OPINION: Maybe Virginia Should Fix the Brakes Now.

Byline: A. Barton Hinkle

Jul. 13--Guy owns a car. Doesn't matter what kind -- Ford Taurus, BMW 525i, Dodge Neon, Chevy El Camino. Every year he takes it in for a tuneup, and every year the mechanic tells him the brakes need work. But he puts off the brake job because he needs a new radiator and an alternator and a fuel pump -- plus, he'd rather spend money on woofers for the stereo and chrome wheel rims and fake zebra-hide seat covers to impress the ladies. The mechanic begs him to get the brakes fixed, but the guy doesn't listen because he's too busy fondling the neon-light license-plate holder on sale by the cash register.

Then he gets in a wreck, and the first thing he wants to know is, why didn't anybody warn him about the brakes?

People in the mental-health field in Virginia have got to feel a bit like the mechanic …