Letters To The Editor
Election Did Not Repudiate Obama
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Letter-writer Everett Gentry's references to the 2009 governors' races as referendums on the president are absurd! Exit polls clearly indicated that state politics were the main focus of voters, and the elections had nothing to do with President Obama, whose approval rating is still a healthy 54 percent.
Bob McDonnell won Virginia's gubernatorial race because he was the candidate who addressed the main issues of Virginians. As a Democrat, I will still give McDonnell a fair chance to be a good governor -- at least until his first scandal or snafu, and this is far more than Republicans have given Obama.
I am a native of upper New York state, and I can assure you that the 23rd District was more of a barometer as to the sorry state of Gentry's Republican Party than any governor's race.
Jeff Malo.
Richmond.
Virginia Offshore Wind Shows Promise
Editor, Times-Dispatch: In reference to the news story, "Kaine, Md., Del. Governors Back Wind-Power Accord": I would like to thank Gov. Tim Kaine and the other mid-Atlantic governors for taking an important step toward bringing offshore wind to our region. The Mid-Atlantic has some of the best offshore wind capacity of any region in the country.
According to the VCERC (Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium), we can supply 25 percent of our electricity with the wind off our coast. Virginia's manufacturing sector could see a huge boost from this kind of investment in home-grown renewable energy, especially steelworkers. There is much more work to be done but this gets us off to a good start. The bill currently before the Senate is an important step forward to a clean-energy economy that works for everyone. It makes America more energy independent, creating new jobs with safer, cleaner energy sources that are made in America and work for America.
Antigone Ambrose.
Richmond.
Small Business Not Big On Health Care Bill
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Late one Saturday night, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi brought her trillion-dollar health care reform bill to a vote in the House -- and it passed by a only a few votes. One of the yes votes for this harmful legislation was cast by our own Rep. Tom Perriello. As a small business owner I couldn't be more disappointed with his vote.
Instead of listening to small businesses that are asking for reforms that lower costs, the House passed a bill that will actually make things worse -- and more expensive. That yes was a yes to billions in new taxes, a yes to government-run health care, and a yes to new regulations on small businesses. And that was a yes that will impose new costs that could wipe out state jobs, and only further raise unemployment levels, which are already at their highest levels in 26 years.
We should call our representatives and tell them that they should have said no to Washington and yes to small business. Punishing small employers with mandates, taxes, and a new government-run program paid for on the backs of small businesses will not fix our broken health care system.
With health care legislation coming up in the Senate, we must remain vocal to ensure our leaders know that devastating new mandates and higher health care costs are not reforms small businesses will support now or at the ballot box next election.
Scott Harwood.
Farmville.
Was Perriello Elected By His Conscience?
Editor, Times-Dispatch: A recent letter-writer praises Rep. Tom Perriello for voting his conscience.
My question is: Did he vote the will of his constituents, i.e. the folks he represents? That certainly is debatable.
Robert W. Tatum.
North Garden.
What's the Purpose Of Civilian Trials?
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Concerning the decision made by the Obama administration to try, in a civilian court, five of those who were involved in an act of war in the killing of about 3,000 U. S. citizens, one has to wonder why.
These low-lifes will now tie up our legal system for no need. It makes one wonder: If the current administration had relieved a Democratic administration, would we be subjected to some of these questionable actions?
Somehow I get the impression that there is a rush to undo some of the Bush administration programs that were not all bad, as some proclaim. To have taken the step to afford the 9/11 perpetrators civilian trials is ample evidence for me.
Robert C. Peniston.
Lexington.
Reader Reactions
Wind power will give a huge boost to the economy all right.
The Chinese economy.
The Chinese have already contracted with the largest Texas based Wind Energy Co. To make the actual turbines.
They also have some of the largest wind farms on the planet.
And are busily building coal fired plants to make up the slack.
There is nothing wrong with wind farm offshore energy, but what if the climate changes?
Couldn’t resist.
What is absurd is to claim that the recent elections had nothing to do with Barack Obama.
Mr. Obama campaigned, albeit, in a lacklustre way for the sorry Mr. Deeds here in Virginia. But the story in New Jersey was very different.
He and the good Mr. Biden made multiple visits to New New Jersey to no avail.
I don’t believe that anyone has any doubt about the final outcome in the race in upstate new York.
But the fact that the winner has still not been certified.(He was rushed to Washington to vote on Mrs. Pelosi’s odious bill) and barely oozed out a victory by an unknown underdog who lost by 3000 votes cannot be taken as any love letter to the Democrats and the Obama administration.
It would be very interesting if the absentee ballots should change the outcome.
At least the Democrats would be saved the trouble of “de-certifying” Mr. Owens.
What would happen to Ms. Pelosi’s bill if that were to happen?
This was a very sloppy affair all around.
Both parties should be embarassed to bring it up.
Mr. Peniston, if they weren’t captured on the battlefield, where do you propose that they be tried?
Mr. Malo - Your analogy is like saying that Obama’s win in 2008 was no big deal because McCAin won Georgia. Big surpsise. Let’s stick to the facts:
First, Obama’s approval rating is not a health 54% - this week’s latest polls show that it has actually plummeted to 46% and the longer he ignores the majority of Americans on key issues, including national health care, the further south it will travel.
Next; while McDonnell’s win was indeed a reflection on the dismal/absent performance of Tim Kaine, it is important to note that Kaine and Obama have been joined at the hip since well before the 2008 national election. So there is no way Kaine’s loss/McDonnell’s win is not also a reflection of Kaine and Obama’s shared failed policies to this point. As we sayin the south, sleep with dogs and wake up with fleas.
Face it - Kaine threw Virginia into one of the worse ecomonic downturns in history while Obama was doing it on a national scale. Voters, both democrat and republican, are sick of both and said so loud and clear on November 4.
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