Redskins, federal government have failure in common Re: “Redskins preseason schedule released, if it matters,” April 13 & “No adult conversation on budget in Obama speech,” April 14
As an avid Washington Examiner reader, I find that two topics tend to dominate your coverage: politics and the Redskins. However, your commentators and editors miss the strong correlation between both models of operation.
Redskins owner Dan Snyder’s business model focuses on free agency and drawing in top talent near the twilight of their playing careers. This model has diverted precious resources away from building a team through the draft and concentrated on throwing large amounts of money to garner short-term success. It has brought nothing but disappointment to loyal Redskin fans.
The similarities between the Redskins and the current federal budget outlook are astounding. The federal government increased expenditures for years, but the result is a nearly $14 trillion national debt and the highest federal deficits on record. In both cases, money has been thrown away in an attempt to prove that the model is not broken.
“Adult” conversations should be about the failure of the model itself — not about how to divert the public’s attention away from its fallacies.
Brian Webb
Springfield
Planned Parenthood can survive without federal funding
Re: “Democrats will yield on everything but abortion,” April 11
Liberals have no sense of irony. One one hand, they claim that conservatives must be forced through taxes to pay for Planned Parenthood, which could not exist without public funding. Yet with the other hand, they voluntarily sign donation checks to Planned Parenthood, which disproves their point.
In fact, liberals have dramatically proven that the abortion provider doesn’t need federal funding. Since Republicans announced their intent
to defund the organization, donations are up 500 percent, which liberals tout as thwarting the Republican plan to destroy the group.
One can only imagine what would happen if Congress defunded every welfare program. Liberals might thwart Republicans right into a libertarian utopia.
David Bier
Alexandria
Youngsters need PE more than ever
Re: “McDonnell veto on mandatory PE stands,” April 7
I hated gym in high school, so it’s ironic that I find myself defending the need for more physical education for Virginia students.
Forty years ago, the public secondary school gym requirement called for two or three days of physical education per week. But most pupils walked to school, and those who took the bus still had quite a hike to their front door. In short, like it or not, we all exercised outside of class.
You don’t see that today. Extremes — the jocks and the couch potatoes — are prevalent. So the governor’s veto of mandatory PE is nearsighted and shortchanges our youth’s future health. Although I hated gym at the time, the lessons stuck well past my childhood. Pupils in Virginia should get the opportunity to learn them as well.
Karen Ann DeLuca
Alexandria
