Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 10, 1995 TAG: 9503150019
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
I'm not a University of Virginia graduate, but I do like the school and its ``serious'' logo. (I like Virginia Tech also, but check out the 'tude on that Gobbler.) I've seen a ``laughing Cavalier,'' and think it a celebratory visage, but perhaps not appropriate when a more formidable demeanor is desired.
Regard, if you will, the countenance of the ``serious Cavalier.'' His head is tilted slightly back and to the side. He's alert, and sizing you up. See the firm, set jaw. He's resolute. His eyes are direct; eyebrows lowered; lips drawn down in a tight, no-nonsense frown. His expression says to his opponents: "To get where you want to go, you must first get by me. En garde!''
I suppose what's needed is a logo between severe and happy-go-lucky - P.C. A straight line for his mouth, and you might have a perplexed Cavalier. A Mona Lisa smile results in an enigmatic look; a wry grin might be mistaken for a leering glare. It's gotta' be nonsexist and nonthreatening. He shouldn't appear aloof or arrogant, and a gay Cavalier would please some and not others. Would a gallant, courageous Cavalier open his mouth as if to yodel?
I've been silly and had my fun. Shall the bold Cavalier become undone?
RAY C. BARNES
ROANOKE
Virginians need to thank Democrats
ALL VIRGINIANS owe Democrats in the House of Delegates a vote of thanks for their responsible action in voting against the unpopular budget cuts proposed by Gov. Allen. I hope voters will cast that vote of thanks in the November elections.
Republican Allen, who seems to have hopes of national office, had proposed severe cuts in Virginia Tech's Extension Service (including 4-H programs), in mental-health and substance-abuse programs in smaller localities such as the Lexington-Rockbridge area and the Alleghany Highlands, and in Virginia's much-respected system of higher education.
Republicans in the House, along with the governor, urged a vote on these cuts - never suspecting that they'd get it, but they did.
The Democrats found a way to expose the hypocrisy of Republican rhetoric (Feb. 10 article, "House axes cuts to budget"). If Republicans had really wanted a vote on the proposals, it wasn't evident since none of them voted for the governor's package. These proposed cuts were nothing more than a political gimmick that Republicans did not expect to have to vote on.
So thank you to Majority Leader Dick Cranwell and Co. for continuing to have the wisdom and courage to do what's right for Virginia.
NANALOU W. SAUDER
LEXINGTON
Minimum wage must be `livable'
I'M NOT qualified to give an opinion on managed economy as Paul W. Nordt has in his Feb. 21 letter to the editor (``Managed economies don't work''). He was fortunate to get employment at 50 cents per hour in 1935. Many qualified engineers were unemployed that year.
If Nordt will check with the U.S. Labor Department, he'll find the minimum wage wasn't 50 cents per hour in 1935, and there was no minimum wage until 1938. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 set the minimum wage at 25 cents per hour. Many large employers paid a high percentage of their employees only 25 cents an hour in 1938.
The National Industrial Recovery Act, passed by Congress in 1933 and declared unconstitutional in 1935, gave the president authority to regulate wages and hours in some industries. The NRA-Blue Eagle helped to stop sweatshops and unfair labor practices in many industries, and was the reason the 12- and 14-hour work day was stopped.
The dictionary defines minimum wage as a living wage. I suggest anyone objecting to a $5 minimum wage try living for one month on $200 per week and then reconsider their objections.
BENTON CLEAR
VINTON
Local `Virginians' give a super show
ANYONE STAYING home on Feb. 25 instead of being at the Roanoke Civic Center for Stan Kingma's Virginians missed a treat! It's difficult to point to any one portion of the program and tout it as my favorite, but I'll admit to a special soft spot for the Roanoke College Children's Choir. The children were articulate, poised, musically well-controlled and well-trained. Michael Brown was a delight in his own right, as well as a fun addition to the choir.
Ms. Virginia Senior Citizen, Danice Hunt, defied the senior citizen image in every way - great talent, super figure, and an apparent infectious personality.
Kingma has a great show! To think that his performers are individuals in the valley who work on our cars, handle our banking and investment needs, clean and drill our teeth, build our homes, or carry our mail made the entire performance feel personal - as if it belonged to me, and to us, the audience.
I loved it, and hope for more. The amount of work that went into such a production was obvious only in its superior success. More. More.
BETTY G. PRICE
ROANOKE
by CNB