SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2010
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A light-rail disconnect
Is the management of the Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority so hopelessly insular that it is unaware of a “wireless” light-rail system that is operating just up Interstate 95 [“Streetcar effort may go down to the wire,” Metro, April 6]? I refer to New Jersey Transit’s River Line, which connects Camden and Trenton using diesel-powered, multiple-unit cars without overhead wires. Other such systems are in operation in Ottawa and San Diego County. If there is a legitimate concern about overhead wires, is this not an option for Washington? Certainly, these systems are not pollution-free, but neither is an all-electric transit system, unless WMATA buys solar, wind or hydroelectric power exclusively. Whatever the solution, the looming battle over
any such future light-rail propulsion system in the District will serve to expose the real priorities of the city’s residents and politicians.
Alexander D. Mitchell IV, Baltimore
THE DISTRICT
The president at church
It’s hard to imagine that Courtland Milloy
could find fault with President Obama for attending Allen Chapel AME Church with his family on Easter Sunday [“In neighborhood of despair, Obama stays silent,” Metro, April 7]. Mr. Milloy may have misunderstood the purpose of worship. His concern seemed to be that the president didn’t use Easter Sunday as a platform for political speech and self-promotion. The president conducted himself with humility and respect, and his presence alone was symbolic of his support for the community. Any other conduct from the president would have been as grossly inappropriate as the fawning that follows him. Mr. Milloy was right that there are problems that need to be addressed, but there are right ways and wrong ways to address the problems.
Stepping into a church, synagogue or mosque
is something we do to encounter one who is bigger than we are, and far beyond our understanding. For Mr. Obama to go with any agenda other than to give thanks and listen would be as misguided as Mr. Milloy’s column was.
Byron Brought, Friendship, Md.
Teachers make schools great
The sentence “The fact is, schools become
great only if engaged parents make it happen” was highlighted in the text of Caryn Ernst’s April 4 commentary on the D.C. schools, “A recipe for more choice schools in D.C.” Notably, however, this commentary appeared
soon after the March 31 obituary of Jaime Escalante, an educational pioneer for his work in guiding poor Hispanic students to success on the tough Advanced Placement test in calculus and other subjects. Frequently, his students were being raised by uneducated or illiterate parents, and their scores amazed and dumbfounded national testers. The popular movie “Stand and Deliver” made his accomplishments famous — but obviously to no avail. We still blame students for their inability to learn, not their teachers for not teaching them. The conclusion one can come to from Mr. Escalante’s accomplishments is that poor children, with or without breakfast; with or without books, newspapers, magazines at home; with or without decent classrooms can and will learn — if they are taught. And if they do not learn, they were not taught. On far too many occasions, news articles present the circumstances of students’ home lives or the horrible conditions of their schools as a justification for why they have not learned to read or write and do math. No doubt such conditions make learning more difficult, but great teachers are still able to teach. When schools are able to attract and keep more great teachers like Mr. Escalante, our students will learn.
Sho Maruyama, Falls Church
I
Local Opinions, a place for commentary about where we live, is looking for submissions of 300 to 500 words on timely local topics. Submissions must include name, e-mail address, street address and phone number, and they will be edited for brevity and clarity. To submit your article, please go to washingtonpost.com/localopinions.
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The D.C teachers contract: Will it lead to better schools?
ANDRÉS MARTINEZ ARLINGTON
Moving to the new Virginia but colliding with the old one
t’s not easy, given the part of Arling- ton I live in, but I manage to avoid Lee Highway almost entirely. I get
some satisfaction out of my personal boycott. I’d rather be stuck at a few more stoplights, and go a little farther to a dif- ferent grocery store, than incorporate into my daily routine a thoroughfare named after a man who so “nobly” led the fight to preserve slavery and destroy the United States. Don’t even get me started on Jefferson Davis Highway and all its enticing commerce! Imoved to Virginia a year ago. I chose to live here, in part because I appreciate the state’s rich history, its diversity, its evolution and its vitality. I find it appeal- ing to be in a place that is capable of be- ing an incubator of the next big thing. I consider myself a new Virginian in a new Virginia. So it has been more than a little alarming to find that my new gov- ernor, Robert McDonnell, seems to rel- ish only the state’s history — not its di- versity, evolution and vitality — and only a perverted twist of that history. Why else issue a proclamation celebrating Confederate History month without mentioning slavery? As a candidate, McDonnell insisted
that he was going to be a pragmatic lead- er focused on the economy and jobs. But trying to rewrite history by removing slavery from the Civil War would seem to be among the worst ideas you could come up with if your priority is to make the state appealing to out-of-state — not to mention international — entrepre- neurs. Their capital and energy can al- ways go elsewhere to places, like Silicon Valley or Seattle, that don’t glamorize past bigotries. Today’s Virginia is an amalgam of de- scendants of Confederates, freed slaves and millions of people whose families
lives in defense of their homeland. But an odious call to “understand” the sacri- fices of the Confederate leaders, not just soldiers, goes too far in the other direc- tion.
Which brings me back to Robert E.
Lee. My son is only 5, and his geopolitics are all derived from “Star Wars,” so he is predisposed to root for rebels as it is. I worry that he might grow up romanti- cizing those who took up arms against the United States. I squirm at the thought that he might one day attend Washington-Lee High School, and what a hit his popularity will take if his crazy dad blacks out the second half of his school’s name on his varsity letter jack- ets.
We had our first chat about Lee not
MICHAEL WILLIAMSON/THE WASHINGTON POST
A flag on display at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond.
migrated here since the Civil War from other parts of the United States and the world. What the governor did isn’t mere- ly an affront to the African American community; the rest of us who have come to Virginia since the Civil War also find it offensive to have to pay homage to the Confederacy. For us, extolling the Confederacy is incompatible with a tol- erant, multiracial democracy and, ulti- mately, with true patriotism. Perhaps, in his own way, McDonnell is coming to better appreciate our point of view. Realizing he was becoming a na- tional joke for declaring that slavery was not a “significant” aspect of the Civil War, he amended his proclamation Wednesday. So now the fourth “where- as” clause of his call for all us Virginians to revel in Confederate History Month acknowledges that, yes, we must all “un- derstand that the institution of slavery
led to this war and was an evil and in- humane practice that deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights and all Virginians are thankful for its perma- nent eradication from our borders.” Read carefully, the amended proclama- tion now states — rather remarkably, given the governor’s original intention —that Virginians should be thankful the Confederacy lost (since we should be thankful slavery was eradicated). It is a wrenching thing to have to ac- knowledge that your ancestors were on the wrong side of history. Germany of- fers a powerful example of a society that has come to terms with how you honor your fallen ancestors without honoring the larger cause — swastikas don’t fly and Nazi leaders aren’t glorified. I fully agree with those who say we shouldn’t disregard the valor and honor of those Confederate soldiers who gave their
TOPIC A Confederate History Month
How badly did McDonnell stumble?
SEAN WILENTZ
Professor of history at Princeton University
Does Gov. Robert F. McDonnell truly
believe that Virginians should be proud that, a century and a half ago, their state joined and participated in a violent effort to dissolve the Union? Secession was and is a form of treason. McDonnell’s proclamation uses the familiar code words of the Confederacy’s defenders, describing the Civil War as “a war between the states for independence.” That wording contains within it the doctrines of state sovereignty and rebellion that have justified the Confederacy’s cause since the day the South Carolinians bombarded Fort Sumter. Either McDonnell is ignorant of what these words mean, understands them but is using them in a politically self-serving way, or actually believes them. All of these possibilities are disquieting. Recent years have brought the resuscitation, mainly on the fringes of the political right, of defenses of secession and of its close political cousin, nullification. These writers rail against the government as an illegitimate or quasi-legitimate “regime,” which upholds an oppressive, vaguely defined establishment. Coming in this increasingly toxic political atmosphere, McDonnell’s proclamation is all the more disturbing, because it is
fully in line with the politics of today’s extremist fire-eaters. As we have seen, associating himself with this fringe will not help his political image.
ED GILLESPIE
Former chairman of the Republican National Committee; volunteered as general chairman of the Bob McDonnell for Governor Campaign
In signing a Confederate History
Month proclamation without any mention of slavery, Gov. Bob McDonnell made a serious mistake in the third month of his governorship. His reaction to the mistake, however, told us more about him than the mistake itself. In an era of polarized politics, many
elected officials who find themselves in a situation such as McDonnell’s adopt a “never apologize, never explain” approach. Or they issue a “non-apology apology,” usually containing the clause “if anyone was offended by my actions.” McDonnell flat-out apologized, publicly to all Virginians and privately to many individuals he knew he’d personally let down. He acted, amending the proclamation to state “that the institution of slavery led to [the Civil War] and was an evil and inhumane practice that deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights.” And he accepted personal
responsibility, not blaming staff. I know the episode pains him, but
McDonnell and I share a faith that believes mistakes are forgiven through recognition, remorse and reconciliation. He immediately recognized the mistake of the proclamation as originally written and expressed genuine remorse. The amendment about the evil of slavery was an act of reconciliation, and he will have ample opportunities for further reconciliation as he governs Virginia.
LESLIE BYRNE
Former U.S. representative (D) from Virginia
I came of age during the
governorship of Gerald Baliles, when there was a shared vision for the “New Dominion.” This is the idea that the past was past; we should learn from it but not let it define us as Virginians. Gov. Bob McDonnell’s gaffe with his Confederate history proclamation takes us back to the bad old days. Virginia is not some Southern backwater romanticizing its past because it cannot define its future. McDonnell should understand that, as we look for new industries and jobs to come to the Commonwealth, people are not just looking for low tax rates but also for a culture that lifts them up and makes them proud to call themselves
Virginians. In that regard, McDonnell has a lot of fences to mend.
THOMAS M. DAVIS III
Former U.S. representative from Virginia; president of the Republican Main Street Partnership
The media ado about Gov. Bob
McDonnell’s proclamation serves as a reminder that attention to detail matters. Fortunately, the governor (whose ancestors were in Ireland during the Civil War) moved quickly to admit and correct his mistake. Some context: The governor’s office will issue close to a hundred proclamations this year, and his record, including an inclusive inaugural address, a diverse Cabinet and the appointment of a first-ever prisoner reentry coordinator illustrates that he is a leader of a New South, unconnected to its racist past. I would also note that the proclamation did not “celebrate” the Confederacy but called it a period to be “studied, understood and remembered” in the context in which it took place. Politicians often explain, argue and
defend, reinterpret or accuse their accusers when something goes wrong. McDonnell did something refreshing: He apologized, called in African American leaders and corrected his mistake. Voters will move on.
TOPIC A ONLINE: Larry J. Sabato and Rep. Gerry Connolly. Visit washingtonpost.com/localopinions.
long ago, triggered by the sight of the old Lee residence at Arlington National Cemetery, and I realized this is a minefield to be navigated with care. How to explain that the guy lost his house because he betrayed his nation and is responsible for the death of tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers, but, hey, you might get to go to a school named af- ter him? The millions who fought for either side in an anguishing civil war mustn’t be condemned, but neither should we pretend that both sides were in the right. Nor should we equate remembering and honoring with glorifying. Confederate apologists never seem to acknowledge there is a middle ground. At least the governor now, despite himself, has pro- claimed that we are all thankful the Con- federacy lost. I guess that’s progress.
The writer, a former editorial page editor at the Los Angeles Times, directs the Bernard L. Schwartz Fellows Program at the New American Foundation.
R
C5
DAVID S. NORTH ARLINGTON
Why do I pay only $474 in Virginia income tax?
percentage of their income that goes to taxes. Their concerns are legitimate when you consider that many older, affluent Vir- ginians like myself pay far less than their fair share. I am a different kind of out-
A
raged taxpayer. I am an 81-year- old Arlington resident who has just completed his Virginia tax return and finds it unfair that younger Virginians pay eight times as much as I do. As it cuts back drastically on
services, Virginia is overlooking the foolishly generous income tax break it gives its affluent el-
s tax day approaches, many Virginians stare at their re- turn, outraged over the
derly. My wife and I had a feder- al adjusted gross income of $92,000, but our state income tax bill came to only $474, about one-half of 1 percent, compared with the $7,529 we paid to the feds.
With a total income of almost $100,000 a year, we pay all of $1.30 a day in state income tax- es. But a 40-year-old couple with my income would pay the state $3,716 in taxes, about eight times what my wife and I pay. I am neither an economist nor
a tax-policy specialist, but I do know something about how tax systems work. U.S. taxes are much lower than those in other modern democracies, and Vir-
ginia’s taxes are lower than those in most states. Further, Virginia’s tax system, with a marginal tax of only 5.75 percent on income over $17,000, and no
such a remarkably low number. The first is that Virginia does not tax Social Security pay- ments. My wife and I have Social Security income that amounted
I am a different kind of outraged taxpayer. I am an 81-year-old Arlington resident who has just completed his Virginia tax return and finds it unfair that younger Virginians pay eight times as much as I do.
tax on estates, is rigged for the rich and against the middle class. Why does this happen? Vir- ginia gives two significant tax breaks to older residents that bring my state income tax to
to $32,396, and we paid only federal taxes on that amount. The IRS handles Social Security income much more sensibly than Virginia. Those with low incomes are not taxed at all. Those with higher incomes such
as ours pay tax on 85 percent of benefits, and there is a sliding scale for those in between. On top of that, Virginia pro- vides an extra deduction of $12,000 per person for people over 65, amounting to $24,000 for my household. Taken togeth- er, this means that we have $56,396 in income that the feds tax but Virginia does not. The Virginia treasury does not get much from us. No wonder the state is broke.
It would be much more sensible if Virginia gave the affluent el- derly their choice of the Social Security or the age-deduction tax break, but not both. Or better yet, start taxing all federally
taxed Social Security benefits. Once we start taxing the affluent elderly at a sensible rate, maybe we can reopen some schools, and make our state deficit prob- lems more manageable. The trouble is that the deci- sion-makers in Richmond, par- ticularly the Republicans, cod- dle the well-to-do and threaten to starve state services to levels seen only in the Third World.
The writer was chairman of the Arlington County board of tax appeals from 1994 to 2003, and runs the volunteer income-tax assistance program for graduate students at the University of Maryland.
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