Editor, Gazette-Journal:

At the Virginia state level, all of the Tea Party/Republican candidates for the House of Delegates do not support Public Broadcasting because we now have hundreds of channels on cable or satellite. They seemed out of touch with the lives of those not born with a silver spoon. After the primary, I approached one candidate on this opinion. He admitted those channels are mostly flash. He watches and listens to Public Broadcasting.

In Richmond, the Republican governor has raided the Virginia Retirement System to balance the present state budget—no plan to pay it back. They are planning to require higher employee contributions, cut benefits and restrict cost-of-living raises. Most private employees don’t have defined retirement systems, so government workers should be grateful for anything they get. If he gets a majority in the State Senate, he will most likely "sell" our ABC stores to private enterprise. They have restricted clinics that...