The Mailroom

Published August 29, 2020 by Virginia Business

More balance needed

After reading Carol Hazard’s “Blurred Lines” article in the August 2020 issue, I noted the full-page ads from United Bank, Atlantic Union Bank, PNC Bank and TowneBank. Given the strong advertising support your publication receives from banks, I believe you have a moral obligation to ensure fair treatment of credit unions. The article was less than balanced. Including a quote from Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp.’s CEO truly reduces the credibility of the article and implies that Virginia Business is an advertorial rag instead of a respectable business publication. My credit union has made a very positive impact in support of local small business owners.

Ken Gonyer

Broadway

Editor’s Note: Advertising does not influence the editorial content in Virginia Business. The article included interviews with spokespeople for the Virginia Credit Union League and Virginia Credit Union.

Put unemployed to work counting ballots

Unemployed workers could provide the extra manpower needed to ensure a trouble-free election process in November. The Great Depression-era New Deal programs put millions of unemployed Americans to work on public works projects. At that time, there were about 15 million Americans unemployed. Today there are 30 million people unemployed. Why not use the unemployed in each state to help count mail-in ballots and guarantee timely and accurate processing? After the election, states can train that same group to weed out fraud in the areas of Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.

Michael Artson

Woodbridge

Vote scoundrels out or run yourself

I concur with Wayne Bert’s letter suggesting the need for more coverage and voter education about an important constitutional amendment before voters in just a few short weeks. And I applaud the bipartisan support for this much-needed measure. I would say, however, that his cynical comment about elected officials choosing their voters is without basis in fact or merit. If voters such as Mr. Bert are dissatisfied with the performance of our members of Congress and the General Assembly, then they should vote the scoundrels out. Better still, instead of complaining, I encourage Mr. Bert to seek office himself.

Robert Stuber

King George

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CORRECTION: An item in the August 2020 Southern Virginia For the Record section incorrectly stated the ownership of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville. The IALR is a political subdivision of the state government.