DATE: Monday, August 18, 1997               TAG: 9708150020

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B12  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Letter 

                                            LENGTH:  114 lines

LETTERS TO EDITOR -- THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

CAMPAIGN

In taxes, less

can be more

I found your Aug. 12 article on gubernatorial candidate James Gilmore's proposals on crime reduction generally informative and helpful. However, at one point you compare his tax-reduction plan to Donald Beyer's plan and state that, ``Beyer has countered with a less expensive state income tax credit proposal.''

Less expensive? Less expensive for whom? Certainly Beyer's proposal is not less expensive for the taxpayer. The least expensive proposal for the taxpayer is obviously Gilmore's: the one that eliminates the tax.

For whom is a higher tax less expensive? For state bureaucrats and tax-and-spend politicians? Maybe, but certainly not for the people.

John Crimmins

Chesapeake, Aug. 13, 1997

ELECTION

Coalition misportrayed

on `97 voting guide

I am writing in response to the Aug. 4 story by reporter Bill Sizemore, and to the Aug. 1 editorial, ``The Coalition Example.''

The Virginian-Pilot's characterization of the Christian Coalition voting guide for the 1997 GOP primary election neglects to provide the reader with a balanced presentation of the facts.

Our voter guide highlighted the relative differences between the Republican candidates for attorney general on an issue that is very important to our supporters - abortion. Mr. Sizemore said the differences in the candidates' positions were subtle. Two candidates were listed as opposing abortion except when the life of the mother is in danger, while the third candidate favored adding exceptions for rape and incest. These are both reasonable policy positions, but the differences are anything but subtle.

Another question raised by Mr. Sizemore concerns the issue of legalized gambling in Virginia. Two of the candidates unequivocally opposed the expansion of legalized gambling across the board.

The third candidate, Ken Stolle, voted in 1992 for House Bill 1175, which authorized off-track pari-mutuel betting. Our voter guide was accurate in its representation of Mr. Stolle's positions on legalized gambling.

Christian Coalition will continue to educate voters on candidates' stands on issues. The decisions that people make in the voting booth are too important to force them to rely on political advertisers, the news media and the distortions of campaign rhetoric for the information upon which to base those decisions.

Randy Tate

Executive director

Christian Coalition

Virginia Beach, Aug. 5, 1997

VIRGINIA BEACH

Hotel study is

a speculation gamble

The Virginia Beach City Council's approval of a $42,500 study for a proposed hotel facility at Sandbridge (news, Aug. 6) provides continued cause for concern. Speculative private-sector ventures, such as this one and the amphitheater, should not be funded by public money (i.e., tax funds).

In the case of the hotel, the uncertain nature is exacerbated by the shaky conditions of recovery. What if the study reveals that it is not a good deal? Even if the results are satisfactory, the property must be sold before the city is reimbursed.

This equates to gambling with public funds. If it is such a sure thing, why don't the property owner and/or developer fund the study? Additionally, it creates a dangerous precedent. How many other private developers or land owners will now come to council with proposals for purported great ideas?

Charles Traub III

Virginia Beach, Aug. 7, 1997

PORTSMOUTH

Justice system

hurting the city

We who have pride in Portsmouth are still smarting from our famous Richardson drug case that we had to move to Norfolk for trial and conviction. Now your Aug. 7 editorial, ``Another revolving door,'' drops a little more salt into an open wound and the recent Anthony Wynn case (Murder charges against him were dropped after the trial deadline was missed) further destroys the morale of our Police Department while making members of our city's justice system appear absolutely void of intelligence.

The capability of the city's justice system is not a question in our mind. The laws governing the justice system in Portsmouth are the same laws as in every city and town in Virginia. However, there is a good reason why they don't work for us.

Our problem in Portsmouth is the incompetence of the elected or appointed officials who administer our justice system. This type of blundering is destroying our city's image. Our City Council just sits under a policy of see-no-evil, hear-no-evil while our city maintains its distinctive position within Hampton Roads' criminal statistics.

Frank Harte

Portsmouth, Aug. 9, 1997

MILITARY

Little Creek CO

a victim of p.c.

Your Aug. 4 article, ``Whatever happened to . . . Little Creek's CO?'' was very one-sided against Capt. David A. Schwiering. Your article demeans the captain as if he were arrested as a common criminal as opposed to a person returning home with his wife from a social function and stopped by the state trooper for not using his blinker signal while changing lanes.

You further stated that ``the Navy relieved Schwiering of duty before his case had been resolved as a matter of policy.'' I note with concern that the Navy policy for which the captain was relieved came out on Dec. 6 and the captain was relieved the first week in November.

Captain Schwiering was an outstanding naval officer and the leading surface warfare budgeteer. His career was still on the rise. Political correctness appears to be taking over our military, as exemplified by these types of recent incidents.

P. W. Athanas

Virginia Beach, Aug. 5, 1997

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