COMMON SENSE SKIPPED THE DEBATE

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

DATE: THURSDAY, January 14, 1993                   TAG: 9301140456
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-14   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short
COMMON SENSE SKIPPED THE DEBATE
I CAN SEE it now: a movement greater than the early days of Ross Perot's campaign, an ideology more profound than that of our greatest statesmen's, a new political movement sweeping the country, revolutionizing our leaders' policies, and putting even the psychotic 1992 election year to shame. It will shatter traditions and transcend both Republicans and Democrats.
What is it? Common sense.
It's also called the "oh, come on . . . " ideology. You know, that gut reaction you get when you hear something so totally ridiculous that it makes you proud of your dog's intelligence. I feel this reaction fairly often, most recently regarding the public debate about the Montgomery County School Board's policy of substituting "winter" and "spring" break for Christmas and Easter in their school calendars.
Common-sense talk: Why do our schools have a break during the latter part of December? Because it's Christmas! The policy of calling it "Christmas break," and the spring one "Easter break," is not an "establishment of religion," which the Constitution forbids, but a statement of simple fact - the reason for the break. BEN DALTON ROANOKE COUNTY

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB