Postal subsidies are also special favors
Re: “FTC has no business in media business,” Editorial, Oct. 6
Your editorial states that there is nothing in the Constitution authorizing the government to support news organizations with special tax favors. Is it also your position that the long-established postal rate subsidies for newspapers, books, etc. are constitutionally impermissable? On a larger scale, is it also your position that an activity not specifically authorized by the Constitution is prohibited, e.g. we should give the Louisiana Purchase states back to France because Thomas Jefferson had no explicit constitutional authority to buy them?
David Cosson
Washington
Give seniors a property tax break
The 20th century method of school funding no longer applies today, and shifting costs to non-users of schools is no longer defensible. The 2008 Census reports that 18.4 million homeowners are over age 65 and their numbers are growing. My proposal is simple. Initiate legislation at the local level to abate the percentage of the property tax bill of all homeowners over 65 that’s allocated to schools. Any reduction in funding can be offset by taxing the users of schools. This proposal will come just in time to help keep seniors in their homes. The damage done to their financial stability over the past five years may force many to try to sell their homes. However, we already have millions of foreclosures that remain unsold and cannot risk a wholesale addition of homes to this inventory.
B.C. Murphy
Silver Spring
For the bees
Re: “Urban chickens pose risks,” From Readers, Oct. 5
Rudi Schreiber articulated his reasons against Councilman Tommy Wells’ effort to reduce restrictions on chickens and other fowl in the District very well. However, I have heard no reasonable arguments in support of the repressive ban on keeping honeybees. Perhaps informed debate should continue concerning aviaries, while legislation to institute reasonable restrictions on apiaries are adopted.
Laszlo Pentek
Arlington
