Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 6, 1995 TAG: 9503080010
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In another area of the city's ``child-support system,'' Salem has always demonstrated its knowledge of the role sports participation plays in guiding our kids in the right direction. We have our much-envied football stadium, the always-busy Moyer Complex, and the under-construction baseball stadium, as well as all the other fine facilities for sports in Salem.
All these endeavors, though primarily for the enjoyment of kids and families, have the serendipitous secondary effect of developing life-long habits of constructive recreation. In other words, keeping kids off the streets by providing rewarding sources of recreation.
I learned recently that Salem this year is beginning to subsidize the AAU basketball fees, thus making AAU more affordable and available to more students. This is just another indication of the support Salem provides in teaching our children ``the right stuff.''
Rah, rah for Salem, again!
JUDY PERDUE SALEM
Look for creative genius on The Lawn
I NOTE that University of Virginia administrators have decided to upgrade the image of the institution by contracting with a New York agency to redesign the Cavalier logo. This article (Feb. 17, ``Cavalier logo to get attitude adjustment'') was obviously an early April Fool's prank on the part of the Associated Press.
Surely, the UVa administration wouldn't exhibit such a cavalier attitude about the allocation of scarce education funds. I even suspect that UVa has a few creative graphic artists on campus who could handle the logo project. Or does our state university suffer from an intellectual inferiority complex when faced with such a creative challenge?
I think Thomas Jefferson wouldn't be pleased.
ALVIN DeLONG ROANOKE
Correction
A sentence in Samuel J. Wallin's March 3 letter to the editor (``Minorities affected by charter schools'') should have read, ``As expected, the big losers are our minority students, often belonging to families lacking the resources to vote with their feet.''
Quit the gabbing; make the cuts
DEMOCRATIC and Republican politicians are talking themselves hoarse on the need to balance the federal budget. They accuse each other of not telling how to do it, but promise not to cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid payments.
Retirees also feel such payments shouldn't be cut, recalling deductions made in their paychecks when they worked. They did contribute, but not enough for an actuarially sound retirement fund. They never contributed for periodic cost-of-living adjustments they received after retiring. So now that Uncle Sam is hard up, why shouldn't they be willing to take a cut along with everyone else?
I suggest that members of Congress stop debating the issue and simply cut all funded items (including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid) by equal percentages to reduce the deficit to zero now.
Congress hasn't balanced the budget but eight times since 1946. If such extravagance continues much longer, the dollar will depreciate even faster. Ultimately, we'll have to default on our bonds. The situation is critical now, but there's still time to reverse the slide into bankruptcy if everyone tightens the belt. That may hurt a bit until the economy adjusts itself, but reverting to a sound, fiscal policy will prevent a complete collapse.
Cutting all appropriations equally was how Virginia and the United States reduced their budgets in the Depression of the '30s. I remember that state employees got a 20 percent pay cut, and federal employees a 5 percent pay cut.
All taxpayers and politicians are in this economic morass together. People have enough common sense to accept what must be done to avoid national bankruptcy. They balance their own budgets. We need courageous, political leaders, and a third political party for all contrarians.
DAN H. PLETTA BLACKSBURG
by CNB