Letters to the Editor: Settled by money
Settled by money
Let all non-violent prisoners out of Delaware’s prisons. (Common Law. No crime without a victim) For each one released Delawareans save $ 36,000. That, reduction in revenue, times thousands would be sufficient incentive for our so called leaders to do something.
When our money dries up, the problems will be quickly settled because they will have no incentives to keep it going.
Jim Chiappardi
Wilmington
Alcohols aftermath
Kudos for your article, "How many drinks affect the body?"
Alcohol is a drug and can be dangerous and addictive. It is important to be reminded of the problems it can create not only for the drinker, but for all those who care about or depend on him or her. Frequently it tears families apart and has drastic effects on the children.
Thank you Dr. Kushner, for making some very valid and crucial points.
Loretta Kilby
Wilmington
Time for compromise
As a supporter of death penalty repeal, I would like to thank Rep. Sean M. Lynn for sponsoring SB 40 and also Reps. Pete Schwartzkopf and Larry Mitchell for allowing last week’s vote despite their personal opposition. The fact that this bill came up only a few votes short reflects our state and our nation’s decreasing level of support for capital punishment. It also demonstrates the need for a compromise in Delaware.
I strongly urge our legislature to consider the following compromise: First, let us repeal the death penalty for all cases except for those which involve the intentional murder of a police officer, corrections officer or first responder who is engaged in the performance of his or her duties. Second, let us enact a requirement for a unanimous jury verdict in favor of death in these cases before a sentence of execution may be imposed.
Attorney General Matt Denn has publicly indicated his support for a capital jury unanimity bill. Gov. Jack Markell has agreed to sign a death penalty repeal bill. The time is certainly right for a compromise with regard to this life and death issue.
Kathryn van Amerongen
Wilmington
Credibility
In your recent article concerning the Unified Development code, The New Journal sited the Caesar Rodney Institute as they have done in the past.
What credibility does this organization have in Delaware besides being named after a DE founding father?
Has the News Journal ever done research on an organization they site?
Who is the puppet master of the Caesar Rodney Institute?
This organization cloaks themselves in a patriotic name yet will not disclose who funds their “club.” Until their funding source is disclosed, you should not legitimize them by siting them in any article.
Jim Viscount
Middletown
Blizzard blues
The blizzard of 2016 is now not much more than a memory to most of us, but for some, the reality of the storm still exists.
DelDot was out early and did a fairly good job with most roads, but somehow they overlooked turn lanes. Here we are after the storm, and the turn lanes going into and out of some developments still have not been plowed. I live two miles away from the Bear yard, and I haven't seem a plow since the Monday after the storm and the turn lanes into Rambleton Acres are still blocked.
Carter McCoy
New Castle
Airline profits
Since the airlines are reporting record profits, perhaps it’s time for them to bear more of the costs of funding the FAA, thus reducing the burden on the taxpayers.
I suggest that we use the airlines own business model and charge fees for various FAA functions. For example, there would be a charge for filing a flight plan, and any flight plan that had more than three legs would incur a surcharge. Airlines could avoid the flight plan fee by conducting flights under visual flight rules, but they could not exceed 10,000 feet or 250 knots. Each air traffic control sector that they passed through during the flight would also incur a fee, and any change in a flight plan, such as to avoid hazardous weather, would result in a change of flight plan surcharge. Finally, flights would have to remain in a holding pattern at the arrival airport until all other aircraft have landed unless the airline pays a priority landing fee. I am sure that the airlines would understand that these fees are true user fees and are necessary to generate revenue for the FAA.
Robert B. Hurwitt
Lewes
National debt and political contributions
We keep hearing that big money donors have too much control of our political system. To somewhat reduce this influence, and the fact that everybody thinks they are under taxed, let's take 25 percent of all corporate and individual political contributions and apply it directly to paying off the national debt.
The politicians get less and our nation gets more. It is about time we, the citizens and tax payers, started getting a bit more for our money.
Fritz Land
Newark