Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 21, 1994 TAG: 9402210326
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
``I have a right to kill myself if I want to,'' says Tom Lowery, a drug addict who complains about the proposed increase (Feb. 9 news article by staff writer Megan Schnabel, ``Tax plan steams smokers''). Well, I'm sure Jack Kevorkian would agree, but we Americans have a right to tax his means of suicide, especially since his drug use drives up the cost of health care for people who have a stronger drive for self-preservation.
Now, don't get me wrong. Although I hate to breathe their smoke, I don't totally condemn these addicts. Many good people use this drug and have a legal right to do so. I'm just fed up with their complaining. They should consider themselves lucky. Many drug addicts risk imprisonment to use their favorite drugs, so what's 99 cents a pack? Just stop crying, nicotine heads, take a long drag and relax.
JACK SPRAKER
SALEM
SPCA board puts egos first
I'M OUTRAGED at recent actions of the board of directors of the Roanoke Valley Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Board members demoted, then fired, the shelter administrator for speaking out against animal abuse. They disregarded proxy votes against them, but counted proxy votes for them in the recent election. Now they've fired the adoption counselor and humane educator.
The board's actions do not appear to be in the best interest of the animals or the SPCA, but in the best interest of a few large egos.
In the past year, the SPCA took a giant leap forward with its active volunteer program, membership drive, shelter improvements and education program. Its reputation had improved dramatically. These steps happened because of a few who were willing to work at the shelter for very low pay and in poor working conditions, or to give generously of their time, energy and talents for no pay and without self-serving motives. These people should be commended, not criticized and punished.
I call on the board to put aside personalities and egos and do what's best for the animals. Call a new election so that all members can choose who will direct the SPCA's future.
BOBBI A. HOFFMAN
ROANOKE
Other ethnic groups are recognized
IN THE FEB. 4 edition of this newspaper's editorial section, Jonathan D. McNeil decried the recognition of Black History Month (letter to the editor, ``Celebrate history of all Americans''). His remarks demonstrated a willingness to speak his mind on subjects about which he doesn't have adequate knowledge.
He inaccurately stated that Black History Month shouldn't be observed because other ethnic groups aren't recognized in similar fashion. There is, however, a National Hispanic Heritage Month in October. There are numerous celebrations of various ethnic groups. Saint Patrick's Day, for example, is one of the most prominent. Those who choose not to observe such events simply ignore them, yet individuals like McNeil feel compelled to publicly bemoan the existence of Black History Month.
He implied that African-Americans are undisciplined, lazy complainers. The purpose of Black History Month is to disprove this notion by focusing on African-Americans' achievements.
He referred to Asians as ``Orientals'' and blacks as ``Negroes.'' These words are generally regarded as outdated and inappropriate references for the above-mentioned groups. If McNeil intends to write about such things, the least he can do is use correct terminology.
DELL R. LIPSCOMB
ROANOKE
Why the delay in sentencing?
I READ the Feb. 2 news article by staff writer Laurence Hammack, ``Cranwell son gets no jail.'' It's a mystery to me why it's taken so long to make a decision on a simple driving-under-the-influence charge. The younger Cranwell was, according to this newspaper, caught twice in the past five years for drunken driving.
From this same news article, we learn that House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell has pushed for jail time for all convicted of driving-under-the- influence charges. I'm sure he didn't think his son would be one. But why should his son be exempt from a law everyone else has to obey? I'm quite sure if it had been a Moran, Altice or any other common name, Judge Robert Colby of Alexandria wouldn't have hesitated to set the sentence on day one.
This case shows the average citizen that it's not what you are but who you are that decides your punishment.
DEE MORAN
BOONES MILL
Increase workload for schoolchildren
I WAS appalled to read Tony Williams' Feb. 8 letter to the editor, ``Liberalize the 180-day mandate.'' He proposes to create a law that would open public schools later in the year and close them sooner. The last thing this country needs is to liberalize anything. Our educational system is failing because of liberal policies.
Children need an education specializing in math and science much more than they need a summer job or vacation time. We've fallen behind countries like Japan, Korea and China because we're losing our work ethic. We need to reverse this trend.
Increasing the length of the school year to 250 days (and increasing the workload accordingly) would be a great start. Education should become our top priority. Children need to learn respect, discipline and hard work in school. We must not expect anything less than excellence if we're to keep America competitive. We've fallen behind, and if we don't start making up for it now, we never will.
People of the Roanoke Valley, you'll be doing your children and country a grave disservice if you lighten their burden so that they can have ``fun.'' Children may complain in the short term, but that's because they don't yet understand what's best for them. Apparently, neither does Williams.
BRIAN WILLIAMS
BLACKSBURG
how do you spell relief?
MONTY Leitch's Feb. 7 commentary column (``So convinced, you're mistaken'') about misspelling environment was extremely interesting. Of course, the reason she used the misspelling, ``enviornment,'' is that she had always heard the word mispronounced that way.
The pronunciation of the English language is, alas, degenerating to a point here in America that we're now speaking a different dialect. TV announcers, who should know better, routinely come up with sentences such as ``The tempecher for the next few days will be below normal due to an artic air mass, common for Febuary.'' If I hear ``liberry'' one more time, I'll scream. A letter to the editor I once sent to a magazine was re-edited so that ``hale and hearty'' became ``hale and hardy.'' And ``i'' and ``e'' are routinely interchanged, as in ``all the min drank a glass of melk.'' No wonder we can't spell - so much for phonics!
Other daily irritations include the confusion between verbs and nouns as in ``perMIT'' and ``PERmit,'' or between verbs and adjectives as in ``freQUENT'' and ``FREquent,'' not to mention homophonic slaughter. Even in major newspapers and official university documents, I read things such as ``fees will be waved for students'' and ``the eminent retirement of the dean is affecting the moral of the faculty.'' Of course, many of these words wouldn't be homophonic if we only pronounced them correctly.
Out and out malapropisms aren't so frequent but very amusing. On National Public Radio recently, I heard ``emanations from the walls and ceilings of a room might exasperate respiratory illness.'' Well, I'm exasperated!
But not with Ms. Leitch! Every Monday I turn first to the Commentary page to see what her cat's doing, if the deer are grazing in her yard, which birds she's seen and, in general, how things are going in Floyd. It's enough to make us forget, if only momentarily, that later in the week we'll be subjected to the maniacal ravings of Cal Thomas.
PAUL F. ZWEIFEL
BLACKSBURG
Proposed bill may not save lives
WILL THE provision in a House bill that lowers the blood-alcohol level from 0.10 to 0.08 for a drunken-driving conviction save lives, or will it compound the drunken-driving problem?
Let's zero in on individuals who are actually causing the carnage on the highways and measures that would be most effective in waging the war against them.
WILLIAM. D. LILLARD
ROANOKE
by CNB