Letters for Oct. 6: Oppose Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer’s plan for more housing in District 2

No thanks

Re “Proposed Virginia Beach apartment project is igniting a debate” (Sept. 27): It seems as though our mayor has forgotten that as mayor he is merely a figurehead with no more and no less power than any other City Council person. One would ask, what is driving this fast-track to build nearly 200 homes? It seems he’s trying to drive this home to set a new precedent for developing where a prudent person would not think of doing such a thing.

If he’s able to move fast enough, he can convince the council, with some new members, to give him its blessing because some of them don’t know anything about the fragility of District 2.

I ask anybody who reads this to do his or her own research as the chatter is growing louder in this district. I think the time has come to get rid of Mayor Bobby Dyer and find someone who cares about who he or she works for, that being us citizens. Personal ego has no place on my council.

Mark Johnson, Virginia Beach

Shining star

Re “Newport News student creates medical app, will compete for $25,000 award” (Sept. 30): Thank you for the good news about 14-year-old Jamie Ashby’s wonderful medical app. It’s a welcome article in the midst of all the negative news. May he have the opportunities to go a long way in his future career.

Mary Lee Harris, Virginia Beach

Halted projects

Federal government funding has a Band-Aid on funding at the present time, but after the 45 days are up we are back to square one. All of the speeches and news coverage addressed the hardship on people when their income ceases due to government shutdowns. This is absolutely true, but there is another area that suffers when there is no funding: that is the work the people were doing at the time. Projects and timelines are stymied. And when the people come back to work, they have to backpedal, and I hope don’t cut corners to make deadlines.

The partisans in Congress must see their way to opening dialogue with “the other side” or get voted out, so that we can get things done amicably. People and their jobs are stymied without funding.

Carole Parsons, Norfolk

Total embarrassment

The U.S. Congress has been characterized as “male, pale and stale.” After the recent threat of a shutdown, I would add, “failed, should go to jail, without bail.” I always thought a democracy was a government by the people and for the people.

Yes, the people’s voices are supposedly heard through their elected officials. And there lies the problem. Rather than majority rule, one senator or a group of about 20 representatives can determine the fate of certain legislation based upon their own personal beliefs or agendas that ultimately affects the majority of people in America who think otherwise.

Can we recover? I’m not so optimistic. I don’t know about you, but I think that right now America feels like Andy is out of town and Barney is in charge.

Tazewell Hubard, Norfolk

Energy efficiency

Energy Efficiency Day was celebrated on Wednesday. Energy efficiency is a win-win for households. While cleaning up our air, water and soil for our children and grandchildren by reducing the amount of carbon-based emissions, we are also saving ourselves a lot of money. But is everyone able to achieve energy efficiency?

Alliance to Save Energy states that although 44% of American households can be defined as low-income households, in 2018 only 10% of what was spent on energy efficiency programs was going to low-income households. This is unjust.

Energy.gov states that those families who are squeezed for cash would benefit most from solar panels on their apartment buildings and homes, both owned and rented. They would benefit from such programs described by the Environmental Defense Fund as “comprehensive weatherization services that provide air sealing, insulation, appliance upgrades, and efficient heating and cooling systems at low or no cost to the customer.” Energy efficiency improvements could reduce electricity usage by 25% to 31% for Southern low-income households, Alliance to Save Energy reports.

Ensuring our low-income households do not get left out of energy efficiency programs provided by Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and federal grants is a racial justice issue. Black households are disproportionately low-income households due to historic systemic racism in our financial, housing and governmental systems.

State and local governments need to make sure energy efficiency is for all Virginians.

Lucy van Tine, Virginia Organizing member, Newport News

Stay secret

Re “Fighter jet” (Your Views, Sept. 29): There is a significant difference between tracking luggage and fighter jets. You want everyone to know where the luggage is, and when you’re in a military operational role you don’t want to be detected. That’s why it’s a “stealth” fighter jet. This also applies to all military vehicles or vessels and most of all the operational military units.

Kenneth Paulson, Norfolk

Be hopeful

It is a well-known rule in Washington that nothing compels reform like some imminent disaster or spectacular stupidity. And we now have so much of both on the national agenda that you have to have some hope.

Leonard Freedman, Norfolk