THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 11, 1995 TAG: 9502090016
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 30 lines
Individuals must take responsibility for their own priorities as to where their tax dollars go.
My first priority is education - from pre-K through college. Education is the foundation of an informed society able to support democracy.
I am happy to pay my taxes for this goal, as well as for libraries, for public broadcasting, for mental health, for the arts and for proposals to improve the state's quality of life. The shift in Virginia's goals to incarceration of more and more of its citizens without hope of improving them seems wasteful to me.
Safety is important to everyone, but in spite of what we are told, some crimes are actually decreasing in frequency because of law-enforcement efforts. Could gun control have helped there?
Virginia needs to make itself a pleasant place to be and capitalize on its assets. A state does not attract business without providing good educational opportunities, support for those in need and a variety of cultural interests.
JANE L. PILLEY
Norfolk, Feb. 1, 1995 by CNB