Letters from Readers

Virginia's absentee ballot system needs fixing

Re: "It's time to protect voting rights of American troops abroad," Oct. 27

Virginia House Speaker William Howell rightly called for reforms in processing military absentee ballots to avoid the disenfranchisement of our service members. However, that is just one essential step to protecting the voice of our troops.

Our paper-form based voter registration system is the root of many absentee voting problems. If you're not on the list, you can't get an absentee ballot. The paperwork involved blocks many Virginians - disproportionately, those serving overseas - from getting on the rolls, and keeps the officials who process it from other pressing duties - like mailing absentee ballots overseas.

Virginia has an obligation to protect the voices of those who defend us. We must harness technology to modernize our voter registration process, making it more automated and portable, taking the burden off of election officials and allowing those serving our country the flexibility they need to get - and stay - on the rolls.

Michael Romano

Arlington

PLO's new demands are same old strategy

Encouraged by the obvious pro-Arab statements emanating from the current U.S. administration, Mahmoud Abbas has demanded a complete halt to all construction outside of the temporary, pre-1967 armistice lines prior to going to the negotiating table.

As usual, the Palestinian Authority - whether it be led by Yasir Arafat, Fatah, Hamas, the PLO or Abbas - has never taken the opportunity to make peace with Israel. Thus it has lost any chance of becoming a separate sovereign state.

Nelson Marans

Silver Spring

GAO report on TARP lacking specifics

Re: "Do Dodd or Frank care why TARP failed?" Editorial, Oct. 28

This editorial wrongly criticizes Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd and House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank for not cleaning up the mess (your perception)

created from the government's TARP program - which was enacted during the Bush administration.

How accurate is GAO's statement that "it could find no evidence that TARP made one iota of difference to the ultimate outcome of the economic crisis of 2008?" What models did it use to project where the U.S. economy would have been without TARP?

Whatever numbers GAO provided should have been part and parcel of your assessment of TARP's effectiveness. Since the numbers are lacking, the report is nothing more than "sounding brass and tinkle," and your criticism comes off as nothing more than innuendo.

I suspect that both Rep. Frank and Sen. Dodd are astute enough to realize the net effectiveness of TARP was less than desired, if not a shameful use of taxpayers' dollars. Along with their colleagues, these public servants sought to do what they felt was in the best interest of American citizens given the information they had to work

with at the time.

Johnie Branch

Upper Marlboro