
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 17, 1991                   TAG: 9102180333
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: C/2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

KEEP S&L ISSUE ALIVE

$500,000,000,000; five hundred billion! Hard to write, difficult to imagine. Savings and loans claim they lost this amount of money. If there is one thing I have learned, it's that one never loses money - someone else gets it. I read now that some banks are in trouble and a large number failed last year.

The dictionary has a number of definitions of "bank," but none says: "the most prestigious building in town with the most lavishly furnished offices, everything first-class." Perhaps this is to give the assurance of safety, solidity, strength, etc. (your money at work). Insurance companies enjoy the same distinction. Words like "fiduciary" and "sacrosanct" come to mind.

Articles say it will take a couple of generations to pay off these losses backed by our government, or us the people. Now the war has helped put this mess on the back pages. It is also said that the war will cost a billion dollars a day, which cost is understandable. At that rate it will be more than a year (God forbid) before the amount exceeds the thievery (or was the word error?) the S&L officials committed.

Let's keep this issue alive, at least until we see some convictions, maybe a couple of dollars recovered! Don't let those imprudent (guilty) officials ride off into the sunset with their chariots filled with money pulled by a team of fat politicians - please.

DICK MALLEN

ROANOKE

by CNB