A FAIR SHAKE FOR TAXPAYERS?

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

DATE: FRIDAY, February 26, 1993                   TAG: 9302260489
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short
A FAIR SHAKE FOR TAXPAYERS?
"ECONOMY stressed in town hall," Feb. 11 issue of the Roanoke Times & World-News, captioned an Associated Press article on President Clinton's televised town meeting that originated "out from the shadow of Washington."
The article stopped short of discussing the cost of avoiding this shadow that, including the vice president's trip to California, amounted to a figure approaching $500,000 of taxpayers' money.
A report I heard indicated our president's love of "pressing the flesh" figured in the decision to go this route, as opposed to making use of a broadcast studio fully equipped for such town halls and located extremely close to his White House office.
If the president and vice president together shook hands with 500 citizens during the course of these two unwarranted junkets, each handshake cost the taxpayers $1,000. Is this the sort of reckless expenditure for which the president expects everyone to sacrifice? GIFFORD S. NEASE JR. TROUTVILLE

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB