Mailbag

It was a pleasure to read Andy Miracle’s “Opinionated” column in the May 2 issue. Families come in all shapes and sizes these days: single parents, working parents, families with a stay-at-home mom or dad, families blended from two different families, and families created through adoption or fostering, and two adults who have decided to commit to each other and share their lives without children. All of these families face stressors of many kinds. It benefits our society as a whole when we support these families, provide legal protections and financial benefits, make it easier for them to express their love for each other, provide care for those who are dependent due to age or disability, and support the growth and development of all the members. Not only is this a healthy model for individuals and families, but also it is healthy for our society to foster the stability of families and their ability to raise healthy, happy and productive individuals.
    So, why would our state choose to single out one group of couples and families and do everything possible to make their lives more difficult, less stable, and prohibit the legal benefits and protections that allow parents and partners to provide for medical decision-making within their families? Sexual orientation is not a choice, any more than people choose what color hair or eyes they have when they are born. And as a state we refuse to accept and support the same-sex couples and families raising children, causing untold stresses on these families.
    This fall all voters will have the opportunity to vote on the proposed Constitutional Amendment on Marriage Rights. This goes beyond simply dis-allowing same-sex marriage: that is already the law in Virginia. This Constitutional Amendment institutionalizes discrimination against same-sex couples and their children. If you wish to support families of all kinds, families committed to loving each other and raising their children, couples who are committed to each other, then vote against the Constitutional Amendment on Marriage Rights this November.
    I often hear people say that they accept same-sex couples and their families, and I encourage you to make a commitment to vote in November against this Amendment, and speak up to your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to do the same.

Patty Wallens
Charlottesville

A friend in need…

Thank you for your April 25, 2006 article “Spare Some Change?” about local fundraising efforts.
    As your article points out, large contributions are very significant to our community. These gifts have immediate and lasting impact, offering critical support for many programs that help those in need, and leveraging other giving. Nonprofits like the United Way—Thomas Jefferson Area depend upon, and are extremely grateful for, such generosity.
    In our community, however, giving takes many forms. Day in and day out, thousands of people in Central Virginia give what they can to help those in need. The United Way receives gifts of all sizes, and each is tremendously appreciated. In fact, it is these numerous smaller gifts that form the backbone of our community’s philanthropy.
    Philanthropy can take other forms as well. For example, a property owner might donate the use of office space to a nonprofit for free, or at a reduced rate. Companies replacing their computers might refurbish and donate the old ones.
    And, people can volunteer valuable time and skills to a cause important to them. Each of us can be a philanthropist. Each of us can have a significant impact on the lives of those in need. I encourage everyone to make a difference for our community.

Cathy Smith Train
President, United Way—Thomas Jefferson Area
Charlottesville

Pedal power

I am 12 years old and I am a sixth grader in Charlottesville’s St. Anne’s Belfield School.
    I want to comment on the increase in traffic in Charlottesville. I have noticed there is a lot more traffic in the city compared to a few years ago. It takes me about twenty extra minutes to travel back and forth to my school from home compared to a year ago. Many of the cars I see have just one person in the vehicle.
    Traffic has many disadvantages. It adds to pollution, it makes people late and frustrated, and it consumes our earth’s resources.
Maybe it is time that Charlottesville looked at ways to reduce traffic on our roads.
    Ways the city could reduce traffic might be to encourage cycling, walking or public transport such as buses, trains, carpools.
    I have thought about cycling to school, but there is not a good bike path and it might be dangerous. My school is a little too far to walk to. We sometimes carpool, but it is not always convenient. The bus service is not convenient either.
I do not have the answer to our traffic problem. I think that Charlottesville is a great place to live, and I hope there will be ways to improve our traffic problems.

Duncan Fort
Charlottesville

North Anna not energy manna

The cover story in a recent C-VILLE [“The Greening of Nuclear Power,” May 2] could leave the reader with the false impression that nuclear reactors are a good option for the production of electricity, having little effect on the environment. This simply is not true. The Sierra Club and other environmental groups oppose the expansion of nuclear power at North Anna for the following reasons:
– Nuclear power is expensive and highly dependent on government subsidies (taxpayer money). Half the cost of the Early Site Permit is being paid with federal money. The industry is afraid to risk investment in new plants without subsidies.
– There is no approved plan for the disposal of highly radioactive spent fuel. It will most likely be stored at the North Anna site indefinitely, and become a security risk.
– Nuclear reactors present an unacceptable operational and economic risk for the public. A nuclear “incident” like those at Three Mile Island, Brown’s Ferry, and Davis Besse can cause a lengthy disruption of service and huge repair costs that will be passed on to ratepayers.
– Additional power plants will have serious consequences for water temperature and water levels at Lake Anna and the rivers that flow from it. Decreases in downstream release of water would adversely affect the wildlife of the streams in the York River Watershed.
The time has come for the government, major utilities, and power production companies to establish aggressive policies for energy conservation and clean renewable energy production. Our community needs to urge Dominion to clean up existing coal-burning plants and to increase the production of electricity with solar and wind power.
More nuclear power plants are an unwise use of resources and will jeopardize the future of our children and grandchildren.

John A. Cruickshank, Chair
Piedmont Group of the Sierra Club
Charlottesville

CORRECTIONS

In last week’s “Plugged In” column [“Soko’s Evolution,” May 9] Fred Boyce was referred to as the “former Prism Director.” This is incorrect; although The Prism Coffeehouse no longer resides at 214 Rugby Rd., the Prism organization is an ongoing concern, and Fred Boyce remains its director.