F.C. Like a Spoiled Child Getting Caught
Editor,
Goliath 1, David 0. Your comparison of these men to Fairfax County and Falls Church City does not work. The best comparison is Falls Church City as a spoiled child who has gotten away with really stupid acts for a long time and has finally been caught. Fairfax County is more like the large adult neighbor who has had enough of the little beast who lives next door.
The straw that brought this nasty kid down was greed. Falls Church City had a great deal. They had an absolute stranglehold on tens of thousands of Fairfax County residents charging ridiculous rates for water and sewage. But they got greedy and stepped out of their lane. And they got stopped cold and lost. That should be the end of it. Spending even another dime of Falls Church City resident money on lawyers or forcing Fairfax County residents to pay for more lawyers is even more stupid. Want to get along? Behave like an adult. Behave like a good neighbor. Stop being stupid.
And finally sir, your editorial statement that there is no blame for any of this mess at Falls Church City Hall is foolish and takes away even more if not the final threads of your credibility. Stop enabling this kind of recurring bad behavior.
Jim Wilson
Falls Church
Backs Baroukh For Another Term as Mayor
Editor,
When I was young my grandfather would say, “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”. Years later my
father would say “If it isn’t broke, don’t break it.”
So when it comes to choosing a mayor this July maybe the City of Falls Church might just leave things the way they are.
Just in case you didn’t know it, Mayor Baroukh’s name in Hebrew means “blessing” and the people of this city should count theirs.
Paul M. Levy
Via the Internet
Close Corporate Tax Loopholes to Create Jobs
Editor,
Congressman Moran’s commentary raises several good, yet equally daunting points about the state of the job market in the U.S. today. I’ve lived in Falls Church for 12 years, and I would certainly love to attain a career in the greater metropolitan region after graduating from college in a couple years. While Congressman Moran touched upon the importance of investing in infrastructure to create new jobs, he failed to highlight a critical component of how we can pay for these new jobs. As it stands, some of the nation’s largest companies, like ExxonMobil, take advantage of many corporate loopholes and subsidies that keep them from paying their fair share of taxes. In fact, from 2009 to 2010, ExxonMobil spent more money lobbying Congress to maintain these loopholes ($40 million) than they did in Federal taxes ($39 million).
We can raise $200 billion for job creation just from preventing these corporate tax loopholes and cutting subsidies. Instead of letting Big Oil corporations keep their money in offshore accounts accruing interest, I believe that money is better served being injected back into our economy to create jobs for the millions of unemployed and underemployed Americans.
In conclusion, I appreciate Congressman Moran’s commitment to creating jobs for young constituents like myself, but I would like to see him take more charge creating solutions to the issue in Washington, and it starts with making sure everyone pays their fair share.
Adil Dittmer
Falls Church
Jacob, Remus Enjoy Cruising the W&OD Trail
Editor,
We live in a city that is two plus square miles. We can walk and bike to our two metro stations. We can walk and bike to our restaurants, library, grocery stores and pharmacies. Our City Hall is just a stone throw from anyone who lives in this city.
This last Memorial Day, our grandson, Jacob, who is 14 years old (almost 15), rode his bike with his dad from Sterling to Falls Church to enjoy the wonderful celebration of our “Little City”. The Memorial Day Parade and all the festivities are enjoyed by all.
Jacob told me that he had problems with his gears on his bike. I called Bikenetic this morning, took Jacob’s bike down. Jeremy at Bikenetic worked on it through the day, called me when it was done and I picked it up. How cool is that. What a great new business in our City. W&OD trail is expansive. You can walk it and bike it. I walk my dog Remus everyday on this trail.
Now I am going to ask if Bikenetic wants to work on my Swedish Crescent bike from the 1960s that I used to ride from my apartment in Stockholm to my job at Swedish Radio.
Elisabeth Drangel Sze
Falls Church
Cherry Hill Park Is Underutilized Falls Church Asset
Editor,
Over the past 20 plus years that I have lived in the Falls Church area it’s been my observation that one of the City’s most visible assets, Cherry Hill Park, is exceedingly underutilized. Most Fairfax County parks and even most other city parks are enjoyed by more people for more activities than is Cherry Hill park. Most times the park is empty of human beings. Yes, there are occasional concerts and picnics and there is a small play area, but most of the park lies unused and “undeveloped” (perhaps because of the prevalence of poison ivy in several areas within the park). Anyway, I have a suggestion for one family type activity that could increase the use of the park significantly and that would cost little if anything to implement. A Frisbee Golf course. Yes, you heard me right. A Frisbee Golf course. Also known as Disc Golf, there are over 3,000 courses in the U.S., mostly in suburban parks. Even many state parks have frisbee golf courses. There are even frisbee golf leagues.Stop by Bluemont Park in Arlington where disk golf is extremely popular. Or visit one of the many other Disc Golf courses in the D.C. area. Cherry Hill park is perfect for a frisbee golf course with its combination of open grassy fields and wooded areas. Very little, if any, specialized equipment is needed to play frisbee golf. Baskets could perhaps be donated or sponsored by city businesses and I’m sure the Recreation & Parks staff could easily design a short course at Cherry Hill Park that would be welcomed by adults and children alike. Just my two cents worth.
Peter Herrick
Falls Church
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