Paul
Goldman: Spare Us Your Sexist Fantasies!
When
I checked my email this evening, I was confronted
with an extremely bad odor. Since scent is rarely
transmitted electronically, I was at a loss as to
whence this smell could be coming... till I came
upon this passage from Paul Goldman ("Marquis
de Lafayette, Call Home," March 24, 2003)
which reeked to high heaven:
Let
me ask you: When was the last time anyone paid
attention to a French lawyer, unless she was wearing
something slinky without anything underneath? ...
Like
I say, I prefer my French lawyers with long legs,
short skirts and a French farmhouse about 35 miles
from Arles.
Sorry,
but am I supposed to find this funny? Am I supposed
to identify with it? Is your publication intended
for men only? Or are you at a loss for intellectuals
who actually use their intellects, rather than their
reproductive organs, to generate their columns?
Who
cares what Paul Goldman fantasizes about when he has
nothing better to do, which is apparently most of
the time (since he can't even write a column without
referencing his fantasies)? I certainly don't. And I
certainly don't think any of your readers are
fantasizing about Paul Goldman wearing a short skirt
without anything underneath (doesn't have anything,
perhaps?) -- I'm certainly not.
Valerie
L'Herrou
wolflh@earthlink.net
In
Defense of the Car Tax
Overlooked
in the debate over repeal of the car tax is the
reality that this tax, and other taxes on personal
property, are essentially voluntary—the taxpayer
chooses the amount of the tax. I have a more
expensive car than many, and I pay more taxes.
Likewise, I pay more in insurance premiums.
My choice.
Also, a car tax (or any personal property tax tied
to licensing or titling) is one of the few ways the
public coffers get any significant money from the
underground economy. Those engaged in illegal
activity or in off-the-books income don't pay income
taxes, but they can’t escape paying something when
they title a car. The notorious spies of the last
decade may not have paid income taxes on their
payments from foreign governments, but they sure
paid car taxes on the fancy cars bought with their
ill-gotten gains.
That
tax repeals tend to favor the wealthiest taxpayers
isn’t news. Wealthy
people pay a higher percentage of taxes and, when
truces are declared in class wars, right or wrong,
wealthy taxpayers get more relief.
The
car tax repeal was never about the average taxpayer.
It was always about getting votes in Northern
Virginia.
Cynthia Bailey
Richmond
CVBRichVA@aol.com
Mega-Projects
Don't Attract the Creative Class
In
reference to Bob Skunda's column,
"Florida-Style Development," February 24,
2003), I would like to point out that those
development projects (canal walk, convention center,
etc.) are exactly what Florida is saying communities
shouldn't do. Petersburg lures our artists away to
revitalize THEIR downtown while Richmond's country
club set asks for $50 million in tax money to build
them a downtown playground. Which community
"gets it"?
Scott
Burger
burp@mindspring.com
Smart
Growth = Social Engineering
Regarding
E M Risse ("Silver
Lining," March 3, 2003) and his fascination
with "smart growth":
I
must begin by saying that I live in Chesterfield
County where we are overrun with development. It
would seem to be reasonable for a new development
that would add substantially to the load on the
school system and other elements of the
infrastructure to contribute to the county's capital
investment their homes necessitate. Why should those
of us who choose not to build new houses subsidize
those who do?
From
this point on, though, we part company. "Smart
growth" is controlled growth from an urban view
point. It is controlled growth from the viewpoint
that people are too stupid to handle something as
valuable as land properly and therefore need to be
guided by those who know better... like the social
engineers and tree huggers who have not
invested
one penny in the property, yet claim rights and
authority to determine is highest use.
The
point Risse seems to miss is that many people move
out further from the city where services are
difficult to deliver because they value some things
more than big brotherly services. Not every one is
an urbanized
addict.
If you will look back to the attempts to bring GRTC
bus service to Chesterfield County you will
see that many people moved out to the county because
they did not care about getting a bus ride into
town. In fact, about the only people from
Chesterfield who were in favor of the bus service
were businessmen looking for cheap help from the
city.
As
we move forward toward the November elections, I
regard it as an honor to work for the re-election of
many of the legislators who stood against the
"smart growth coalition". That's what
makes this country great, when debate is open,
foolish and deceptive ideas are exposed for
what
they are.
Larry
Miller
Midlothian
VA
richmondeagle@comcast.net
Pessimistic
about the War in Iraq
I
am surprised you ventured into such a hot current
events topic as the war in Iraq.
(See "Why War,
Why Now?" March 24, 2003.) I hope
your optimism proves correct.
Dealing with a people with such a different
history from us, and with so many various
religious beliefs, I cannot imagine W. and his
guys will unravel this hotbed without getting a
bloody nose. We
had a phrase “shock and awe”.
I suspect we will have a lot of those
moments ourselves before this is over.
But
I sure hope you are right.
We
have the opportunity to be the most humane, caring
and democratic minded people to walk on those
sands. We
also are Anglo Saxon Christians, and our bloody,
self-righteous, self-serving history speaks for
itself.
Can
we, as you suggest, be the police for the world?
Rome tried it.
I
see no reason to debate a war.
It's happening and we are there.
Now, can we be civil in the wake of terror?
Thanks
for the optimism.
James
Hickman
Advanced
Technology Coordinator
Community
College Workforce Alliance
J.
Sargeant Reynolds Community College
JHickman@jsr.vccs.edu
--
March 31, 2003
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