Published: February 24, 2010
David Lint
Peace a full service delegate
I would like to commend the efforts of my delegate, Chris Peace, for his above and beyond efforts to keep the people he represents informed of the events happening at the State Capitol.
Del. Peace began his preparation before the session with Town Hall meetings, Tele-Town Hall meetings, and he actively solicited comments on issues and problems facing the people of the 97th House District.
And since the 2010 Virginia Legislative Session began, I have received a weekly, detailed summary of the events of the week and the status of his legislation as well as other important bills. This is a shining example to all of those who represent us and should be the gold standard of how to properly represent the citizens who entrusted them with the job.
But Del. Peace takes his duty well above this high water mark. In addition to the weekly log of events, he has sent several snow emergency updates that include weather bulletins, VDOT information, contact information, where to find shelters and even information on the signs of a heart attack — a big concern during snow emergencies. This effort is appreciated and does not go unnoticed.
Virginia is blessed with a wealth of effective representatives. Del. Peace is the best of the best and a true “full service” delegate!
Tom White
Mechanicsville
Waste in county governments
The article in last week’s Local starring Rhu Harris, Hanover County administrator, has left very little doubt in the minds of many about the waste in all county governments.
Mr. Harris has decided to have all county employees work 40 hour per week instead of 37.5 hours per week.
Not one person commenting on the article had any idea they only worked 37.5 hours. I would assume the reason for not making it 30 hours is that 37.5 hours per week is required for government employee benefits.
Mr. Harris, it is no secret that working less hours might require more employees to do the same amount of work, but has it crossed anyone’s mind that working more hours would require less people?
I know that you inherited the situation there and that you were hired as being the one who would keep with the tradition but times have changed and county governments have to change also.
Today I found the following salaries on the web site of a large engineering company headquartered in NYC. This company has 750 employees with about 25 branches around the US. This might be a benchmark for the next round of salary cuts or hiring.
Assistant engineer, $58,517; principal engineer, $78,571; environmental engineer, $51,667; assistant architect, $60,486; economic systems analyst, $67,000; engineer estimator, $53,000; environmental scientist, $55,556; resident engineer $99,000 to $109,000.
How does this compare with Hanover, Henrico, Chesterfield and Richmond? Is there any doubt why everyone wants the government jobs?
A small town mayor came by our factory today and on the subject made the following suggestion for pay cuts for all government employees. (everywhere):
Employees making $20,000 to $30,000, no cut; $30,000 to $40,000, two percent cut; $40,000 to $50,000, three cut; $50,000 to $60,000, four percent cut; $60,000 to $100,000, five percent cut; and over $100,000, 10 percent cut.
How about letting the taxpayers vote on this? It wouldn’t be such a hardship on anyone and would be a nice thing to do for the Hanover County people who have made Hanover what it is and have allowed a lot of you guys to have a very lucrative lifestyle.
The governments — federal and local — have destroyed the taxpayer-government relationship and it is not going to be fixed with a “We are the govern-mentality”.
Just remember that Hanover and the other counties were wrong on the reassessments, wrong on all the hiring, wrong on all the buying and the counties are wrong on the salaries.
If you want to see how fast one of your positions can be filled for less money, advertise it today. We had over 100 calls on one position this week. You don’t need to replace people at the same pay of a departing 30-year employee.
It appears a little fishy when counties use each other as a measure to pay their own employees. Find the people who will volunteer to do a day’s worth of work for a dollar instead of a dollar’s worth of work in a day. This is the criteria to use for salaries/raises.
Ted Mentz
Old Church
EPA support encouraged
In an effort to combat global warming and protect the earth from further disaster, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is attempting to establish guidelines; however, several states are against the findings and are not going without a fight.
The EPA’s efforts to reduce global warming pollution represents years of careful and considered analysis by career scientists and takes tens of thousands of public comments in account.
Despite the outlandish claims in this frivolous lawsuit, the science is clear — global warming is happening and it does put our public welfare at risk.
Dozens of other states are already taking advantage of the benefits a clean energy economy can bring, implementing their own plans to reduce global warming pollution and grow clean energy jobs.
It is time that Virginia decides to make smart choices and protect our future before it is too late.
Let’s move in the right direction — please help support the EPA’s authority to take action when needed.
Jennifer Keys
Richmond
Responding to racism charge
I wasn’t going to answer the pro-Obama, false propaganda letter against me in a recent Local, but I had to address the ridiculous charge of racism that the liberals have used so many times against those of us who dare criticize the president. This trick has worked very successfully in keeping thoughtful and legitimate criticism down against this most radical, leftist president.
People cringe from the racism charge and therefore keep their mouths shut. But this is one conservative Christian who will not keep his mouth shut and is not afraid to tell the truth.
At no place in my Jan. 20 letter did I mention race or even think about race as I was composing it. The real racists are liberals like Rudolph Davis who think about race all the time and who ascribe racism to everyone else’s motives and speech who dare criticize a black man regardless of how dangerous and radical that person’s policies and decisions may be.
Calling a person a racist is so much easier than using your brain and thinking through the charges and criticisms made.
One thing that I do agree with Mr. Davis on, however, is that God commands us to pray for our leaders, including our president, which I do. I pray that God will change his heart and his thinking and give him a love for his country and a desire to put the best interests of our beloved country above anything else, except knowing Jesus Christ and serving Him.
I believe also that God has given us a mouth and a brain to use for His honor and glory and to speak out boldly on the great moral issues of the day.
When we see millions of babies being murdered each year through abortion, which Obama fully supports, Christians need to speak out in defense of the innocents being slaughtered. When we see families being destroyed through homosexuality, higher taxes and an assault on God in every area of our lives, Christians need to speak out.
And Christians should speak out against this global warming hoax that Obama is trying to con the American people with, which would cost us, our children and grandchildren billions of dollars.
God never intended for Christians to cower behind the doors of their homes and churches to do nothing but pray. Jesus Christ spent much time in prayer but He also boldly spoke out against wrongs and injustices and took strong physical action against the money changers in the temple when He overturned their tables and drove them out of the temple (Matt: 21:12-13).
Liberals would like to shut Christians up by telling us to just crawl into a corner and pray. We certainly should pray a lot but also speak out respectfully but boldly against such radical leaders like Barack Obama when we see him trying to destroy our beloved country.
We didn’t have to see Obama in office very long to know how radical he would be. Anyone who could sit under a hate-spewing preacher like Jeremiah Wright (a real racist) for over 20 years and not come out a radical and hateful person would have had to be both deaf and blind!
Mr. Davis says that when Obama took office many countries around the world had contempt for us. So is that why Obama goes around the world bowing and apologizing for our great country? Who cares if the rest of the world loves us or not? If they do love us, we must be doing something wrong!
Do I think that just one year is too soon to call Obama the most incompetent president in history? Certainly not! Just look at his little experience and knowledge before he became president. Sarah Palin had far more experience, common sense and knowledge to be president and yet she was only running for vice president. Do you think that she knew there are only 50 states and not 57 as Obama stated and that the word is corpsman nor corpseman as he said a number of times?
And, yes, Obama is certainly responsible for the massacre at Ft. Hood and the near tragedy aboard one of our planes on Christmas Day. His outrageous political correctness is not profiling.
Muslims, especially those with radical Islamic beliefs, his granting of U.S. legal rights to captured Islamic terrorists and his pro-Arab anti-Israel stand have put our great country at huge risks to have many more Ft. Hoods and other far more deadly attacks!
His coddling of terrorists has put every American citizen at great risk!
Raymond Germeroth
Mechanicsville
Put a stop to doctors’ greed
The problem with health care in America is this: American doctors are practicing astronomical, unjustified, uncontrollable greed.
The answer is this: American doctors repent!
The problem is this: They care less, and continue to grow worse.
The answer is this: low cost government price controls on all medical procedures.
If we do not control their godless greed, doctors who have bankrupted us as individuals in the past, will now be allowed to bankrupt us as a society in the coming future.
Healthcare for all in America: Great! At astronomical, unjustified, uncontrollable prices to all taxpayers: Godless!
Thomas Anthony
Davenport, Iowa
EPA lawsuits a frivolous waste
The state Attorney General is wasting taxpayers money with frivolous lawsuits against EPA.
Global warming is happening and the public is at risk.
The petition filed by our state’s Attorney General will only serve to hold our state and our country back at a time when we desperately need to be moving forward.
Dozens of other states are already taking advantage of the benefits a clean energy economy can bring, implementing their own plans to reduce global warming pollution and grow clean energy jobs.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to reduce global warming pollution represents years of careful and considered analysis by career scientists and takes tens of thousands of public comments in account.
We need to be brave, look past party lines, and see the truth before it is too late.
CaroleRae Spence
Midlothian
