Editorial: Challenging Budgets
Local Government should be able to access income taxes to give relief on real estate taxes.
Northern Virginia governments are facing shortfalls in the classic budget sense: projected revenues are less than last year’s expenditures plus increases in costs.
Another Milestone
March 30, 2014. My age 59 and a half (9/30/54 is my date of birth). The age at which money deposited into an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) can be withdrawn without incurring a 10 percent early-withdrawal penalty from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Not that I’m retiring. I am remembering though when this cancer-centric life of mine began.
Commentary: Mental Health and Expansion of Medicaid
There is a growing consensus forming in the General Assembly that now is the time to improve the safety net for mental health services. Both the House and Senate budgets increase funding for these services by millions of dollars (House proposed a $10 million increase and the Senate $20 million) above the proposed budget of $36 million that Governor McDonnell presented in December.
Editorial: Income Gap Alive and Well
Statistics make life in the area sound idyllic, but many families are left out in the land of plenty.
Northern Virginia is a place of wonder and plenty. So says the New York Times this past week in, "Income Gap Meet the Longevity Gap," (March 15, 2014).
Letter to the Editor: Historical Society’s Role in Arlington
I wish to commend “Arlington Connection” for the excellent article by Steve Hibbard (“Exploring Arlington History,” March 12-18) about efforts to capture and relate the history of Arlington County. The attention to the Arlington Historical Society (AHS), as well as the Center for Local History (CLH) at Central Library, the Black Heritage Museum, Arlington National Cemetery, and the County Office of Historical Preservation will benefit all Arlingtonians by letting them know what is going on and where to find out more about programs. It is worth mentioning that the Arlington Heritage Center, originally intended as a “one-stop” introduction for visitors to Arlington, could become a reality if space were to be found in the planned County building that will be part of redeveloped Courthouse Square.
Editorial: Voting Against Virginia?
Local proponents of expanding health coverage for poor people have a point about those in the General Assembly voting against it.
When Delegates Scott Surovell, Charniele Herring and Rob Krupicka, along with Sen. Adam Ebbin got together to make the case for expanding Medicaid in Virginia, they brought slide presentations, charts, spreadsheets, poll results and more.
Whew!
Originally, this column was to be a discussion about the communication process between my doctor and this patient. Specifically, the time lag between when tests are performed/completed and when those results are communicated to the doctor who in turn – per this patient’s request, e-mails them to me. In the olden days, results were most likely offered up in person; in the post-olden days, more likely a phone call was made; presently, at least in my experience, results most likely will be e-mailed. I imagine an enduring problem for the patient – during all three "days," has been the time waiting for test results and hearing about them from your doctor. Excruciating is one of the most accurate characterizations of that delay, combined with an unhealthy dose of helplessness. Eventually, if you live long enough, you sort of become accustomed to the process and learn to roll with the punches, both figuratively and literally. Nevertheless, the patience and experience you learn can’t totally stop the rampant speculation that keeps you up at night and sleepy during the day.
Editorial: Take the Money
No downside to gaining health care for 200,000 or more; 30,000 jobs and millions of dollars for hospitals from expansion of Medicaid.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe is right to make expansion of health coverage part of the budget process.
Letter to the Editor: Educate Drivers About Bicyclists
To the Editor: Bike Lanes on King Street are unsafe but even more, they are unnecessary.They are unnecessary because: 1. There are alternate safe paths for bicyclists to the metro and Old Town. 2. Those few bicyclists who use this route have a direct route to the Metro and beyond using the vehicle lanes on King Street.
Letter to the Editor: Conscientious Employee
To the Editor: Virginia Hospital Center excels in many medical arenas and is a stand-out in the region. However, aside from its outstanding medical reputation and recent glowing achievement of the hard earned Magnet Nursing status, it appears the hospital leaves no stone unturned when it comes to excellence. The Starbucks located in the lobby of the hospital is a well-attended gathering hole for popular drinks and good pastries. As a true lover of lattes, I am a frequent customer when I visit the hospital or adjacent medical offices.
Letter to the Editor: Parking in District 1
To the Editor: In his letter of Feb. 22, Nate Macek offers a questionable set of recommendations on parking in Old Town, which begins with the faulty assumption equating Old Town’s street grid with that of Clarendon and the District. Referencing a Google map of Old Town and Clarendon shows extremely different systems, and simply citing “the District” is like comparing Old Town to Nebraska.
Letter to the Editor: Divided MVCCA
To the Editor: Last week, the MVCCA suffered a mini-implosion resulting from the controversial request by Furnace Associates, Inc. for a Special Exemption Amendment (SEA) permitting them to continue operating a landfill in the Lorton area until the year 2040, 22 years beyond the deadline imposed by the current Special Exemption. At last Wednesday's MVCCA's Council meeting, a resolution originating from its Environment & Recreation (E&R) Committee was debated and passed, after a contentious debate, by the slim margin of 10-9. The resolution was in opposition to the proposed SEA. Noteworthy to me is the fact that the MVCCA resolution makes no mention whatsoever of the position of the South County Federation (SCF) in opposition to the proposed SEA. During my brief time as chairman of the MVCCA's Planning & Zoning (P&Z) Committee, it was my strict policy to defer to the wishes of the SCF concerning any land use issues on lands in the South County area where its residents were most directly impacted. The MVCCA's continuing paternalistic attitude toward the SCF and its member associations and residents significantly reduces the MVCCA's influence concerning such issues. This needs to change.
Not Yet, Really
While we’re exchanging pleasantries here, in semi real time – although this column will not be most read until March 6th (I need to submit it on Monday, March 3rd as we go to press on Tuesday, March 5th), I feel the obligation, given how last week’s column ended, to update you on the results from my February 26th CT Scan. Presumably, by the title you all have determined that as of this writing, Saturday, March 1st, I have not heard back from my oncologist. Typically, I would have already heard from him, electronically. But so far, not a peep, electronic or otherwise and believe me, I’ve been checking, as you might imagine.
High Five
I made it. It’s five years after receiving a terminal diagnosis on February 27, 2009 from my oncologist: stage IV non-small cell lung cancer, accompanied by a "13-month to two-year" prognosis. Let’s be honest, medical professionals don’t toss around the word "terminal" because you’re going to be treated at an airport. Presumably, they know their facts and figures as well as the patient’s present condition, confirmed by a variety of diagnostic results from X-Rays, CT Scans, P.E.T. Scans, lab work and of course the ever-popular biopsy, so their diagnosis/prognosis is a bit more than an educated guess. Nevertheless, there are exceptions to every rule and until proven otherwise, I was not about to succumb to their statistics. Still, based on the best medical knowledge available at the time, this patient (yours truly) was given a limited life expectancy and encouraged to take the vacation I had always dreamed of – for obvious you’re-life-is-now-shorter-than-you-ever-imagined-type reasons, and yet, five years hence, here I am.
Letter to the Editor: Expensive To Recycle Sand
To the Editor: In reading the exchange from the two residents of Stratford Landing, I would like to add this. As a dog walker in this neighborhood I have noticed that there is not enough sand still lying in the street to justify the effort, especially when you consider that most of that sand is mixed with soil, road residue and decaying leaves.