Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 11, 1994 TAG: 9404120004
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Why is it unfair to center on the cigarette tax, which will help pay for health-security reform? Smokers disproportionately use publicly supported health facilities; many get free care in emergency rooms because they're uninsured. The free ride's coming to an end. If smoking cigarettes hasn't been proved harmful, as the industry likes to disingenuously say, tell that to insurance companies that give discounts to nonsmokers who're lower risks than smokers. Insurance companies don't fool around when it comes to money.
As to higher excise taxes damaging the industry and related economy, I take that with a grain of salt. The industry's reaping good profits from export sales to make up for any loss of domestic sales. Some smokers always drop off when taxes on the weed are raised, but not many - because most are addicted to nicotine. And, along comes a new crop of smokers among youth, who see only young, svelte and virile smokers in ads (not directed at youth, the industry says).
A tobacco-industry spokesperson appeared on television twice in March and said nicotine is nonaddictive. But nicotine, a toxic alkaloid drug, is chemically a sister drug to cocaine and heroin, both of which are arguably addictive. All three drugs have similar detrimental psychological effects on humans. Also, addiction to nicotine has been demonstrated in laboratory animals. Attempts to cease the habit result in severe trauma. Ask anyone who's tried to quit, and failed. Even now, there are millions dying, some literally, to quit and cannot. Those who succeed are very glad.
Nicotine is the only uncontrolled addictive toxic drug I know of in the United States. It isn't a matter of if the Food and Drug Administration will control nicotine consumption, only when.
LEONARD J. UTTAL
BLACKSBURG
Song's sentiments aren't representative
RESPONDING to Thomas N. Hutson's March 17 letter to the editor, ``Sanitized lyrics just don't sing'': No, I don't feel as if I were ``Alice in the looking glass.''
I was always told that a former slave had written this song. I understand how a freed human being living in an unfamiliar world, untrained for life away from the plantation, and receiving many cold shoulders and barbed comments, could long for familiar life.
``Old Massa'' may have been a kind man who'd leave the harsher disciplines of slavery to his overseer, but he was a human being owning other human beings who were worked and sold like animals. They were forbidden to learn how to read, and were wrenched from family members at the drop of a ``gentleman's handshake.'' None of us now has an excuse to consider this way of life acceptable. The rich will always have servants, but there's a difference between paid servants with a life of their own and a commodity with no considered reason for being other than to do whatever one's bidden without question or raising one's eyes to the order-giver.
Our state has many lovely and inspiring attributes about which we may sing and have a warm feeling - beaches, mountains, historical homes, etc. We have many outstanding schools, national parks, caverns, theaters, etc. Thankfully, these places may be shared by all who choose to visit our state.
The ``Virginia Is for Lovers'' slogan brought our state to worldwide prominence several years ago, and identifies us wherever it's seen or heard. Why can't we think about this and revel in the rich diversity of our neighbors, rather than keep a death grip on our mental status quo concerning people and traditions?
To preserve this song as a historical document may be important, but to continue to have it represent us to the world is a flawed idea.
MARTHA A. GLADDEN
SALEM
Cages aren't natural habitat
IN SPITE of my devotion to animals, I'm not a fan of zoos. However, in the past few years, drastic changes have taken place in the philosophy of the zoological parks and they've been taken out of the realm of profit-makers and put under control of worldwide and locally supported organizations.
When I saw an ad (``Come see the live leopards in our gift shop'') is when I realized there was a Natural Bridge Zoo. And nothing I've heard since has improved this bad impression. I'll not criticize what I haven't seen, but I do wonder why the numbers don't add up.
It's expensive to give domesticated pets a good life. No amount of food and medical care can make up to exotic animals that their cage isn't a habitat. At least with scenery matching their original home, they live longer and don't spend days restless and pacing.
Karl Mogensen, owner of the Natural Bridge Zoo, may be well-intentioned and his animals may be given basic needs, but these exhibits don't teach us what we should learn about Africa, Asia and lands we haven't seen. If you went to India and saw elephants in their natural state, you wouldn't see them with people on their backs.
A number of exotic animals are bred in captivity, and the natural homes for others have been destroyed. Their continued existence is threatened, so custodial care will be necessary for a number of years. This costs a great deal, and a profit-making business trying to keep exotic animals in the right way and charge an affordable fee will go broke. It's like trying to teach a pig to sing. It can't be done and it annoys the pig.
SUE COLLINS
ROANOKE
Addressing needs of disabled children
IT'S ENCOURAGING to see that unmet needs of children who are classified as disabled are being met.
I read with interest the March 12 news article (``School program under scrutiny'' by staff writer Joel Turner) about the Special Education Advisory Board bringing these concerns to the Roanoke County School Board.
I work in a voluntary capacity with a person who has a disability. Also, a woman I work with has a child with a disability. These families encounter many problems the rest of us don't have to face. For example, the woman I work with has encountered many problems with transportation in the past few years.
It's good to see that some of the unmet needs of the disabled are being addressed by the Roanoke County School Board, and I hope other area school boards will also take a long look into these needs.
ANITA H. BANDY
ROANOKE
Self-insure to keep health costs low
THE OBJECTIVE of health insurance is that each person pay his or her portion of the total cost, including administration expenses, and that all have full health coverage. Like many idealistic theories, this sounds good, as does socialism.
To obtain minimum health costs during a lifetime, one should self-insure. If you're of average health, you'll pay your proportional share of health costs, but will save the 10 percent to 12 percent administrative expenses charged by insurance companies. (Administrative expenses would be a considerably greater percentage if government attempts to run the health-care system.)
If one isn't the type who will self-insure, but wants to minimize health costs, then insure with a company that screens its applicants and will not insure those whose way of life makes them a high health risk (smokers, alcoholics, homosexuals, etc.).
To quote our presidents's wife when questioned about Whitewater: ``We did the very best we could with what we knew.'' Let's pray that our lawmakers are aware of Hillary's limitations.
JACK F. HANKINS
MARTINSVILLE
Low-pay jobs won't cover losses
LORINDA Lionberger of the Commonwealth Transportation Board said that she was ``very in-tune with the questions and concerns of people in Blacksburg and Giles County,'' after the board approved the U.S. 460/U.S. 220 routing of Interstate 73 recently. (March 18 news article by staff writer Greg Edwards, ``U.S. 460/U.S. 220 chosen for interstate.'') Yet she was completely out of tune with considerable local opposition to routing I-73 through Montgomery and Giles counties, and seemed most interested in the supposed benefits of upgrading U.S. 220 south of Roanoke. Her ``eloquent argument'' looked like unusually eloquent politics.
What frightens me about this rush job is the open acknowledgement that nothing counts but jobs (illusory though they may be). The corridor shown on the map in this newspaper on March 18 would seriously impact the recreational area around Pandapas Pond in Poverty Hollow, which is already affected by highway runoff. It apparently would also obliterate or compromise the Nature Conservancy's Bottom Creek Gorge Preserve. A few minimum-wage jobs in interchange fast-food restaurants can scarcely make up for those losses. If improving U.S. 220 is really going to save Roanoke from certain doom, then by all means do it. But don't carve up Montgomery and Giles in the process.
DAVID A. WEST
BLACKSBURG
by CNB