Ten Commandments
Re “Public schools” (Your Views, June 30): I am perplexed by the letter in which the writer criticizes the state of the Louisiana school system when during this letter writer’s watch and presently the Norfolk public school system has hardly been the poster child for educational standards.
Referencing the decision of the state of Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in school classrooms I disagree with the letter writer’s position. The Ten Commandments are a code of ethics for people of all faiths, races, creeds, political persuasions and nationalities to live by. Granted these tenets should be taught at home, but often they are not. It is a part of an educational foundation in rearing good citizens in a civilized society, and I feel should be taught in all schools.
Any person who disagrees with displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools regardless of faith or not, I feel needs to read them again or for the first time.
Dave Macklem, Norfolk
Council wages
Re “Salaries for Hampton mayor, council members to nearly double” (June 14) and “Portsmouth council members vote to nearly double annual salaries next year” (June 13): Hampton Roads cities should do what Portsmouth and Hampton just did. Thanks to a new state law that raises the maximum salaries cities can pay local elected officials, these two cities nearly doubled the salary of their City Council members from $23,000 to $43,000 and the mayors from $25,000 to $47,000. Some citizens might object to such high raises, but the fact is, the compensation, which hasn’t risen in 25 years, has been too paltry for way too long. The mayors alone should be earning more than $52,000 if their remuneration for services had 3% cost-of-living increases.
And speaking of remuneration, we forget that these men and women are “on” 24/7. As Portsmouth’s Vernon Tillage, who holds down a full-time job while also overseeing the city’s business, told The Virginian-Pilot, “I can’t take the title of councilman off when I go to Wal-Mart. I can’t even take it off when I go to a family restaurant and have dinner with my family.”
It certainly took some political courage for both councils to take this action (Richmond’s raised its too), but there was scant opposition from the public, although it will be interesting to see if it becomes an election issue this fall. Let’s hope it doesn’t, which might encourage other councils to increase salaries too. And for those skeptics who think this will lead to a regular ramp up of pay, the General Assembly stipulated that after this initial increase, councils can only boost wages by “an inflation factor not to exceed 5%.”
Greg Garrett, chair, Future of Hampton Roads, Norfolk
No way
Re “Go See Trump” (Our Views, June 27): I was somewhat incredulous that there was an editorial saying there was something to be gained by non-supporters attending the former President Donald Trump rally in Chesapeake. It is hard to imagine anyone who surpasses Trump in providing false information and outright lies. Whether it’s crowd size at his rallies, his relationships with world leaders (per Trump they respect him and hope he wins the election), that Jan. 6 was not violent but the work of patriots who love this country (not what I witnessed on four different news channels), etc.
Why would anyone seriously want to hear from or entertain voting for a serial liar, convicted felon and person found liable for sexual abuse? Trump has already informed us that he will surround himself with those who are loyal to him, seek vengeance against his enemies and continue the tax reductions for corporations and the very wealthy.
Why would any non-supporters want to go to any of his rallies and give Trump the satisfaction of their attendance?
Elizabeth Ray, Norfolk
Vote Biden
The Supreme Court’s ruling Monday was appalling. How can anyone, especially the leader of America, be immune for his or her actions? This drastically changes the meaning of accountability. Why? Being the president, he or she rightly believes that his or her actions are exempt from any punishment. Does this mean that President Joe Biden can start using this power now? I hope so, and maybe the November election will be unnecessary.
However, that is not the way Biden would operate; he would uphold the principles of the presidency and democracy. Chief Justice John Roberts has not just lost control of the Supreme Court but has become (over the past three years) inexcusably nonobjective.
In a time when the Supreme Court has one of its lowest approval ratings ever, this decision truly justifies that rating. Roberts has lost complete control. We must vote Biden into office this November, or this country will no longer be a democratic country, but a dictatorship with a convicted felon as its leader. America, we are better than that.
Laurice Yarn, Virginia Beach
No Trump
Former President Donald Trump is an incurable cancer on the body politic of our country.
Charles Vogan Jr., Norfolk
