Be an informed voter for the redistricting amendment

TO THE EDITOR:

In response to the accusation of Jerry Harlow of Zion that ‘Fair and Temporary’ is a lie, I say, take it up with Texas, Missouri and North Carolina, who responded to the president’s request to do so. Therefore, the Red Team opened the door for the Blue Team to do likewise. Every state has the choice and the voter has the final say. That is the ‘temporary’. The ‘fair’ is that the Virginia legislature passed the amendment to our state constitution and redrew congressional district lines, the governor signed the amendment and the Virginia Court upheld the new maps and now the final say is on April 21 by the voters. I will add that we all hate having three elections this year, however, the candidates need to know whether the district lines change so that they can run in the August Primary, which will determine the Congress, elected in November, that will sit next January.

Regarding another article reported in the same issue, ‘Local Tea Party meets, discusses redistricting, election integrity’, I would like to respond to Huffman’s comment, that, Virginia did not have to follow suit…..of Texas, is correct, however, is irrelevant once Texas did redistrict. As a coach, would you allow the other team to field different or more players than when the game began or would you adjust your game plan and play by new rules? As to election integrity, I would suggest signing up with the Registrar to be an election officer or volunteer in any way needed to insure election integrity. All voters are welcome to participate in the system that chooses our candidates. We all want it to be fair, so let’s all do our part. Do you want a continuation of a Congress that has capitulated your and our collective power to the President to make all decisions or do you want a new Congress that takes its power back and represents your/our interests? A ‘no’ vote maintains the current majority, a ‘yes’ vote changes Congress — that’s the bottom line. Be an informed voter, read the amendment and get your questions answered before you vote, if you haven’t already.

PAT RANNEY
Mineral

Vote Yes on redistricting

TO THE EDITOR:

The last day to vote on the Redistricting Amendment is less than 2 weeks away. It is critically important to the survival of our democracy that Virginia approve this Amendment. In “normal” times Virginia and the other 49 states conduct redistricting every 10 years in response to the census that is conducted every 10 years. But we are not living in normal times. Last summer, President Trump demanded that Texas redistrict to give Republicans 5 extra congressional districts and Texas quickly acquiesced. Similar redistricting quickly followed in Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. California voters responded by passing its own redistricting plan. Current estimates predict that this unprecedented mid-cycle redistricting will result in 4 to 6 additional republican-leaning districts nationwide, with a possibility of another 2 Republican districts if Florida passes the proposed plan at the end of the month. This mid-decade re-shuffling is due entirely to President Trump’s unabated quest for power and Congressional Republicans’ refusal to exercise their constitutional duty to oversee presidential actions. Now it is up to Virginia to reel in the excesses of the current administration and level the congressional playing field. By voting “yes” to approve the Redistricting Amendment, Virginians will be sending a clear message that this president or any president does not have absolute authority. That under our constitution their power is limited and that we the people have the ultimate authority.

I have heard some of my neighbors object to the amendment because we should be concerned with Virginia and not the actions taken in other states. They are worried that the amendment will change their representatives in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate. We need to be clear. The proposed amendment will have absolutely no effect on the House of Delegates or Virginia Senate districts. It only addresses the federal House of Representatives. Nothing else.

I have also heard others fear that once Virginia redistricts to favor Democrats the changes will become permanent. The amendment clearly states that it is a temporary measure. In 2030 Virginia will follow normal procedure and redistrict in response to the 2030 census. The authority to redraw the current maps expires with the new census. The new district maps will be drawn by a bipartisan commission. I truly wish that the amendment was not needed. But in response to the unprecedented power grab by the current president as aided and abetted by Texas Governor Abbott and others, it is an absolute necessity.

MARK ITZKOFF
Mineral

Paper’s unbiased coverage deserves recognition

TO THE EDITOR:

I have been a Democrat in Louisa since the early 2000s, and there was a time not long ago when I was dissatisfied with the direction of The Central Virginian and some of its editorial coverage. For a period, I believe those concerns shaped the opinions of many within our local community.

In recent years, however, I have noticed a tremendous overall improvement. Last week, when I saw that coverage of the “No Kings rally” appeared on the back page while a Republican meeting was featured on the front page, I was initially disappointed. Several Democrats raised similar concerns, and The Central Virginian responded immediately in a professional and respectful manner, clearly explaining the reasoning behind its editorial decisions, which I believed to be satisfactory.

To their credit, a few individuals reconsidered their initial negative reactions and expressed appreciation for that explanation. Unfortunately, the staff also received rude and condescending remarks from others within our local Democratic community, with some even encouraging people not to engage with the staff whatsoever. It is my strong opinion that, at times, some of us risk becoming the very thing we often speak out against.

The importance of local media cannot be overstated, and unbiased coverage deserves recognition, especially when it is being provided by a small staff serving a community with diverse political viewpoints in a predominantly conservative county. What especially stood out to me was that the very next day, the paper was receiving similar harsh criticism from Republicans. That was the moment I realized my own initial reaction had been unfair, and that our hometown paper has a difficult responsibility. In times of misunderstanding or disagreement, community leaders and residents alike should work through concerns with open, respectful discussion and basic common decency. Politics can stir strong emotions in all of us, but it is important that we keep perspective and maintain a level head.

This is an entirely new staff that deserves a fair opportunity and a clean slate. I am grateful to Editor Mitchell Sasser and his staff for their continued commitment to balanced coverage, including reporting and video coverage of Democratic events in our community.

KATHLEEN DANIEL
Louisa

Cancer in young people a concern

TO THE EDITOR:

We have seen recently an alarming increase in various cancers in young people, in the 20’s , 30’s, and 40’s. TV news programs point to risk factors such as ultra-processed food, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, but what is often left out is the elephant in the room, that “Cancer is an environmental disease.” In the 19th Century, all of the common types of cancer we haven now were rare then. In fact, cancer in general was rare. The petrochemical industry has billions of dollars to influence the legislatures and the regulatory agencies to allow us to be flooded with thousands of types of human-made chemicals without proper testing for safety. A single chemical may not show much toxicity when tested, but with hundreds of different chemicals exposing someone all at once, the synergistic effect is enormous. Hundreds of different chemicals can be found in a person’s biopsy of body fat, and many in the cord blood of a newborn, from the mother.

We need to filter our water, filter air in our houses, and eat organically grown food, except for the “clean fifteen” produce designated by the Environmental Working Group, EWG. org., and especially the “dirty dozen” need to be organic.

Young people now are exposed enormously more than older generations were. This should be a wake-up call. If we do nothing to change course, it will only get worse. And for early detection, for blood in the stool, we can’t just say, “It’s probably just hemorrhoids, you’re too young to get cancer.”

DAVID G. SCHWARTZ, M.D.

Louisa