Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 17, 1993 TAG: 9307200565
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
We can expect to see some skulduggery soon, as Virginia tries to sneak out of the retirees' repayment. The state should be grateful that it will not have to repay taxes collected since the '40s, instead of just the three years in question.
It seems that in this age no court decision is binding on any cases of guilt. If a criminal dislikes his sentence, he can appeal ad infinitum to different courts until some sharp lawyer gets a reduced sentence that suits the criminal. If Virginia could, I feel it would thumb its nose at the Supreme Court's decision. It wouldn't come as a surprise if the state would try something like that - with the excuse that the taxes should have been challenged by the retirees years ago.
Virginia says it's low on funds and a pay-back would be a hardship. It would not, if we had capable people in high places to manage the proper distribution of the taxes, leaving some surplus for emergencies. "Obligate and spend all monies before they are received" seems to be our legislature's byword.
A candidate for governor mentioned a possible pay-back over five years, but he fails to realize that perhaps 40 percent of the retirees would die in the meantime and never would see justice done.
What's right is right, so the saying goes. This is Virginia's chance to show the rest of the nation that it has people of integrity in Richmond - by giving back ill-gotten gains. It's not as if the retirees were stealing the money, but a matter of what is honestly due them.
Regardless of any hardship on our part, how far would you and I get if we owed a dollar of tax money and tried to withhold it?
Come now, Virginia, dry up those alligator tears and do what is honest for your people who helped make this a great state.
ROGER MITCHELL\ BLUE RIDGE
by CNB