Health, Not Choice, Settles the Issue

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

I was so dumbfounded by A. Barton Hinkle's ill-conceived column on smoking and mutual consent I am not sure where to begin. To suggest that the burden of choice should be shared by the non-smoker, whose personal preference has not imposed any negative health effect on anyone, is inane. Based on Hinkle's backward logic, one could just as easily say the choice ultimately falls to the restaurant owner: If he doesn't want to own a smoke-free establishment, then he is completely free to open a shoe repair shop, or become a journalist.

Switching employers in the restaurant industry is not like nursing. There can be a tremendous difference between the income and shifts available for someone with tenure at one restaurant versus being the low person on the totem pole at another. But why should employees be forced to quit their jobs, or endure countless hours inhaling secondhand smoke, when a smoker has only to step outside for a brief interlude to enjoy his or her personal addiction?

It's about public health. No one person's preference should be allowed to negatively impact another's health in a public space. The crux of Hinkle's argument is personal preferences, and he'd prefer the state not "violently" interfere with free-market exchange. But A. Barton Hinkle's weak anecdotal plot lines reveal his faulty reasoning. Maybe his next piece could delve into why a lesbian couple in Fairfax should be forbidden to marry because a grandmother in Wythe County doesn't approve?

Tre Akins. Richmond.

Presidential Candidates Need a Reminder

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Most of the competitors for president are talking amnesty for illegal immigrants. My dictionary defines amnesty as a general pardon, especially for political offenders. I think they are looking at the definition of the word above amnesty -- which in the three dictionaries I have is amnesia.

Thomas Gillelan Jr. Richmond.

Congress Needs Experienced Leaders

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Marshall Johnson's letter suggested that politicians retire with grace after two terms. I think experience is what makes our members of Congress effective. The reason our politicians stay in office so long is the people. If we were unsatisfied with their performance, wouldn't we vote in another candidate in a heartbeat?

We re-elect the incumbents because we think the members have done a good job. Is two terms really enough experience to prepare someone to lead the world's most influential country? I think one of the positives going for John McCain is that he is a seasoned veteran of the political system. He has been a member of Congress for about 25 years. Wouldn't he have much more wisdom about our system than a new politician with no, or little, prior experience?

While it may be important to have dynamic, young, new voices present in our politics, it is the wisdom and experience of the veterans that help our system to run more smoothly. We should not limit the number of terms our politicians can serve, let alone to two terms, because experience is an important factor in making our country successful.

David George. Fork Union.

Kaine Should Dispatch Regional Taxes, Too

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Gov. Tim Kaine now wants to repeal the abusive driver fees imposed by the 2007 transportation law he supported. If the law's driver fees are repealed, so, too, should be its regional taxes on homeowners. Some legislators accepted those taxes only in exchange for the driver fees, which they felt reflected the principle that those who use (or misuse) roads should pay for them.

The most controversial tax the law authorized was the "grantor's tax" on homeowners now levied by regional authorities in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. The tax is about $2,000 for the sale of a typical Northern Virginia home. Money from the tax will be wasted on vanity projects such as road-blocking street cars.

The grantor's tax, like the driver fees, is paid only by Virginians. Out-of-state motorists who use Virginia roads do not pay this tax. (The driver fees were amended by Kaine to exempt non-residents.)

Hans Bader, Counsel, Competitive Enterprise Institute.

Washington, D.C.