Letters to Editor - bLetters

We welcome your opinion on public issues, in either of two ways. You can submit a letter to the editor for possible publication in the printed edition. The Virginian-Pilot welcomes letters to the editor on all topics, although concise letters (150 words or less) on public issues will receive priority. Letters may be edited for length, style and clarity and writers are limited to one published letter every month. Please add your name, city, street address and daytime telephone number for confirmation.

The other way is to comment on the published letters in this blog. In this online forum, you can comment as much as you want by using the comment box at the end of each entry.

By e-mail: letters@pilotonline.com

By mail: Letters to the editor - P.O. Box 449 - Norfolk, VA 23501-0449

By fax: (757) 446-2051

Category: Readers' Opinions

■ 28 February 2009 | 5:00 AM

Perverse priorities

The House of Delegates budget plan, crafted by the Republican majority, would cut $650,000 from public broadcasting company WHRO while leaving intact more than $30 million in annual subsidies for the state's billion-dollar coal industry.

That WHRO allocation helps local school systems save more than $2.5 million annually in services purchased through WHRO, such as online training courses for teachers.

But the coal industry stays on the public dole while it destroys the landscape, waterways and quality of life for those living near its mining operations and threatens the health of everyone every time coal is burned.

I hope a public outcry over such perverse priorities will reverse this injustice and change the makeup of the House.

Joe Cook

Norfolk

View 3 comments Link to post

COMMENTS ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here; comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its websites. Users must follow agreed-upon rules: Be civil, be clean, be on topic; don't attack private individuals, other users or classes of people. Read the full rules here.
- Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the report violation link below it.

WHRO

Submitted by marym63204 on Tue, 03/03/2009 at 1:20 pm.

I love the classical station but how did WHRO get into the education business? Maybe they shouldn't be there if they can't make it work without taxpayer subsidies.
On that note, have you ever noted that most conservatives who love classical music don't/can't give to the WHRO fund drive? If WHRO would drop the political affiliation via the PBS news/commentary broadcasts, they would have a lot more donors. Us included.

PBS

Submitted by charlesm on Sun, 03/01/2009 at 5:24 pm.

PBS is a charitable organization also operating as a fee for services business. Unfortunately, in troubled times, both parts are in financial distress and have to do what they need to do to cut back on expenses in order to get by. Those parts that don't pay their way have to go.

Coal Industry.

Submitted by sw36029 on Sat, 02/28/2009 at 1:53 pm.

The Coal Industry provides a needed Energy component to our need for more cost effective Energy that is Domestic and not bought from folks that want us dead!

PBS on the other hand provides much left wing dogma.

I do however like the Masterpiece occasional movies of stories by Dickens and some of the other Classics.

If PBS wants to be in the communications business they should have to operate just like any other business therein.