Alexandria should take a hint and do nothing

Recent events provide Alexandria with two golden opportunities to substantially enhance its economic situation:

1. Gov. Tim Kaine’s goal of reducing Virginia’s operating expenses by 5 percent is a bold step toward fiscal responsibility that should serve as a model for all local jurisdictions, including Alexandria.

Given the size and complexity of the budget and a legislature divided by party lines, Kaine should be applauded.

This would also be a great opportunity for Mayor Bill Euille to work with recently elected Councilman Justin Wilson and show Alexandrians that the era of ever-growing budgets is over. Fiscal responsibility should not be a partisan issue. Alexandria’s overpriced and underperforming city attorney’s office and school system, recently ranked dead last in the country for economic efficiency, are two obvious areas to begin.

2. Fairfax County’s anticipated decision to impose the largest tax increase on commercial property in decades will put those businesses at a competitive disadvantage compared with ours.

The mayor and City Council only have to take one simple, easy step to take advantage of Fairfax Board Chairman Gerry Connolly’s mistake: Do nothing!

Simply following the lead of our Democratic governor and keeping commercial property tax rates the same, or even creating a modest temporary tax holiday for new/relocated businesses from less-enlightened jurisdictions, will draw in new opportunities for all Alexandrians.

Bud Miller
Alexandria Taxpayers United

Pollsters need a remedial math lesson

RE: “One in four read no books last year,” Aug. 21

One in four pollsters has not done any arithmetic last year. If the average adult read four books last year, and one in four read no books at all, the other three who read some books must have read 5.3 books on average — not seven.

Conversely, if readers read seven books, then the average for all adults is 5.25, not four.

John B. Walsh
McLean

Fight Iraqi insurgents with high-tech weaponry

It is very distressing to read about our brave soldiers losing their precious lives to roadside and car bombings in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The military in Iraq is the same one that defeated Germany and Japan in World War II. Since then, we have modernized it to be the best. But it is now made to fight cowardly hoodlums who are bent on destroying the only chance Iraq and Afghanistan have to be free and democratic.

Here’s my plan to prevent our soldiers from dying from senseless roadside car bombings. It can be put into action within three months:

1. Deploy radars and scanners that detect bombs on every Humvee and truck; then use lasers or remote bombing technology to destroy them before our vehicles reach the site. This may require private industry to put it all together, but we already have the knowledge and the technology.

2. Use satellites to monitor the roads in Iraq, and do targeted bombings on anybody seen planting a roadside bomb. This technology is available, and it is surprising that we do not use it.

3. Make this a highly technical chase of the insurgents, who will never know what hit them. There is no way they can even dream of catching up or using counter-technology against us.

In the 1960s, when President John F. Kennedy said he wanted a man on the moon by the end of the decade, it was done. This is a nation of will and power, and I am amazed that we have not deployed the best technology in the world to get rid of these insurgents.

I believe President Bush needs to mandate that this be accomplished now, and then we will see things improve at warp speed.

Capt. Thakor G. Patel
(U.S. Navy, retired)
Fairfax Station

Illegal immigration reduces unions’ bargaining position

Re: “Good people are affected by bad immigration laws,” Aug. 21

Jaime Contreras’ letter on illegal immigration is interesting but full of flaws. For example, despite Congress’ failure to pass immigration reform, the states have been tackling the issue head on and seek to curtail illegal immigration, just like Prince William County has done.

The National Conference of State Legislatures recently noted that 41 states have passed 170 laws on the issue during the first half of this year alone. Many more cities and counties have done the same thing.

Plus, Contreras’ own Service Employees International Union (SEIU) should know firsthand that illegal immigrants entering the work force reduce wages in the job market and thus reduce the unions’ position at the bargaining table. Since the last big amnesty law was passed in 1986, union wage increases have been lower than nonunion wage increases (3.2 percent versus 3.5 percent), according to statistics published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Roy Hobbs
Springfield