Letters
Letters to the Editor: August 6, 2008
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Aug 6, 2008 - 9:07:48 AM

Gray is Out of Touch

To the Editor:

As I sat fuming over the elitist comments made by columnist Rick Gray, I realized that he is so out of touch with the common man in Chesterfield County, that he is laughable. But then, what can I expect from someone who thinks Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan are the new Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy? Maybe a hearing aid is in order!

Mr. Gray is typical of one of the “I have mine, you go somewhere else” crowd, sitting on his family estate in Bermuda Hundred, tending his bees and playing games at Shakespeare.  Then he has the audacity to say that we should deny people who work hard every day and want to live out in far-flung subdivisions the opportunity to live as they please because they use gasoline.  Well, Rick, last time I heard -- at least for the time being -- this is a free country and if those folks want to spend their money on gas, who are you to say they shouldn’t?  I believe that you, too, live out, far from the teeming masses of common folk.  Shouldn’t you move into town and not use precious fuel?  Oh yeah, that’s family land you live on, isn’t it?  Right, just like the family landowners in Western Chesterfield whose land will become worthless if the short-sighted Board of Supervisors have their way. Oh, but that’s different isn’t it?  You already got yours; too bad for them.  What a hypocritical attitude you have!

So, your argument is, don’t build because: 1. some people can’t afford homes; 2. the cost of fuel; and 3. the mortgage crisis.  Think, sir!  We stop the growth of this county because it’s too far out?  Or because the Reservoir folk don’t want anyone else to join them out there on their mini-estates?  Don’t people realize that building is the base on which we build our economy?  While that languishes, all of the businesses that feed builders and contractors business hurt, too?  And of course, let’s let the environmentalists lead our lives for us.  It’s because of those people that we are in the energy crisis we have now.  So let’s deprive landowners the opportunity to sell and others the opportunity to live in this beautiful county.  When the tax revenues begin to slip because those here want more services, well, okay, let’s just raise taxes rather than build more commercial or residential, which would supply more revenue.

Sure, times are bad right now, but they’ve been bad before. There have always been people who couldn’t afford houses; that’s no different.  What’s different now is that some of them weren’t smart enough to realize that they couldn’t afford what they were trying to buy.  Like that’s our fault?  There are those of us who bought homes during the horrendous mortgage rates of 15% to 22% during the Carter years.  That was our choice, we made it; we did without your luxuries of life to join in the American dream of homeownership.  My grandmother paid $5 a month to keep her home during the Depression.  The banks didn’t want all those homes and no one stepped forward to bail out people, so they accepted what they could from the people.  But today, everyone thinks they can have everything they want right away.  So, they make bad decisions, but then they expect Big Brother Government to bail them out.  Sorry, Rick, but personal responsibility isn’t the government’s job.  And it isn’t government’s job to be sure that there are no poor folk.  There will always be poor among us (haven’t I read that somewhere before?) and I refuse to be a part of a country that insists that the rich give up their wealth so that the poor be equal to them.  Gee, if I want that, I’ll move to Socialist Europe.

Come on, Rick, this country is based on capitalism, so let’s let it build and grow!

Gloria Sauer

ChesterFest Creates Safety Issues

To the Editor:

I have always believed that one person can make a difference if one is willing to put forth both effort and time into the issue at hand. My issue is the location of the ChesterFest on the Village Green. Several months ago, I emailed BOS representative Dorothy Jaeckle about access to and from the area beyond the Fest and the safety issues related to reaching these folks in case of an emergency. The response I received was somewhat less then expected. She indicated that it was more important for the Fest to remain on the green so that the businesses located in the area could be exposed to festival goers. When the Fest was first held, there was no development beyond the Village Green, and most of the area surrounding the green was also undeveloped. Today, there is a beehive of activity in the area. Almost every square foot of the area has been developed, and VDOT has had to add a second left hand turn lane from Centre St. onto West Hundred Rd. to accommodate the increase in traffic in the area. VDOT has issued a road closure permit to the ChesterFest Committee for Saturday, September 13. On that day, everyone living beyond, in, and around the Village Green will be forced to detour around the library, Festival Park, and the senior living apartments. These detours are a nuisance to those who have to endure this situation and also pose a risk to anyone who may need a speedy response from Fire/EMS and/or the police. 

The free flow of traffic to and from this area should be a top priority. I sent an email to Mark Fausz, editor of the Village News, and suggested that maybe he could use his influence to get Quay St. graded so it could be used as an alternate route into and out of the area on the day of the Fest. He responded that at one time, he and a group of folks who live on Quay and Womack approached CDOT (Chesterfield Dept of Transportation) and they took a hands-off approach, deferring to VDOT. VDOT deferred back to CDOT, and in the end, it was decided that the potholes on Quay St. were to be considered like speed bumps. The grading of Quay St. would provide a viable alternative for residents as well as fire, police, and EMS. It’s a shame that no one will step up to the plate and help out with this issue. The area has outgrown the ChesterFest, and the Fest needs to relocate to an area more suited to lots of people and traffic. The grounds around Thomas Dale High School would not only provide an abundance of space for vendor displays, but would also provide plenty of off-street parking for visitors. The businesses located in and around the Village Green could set up vendor displays at Thomas Dale to advertise their services and location. This way, the residents in the Village Green area and beyond could enjoy a normal free flow of traffic to and from the area. I am only one person, and if others who live in the area feel the same way as I do, then please let your voice be heard. Contact your BOS representative Dorothy Jaeckle or Mark Fausz, the Village News editor and president of the ChesterFest Committee.

James F. Pearson

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