Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 12, 1994 TAG: 9411150021
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Elite liberals among us have tried unsuccessfully to stem the increase in illegitimate children, or to nullify the Second Amendment to the U. S. Constitution that guarantees ``the right of the people to bear arms.''
These elitists promoted sex education for schoolchildren, and at times even recommended abstinence. Or they planned to ``Disarm the thugs before they can commit the crimes'' (Oct. 24 letter to the editor by Craig V. VanSandt).
Missing from all this rhetoric is the will to provide welfare only for married teen-aged mothers, and to dust off the withered social custom of shotgun weddings. Let's forget about Uzis and .44 magnum handguns, but have the National Rifle Association distribute shotguns to all parents of teen-age daughters, teach parents how to use them safely, and insist that any unmarried parents marry or forgo welfare.
Shotgun weddings worked well up to 50 years ago, as statistics cited above indicate. Oh, for those good old days.
DAN H. PLETTA BLACKSBURG
Calling it like it is - a sin
REGARDING Chuck King's Oct. 25 letter to the editor ``Passing judgment on diversity'':
Jesus doesn't consider homosexuality a ``diversity.'' He calls it sin. The same Jesus who ate with sinners also called them to repent from their sins. He didn't make any excuses for sin, and neither should we.
Christians are constantly being cut down for ``judging'' people, but we're only passing along the truth. God judged all of humankind's actions a long time ago, and told us straight up what he says is right and wrong. Jesus came down from heaven to teach us these truths that were already judged by God. We're only trying to follow our savior's example of hating the sin but loving the sinner.
ANGIE THOMPSON BLACKSBURG
Give Reagan credit for economic gains
FOR THE enlightenment of your editorial staff and others eager to trash the Reagan years, the following is provided:
Myth: During those years, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. Fact: The fraction of those living under the poverty level fell from 15.2 percent (1983) to 12.8 percent (1989). And while the rich may have become richer, their share of all income taxes paid, after the Tax Reform Act of 1986, soared from 29 percent (1986) to 35.9 percent (1989).
Myth: Most of the 19 million jobs created during the '80s were of the dead-end, burger-flipper variety. Fact: Eighty-two percent of jobs created during the Reagan recovery were in higher-paying, higher-skilled occupations.
Myth: The middle class was being squeezed out of existence. Fact: From 1982 to 1989, real median income went up 12.5 percent.
Myth: The 1981 tax cut, along with increased defense spending, caused the $1.3 trillion deficit. Fact: The immediate result of any tax cut is the loss of revenue. However, the long-range result was a rebounding economy that saw revenues nearly doubled, and an unprecedented eight-year expansion. Reagan and the Democrat-controlled Congress share responsibility for the fact that spending wasn't brought under control.
Reagan inherited an economy with an unemployment rate of 7.4 percent, on its way up to 9.2 percent. Double-digit inflation had pushed interest rates to more than 20 percent. Pre-tax income of the average American family had been dropping since 1976. Two years into his presidency, the economy began to recover. By 1989, inflation had fallen to 4 percent, and unemployment to 5.2 percent. The recovery resulted in the longest peacetime expansion in our history. This achievement has been buried under a pack of lies by those who resort to substituting cliches for facts.
ROBERT H. PHILLIPS
MONETA
Racist attitudes are plainly stupid
FLAGS AND symbols don't cause hatred and racism, and banning such items will not rid our world of either. People will always find ways of expressing themselves.
The past is in the past, and we cannot change history. The Confederate flag played a big role in the history of the United States. If you don't like it, don't fly it. Just ignore it.
The flag can do no harm, but people can. There are plenty of people on both sides of the racial fence doing harm.
Jeff Artis, author of the Oct. 26 letter to the editor ``Holding on to flag-draped fantasy,'' tries to write an intelligent letter. But through calling a group of people ``rednecks,'' he let his true racist self show. Racism isn't intelligent; it's plain stupidity.
KEVIN TOPPING BEDFORD
by CNB