Letters to the Editor

Charter Schools Deserve an A
Editor, Times-Dispatch Your news story on charter schools, "Va. Gets F on Charter Schools in Report," was informative but the headline was totally misleading. Charter schools in Virginia are doing a great job and deserve an A. It's the laws that get an F. In fact, you could have written about how well charter schools are doing despite the laws, regulations, and other obstacles that have been erected to stop them.

Rob Mitchell.
Richmond.

Williams, clearly a global warming skeptic, claims that the Earth has been in a cooling period for the past 10 years. How is this possible when scientific data has shown that the past decade has been the warmest on record?

Instead of fighting over who or what is causing global warming, we should all be in agreement that something does need to be done about the toxic emissions being spewed into the atmosphere. Whether it plays a major role in global warming or not, pollution is bad for us and for the environment. Now is the perfect time for action. Whether a binding agreement is reached in Copenhagen or not, the corporations whose factories are poisoning the Earth need to stop wasting money buying politicians and start putting that money toward creating a cleaner, healthier future for the world.

Christopher A. Stubbs.
Chester.

Those 17 and under need to be given special attention, and all circumstances need to be considered before transferring a juvenile to Circuit Court. Teenagers may need to do adult time but should be incarcerated in a juvenile facility until age 18. It is unjust to integrate juveniles with adults in the prison population. Someone 17 or under is more likely to be violated by older inmates. While in an adult facility they are offered no education, only a General Equivalency Degree (GED), and little to no therapeutic rehabilitation. This can only cause more recidivism, not less. Children are at greater risk of leaving the system more dangerous than before.

The adolescent brain differs from that of adults when it comes to impulse control and risk assessment. The American Medical Association and American Psychological Association have documented cases. In the Supreme Court decision Roper v. Simmons, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy cited a body of sociological and scientific research that found juveniles lack maturity and responsibility compared with adults.

More authority needs to be given to Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court judges before a transfer to Circuit Court is conducted. Training related to the specific needs of juvenile offenders should be increased for Circuit Court judges and we should eliminate the use of adult jails for juvenile detention.

Help these children before placing them in an adult facility where they will be exposed to more violent behavior. Help them while they're still children.

Hannah M. Coltrain.
Richmond.

I support President Barack Obama's recent decision to escalate our efforts in the war in Afghanistan. One of the problems with this decision is how we are going to pay for it. Perish the thought that we should raise taxes. There has been a long-held battle cry in this country to "Support Our Troops!"

I think we should consider the war-bond approach that was so successful during WWII. Basically this would result in our government borrowing the needed funds from the American people rather than from China. These bonds would be repayable at some future date when our economy is more stable than it is right now. Purchase of the bonds would be strictly voluntary and it would give those of us who support the war an opportunity to do so with more than voice than a slogan.

If 100 million people would subscribe to buying a $50 bond per month with payroll withholding, the annual $5 billion raised would make a significant contribution to the war effort and reduce the amount of deficit spending that would otherwise be used.

Richard Wilz.
Louisa.