ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 13, 1996 TAG: 9603130029
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LIN S. EDLICH
THIS MARKS my 15th year attending the Virginia General Assembly, and I've witnessed the hard work and long hours put in by Southwest Virginia's legislators. We should be proud of their accomplishments. Yet from a few letters to the editor and a Feb. 18 editorial (``Tricky Dick and Cheeky Chip''), it seems clear that few are educated about the legislative process. I hope that's the case, rather than leftover, partisan baggage from last fall's election.
House Majority Leader Dick Cranwell has fought hard for Southwest Virginia. He has built a coalition of Southwest Virginia delegates to work together on important legislation and funding for our part of the state.
As chairman of the House Finance Committee, he has seen that revenue needed for education, transportation, public safety, health and human resources for all of Virginia is there, without raising taxes or losing our AAA bond rating. While I don't know how much influence Cranwell had with House Appropriations Committee appointments over the years, I do know that Southwest Virginia is well-represented.
The night of his acceptance speech, Cranwell extended his hand to Gov. George Allen to work together this year for the good of the commonwealth. It was a generous gesture, an act contradictory to conclusions drawn in your editorial. The editorial appears beneath the newspaper I believe to be the best in the commonwealth. Of course, an editorial enjoys liberties that reportorial journalism does not. But I would expect some research: Can an individual make an undisclosed donation more than once to a candidate without it being reported? Are corporations' donations limited? Are they reported? What are the limitations of political-action committees?
There were five campaign-reform bills submitted and two joint study resolutions. Perhaps the intention for re-referring the bill was to allow time to study campaign reform. Perhaps it was simply a bad bill that needed a closer look.
But the most troublesome and mean theme of the editorial was that the House majority leader, like him or not, was referred to as ``Tricky Dick,'' a nickname forever etched in history for the president of the United States who resigned in disgrace.
As for the reference to ``Cheeky Chip,'' it may seem a cute, catchy title. But I hardly think brazen befits a distinguished legislator who has, with great historical knowledge, wit, compassion and honor, fought for measures to fight crime to make the Roanoke Valley and the commonwealth a safer place to live.
Last, and most outrageous, is referring to Cranwell and Woodrum as cowards. Shrewd, brilliant, confident, courageous - definitely. But cowardly? Now that's ``cheeky.''
Lin S. Edlich of Bedford County is director of Virginia CARES.
LENGTH: Medium: 56 linesby CNB