Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 3, 1995 TAG: 9504050052
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Hodge said that he would have to raise salaries of other county employees in the same pay grade. When was the last time a solid-waste operations supervisor, a park-maintenance supervisor or a branch librarian had to respond to a domestic-violence call or any dangerous situation? The police are involved in high-risk dangerous situations on a daily basis, and for the county administrator or Board of Supervisors to compare the police with other county employees is ridiculous.
Solution: Have a separate pay-grade system for police. If officials can't see that, then maybe it's time that Roanoke County had a new administrator and elected new members to the Board of Supervisors.
WALTER G. KUGELMAN JR.
ROANOKE
First, America, pay the bills
LET'S forget about tax cuts for now. Most of us are doing OK. And the truth is, Americans are not overtaxed - the incessant complaints of the greedy notwithstanding.
Let's pay the bills first, take care of the environment and the nation's infrastructure, and then we can start thinking about trimming taxes. We owe this to our kids and our grandchildren.
BILL WOODS
BEDFORD
No support for immoral services
KATHRYN HAYNIE'S defense of Planned Parenthood and its abortion services (March 18 letter to the editor, ``Planned Parenthood prevents unwanted pregnancies'') brings to mind an important question: What does one do when an organization provides a morally mixed bag of services? Accept the bad in order to get the good, as Haynie suggests abortion opponents do, or reject the good along with the bad in order to get rid of the bad?
One's moral integrity is compromised by supporting an organization that provides immoral services, despite the value of any other service it may provide. The proper response is to withdraw support, especially financially. Support should be given to organizations that provide only morally acceptable services.
One's moral integrity is also compromised by giving to umbrella charitable organizations that, in turn, give funds to organizations that provide immoral services, even if the funds from the umbrella charitable organization are targeted to support only the morally acceptable services.
By all means, give to charity. Be generous. Don't give to any organization unless you're absolutely certain that it will not do anything immoral with it or allow it to use other resources to provide immoral services.
JEFFREY S. LEHMANN
ROANOKE
Help companies provide more jobs
ALL ACROSS the country, people are crying out to cut welfare spending and make people work for a living. At the same time, people have lost jobs and are still losing them at ``leaner and meaner'' companies. So workers at these companies are working harder while paying taxes to support those who lie around watching television. Put them to work! We could use some help. Subsidize these companies so they can hire more help. This may not reduce spending, but we'd get something for our money - help!
These leaner and meaner companies also could use some help. I bet quality is suffering because processes are being eliminated on production lines. I bet customer service is suffering, too, and a lot of things that should be done aren't being done. Jobs are there - we just need to connect people to them.
How can we make subsidies fair and eliminate fraud? It's about time the politicians in Washington figured something out. I will say this: I'm more disturbed by the conduct of our leaders in Washington than I am by welfare cheaters.
HAROLD M. MORRIS
ROCKY MOUNT
by CNB