Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 12, 1995 TAG: 9509120006
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Both cited how worried workers are about the permanence of their jobs or about the lifelong strain to retrain themselves for the ever-changing marketplace. Both cite the need for public debate ``how to share the productivity gains'' equitably, and for ``policies ... quickening the transition to higher-skilled, higher-wage work.'' Both, I believe, overlook one long-term constraint.
Ever since the industrial revolution started about 300 years ago, the work week has decreased as labor became more mechanized. Ultimately, maybe this robot will produce all goods and services. Then there will be no need for workers to work at all. The problem now is how to educate them to enjoy the leisure they will have then.
Watching television or participating in athletics will not suffice. What will? Can we be educated for such ``elite labor'' without revolting?
DAN H. PLETTA
BLACKSBURG
Articles need to be family sensitive
AS A concerned parent, I write with regard to the content of some of your news stories. This concern has heightened as my children have gotten older and become daily readers of your newspaper. I've found that monitoring the appropriateness of a given television program is easier than monitoring some of your material.
My ``monitoring'' consists of clipping out certain articles or throwing away whole sections of your newspaper in order to limit the exposure of my 14-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter to some materials.
I believe it's important for our children to be aware of local, regional, national and world issues to be informed individuals. Discussion of issues or events provides wonderful opportunities for shaping their world views and nurturing their developing value system. However, it's my responsibility as a father to protect them from information that's inappropriate for their ages or blatantly offensive.
There has been much talk in the past few years about ``family values,'' and recently the concept of family-sensitive television programming has evolved. I encourage you to consider making The Roanoke Times a family-sensitive newspaper by doing the following:
Place all articles that deal with sensitive material (e.g., murder, rape, sodomy, molestation, abuse or other violent acts) in a separate section that would be identified as ``PG.'' This way, parents would have the option of deleting this material if they desire.
Consider including some of your movie reviews in this PG section since many movies today have sensitive material in them. Consider moving the Ann Landers column to this same section, because some of her material is inappropriate for school-age children who are viewing adjacent cartoons in the Extra section.
I realize these recommendations could be costly, but often doing the honorable thing is costly or inconvenient. I would appreciate your giving serious consideration to becoming a family-sensitive newspaper.
AUSTIN SPRUILL
ROANOKE
Looking forward to the move
BETH Macy's essay (Aug. 13, ``What will hook you on the valley'') on things that make Roanoke Roanoke had both my wife and me reaching for the box of tissues. And we don't even live there.
We've been hoping to relocate to the Roanoke Valley, and we keep hearing good things about it. That people simply love living there came across so clearly in her article. Macy spurred us on to overlook the temporary stresses of finding a job, preparing to move, and saying goodbye to old friends.
PAUL M. JOHNSON, JR.
POTTSTOWN, PA.
Young people - then and now
YOUR Sept. 4 newspaper showed the picture of four bored, depressed young people at the Roanoke City Market (``Somewhere to hang''). We all wonder what can be done about it. You also had information on workers, jobs, etc. For example, in 50 years, farm production has grown 63 percent while labor used declined 89 percent.
Young people of 50 years ago also had problems. I remember three of high-school age I talked to. One was painting on the school grounds. When I said he was learning to do something to make a living, he said, ``I'm not interested in the learning, just the money. People aren't supposed to work, machinery is going to do all the work.'' Another had no job. When I suggested he apply for government job-training money, he said, ``My brother tried that, and they made him get up in the morning.''
Welfare doesn't make you get up in the morning. The youngest boy was in an old building with little furniture, no food and no other people. He evidently lived with his father who was in jail, drunk. The boy was very worried and depressed, but wouldn't leave.
Young people today are desperately trying to build up their egos. Families don't stay together, and more young people have to be on their own. Most activities require money. Welfare has made women less afraid of sex. (Control of syphilis has helped. Venereal disease did much more damage than AIDS.) Girls with jobs don't get married as early and are available.
Schools also tend to make pupils poor scholars. Some countries award good achievements.
LUKE W. FRAME
BLACKSBURG
The poor fear GOP leadership
I HAVE never read anything as disgusting as the Aug. 31 letter to the editor (``Getting over the Clinton sickness'') from Robert M. Felton of Roanoke. Getting over the Clinton sickness is so dumb.
Clinton is under a lot of pressure by a bunch of cutthroat Republicans. They care about no one but themselves and their almighty powers. I say God help us all, especially the poor. The only time poor people have ever had a chance at any gain has been in Democrats' times and under Democratic leadership.
In my eyes, the Republicans are for the rich people only. They also want people to think they're God-fearing people when they're not. God doesn't want us to talk mean and show hate for anyone, and all Republicans do is put down the Democrats.
Bob Dole is the most impudent human being I've ever heard speak. I'm afraid our fate is pending.
FREDA M. JONES
WYTHEVILLE
A `see span' for the homeless
THERE have been a few letters to the editor that don't quite agree with the propaganda campaign to sell the ``trailer across the tracks'' [the glass bridge] as a great addition to the downtown area.
Roanoke Mayor David Bowers and Vice Mayor John Edwards ought to be embarrassed by the whole project.
I believe Edwards is running for higher office. He can run on the slogan, ``Elect me, and I will make sure everything the state builds will cost more than three times what I tell you it does, and I won't know why!''
I do believe the downtown crowd (the homeless) will love it this winter!
JEFF S. HERZOG-McBRYDE-BORTHEN
ROANOKE
by CNB