Your 2 Cents

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My grandson loves trains so I took him on his first train ride this week. We rode the government-owned Amtrak. It took us more than two hours to get from Richmond to Ashland. Please don't let the government manage my health care!

-- Ron Durrer, New Kent

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Where are all the anti-war protestors -- the Democratic congressmen who trashed our military members for a job they sent them to do (Murtha, Kerry, Durbin, Reid, and Speaker Pelosi)? Where is the media's never-ending barrage of how bad things are in the war zone or the daily feed of body counts? I guess war is OK with all of the above when the president is a Democrat -- the same President Obama who struggled to admit the surge worked but is now conducting his own surge.

-- J. Howard Humphreys, Richmond

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Just where in the Constitution is Congress given the power to require any person to purchase health insurance, if they choose to spend their limited resources on food, clothing, shelter, or other necessities as they see fit? I am certain that a very large percentage of the 40-50 million people they say do not have health insurance would not purchase it even if it were easily available. Our health care system needs reforms and improvements, but the bills before Congress at this time are certainly not the answer. An issue such as this should not be rushed through Congress without the necessary time for everyone involved to read and understand the bill and openly debate the contents before any votes are called.

-- Jerry Lusk, Richmond

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Democrats needed only the thin reed of a club membership from 34 years in the past to accuse Judge Samuel Alito of bigotry. But now, Democrats are outraged that Judge Sonia Sotomayor would dare be questioned about her explicit statements on superior racial wisdom; and then they accuse Republicans of bigotry for asking them. This is Orwellian doublethink through the looking glass.

-- Rick Provost, Midlothian

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Umesh Dalal is a breath of fresh air. Regarding the proposed change in the City Charter regarding the city auditor position, I strongly agree with Councilmen Samuels and Tyler, who feel that the auditor's investigations and findings show why it's important to have him operate independently of the mayor's administration. It's always best to have checks and balances, and I trust that the other council members will agree with them and not fix something that not only is not broken, but actually is working perfectly. If only we had someone like Dalal in Washington.

-- Judy Scardina, Richmond

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President Obama's policies are looking like a hurricane: exciting at first, but ending in disaster.

-- Gary Allen, Colonial Heights

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Government control over our nation's financial institutions -- done. Government control over our nation's automobile industry -- done. Government control over our nation's health care system -- ? What's next? Wake up, America. Do we want socialized government in America? I pray not.

-- Spencer Elmore, Richmond

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Tourism in Richmond should be promoted more. I had an out-of-town visitor who wanted to buy a souvenir without visiting a historical site. We went to drug stores, dollar stores, the bus station, and the malls. We finally found some at Short Pump. We need to promote our city and state more by having souvenirs available at places people shop.

-- Francina Williams, Henrico

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I, like many Americans, mourn the death of Walter Cronkite. He was a class act and always reported the news rather than trying to become part of it. It's a shame today's media don't take a cue from Uncle Walter and report the news in an unbiased and matter-of-fact way. The news media are simply a propaganda machine for the far left. It's a shame.

-- David Packett, Richmond