Letters: Hinkle Column Marginalized Minorities

Satirical Hinkle Column Marginalized Minorities
Editor, Times-Dispatch: The satirical piece by Bart Hinkle, "McDonnell Thesis Barely Scratches the Surface," was certainly witty. Hinkle tied in McDonnell's very real Regent University thesis and his theories on working women and feminists as "the real enemies of the traditional family" and homosexuals as sinners with completely fabricated McDonnell essays on the "scandal" of misspelling and wrong verb usage. I can imagine Hinkle chuckling quietly to himself as he wrote.

I cannot imagine, however, the working women and gays in this state chuckling as well. In attempting to marginalize McDonnell's views, Hinkle brings to mind an entire history of good ole' boy ideas that have marginalized women and minorities for centuries.

M. Allyson Rainer.
Richmond.

Thank goodness, the child was found before anything else could happen to him. However, what could be more horrible than to be left naked outside with no assurance someone would come along to rescue him? I do not want to think of the possibilities.

Someone in the community must know a woman or young girl who appeared to be pregnant but no longer looks the same way. If so, whoever this person is should step forward with the information. The police need help to identify the child and to prosecute the mother.

In the meantime, a DNA test could be performed now on the baby so, when a possible suspect is identified, another DNA test could be done on her immediately to verify yes or no, she is the mother. If not, the police would continue to look and, if yes, the proceedings could start to prosecute her to the fullest extent of the law.

Margie Nolan Cowles.
Richmond.

• Tourism can help. In these difficult economic times, the loss of jobs and decreasing business revenue have had a devastating effect on budgets throughout Virginia. The tourism industry is an instant revenue generator. It has an immediate financial impact that is felt every time a visitor spends money in the state. The state has more than 9,000 small and large tourism-related businesses that employ more than 200,000 Virginians and contribute more than $1.2 billion in state and local tax revenue every year. The results of an economic study by Longwoods International Research proved that every dollar invested in Virginia tourism advertising has a $5 return in tax revenue alone in the same year.

• The call for increased funding for tourism is not to have the state government do the work for the industry, but rather to augment the already massive effort the industry has undertaken to self-fund advertising and product development throughout Virginia. These industry-specific taxes fund everything from infrastructure to destination marketing. Further funding of tourism will enhance these efforts and better position Virginia to compete in a now-global tourism market. Success will yield increased tax revenues for the commonwealth.

• Tourism has an economic impact that is felt in every city, town, county, and region of the state. If Virginia's tourism industry is to have the greatest possible economic benefit in terms of jobs and revenue, an investment must not only be made, but increased. States like Colorado have reversed cuts once they realized the dramatic negative impact those cuts had on their economy.

An investment in Virginia tourism is an investment in Virginia's economic future. The industry must remain vital, united, and competitive. Christopher M. Savvides, Chairman, Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association.


Richmond.

President's Speech Is Relevant to Children
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Many school districts pride themselves in teaching character education. One of the key values of character education is being responsible.

The decision by some school districts to forgo the president's address to students urging them to be responsible for their success in school shows a lack of responsibility. Allowing parents to have their children opt out of hearing the president is equally not responsible.

One of the key ways of teaching character is to see an effective role model discuss or demonstrate essential values. Regardless of how any individual feels about the president's policies, it is difficult to say that he has not been responsible for his success in school. As such, he represents an excellent model for being responsible for one's own school success.

By failing to have every student hear the president discuss the importance of responsibility, the schools are demonstrating a failure of character. One must question the schools' inability to show two other essential values -- integrity and judgment.

Steven J. Danish.
Richmond.

I'm no economist, but the economics classes I did take taught me that there are prices beyond which no one will buy -- in this case businesses offering jobs. However, if the price drops, people start buying, or in this case businesses start hiring.

We all know that the credit crisis was the primary cause of this recession. My bet is that the steep increase in the minimum wage has made it worse and has made the safe jobs that people run to in recessions, like retail, unavailable to those who have lost their jobs.

While it would be unpalatable medicine, if the minimum wage were lowered back to $5.15, low-level jobs would reappear. For some, that might be the difference between being able to weather the storm until the economy improves or losing their home. Given that stark choice, my bet is many would choose any job at a lower pay rate if it meant that they could hold out until things improve.

Bret D. Stauffer.
Richmond.