Unlike Deeds, McDonnell focuses on economy
This much about politics we know: In any campaign, ads and debates will include a fair amount of fluff and dirty pool. But a good way to determine what kind of officeholder someone will be is to study what they spend their time talking about.
This is especially true in the Virginia governor’s race. On one hand, Creigh Deeds is spending all his precious time trying to slime Bob McDonnell. He hasn’t put forth a coherent transportation or economic plan; in fact, he seems to disdain discussing those subjects.
On the other hand, McDonnell has been focusing like a laser on jobs and economic growth from the get-go, sensing that Virginians are feeling tremendous pain and anxiety in this area. With Virginia unemployment at a 20-year high, this is an appropriate focus for a gubernatorial candidate.
It is for this reason that I, and hundreds of other business leaders from around the commonwealth, have endorsed McDonnell for governor. He spends his time talking about jobs and the economy. Right now, there’s not much else that matters.
Steve Thomas
Chairman,
Spotsylvania County Economic Development Authority
Booing doesn’t make winners out of losers
Re: “Loserville, U.S.A.,” Sept. 27
Columnist Harry Jaffe’s solution to Washington’s sports woes is for fans to show their displeasure by booing loudly and “vilifying the owner.” Why in the world would booing motivate professional athletes who had to be competitive to win a spot on the team? They’re big boys and can handle it, but they shouldn’t have to. They are already working hard to win.
Mr. Jaffe may say the crowd is booing the team’s owners, but it will sure look and sound like they are booing the players. At contract time, who could blame them for thinking the fans didn’t back them when things were tough?
The Redskins didn’t lose to Detroit because they weren’t booed enough. They lost because — imagine this! — the other team was better. As the Chicago Cubs were folding in the playoffs last year, fans booed in a way I’d never seen in Wrigley Field before. Did the owners go off and build a World Series champ? Nope. This year the Cubs weren’t even contenders.
At some point, it became part of the sports ethic that makes it OK to boo refs, umps, players, managers, or anyone making us fans unhappy, adding negativity to an already negative world. It doesn’t work. More importantly, it’s wrong.
We all want winning teams. Let’s cheer them on, knowing that showing faith in people can make them better. Mr. Jaffe says it’s time for us to get mad at a game created for our enjoyment. Who needs the anger?
Bob Johnson
Burke
Health care editorial contains error and omission
Re: “Bureaucrats muzzle criticism of Obamacare,” Sept. 28
How can The Examiner pretend to write a knowledgeable health care editorial when it cannot even get the chairman and the committee right? Not once, but twice!
In the text and under the photo, your crack editorial writers and fact checkers have Max Baucus, not as the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, but as chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. It’s not like the Finance Committee health care deliberations have been in an undisclosed location for the past several months.
While noting Baucus’ home state of Montana, you did see fit not to disclose that Humana defender Mitch McConnell is from Kentucky, the home state of the multibillion-dollar health care company that gains most of its profit margin from Medicare Advantage government subsidies.
Oh well, I was never happy with your coverage of the administration of former President Gore anyway.
Richard Fiesta
Washington
