The Roanoker - January/February 2015 - 10

R LETTERS
I JUST RECEIVED the November/December
issue today, as I am a subscriber. I had a strong
reaction to your cover story on Representative
Bob Goodlatte. I think it is very irresponsible
to run this article two and half weeks before
an election that Rep. Goodlatte is part of,
even though he is unopposed by the other
major party.
Except for Rep. Scott, everyone else you
quote in the article is a Republican. Being
part of the same congressional delegation,
I would expect Rep. Scott not to criticize
another member of Virginia's delegation,
as it would be disrespectful. However, even
though I am now part of the 9th District, I
still receive Rep. Goodlatte's weekly emails
to his district. Unlike Rep. Griffith, I have
never seen him admit that he agrees with
President Obama on a particular point.
He seems determined, like most of the
Republican-controlled House, to discredit
and blame the president for anything they
disagree with. They sue him for not fully
implementing Obamacare, yet have passed
bills many, many times to repeal Obamacare.
They did not confirm his nominee for

Surgeon General, and then came the Ebola
crisis that Obama gets blamed for.
The list borders on the absurd, totally
discrediting our ability to govern ourselves
with civil respect and compromise with
those whom we disagree. Bipartisanship
has been killed and our country's standing in
the world has become a joke. The article also
claims that folks are beginning to support
incumbents and opposing challenges from
the far right. I think it is more accurate to say
that the public is sick and tired of the whole
mess, and would vote out of office every
elected official if given the opportunity. I will
be interested in seeing the voter turnout in
the upcoming election. There is a mixture of
apathy and anger: witness the low approval
ratings. Anyway, I think this article should
have been held until your next issue. At least
you didn't quote Ed Gillespie as a supporter
of Rep. Goodlatte.
John H. Spruhan, Salem
I WAS DISPLEASED seeing Goodlatte
gracing the cover of the November/
December issue. How timely, coming right

before the November election. A few years
ago I challenged some of the erroneous
information I received from Goodlatte
regarding President Obama.
After that, I stopped receiving mail and
e-mails from Goodlatte - but no response
to my communication. He is certainly no
Clark Kent and will never be Superman. His
mean-spirited manners may serve him well
in the safety of his gerrymandered district
here in Southwest Virginia.
But he is someone I will never respect
and equal time should have been devoted
by your magazine to his challenger, if there
were one.
James L. Jones, Roanoke

MEA CULPA
In the November/December Dining Awards,
our apologies for the inadvertant mention of
too many cooks in the Local Roots kitchen.
The Platinum for Best Overall Kitchen Staff
goes the the restaurant's team of Matt Lintz,
Alex Tyree, Mark Linson, Andrew Gentry,
Jordan Fallon, Osmin Hernandez, Sam
Rahsman and Luke Volosin.

WORTH A CLICK:
TOP 10 MOST-VIEWED STORIES ON THEROANOKER.COM IN 2014
Miss an issue or two last year? We've got you covered.
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10. Video Exclusive: The Making of The
Roanoker's 40th Anniversary Cover.
TheRoanoker.com/MakingACover

7. Bob Kinsey: He Was There to Turn On
the Star the First Time. TheRoanoker.
com/Kinsey

9. Bob Goodlatte: Roanoke's Own Clark
Kent. TheRoanoker.com/Goodlatte

6. Downtown Roanoke: On a Major
Grow from Within and to the East and
South. TheRoanoker.com/Downtown

8. The Poff Building Debacle: What $82
Million Can (and Didn't) Do to a $14
Million Structure. TheRoanoker.com/
Poff

10 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

5. Best of the Best: 40 Stars of 40 Years.
TheRoanoker.com/40Stars
4. Joan Vannorsdall: You Can't Go
Home Again (Well... Maybe You Can).
TheRoanoker.com/Joan

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3. 2054: Roanoke, 40 Years From Now.
TheRoanoker.com/2054
2. Restaurants That Were Here When
This Magazine Began - and Still Are!
TheRoanoker.com/Oldest
Restaurants
And the #1 most read story of 2014 is . . .
Roanoke's Best Restaurants:
Reader's Choice Dining Awards
2014! TheRoanoker.com/
DiningAwards
THE

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The Roanoker - January/February 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker - January/February 2015
