Stormwater projects
Re “Construction underway for stormwater project in Hampton’s Newmarket Creek area” (Aug. 19): It’s nice to see some proactive measures from the city to address stormwater issues as well as having environmental improvements that are a small step in mitigating recent development. I’d like City Council members to take a quick tour down Old Buckroe Road to the retention pond at the corner of Nickerson Boulevard.
It has a fountain to aerate the water, but there’s an island with a large tree and bushes growing out of the sediment that’s been flushed there. I’ve seen one work crew there over the years — there may have been more — but the island has been expanding yearly. Hopefully the council has included a maintenance budget in these new projects to keep them clean.
Jeff Allen, Hampton
2024 election
Re “President Biden” (Your Views, Aug. 15): I agree with John R. Baer about the competence of the president. President Joe Biden’s insensitivity at the ceremony for the soldiers who died in the Afghanistan fiasco was coldhearted. It reminded me of President Donald Trump’s belated phone call to the widow of Army Sgt. La David Johnson, an honorary Green Beret who was killed fighting suspected terrorists in Niger. He allegedly said, “Well I guess you know he knew what he was signing up for, but it still hurts.”
Many voters would rather have someone else in the White House than Biden. Still, the Democrats have rallied around their octogenarian incumbent, believing he can beat the man the media has anointed as “the frontrunner.” They are counting on Trump’s nomination because Biden has once defeated the whiner of Mar-a-Lago in Florida. One Democratic challenger is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with a family name that has faded into history and a reputation for being a bit screwy.
If the Republicans can shake themselves free of their Make America Great Again hypnosis and nominate someone without all the Trumpism drama, many centrist Democrats and independents would jump sides, and Republicans would win. If the party would nominate a candidate such as Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, I would be one of those voters.
Steve Bailey, Richmond
Open borders
Re “As death toll mounts, more action needed to alleviate drug addiction” (Our Views, Aug. 21): I was left wondering why the editorial failed to point out that our open borders are allowing the drug cartels to exploit every opportunity the Biden administration gives them to flood our country with deadly drugs.
There can be no question that our open borders are contributing to the rise in overdoses year after year. These overdose victims are being poisoned by the people in the supply chain from Mexico to China, while our own government “whistles past the graveyard” when it comes to protecting American citizens. Virginians can do something about these overdoses in the next presidential election by casting their ballots in favor of the political party that is serious about combating this national tragedy.
Charles Race, Williamsburg
Guns
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 4,752 young people died from firearm-related incidents in 2021. This was a 42% increase from 2018 to 2021.
In 2020 the leading cause of child and adolescent deaths became gun violence, surpassing deaths from cars. Gun ownership in the U.S is self-reported as 32% of adults, and 44% say they live in a household that owns a firearm.
States with the more restrictive gun ownership laws have less violence. Unless gun owners get on board to stop the carnage, more people will buy guns to protect themselves. Then we will suffer more accidents, sheer violence and suicides from guns than we have now.
Georgette Constant, Norfolk
