Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 25, 1993 TAG: 9310150355
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The article brings an important (make that vital) issue out of the shadows and into the light. My hope is that the article gets the wide readership it deserves. This is exactly what the adage about knowledge being power, attends to: good decisions spring from good knowledge. Our knowledge on this subject is still imperfect, but is vastly improved, thanks to you.
I understand Yancey's reason for excluding population growth from the equation, but I feel that begs a question. Can you have economic growth without population growth? If so, other than the ones Rusk gave, what examples are there? How can a community increase its wealth without expanding its market?
It was enlightening to see the North Carolina phenomenon addressed by learned people. I worked in Charlotte in the '60s and noted at that time that there was something very different happening there. I deduced that it was the banks that were the root cause of the difference. They would take a risk, whereas Virginia banks, like its government, were ultra-conservative. As Persky points out in the article, North Carolina's state government was also liberal. Can you have a conservative state government but a liberal banking system? I ask this because I think Virginians would like that combination.
For many years, the word in the business world has been "grow or die." I would be inclined to say that if that's true for business, it's also true for cities. If it is, then to paraphrase a famous Virginian, "I know not what course other men may follow, but as for me, give me economic growth or give me death."
J. RICHARD BROWN
ROANOKE
No fast lanes at DMV office RECENTLY, I had the experience of doing business at the new and improved Department of Motor Vehicles office at Crossroads Mall. My need was not license renewal and thus I was unable to take care of my business via the mail service.
The day I went was an ordinary day. They were indeed busy. I stood in line for an hour waiting my turn. Unluckily, I had chosen a slow line. I watched some move a little faster than the one I was in. However, watching others who were standing in line (and who were making fun of their predicaments), I did not feel it would be of advantage to line-hop. We were all in the same situation, as it were.
As I stood there, I became more uncomfortable. My back ached as the minutes crawled by. I stood on one foot and then the other. I leaned this way and that.
My point: Many people go through this office; they have to. They are young, old, able-bodied and impaired. My concern are for those not able to withstand this endurance test. My mother is one of these. By all appearances, no one could ascertain her discomfort of standing. After her back injuries and operations, I assure you her ability to pass the new DMV requirement of The Line-Standing Endurance Test is hazardous to her health. Can a solution be found?
JEANNE M. DOOLEY
MONTVALE
Giving hunting its rightful due
FEW WILL argue that hunting and fishing have been valued American traditions. But, increasingly today, there are those who argue that these sports have outlived their relevance and should go the way of the dinosaur and the horse and buggy.
For anyone familiar with the role of the sportsman in shaping and driving our nation's conservation movement, an end to the hunting tradition in America is an alarming and discouraging thought.
It was an avid hunter and outdoorsman, Theodore Roosevelt, who helped to launch the conservation movement. President Roosevelt established the nation's first national wildlife refuge and, since that time, hunters and anglers have followed his lead, supporting special license fees and taxes on equipment to fund conservation efforts. Over the years, this group of Americans has contributed more than $17 billion to wildlife management and environmental- protection programs, which, in turn, have led to the remarkable resurgence of many native species of wildlife, including the whitetail deer, the wood duck, wild turkey and elk.
For various and complex reasons, sportsmen like ourselves often have an immediate and intense reaction to anyone who questions the validity of the hunting tradition. This reaction is often expressed in an energetic, and often counterproductive, refusal to adapt to change. In the struggles for public opinion and acceptance, however, intransigence rarely wins the day.
As hunters, we have the responsibility to be honest in our approach to the current debate on the hunting tradition and in admitting our imperfections. We continue to do all we can to eliminate the abuses committed by a few people who profess to be hunters, but who are, in fact, not worthy of our hunting tradition. In return, our opponents should do the responsible thing by acknowledging our past conservation accomplishments - as do most major conservation organizations - and admit the legitimacy of our presence in the outdoors.
Hunting in America is, indeed, a tradition in transition ... and a tradition worth preserving.
SCOTT E. STAELGRAEVE
MICHAEL J. TONKOVICH
BLACKSBURG
by CNB