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

DATE: MONDAY, March 4, 1991                   TAG: 9103040298
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

CALL FOR SACRIFICE ELICITS SCREAMS

LET ME GET this straight. State employees Paula and Mike Fosbre (letter, Feb. 14), who make about $50,000 a year collectively, think that I, who earn about one-third of their annual salary, should pay more taxes so they can get a raise of nearly four thousand dollars.

To quote their letter, "Is this fair?" If they wish to complain about their 15-day furloughs, I suggest they take a trip to the nearest unemployment office and tell their heart-rending tale to the jobless people there.

Everyone always complains about gutless politicians. But when we finally elect a governor who has the courage and foresight to make the tough choices that will benefit us all in the long run, we scream bloody murder when he asks us to make a small sacrifice for the common good. I have yet to hear anyone who has criticized the governor's budget proposals who offers a sensible and equitable alternative.

If Mr. and Mrs. Fosbre are so dissatisfied with their employment situation, I invite them to resign their state jobs and get work in the private sector, where the pay scale is lower, there are no guaranteed raises, and their employers are not accountable to the voters or to anyone else. JAMES G. SHELL ROANOKE

by CNB