Establishment candidates do not inspire confidence Re: Kaine, Allen spar over Obama in U.S. Senate debate,” Dec. 8
Consistent failure of both Democrats and Republicans in fiscal leadership undermines consumer and investor confidence. Repeating stale, empty rhetoric will not instill confidence in our nation’s future.
Establishment candidates themselves recognize this. As The Examiner’s Steve Contorno reports: “[Tim] Kaine attempted to turn the tables by linking [George] Allen to Republicans under President Bush. … Kaine said, ‘You planted time bombs in the budget when you were senator.’ That sparked Allen to pull out a chart that showed how the debt had grown under Obama’s watch.”
But neither candidate shared any solution to the challenges confronting our nation.
I remain disappointed that the Associated Press provided these defenders of the status quo a free media event at the exclusion of their primary opponents. Virginia voters would be better served by the inclusion of every qualified candidate.
Will Radle
Fairfax
Editor’s note: Mr. Radle was an independent candidate for chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
O’Malley’s regressive tax would hurt poor, elderly
Re: “Highway officials hide millions of dollars, audit finds,” Dec. 6
Gov. Martin O’Malley has proposed raising Maryland’s gas tax by 15 cents, saying that the increase will create jobs building roads. But the government taking money from some people to pay others doesn’t grow the economy. Private sector jobs, not public works, are what create jobs and wealth.
Considering the stench coming out of the State Highway Administration, no wonder so many of our Maryland roads are in disrepair. In collusion with contractors, state employees were hiding “millions of dollars in both cost overruns and unspent funds even while gaining state approval for millions of dollars in more funding.”
O’Malley’s gas tax increase would be a huge regressive tax on people who can least afford it: the poor and the elderly on fixed incomes. It would also hurt businesses that have large transportation expenses.
John Naughton
Silver Spring
When is the camping ban going to be enforced?
Re: “Cops arrest 31 from Occupy DC,” Dec. 5
While temporary structures or tents are allowed on National Park Service land under some circumstances, they must have at least one open side to allow for visual inspection and monitoring. Camping is not permitted.
“Camping” is defined at 36 CFR ¤ 7.96(i)(1) as “the use of park land for living accommodation purposes such as sleeping activities, or making preparations to sleep (including the laying down of bedding for the purpose of sleeping) or storing personal belongings, or making any fire, or using any tents or shelter or other structure or vehicle for sleeping or doing any digging or earth breaking. …”
I want to know if and when these rules will be enforced since next summer, I plan on camping in McPherson Square to ensure that all Americans are afforded the same access to the park as the Occupy DC group. Since the rules don’t mean anything, I guess no other American has to worry about breaking them.
Craig Truskey
Midland, Va.
