Place to overturn bad laws is the ballot box
Re: “Roberts pulls a fast one,” July 5
Gregory Kane’s column on Supreme Court’s “Obamacare” decision unfairly discredits Chief Justice John Roberts. Whether his decision is “bizarre” and “intellectually, ideologically and legally perverse” or
not, the message is crystal clear: Don’t count on the courts to rewrite legislation.
If you don’t like the laws passed by your legislators, use your vote — not the courts — to overturn those laws.
Kane’s final comment casts “everlasting shame” on Justice Roberts. Some of us in Wisconsin are a little sensitive to the word “shame,” having had it shouted at our governor over the past few months.
If shame there be, perhaps it could be better placed on our elected officials who passed the law — or our fellow citizens who voted for those officials.
Jerome E. Randall
Wauwatosa, Wis.
O’Malley’s violent rhetoric was inappropriate
Re: “Outages linger, anger grows for Pepco,” July 3
As The Washington Examiner reported, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said, “nobody will have their foot further up Pepco’s backside” than he unless the utility company worked faster to restore electric power.
I’m not thrilled with Pepco either, as this was the second time in a year my lights were out for days. But using violence to force people to work is the method of slaveholders.
Even as a metaphor, it’s outrageous.
Alexander R. Cohen
Silver Spring
Power lines hold up trees and vice versa
As I drive the tree-lined streets through older neighborhoods in Rockville, such as Baltimore Road just beyond Rockville High and along Twinbrook Parkway between Veirs Mill Road and Baltimore Road, I often wonder: Do the power lines support the vulnerable, sagging tree limbs, or do the tree limbs support the vulnerable, sagging power lines?
I don’t expect massive infrastructure change — like burying the lines — because of tremendous costs involved. But topping and pruning trees as a necessary precaution would seem to me to be a good idea.
Buddy Rowe
Rockville
