STATE OF UNION ADDRESS LACKED VISION OF FUTURE

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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 12, 1992                   TAG: 9202120344
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
STATE OF UNION ADDRESS LACKED VISION OF FUTURE
A PART OF MY frustration with both the State of the Union address and the Democratic response was not just the heavy emphasis on the problems of today, but the lack of a long-range vision of the future.
What heritage or "estate" will we leave for my daughter and her descendants to manage after the year 2020 or 2100, which goes far beyond Education 2000 or other concepts of educational change?
I also worry about layoffs, payrolls and bread on the table. As the owner of a small architectural firm, I am concerned about the sluggish design and construction industries, and wonder if my firm will exist at this time next year.
However, my bigger fear is an economic recovery that returns us to "business as usual," failing to recognize the tremendous opportunities that can come from a long-range perspective. Expansion of lifestyle options, creative and integrative responses to critical needs everywhere, development of physical environments that enhance both nature and human users, and positive and aggressive approaches toward global ecological and social issues can come about through bold vision and a willingness to be honest and adventurous.
An "Estate of the Union" adds only one letter to a concept of telling us where we are, but challenges us to think far beyond today. "E" could stand for environment, energy, ecology, education, earth, economy, efficiency, elderly, empathy, ecstasy, encourage, endless, everything, enjoy, envision, eon, equity, eternity, evolution, experiment, etc., instead of mainly election.
"E" also means that everyone (poor, middle class, rich, young, old) has a stake and a role in this adventure. Let's get beyond this rhetoric (Democratic as well as Republican) and continue the "American dynamo." By boldly grasping the future, we can transform the present.
ROBERT L. ROGERS
BLACKSBURG

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB