THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 11, 1996 TAG: 9609110003
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 42 lines
I would like to respond to Kerry Dougherty's Sept. 7 column, ``The $10 tunnel fee is taking a toll on the sick, families.''
I take offense at her statements that the residents of the Eastern Shore look different and even wear clothing different from the rest of the country. I was born, raised and continue to reside and make a living on the Eastern Shore. We buy clothes in many of the same stores where I'm sure she buys her family's clothing.
She then goes on to describe how upon traversing Virginia's Route 13 you see ``shacks and shanties, bent with age,'' and she tells her children how fortunate they are compared to the misery of their fellow Virginians. I wonder if she has ever taken her children to see the slum area of the cities (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, etc.) surrounding them. True, the Eastern Shore does have areas like this, but we are no different from other areas.
If it bothers her so much to see these conditions on the Eastern Shore, she can always take I-95 on her next trip north and travel the 200-plus miles, plus paying the high cost of gasoline to travel those extra miles.
EDITH P. COSTIN
Townsend, Sept. 9, 1996
I am an annoyed Eastern Shore resident. I have grown very tired of seeing my part of Virginia portrayed as some sort of Third World country. After living in the Tidewater area for some 30 years, I returned home a few years ago.
Sure, we have some problems over here, but Tidewater has problems, too.
Guess what, Ms. Dougherty. That $10 toll keeps us from being a bedroom community for Virginia Beach. For this I am grateful. This side of the bay has wonderful beaches, good schools that have won national awards, educated well traveled people and even a hospital.
We have something else - a way of life that Ms. Dougherty probably cannot comprehend.
NANCY W. H. GARRETT
Cheriton, Sept. 8, 1996 by CNB