One might have expected to hear more outcries from workers and senior citizens as health care reform endangers the Medicare benefits they have earned. President Barack Obama and Congress do not know at this time how many Medicare dollars are misspent, nor do they know how to find them.

Is Virginia Too Purple To Accept Funds?
Editor, Times-Dispatch: In the 1995 General Assembly session, Sen. Richard Saslaw (D-Fairfax) co-sponsored a resolution calling on Republican Gov. George Allen to apply for Virginia’s $6.7 million share of federal Goals 2000 funding. Allen balked at accepting the aid (amounting to less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the 1996-98 state budget) until Congress amended the education program to make it less intrusive.

Court Decisions Often Break What Was Fixed
Editor, Times-Dispatch: In response to the news story, “Humans Make a New Home for Salamanders,“ by Liz Barry about efforts in Piney River to create a breeding habitat for mole salamanders, people should know that these are not the only creatures picky about where they will breed.

Increasing Awareness Will Conquer Cancer
Editor, Times-Dispatch: November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month and I am writing because, so far, I am one of the 5 percent of pancreatic cancer patients who have survived. Ninety-five percent of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer die within five years of their diagnosis and 76 percent die within the first year of their diagnosis. I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer early in 2009 and after surgery and treatment am now fortunate to be cancer-free.

McDonnell’s Education Views Cause Concern
Editor, Times-Dispatch: As true gubernatorial candidates would, Creigh Deeds, a Democrat, and Bob McDonnell, a Republican, disagree on issues such as taxes, ways to stimulate the Virginia economy, social issues such as abortion and birth control, and the significance of government regulation.

A 28th Amendment should read: Congress shall enact no law having more words than the main body of the Constitution. That comes to about 4,400 words, or about six printed pages. Imagine a law, written elegantly enough that not only could the average citizen understand it—every congressman would even have time to read it.

Things Aren’t Looking Good for Iran or Israel
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Israel has been threatened with being wiped off the face of the Earth by Iran. Israel is well aware that Iran is deadly serious about carrying out this threat. Iran has demonstrated that it has rocket weaponry capable of striking Israel. Most Western nations believe Iran to be very close to developing atomic bombs that could quickly destroy such a small country as Israel.

Never Forget 9/11—Or It Will Happen Again
Editor, Times-Dispatch: I was relieved that President Barack Obama participated in the moment of silence on the eighth anniversary of 9/11—one of the worst days in American history. I was relieved because, through his words and actions, one gets the impression that he and his liberal base have forgotten the terror Americans experienced that day. They seem to have forgotten that the subsequent war on terror wasn’t instigated by us, and that thousands of Americans have given their lives to ensure we never suffer through a day like that again.

Terrorists Don’t Belong in Virginia
Editor, Times-Dispatch: What in the world has happened to the Editorial Board? In your editorial, “Terrorist Trials—Bring ‘Em On,“ you advocate bringing terrorists being held at Guantanamo Bay to the Commonwealth of Virginia to be tried. Your reasoning is that we have tried terrorists in Virginia who were arrested in this country. Unbelievable!

We need a little perspective. We’ve got the economic crisis, the health care crisis, the Medicare and Social Security crisis, and the global warming crisis. But all of this pales in comparison to a possible sale of Ukrop’s to Harris Teeter or whomever.

In response to the letter from Jeffery Bolea, “Term Limits Would End Congressional Insanity”: Bolea is an advocate of term limits for members of Congress and wishes for legislation to be enacted that would prevent them from unending terms. He cites many valid reasons for such action, most importantly “to ensure the sanity of discussions made.“

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—in many cases in better jobs.