: The Obama administration has been saying a great deal about how it intends to create millions of high-paying &#8220;green&#8221; jobs. Before we pursue this path, we should look at Spain, which has plunged into alternative energy (solar panels, windmills) in a major way, and has become the poster child of those pushing the green agenda.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-NELMSW11_20090610-180402/273016/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor, June 10</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-ELLISU_20090609-174403/272800/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
What Matters? Legal Qualifications Editor, Times-Dispatch: A. Barton Hinkle&#8217;s column regarding judge Sonia Sotomayor was interesting and relevant, but like the other two on the same page, and most other media coverage, it failed to deal with the most important issue: her legal qualifications. As a longtime lawyer (J.D. University of Chicago, 1949), and citizen activist, I have looked at her r&#233;sum&#233;, and she appears well-qualified. Other relevant considerations would be Bar Association recommendations, other non-political organization views, the geographic distribution of justices, etc.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-ELLISU_20090609-174403/272800/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day, June 10</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-CLARKJ_20090609-174403/272799/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Richmond&#8217;s Panorama Is Free to Everyone Editor, Times-Dispatch: A lot of Richmonders may not appreciate what a magnificent skyline our city has. It&#8217;s an interesting and expansive mix of buildings of various shapes, sizes, colors, materials, and architectural styles. The new nine-story MeadWestvaco headquarters building with its mostly glass fa&#231;ade and angular roof line is an attractive and distinctive addition.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-CLARKJ_20090609-174403/272799/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor, cont&#8217;d, June 9</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-LETTSOP09_20090608-183806/272625/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
It&#8217;s Time for America To Quit Making Cars Editor, Times-Dispatch: Maybe it is time for the U.S. to get out of the auto manufacturing business. We don&#8217;t seem to be particularly good at it, and we can&#8217;t seem to do it profitably. Blame it on the unions, the greedy executives, dunder-headed bureaucratic over-regulation, or whatever you want. They are all part of the problem, and will never change. The result is still the same. For the money, Asian car companies have us beat, hands-down. When China figures out how to get into the market, we will be completely left in the dust.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-LETTSOP09_20090608-183806/272625/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>CORRESPONDENT OF THE DAY</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-ANTHONYD08_20090607-165803/272457/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
SOL Changes Are Just the Beginning Editor, Times-Dispatch: Regarding the article, &#8220;Va. Education Leaders Consider Scrapping Third Grade History Assessment&#8221;: The comments made by State Superintendent of Instruction Patricia Wright left me slack-jawed, then angry. Wright said, &#8220;The last thing I want to do is unravel the accountability system&#8221;&#8212;but she wants to unravel it nonetheless. She spoke of a &#8220;new vision of assessment&#8221; which is a signal this is just the beginning of something larger. She went on to add she doesn&#8217;t want &#8220;to minimize the importance of history and social science, civics and economics,&#8220; but intends to do so by abolishing this assessment. Finally, she said she has a &#8220;budget to manage&#8221;&#8212;implying that if this one assessment is retained the entire state education budget will be in jeopardy of going in the red.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:01:03 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-ANTHONYD08_20090607-165803/272457/#When:04:01:03Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-SURPLESSG08_20090607-165803/272463/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Take Activist Off List of War Heroes Editor, Times-Dispatch: Regarding the news story, &#8220;Virginia&#8217;s War Dead&#8221;: To place a peace activist in juxtaposition with the heroes in our armed forces who gave their lives to establish a free and independent Iraq devalues the legacy of the war dead. Tom Fox wasn&#8217;t in Iraq to wage war on terror or provide security for the Iraqi people. He was there to protest our involvement in the Middle East. Truth be told, he compromised all of our fighting men and women who were in harm&#8217;s way. Fox was a danger and a liability to our best and brightest who willingly sacrificed themselves for a noble cause.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Food May Be Safe, Ice Can Be Risky</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-RESNICKM08_20090607-165601/272456/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Food May Be Safe; Ice Can Be Risky Editor, Times-Dispatch: I read David Martosko&#8217;s Op/Ed column, &#8220;Nudging Us to Better Food Choices,&#8220; in which he speaks about food safety. Recently we&#8217;ve had peanuts, tomatoes, sprouts, and ground beef in the news because of food safety issues. Funny that when it comes to water in a frozen state&#8212;ice&#8212;it is sold with no sanitary concerns.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-RESNICKM08_20090607-165601/272456/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day: Business Ideologues Have Led Us Astray</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-PEEPLESE07_20090605-203406/272113/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Business Ideologues Have Led Us Astray Editor, Times-Dispatch: Popular U.S. culture, dominated as it is by business ideology, generally holds that aside from the primordial drives like hunger, thirst, sex, and survival, our motivation for work is driven only by material rewards and punishment. The pervasiveness of this notion has created an environment of widespread scorn for people who work in activities outside of business enterprises. Insults which characterize dedicated government workers doing essential work as &#8220;parasitic bureaucrats&#8221; are all too common from doctrinaire conservatives.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:01:52 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-PEEPLESE07_20090605-203406/272113/#When:04:01:52Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor: New Power Station Will Meet Demand</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-HUDGINSD07_20090605-203406/272110/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
New Power Station Will Meet Demand - Editor, Times-Dispatch: Reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible base load electricity generation is an important component in meeting Virginia&#8217;s ever-growing energy needs. As a not-for-profit power supplier to hundreds of thousands of Virginians, that is exactly what Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) strives to provide our consumer-members.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:01:21 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-HUDGINSD07_20090605-203406/272110/#When:04:01:21Z</guid>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day: What in Blue Blazes Is Twittering, Exactly?</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-LENNARDD06_20090605-190803/272080/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Being a generally optimistic sort, I rise from the comfort of my bed each morning still believing that the world has not reached an optimum level of stupidity&#8212;and then there&#8217;s twittering. What in blue blazes is the idea behind this silliness? Is there some secret cabal of over-educated, mentally deprived Northern California vegans that has managed to come up with this exercise in groupthink? Now I have to lose sleep worrying if spaces or punctuation marks count as characters? I think they do in Morse Code. The only good part of this foolishness to date is that the designer hasn&#8217;t figured out how to make any money yet. When he/she/it finally does, I suppose it&#8217;ll be called twaddling.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:01:48 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-LENNARDD06_20090605-190803/272080/#When:04:01:48Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor: Shockoe Ballpark Site Is Racially Insensitive</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-GRIFFINA06_20090605-190803/272079/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Shockoe Ballpark Site Is Racially Insensitive Editor, Times-Dispatch: Thank you for the interesting article and accompanying schematic (in color) that appeared under the caption: &#8220;Baseball in Richmond&#8212;Help Is Needed Say Consultants to the City.&#8220; Of the many sites suggested as a location for a new baseball park, I am amazed that the Shockoe Bottom concept has moved this far forward.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:01:44 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-GRIFFINA06_20090605-190803/272079/#When:04:01:44Z</guid>
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          <title>CORRESPONDENT OF THE DAY</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/WYSSJ_20090604-185602/271835/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
U.S. Isn&#8217;t Getting Health Care It Pays For Editor, Times-Dispatch: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the United States spends 15.3 percent of its gross domestic product on health care, or $6,714 per capita annually. Compare that to the United Kingdom, which spends 8.4 percent of GDP ($2,784 per capita), or Canada, which spends 10 percent of GDP ($3,672 per capita), and one quickly realizes that Americans are not getting what they pay for.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:01:47 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/WYSSJ_20090604-185602/271835/#When:04:01:47Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Letters to the editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/REYNOLDS05_20090605-004601/272026/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Environment, Economy Necessitate Nuclear Editor, Times-Dispatch: The opposing Commentary section viewpoints between David Christian of Dominion and Louis Zeller of an environmental group emphasize their particular concerns regarding the need and sources for electricity. While Christian promotes new nuclear units, he and his company realize that they and their customers are also best served by conserving energy where possible.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/REYNOLDS05_20090605-004601/272026/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Letters To The Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-GAUNT04_20090603-181003/271562/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Honest Culture Should Prevail in Modern World Editor, Times-Dispatch: Victor Davis Hanson, in his Op/Ed column &#8220;Has America Become Premodern Again?&#8220; described three electronic-age problems and his frustrations in resolving them. He observed that humans keep us from realizing the full benefits of the electronic age and recommends better education.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:01:35 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-GAUNT04_20090603-181003/271562/#When:04:01:35Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>CORRESPONDENT OF THE DAY</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-PINCK04_20090603-181003/271564/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Here&#8217;s How to Route A Monorail Train Editor, Times-Dispatch: Because of pickup trucks, deer, and boxcars, high-speed rail should not use the present train tracks between Washington and Richmond, but a new elevated maglev track, or monorail. Its route should be primarily on real estate already publicly owned by either federal or state governments.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:01:30 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ED-PINCK04_20090603-181003/271564/#When:04:01:30Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Letters to the editor for June 3</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ROBINSONG_20090602-180604/271380/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The Choice Should Be What Type of Prevention Editor, Times-Dispatch: In a recent Op/Ed column, &#8220;Every Woman Should Have Reproductive Rights,&#8220; Lindsey Oliver wrote that she feels &#8220;the urge to take a moment to reflect on the hundreds of women&#8217;s lives we [the Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project] have directly impacted.&#8220; It is fitting that a proponent of abortion should be so in tune with her natural urges, since an inability to control impulses is a primary contributor to the prevalence of abortion in our society. In the column, Oliver argues that the Hyde Amendment, which limits Medicaid coverage of abortions to rape, incest, and life endangerment, unfairly denies poor women their right to an abortion.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ROBINSONG_20090602-180604/271380/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day, June 3</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/PELLINGT_20090602-180604/271379/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Actually, British System Works Quite Well Editor, Times-Dispatch: I am tired of the United Kingdom&#8217;s National Health Service being used as a political Aunt Sally, as Ross Mackenzie did recently. Doesn&#8217;t he think that, after 60 years of experience, if the NHS was and is so awful, the British public and politicians would have used their very flexible government system to throw overboard such a supposed albatross? Rather, the Brits are proud of the principle of the NHS (care free at point of delivery) whilst very critical of poor performance here and there.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/PELLINGT_20090602-180604/271379/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Letters, cont&#8217;d, for June 3</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/MONTALBANOM_20090602-180604/271377/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
We&#8217;ve Seen This Pitch Before Editor, Times-Dispatch: We&#8217;ve heard it all before, the rosy economic projections emanating from multiple grandiose concepts for the City of Richmond&#8212;yet they never come to fruition. How&#8217;d the Sixth Street Marketplace work out? How about Main Street Station, the &#8220;revitalization&#8221; of downtown Richmond, or the Canal Walk? All major undertakings that are abysmal economic failures.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/MONTALBANOM_20090602-180604/271377/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Letters To The Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/QUIGGC_20090601-173805/271209/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
County Supervisor Needs To Fix Sandston&#8217;s Ills Editor, Times-Dispatch: I have been a resident of Virginia my entire 15 years of living. I&#8217;ve played on the playgrounds of recreation centers, of Sandston Elementary School, and on the streets of Sandston. I&#8217;ve always known there was a problem with the community and something really should have been done before now&#8212;so I&#8217;m doing something about it.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:01:58 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/QUIGGC_20090601-173805/271209/#When:04:01:58Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>CORRESPONDENT OF THE DAY</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/SHINHOLSERJ_20090601-173805/271210/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
To Win Drug War, Just Buy the Stuff Editor, Times-Dispatch: A recent news item states that the U.S. seized 16.5 tons of opium in Afghanistan. The same article reports the Senate voted 86-3 in favor of $91.3 billion to ramp up war in Afghanistan. On the front page of The Times-Dispatch&#8217;s Insight was a very interesting report on Afghanistan producing 90 percent of the world&#8217;s opium (8,200 tons) valued at $3.4 billion to Afghan exporters.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:01:12 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/SHINHOLSERJ_20090601-173805/271210/#When:04:01:12Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Letters To The Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/PUCKETTG_20090531-170419/271051/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Is the UAW Running The USA? Editor, Times-Dispatch: On May 19, the president summoned automobile executives from around the world to come to Washington to hear his announcement of the new U.S. auto fuel consumption and emissions standards. The Rose Garden setting was quite impressive, as the 10 top world auto producers gathered to hear the details of the program.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:01:24 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/PUCKETTG_20090531-170419/271051/#When:04:01:24Z</guid>
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          <title>CORRESPONDENT OF THE DAY</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/WOLFK_20090531-170702/271058/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
State Laws Caused Auto Dealer Situation Editor, Times-Dispatch: In his recent Commentary column, &#8220;Dealer Plan Will Kill Jobs,&#8220; Donald Hall of the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association claims that the Obama administration is forcing auto dealerships to close. He is being either naIve or disingenuous. He says (incredibly): &#8220;The free market should be allowed to decide how many and which dealerships should survive.&#8220;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:01:16 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/WOLFK_20090531-170702/271058/#When:04:01:16Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>CORRESPONDENT OF TH E DAY</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/DELUCA_20090529-211811/270706/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I drove a Pinto through most of college and law school&#8212;back in the days of &#8220;odds and evens,&#8220; when we baby boomers could not afford thirsty cars and gas was close to being rationed. (How quickly we forget!) Once, just after filling up, I even got siphoned off. Being the neophyte driver that I was, I had several accidents, including a rear-ender at the location of the gas tank and one that totaled the automobile on paper. Both close to home, not on my three-year, 35-miles-one-way commute on the way to becoming an attorney.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2009 00:01:53 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/DELUCA_20090529-211811/270706/#When:04:01:53Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ANDERSONC_20090529-211607/270698/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I read with great interest the news story, &#8220;You Can Save Money or You Can Save the Planet,&#8220; as my home is a few miles from the proposed Cyprus Creek coal plant. I can assure all that many of us here are far more concerned with saving our health and our town.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2009 00:01:07 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ANDERSONC_20090529-211607/270698/#When:04:01:07Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters to the editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ROACHJ_20090529-183405/270674/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Christianity Needs No Defending Editor, Times-Dispatch: Regarding Leonard Pitts&#8217; recent column on Christianity: Christianity doesn&#8217;t need defending. It really doesn&#8217;t fit any of the definitions for religion in Webster&#8217;s. It is a relationship based on the belief that a Creator God created each of us as unique individuals with the free will to accept or reject Him. Because of free will, we do a lot of rejecting (sin), so because God loves us and wants an intimate relationship with us, He sent Jesus Christ to redeem us and forgive our sins.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 30 May 2009 00:01:48 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ROACHJ_20090529-183405/270674/#When:04:01:48Z</guid>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/HARRISK_20090529-183607/270676/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I was overwhelmed with sadness after reading Lindsey Oliver&#8217;s Op/Ed column, &#8220;Every Woman Should Have Reproductive Choices.&#8220; One of her first statements: &#8220;The sad part isn&#8217;t that I had an abortion but that there were so many barriers.&#8220; No, the sad part is that she had an abortion at age 16. Where were her parents&#8212;or the father&#8217;s parents? What about other caregivers in her life? Instead, she laments at how difficult it was for her at such a young age to obtain access and funding for an abortion. Perhaps that is because such things shouldn&#8217;t be easy, especially for someone at that age who is not legally entrusted to consume tobacco or alcohol or cast a vote for an elected leader.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 30 May 2009 00:01:28 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/HARRISK_20090529-183607/270676/#When:04:01:28Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor (cont&#8217;d)</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/FORTEM_20090529-183405/270672/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Some Just Want Abortion to Go Away Editor, Times-Dispatch: I have heard that President Barack Obama is looking for a meeting of the minds on abortion and I have read the Op/Ed column by Lindsey Oliver, &#8220;Every Woman Should Have Reproductive Rights.&#8220; There are people who promote abortion, people who provide abortions, people who have abortions, and those of us who have just hoped it would go away. The children who were never given a chance have no voice.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 30 May 2009 00:01:14 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/FORTEM_20090529-183405/270672/#When:04:01:14Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Letters To The Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/WIGHTJ_20090528-200302/270465/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Cassandra Was Right, But No One Cared Editor, Times-Dispatch: In Greek myth, Cassandra was given the given the gift of prophecy, but when she spurned Apollo&#8217;s seduction, was doomed to never be believed. That is how it feels for city residents right now when we can be justifiably concerned that no one is listening at the City Council level. We share what we see, but&#8212;not being enamored&#8212;we are ignored.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/WIGHTJ_20090528-200302/270465/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ESSIDJ_20090528-200207/270460/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Work Takes Torque, Not Gas-Guzzling Editor, Times-Dispatch: In your May 20 story about President Barack Obama&#8217;s plan to increase fuel efficiency for vehicles, Dixie Bishop, who owns a plumbing business in San Antonio, asks: &#8220;Are they going to take my horsepower down?&#8220;Her question is both amusing and informative.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/ESSIDJ_20090528-200207/270460/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/SPIROJ_20090527-182426/270224/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Penitence, Forgiveness Should Govern Vick Now Editor, Times-Dispatch: When I read that Michael Vick was returning to Virginia to complete his sentence, I asked some of my older colleagues from the 1st and 2nd centuries (Hillel, Rabbi Akiba, Rabbi Judah Hanasi) what they would advise with regard to Vick&#8217;s return to football. I reminded them that no one could love animals more than I do, and that I believe what he did to a kennel of canines was horrendously contemptible.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/SPIROJ_20090527-182426/270224/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/MARTINC_20090527-182426/270223/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Community Colleges Merit Coverage, Too Editor, Times-Dispatch: A recent Metro section front had a great article and photo of the VCU graduation. Inside, additional graduations were mentioned, including those at Virginia Tech, VMI, and Richard Bland College. The Monday Metro front page had articles and pictures of the UVa and VSU graduations, which also continued inside with additional articles and photos of William and Mary and Randolph College graduations.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/MARTINC_20090527-182426/270223/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Corresponent of the Day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/WIEGARDH_20090526-174204/270006/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The article on the proposed Surry coal plant, &#8220;You Can Save Money or You Can Save the Planet,&#8220; disappointed me with its one-sidedness. As a recent William and Mary graduate with experience in environmental policy, I disagree with the mischaracterization that meeting our energy needs requires a choice between the economy and the environment. Old Dominion Electrical Cooperative (ODEC) should take the concept of efficiency programs more seriously and consider efficiency as a short-term alternative to increased generation of coal power.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2009 00:01:22 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/WIEGARDH_20090526-174204/270006/#When:04:01:22Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Letters To The Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/RYANWI_20090526-174410/270012/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Correspondent of the Day Chris Weigard&#8217;s letter, &#8220;Climate Changes Need More Than a Band-Aid,&#8220; illustrates an important fact: When it comes to the environment, especially the issue of global warming, facts are irrelevant. Anthropogenic global warming is a non-issue. What contribution humans make to climate change is so minuscule that it is irrelevant. Weigard&#8217;s emphasis on the &#8220;billions of tons sent skyward&#8221; conveniently omits any mention that we are one of the smaller contributors to the atmosphere&#8217;s CO2 level. Termites contribute more CO2 into the atmosphere than humans, and non-anthropogenic total CO2 input is 97 percent, plus or minus several tenths of a percent. Of this input total, virtually all but 2 percent to 3 percent is naturally scrubbed out of the atmosphere.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2009 00:01:04 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/RYANWI_20090526-174410/270012/#When:04:01:04Z</guid>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/RUDZINSKID_20090525-174228/269842/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Since Sen. Arlen Specter switched sides to keep his seat, he has essentially expectorated on the Republican Party. He should now do the honorable thing and return all of his campaign money to the Republican Party and start raising funds again with his new Democrat friends. Dennis Rudzinski. Richmond.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 26 May 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/RUDZINSKID_20090525-174228/269842/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters To The Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/GREENLEAFB_20090525-174228/269839/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Editor, Times-Dispatch: I appreciate the news story, &#8220;You Can Save Money or You Can Save the Planet,&#8220; about the Surry coal power plant as an attempt to frame the issue for the public. However, the article falls short of accurately explaining the debate because it fails to fully report the potential for cost-effective energy efficiency to meet our energy needs. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) reported in September 2008 that Virginia can meet at least 19 percent, if not more, of its 2025 electricity needs through cost-effective energy efficiency (meaning that it costs less to save electricity than it does to generate electricity). As reported in the ACEEE Virginia report, the cheapest means of providing electricity (three to four cents per kilowatt hour) is to save otherwise wasted electricity through efficiency measures.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 26 May 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/GREENLEAFB_20090525-174228/269839/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor: Memorial Day Summons Memories and Dreams</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/NUNNALLYF_20090524-171304/269711/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Editor, Times-Dispatch: For us old-time vets, Memorial Day means memories of WWII. It truly was a war of the world. Europe and the Pacific come to mind. But the conflict extended into the jungles of Burma, the deserts of North Africa, and other far-flung places. Memorial Day holds memories of the horrific loss of life, the millions displaced from their homes, and the unthinkable: babies and toddlers accompanying their mothers into the gas chambers of Auschwitz and Flossenburg.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2009 00:01:38 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/NUNNALLYF_20090524-171304/269711/#When:04:01:38Z</guid>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/GALBRAITHR_20090524-171304/269707/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Whenever one changes a process, a government, or one&#8217;s clothes, there are two possible outcomes: Things could get better, or things could get worse. I say this in relation to the proposed changes to the health care system in the U.S. Many favor changing our current system, blaming the incredible, seemingly out-of-control rise in health care costs. I, for one, don&#8217;t mind the rising cost of health care.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/GALBRAITHR_20090524-171304/269707/#When:04:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor: What Are Ballpark Boosters Smoking?</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/DEAND_20090522-203628/269392/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
My first thought after reading the headline, &#8220;Help Is Needed, Say Consultants to City,&#8220; was: &#8220;My gosh isn&#8217;t anyone thinking rationally about a baseball facility in Richmond?&#8220; We are talking about a minor-league ballpark! I repeat: a minor-league ballpark! This is not Wrigley Field or Camden Yards. At present, only a double-A team has expressed interest in coming to Richmond. Nevertheless, the city is projecting a huge development in Shockoe Bottom. Further, the city now tells us this development will require taxpayer funding.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2009 00:01:42 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/DEAND_20090522-203628/269392/#When:04:01:42Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Correspondent of the Day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/REISR_20090522-203709/269401/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Editor, Times-Dispatch: The recent article on smoking bans was too balanced when one considers the dangers of secondhand tobacco smoke. Although we live in Maryland, we often dine out in Virginia as we travel on business or visit our daughter, relatives, or friends. We always avoid restaurants that permit smoking, as the smoke makes the entire experience very unpleasant and unhealthy.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2009 00:01:04 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/REISR_20090522-203709/269401/#When:04:01:04Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Letters To The Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/MAXEYS_20090522-180103/269336/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Editor, Times-Dispatch: I believe the idea of developing a virtual high school in Chesterfield has monumental importance. Given the opportunity, wouldn&#8217;t most teenagers opt to use a computer to get a high school degree rather than actually going to a live class? If this truly becomes cemented in stone, there would be many questions: Would the students still be able to participate in sports activities? Would they be able to go to the prom? Would they still be allowed to participate in all of the activities that have such long-lasting meanings to young people?           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 23 May 2009 00:01:36 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/MAXEYS_20090522-180103/269336/#When:04:01:36Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Correspondent of the Day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/HIGGINSE_20090522-180009/269334/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Often what we perceive to be obvious and direct transmutes to the unaccomodately complex. The title of a letter, &#8220;Medical Dictionary Says Life Begins at Conception,&#8220; was its thesis. Animals and plants are distinguished from inanimate objects by their capacities for metabolism, growth, and environmental adaptation, which are, in turn, driven by intracellular energy relationships. Accordingly, a fertilized human egg or zygote may be on the verge of life in that its absolute requirement for implantation and uterine incubation denies an inherent capability for adaptation.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 23 May 2009 00:01:36 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/HIGGINSE_20090522-180009/269334/#When:04:01:36Z</guid>
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          <title>CORRESPONDENT OF THE DAY</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/GRIFFINE_20090521-190903/269105/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Editor, Times-Dispatch: This is to congratulate those who seemingly have combined to clear the paper of that grating redundancy &#8220;safe haven.&#8220; I haven&#8217;t seen it in months, except in quotations. May nothing occur to hamper this noble work. Don&#8217;t be tempted, however, to rest on your oars. There are many other such blots on the language that are thriving, such as security guard and health spa, differentiating the latter from one where disease is prevalent.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2009 00:01:39 EDT</pubDate>
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          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/HEJNAL_20090521-190903/269106/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: Letter-writer James M. Trent, &#8220;It Is Time That the Good Guys Rode In,&#8220; recalls the Western movies of his youth in which, to his surprise, a single bad man or small group could apparently take over an entire town, and he wonders why today the majority of common people do not rise up against those who are leading our country in the wrong direction.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2009 00:01:09 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/RAYNERD_20090520-190302/268871/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: I did not vote for the Barack ObamaJoe Biden presidential ticket last November. However, after watching Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi&#8217;s performance last week, I have never been more concerned about the good health and well-being of the president and vice president. Please, eat well and get some sleep. David Rayner. Richmond. Editor, Times-Dispatch: David Martosko&#8217;s recent Op/Ed column, &#8220;Nudging Us to Better Food Choices,&#8220; was a prime example of how the food industry and its representatives are prepared to fight against legislation or public policy initiatives intended to improve the health and well-being of Americans.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2009 00:01:26 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/PUDNERP_20090519-173409/268642/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: Why should anyone be surprised by the estimates that, given the choice of government-managed health insurance, 103 million Americans would opt into it rather than into privately managed alternatives? Simply put, the goal of a private, for-profit insurance plan is to make money. Health care is the product by which it seeks to make money. On the other hand, the goal of a Medicare-style program is to provide health care.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/MOOREJ_20090519-173409/268640/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: President Barack Obama has decided that U.S. combat troops will leave Iraqi cities by June 30 of this year [editor&#8217;s note: the full withdrawal is scheduled for August 2010], and Iraq&#8217;s officials do not plan on inviting U.S. troops for a longer stay. This withdrawal policy is extremely misguided&#8212;it neglects the past, ignores present conditions, and endangers our future.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/WIEGARDC_20090518-180005/268472/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: Correspondent of the Day David Hostetler, &#8220;Who Can Say What Earth&#8217;s Temps Should Be?&#8220; urges us to accept the notion that the science of climatology does not really understand how the climate works, and that the billions of tons of carbon sent skyward by the human race in recent years probably is not a big factor in the observed temperature rise. He then concludes his remarks with a caveat: If we should experience massive coastal flooding, surely we can use a few dollars to construct sea walls.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Letters to the Editor</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/SHORTERM_20090518-175806/268469/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: There is talk of Congress disallowing health insurance premiums paid by employers as a deduction on corporate tax returns, in order to increase federal corporate tax revenues to pay for expansion of our national health coverage to those not presently covered. Whether this will work as planned, or backfire when employers decide to drop health coverage as a benefit, or backfire when employers increase salaries to now-covered employees and instruct them to pay their own health premiums, we don&#8217;t know.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/VANDER18_20090517-165714/268328/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: Thank you, thank you to Walter Williams for his excellent Op/Ed column, &#8220;Why Say African-American?&#8220; My husband and I were born, brought up, and educated in Africa. Today we are U.S. citizens. Yet, when we introduce ourselves as African-Americans, most people react in an uncomfortable manner. Why? Because we are members of what Williams refers to as the 10 percent of Africa&#8217;s population that is white.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of The Day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/STANIERR_20090517-165714/268327/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: Paul Goldman&#8217;s recent Commentary column, &#8220;Delegator-in-Chief or Detailer-in-Chief?&#8220; comments on President John F. Kennedy&#8217;s action to &#8220;accept full responsibility,&#8220; for the Bay of Pigs failure. Goldman offers: &#8220;Would Ike have done that? Never.&#8220; Goldman is entitled to his own opinion of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, but history does not substantiate that criticism. Page 48 of Stephen E. Ambrose&#8217;s book, The Supreme Commander (as well as several other authoritative sources) records that on June 5, 1944, Eisenhower &#8220;scrawled a press release on a pad of paper, to be used if necessary&#8221; in the event that the landings in Normandy failed. &#8220;The troops, the air, and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.&#8220;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/DOHERTYJ_20090515-213421/267997/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: Charles Murray, the W.H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, noted in his recent Op/Ed column, &#8220;Europe&#8217;s Model Is Not for Us,&#8220; that the policies of the European nations enfeeble four institutions: family, community, vocation, and faith. But would Europe accept the United States as a model? A criterion for admission to the European Union and conversion of the currency to the euro calls for a country to restrain its annual deficit to less than 3 percent of gross domestic product.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 17 May 2009 00:01:50 EDT</pubDate>
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          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/BELDENR_20090515-213421/267995/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: Let me get this straight: If I buy a house I can&#8217;t afford, the taxpayers will help me with the payments. If I run a bank into the ground and get a golden parachute, the taxpayers will take over the company and pay for my parachute. If I run an insurance company into the ground, the taxpayers will pay the billions of dollars I lost. If I run an auto company into the ground and don&#8217;t ask the government for a handout, I will have to compete with a company paid for by the taxpayers. Where is the fairness?           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 17 May 2009 00:01:11 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Correspondent of the Day</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/BRADFORDK_20090515-183702/267958/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: A number of recent letters have referred to the United States as a country founded upon Christian values. Although I am a Christian myself, this puzzles and concerns me because it seems morally vague and politically useless. I&#8217;m pretty clear on what generally accepted Christian beliefs are supposed to be; and indeed these are specific to Christianity: the necessity of baptism, Jesus as the son of God, grace, the Resurrection, the Trinity, and so on. But if we see values as the principles by which we are supposed to make ethical decisions, I cannot see that Christianity&#8212;at least in terms of value statements&#8212;differs much from most other faiths.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 16 May 2009 00:01:33 EDT</pubDate>
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          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/AGNEWC_20090515-183604/267956/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: I read Leonard Pitts&#8217; recent Op/Ed column, &#8220;How Do Christians Respond?&#8220; with interest. In the third paragraph, Pitts notes that &#8220;beginning in 1980, as a mysterious and deadly new disease called AIDS began to rage through the homosexual community . . . the Christian church, with isolated exceptions, watched in silence.&#8220;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 16 May 2009 00:01:22 EDT</pubDate>
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          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/REDFERNT_20090514-182416/267747/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: There are already 134 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, from both sides of the aisle, for HR 1207, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009. This bill would reform the manner in which the Federal Reserve System is audited by the comptroller general and the manner in which such audits are reported. As we reflect on the hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer bailouts of Wall Street and the recent budget, a staggering $3.4 trillion boondoggle, the amount of support for this bill is substantial. But where are the Virginians? Only two of our state&#8217;s 11 elected representatives are co-sponsors. Current law specifically excludes the Fed from audit or congressional oversight. No other government agency has such an utter lack of sunshine. HR 1207 will open up the Fed&#8217;s funding facilities, such as the Primary Dealer Credit Facility, Term Securities Lending Facility, and Term Asset-Back Securities Lending Facility to congressional oversight.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2009 00:01:45 EDT</pubDate>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: A gap? Popular opinion states that, academically, there is a gap between majority students and minority students. Surely among the majority are those who have Down Syndrome, are autistic, have dyslexia, and many who are lazy and refuse to perform to their potential. Yet, they are numbered in the upper part of the gap.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2009 00:01:40 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>CORRESPONDENT OF THE DAY</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/letters/article/HOSTCOD8_20090513-174502/267477/</link>
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Editor, Times-Dispatch: A. Barton Hinkle&#8217;s Op/Ed column, &#8220;Climate Contrarians Are Losing Ground,&#8220; fails to connect the dots. It has been colder and warmer in the past and sea levels have been lower and higher, all without man&#8217;s intervention. Vikings were farming in Greenland 1,000 years ago until a mini Ice Age came along. Given the range of past temperatures, what is the correct temperature for the Earth?           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2009 00:01:29 EDT</pubDate>
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