Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 30, 1995 TAG: 9511010005
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
You obviously aren't aware of what is happening in Botetourt since you didn't give credit to Wingo for initiating the strategic planning process for the county. The supervisors have already begun a strategic plan, as urged by her. It would seem, therefore, much too easy for someone who has lived in the district less time than Wingo has served on the board to have a plan that the board already has under way.
People of Blue Ridge know the kind of leader Wingo is, and how successfully she has represented the district. We know she:
Initiated the 911 system for Botetourt County.
Led the fight for the Blue Ridge Park.
Serves on the park committee.
Supports the recreation department and fire/rescue units.
Supports the county's education system.
Is working to improve teachers' salaries.
Aggressively seeks opportunities for economic development.
Continues to be accessible and responsive to Blue Ridge citizens.
On Nov. 7, we'll give our nod to Wingo for what we know she has done and will continue to do for citizens of our district.
SHERRY RUHLAND
TROUTVILLE
LOIS SWITZER
FINCASTLE
Editor's note: This letter was signed by two others.
Doctor-candidate is a patient advocate
JANET NILES, a director of medical utilization, is right: Newell Falkinburg shouldn't have referred to utilization managers as bimbos (Oct. 23 letter to the editor, ``Voters should reject Falkinburg'').
But I object to her taking the high moral ground in this argument. She assumes utilization managers enjoy patient trust because they're ``highly skilled professionals.'' Nothing could be further from the truth. These people, be they doctors, nurses or employees of insurance or health-maintenance organizations, aren't patient advocates. They're advocates for the system that puts money - profit - before the health and well-being of patients. Falkinburg may be guilty of calling people names, but more to the point, he's an advocate for patients.
Patient advocates don't defend a system that frightens patients, especially the elderly. Niles and her ilk are shameless in their attempts to convince patients that doctors cannot be trusted to treat and care for them.
Studies show that most patients voice confidence in, and even affinity for, their doctors. I have yet to see a study that says patients don't trust their doctors but do trust their utilization manager. Niles needs to stop worrying about the b-word and worry about the p-word, as in patients.
JO ANN LAMPROS
ROANOKE
Same old tired Republican rhetoric
EVERY YEAR at this time, I can count on the leaves to change color and fall from the trees, and on Republicans to beat their collective chests and scream their favorite four-letter word ``liberal.'' Oops, four letters, seven letters? Maybe I should go back to school for a refresher math course.
But seriously, folks, do we have to continually be pounded with the same tired, worn-out rhetoric about cutting the fat from government, standing tall against crime and pushing legal abortions to the back alleys? How about discussing some new issues like protecting Medicare and the environment, Social Security and providing Meals on Wheels for the homebound elderly?
It could be that Republicans have missed the whole point. It's possible the citizens of Roanoke like a little lard mixed in with the bacon that their elected officials should be bringing home to the district.
SHANNON G. ABELL
ROANOKE
A proposal reminiscent of massive resistance
BRANDON Bell, in his campaign ads, has labeled John Edwards a liar for daring to call Bell's pet project - charter schools - private schools. Though readings of Virginia Senate Bill 1037 and its ancestor SB 562 do say that charter schools would be public schools, do Bell and his Republican cohorts really believe that such a system would remain open to every child who applied to them? If, as during Virginia's days under massive resistance, persons or groups of persons are allowed to basically break away from the rules and principles governing other public schools (such as teacher-and-administrative licensing and accreditation), can Bell and his cohorts really believe students would receive a public, nonsectarian, nonreligious education?
Bell would have voters believe that charter schools would be the end of all troubles in children's education. He would have us believe that charter schools would be cheaper to run, better controlled and a godsend to parents. Well, excuse me, but education still costs real dollars that would have to come from the same dollars spent on public education today. Excuse me again, but who's doing the controlling? Might it be some of the same folks who formed all those nice neat ``academies'' during massive resistance? Will it be some religious group? Which one?
It seems to me that Edwards has hit the nail right on the head to call these charter schools private schools.
JOSEPH M. SANTOS
ROANOKE
Cranwell serves as a tourist draw
FOR YEARS I've feared that Southwest Virginia is losing its political power. As the populations in Northern Virginia and Tidewater continue to grow, our corner of the state may be ignored more and more.
My fears have been eased in recent months as the governor and his wife, the attorney general, numerous GOP legislators and leading Allen administration officials have all come to the Roanoke Valley to dump on Dick Cranwell. I never realized how influential and effective a legislator he is until those in Richmond and Northern Virginia started ganging up on him.
Just think of all the tourism dollars Cranwell has brought into the region from those folks visiting our valley this fall. More than the Blue Ridge Parkway or Explore Park, he may be our greatest attraction and our most important asset.
When legislators get together in Richmond this winter to make new laws, I hope they don't ignore or forget about Roanoke and Southwest Virginia. If they do, however, I'm confident Cranwell will be there to remind them.
JULIE NURSE
SALEM
It's not easy to be a housewife
IT IS time for Dick Cranwell to be held responsible, not only for what he did but for what he didn't do. I don't think being an attorney is an overly commendable attribute to be in public office. Many attorneys have perfected the art of taking a long time to tell you they have nothing to say. Isn't 15 years enough?
It's time for Cranwell to become a private citizen, and to live under some of the legislation he has passed. He has become a ``pass master'' at the art of taking our money, then giving it back and making us believe it's a gift. I'd rather be left on my own to make some discretionary spending decisions.
Did someone criticize Trixie Averill for being ``just a housewife, who could barely balance a check book''? Help me here. I'm just an old-fashioned guy who remembers when jokes couldn't be told in mixed company. Did someone say that ``all work and no pay makes a housewife''? Reminds me of my mother and my wife. Collectively they have raised nine children. Neither one of them ever wanted to improve the world. All they ever wanted to do was improve their families. That's a much harder task.
DANIEL F. DOMBROSKY
ROANOKE
Don't decide simply by party affiliation
POLITICIANS and politics are beginning to unravel my nerves. It has come to the point that you have to figure which is the biggest deceiver and vote for the lesser perpetrator of falsehoods.
Is the trouble with America Americans? Why in the past several years has it become a necessity to place adjectives before American? Why say Japanese-American, Italian-American, African-American, etc.? Just throw back your shoulders, swell out your chest and proudly proclaim to be an American!
I'm disturbed that certain potential voters are so obsessed with party affiliation. Just because my father drove a Studebaker doesn't mean I have to drive one the rest of my life. Individuals growing up in different habitats naturally have conflicting opinions.
Being a lifelong resident of Montgomery County, I urge voters to vote for candidates who have in mind the best interests of native Montgomery Countians.
JACK H. ATKINSON
SHAWSVILLE
Libraries and economic development
THE LIBRARY bond issue coming before Bedford County voters has some long-term implications for the area's future growth. It's a well-known fact that adequate library facilities are among many quality-of-life factors used by business and industry when evaluating an area as a potential location. And while the new library in Bedford city is a commendable start, it does little for the county's wide-open spaces as a whole.
What now passes for branch libraries in Stewartsville, Montvale, Big Island and Forest are inadequate. Passage of the bond issue would open up educational access for those in the county, but also send a message of progressive growth.
JOHN MUNIZ
FOREST
Falkinburg puts patients first
I OBJECT to accusations directed toward Dr. Newell Falkinburg, a partner and colleague, by Carilion Quality Management Director Janet Niles (Oct. 23 letter, ``Voters should reject Falkinburg'').
Countless Virginia physicians deal with the frustrations of utilization management in health care every day as we strive to remain the patient's advocate. No one - especially Falkinburg, who is past president of the Roanoke Valley Academy of Medicine - ``is ignorant about the managed-care industry.''
All too often, from a physician's and patient's perspective, utilization management translates to less care and greater health-maintenance organizations' profits. Often, patient care is denied or significantly altered by paraprofessionals (male or female) unfamiliar or uninterested in the true details of the case.
As the public, the consumers of health care, learns more about the utilization-management process, more people will share the attitude of Falkinburg and others who try to do their best for the patient, despite the pressures of the managed-care industry. It's to be hoped that the public will acquire this knowledge by Election Day.
F. JACKSON BALLENGER
ROANOKE
Retirees appreciate Thomas' efforts
VIC THOMAS has served his constituents well, and I urge 17th District voters to return him to the House of Delegates on Nov. 7.
Friendship Manor retirement-community residents and the administration have tried for years to have a traffic light installed on Hershberger Road. It's needed since all residents living on the road's south side must either walk, run or ride across to reach the residents' center on the north side. This is a dangerous situation, not only for pedestrians but for vehicles as well. Residents often stand for long periods before cars will stop to let them cross, in spite of signs and a painted crosswalk. There have been accidents, and it's fortunate that no one has been killed.
Now, largely through Thomas' efforts, a traffic light will soon be installed at the intersection of Hershberger and Florist roads. Funding for this project is being provided equally by Roanoke city, the Virginia Department of Highways and Friendship Manor.
I'm certain that I speak for all Friendship Manor residents when I say that we're most grateful to Thomas for his efforts in our behalf.
WILLIAM H. JORDAN
ROANOKE
Graybill will best serve the people
IN YOUR Oct. 20 editorial (``For supervisors in Botetourt''), you said that Paul Graybill ``offers little'' that the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors needs. How could you make such a statement after just one short interview, and not knowing all the facts?
I reside in the Valley district and have attended all the debates between Graybill and Bill Loope. Loope is a self-centered politician with only self-gain and political gain in mind. Graybill is an honest, straight-forward man who has pledged to the people that he'll do what they want. The choice is clear.
CHARLES E. AGEE
TROUTVILLE
Bell offers sound leadership on schools
SEN. BRANDON Bell has done, and is now doing, an outstanding job of representing the citizens of the Roanoke Valley in the General Assembly.
His parents were both school teachers, and from early childhood he was taught the importance of getting a good education. As the mother of two school-age children, I want them to learn the basics so that when they enter college they won't have to take remedial classes to be brought up to standards. For this reason and many other concerns that parents have about education, Brandon believes that state lottery money should be returned to the locality for education rather than being kept in Richmond and doled out as legislators see fit.
He's one of us, very easy to talk with and will listen with an open mind. Let's return a proven conservative leader on Nov. 7 who, we know, works hard for our families and businesses.
PRISCILLA VARNEY
ROANOKE
Specializing in anti-Allen news
YOUR ELECTION coverage is the most biased of any newspaper I've read in the country in the past 30 years. I don't mean your editorial pages. As a left-wing newspaper, it's legitimate to express left-wing opinions in your editorials. But as the only daily newspaper in the region, you have a responsibility to make your "straight news" as objective as possible - certainly around election time.
You do a lot of man-in-the-street interviews, for example. But everyone interviewed seems to be Democrat, liberal, anti-Allen. At best, they're Republicans who formerly supported Allen but who have changed their minds. It's hard to believe there aren't any Allen supporters in the area.
Your headline (Oct 20 article, ``True lies: Mail may deceive'') was about deceptive political literature in the mail. I question whether that was really the news story of the day. More importantly, as I went through the article candidate by candidate, it became clear that all Republicans lie and all Democrats tell the truth. Your advice? Throw political mailings in the trash. You must think your readers are children.
On Oct 22, a front-page article was titled "Consumer protection falls under budget ax." A bit alarmist when the truth is that the Consumer Affairs Office was reduced, not eliminated. Moreover, it happened last July 1. Why is that suddenly front-page news in late October?
A companion consumer article (``Car dealers watch themselves'') was about how car dealers police themselves under the Allen agenda. I agree with your basic point. But the change takes effect next January, and, I presume, has been in the works for some time. Why is that front-page news in late October?
You know why as well as I do. You're doing everything you can to distort the news to influence the election. You liberals are running scared and are afraid that people might think for themselves.
CHRISTOPHER O. BIRD
RINER
by CNB