ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, April 1, 1996 TAG: 9604010086
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTER
I READ recently that the 1996 General Assembly earmarked $500,000 for Southern Virginia College. And this is on top of the $250,000 the state gave the school last year. What's going on here? Is this the fleecing of Virginia or what?
Southern Virginia College officials have admitted the college's enrollment dropped from 300 in the '80s to 165 today. They've even commented that's ``a far cry from the break-even point,'' and said the school would need $2 million to regain its accreditation and stay open. So why are we spending state funds to support what sounds like a losing proposition?
Has the college presented a written plan to the General Assembly showing how $500,000 will help it in the long run? Do college officials have firm steps for getting back on track so they won't need more money next year? Or is the state planning to pay off the college every year from now on?
I'm sure Hampden-Sydney College administrators find these events interesting. After all, they're having to consider ways to either cut costs, attract new students or locate additional financing for their college. If one single-sex private college can get state money to keep its doors open, can't another?
Wonder what we taxpayers will be asked to pay for next. GEOVANNY MALDONADO ROANOKE
Allen's posturing hurts schoolchildren
I VISITED my son's third-grade class during a recent teachers' conference, and noticed that the students are still using an Apple IIc computer. I asked the teacher why she was using antiquated technology, and she said they were lucky to have what they did. Many classes have none.
I understand the federal government has an educational plan known as Goals 2000, whereby Virginia could receive $6.7 million for the educational needs of our state. What I don't understand is why Gov. George Allen has chosen not to accept these much-needed funds. The trendy GOP position, which Allen adamantly clings to, is to never be beholden to the federal government. But Goals 2000 money has no strings attached, no federal requirements or guidelines that must be adhered to. Ironically, the program was the brainchild of Republican George Bush. Since Allen wouldn't have to worry about federal restrictions, it's absolutely ludicrous not to accept this money on any grounds, partisan politics included, when the only people being hurt by his insensitive political posturing are the children of Virginia.
The statement being made by Allen isn't logical. It's one thing to stand up to the federal government when its programs dictate mandatory state compliance, but this isn't the case with Goals 2000. I also noticed he was more than willing to take federal disaster money from President Clinton during the recent devastating floods.
With $6.7 million, we can buy a lot of computers for our classrooms. Maybe when Allen finally sees the light and accepts this money, he can replace all the old Apple IIc's and distribute them exclusively to precincts where Republican candidates are in desperate need of re-election. GARY WHITING BLACKSBURG
Keep loaded guns out of cars
IN RESPONSE to your Feb. 28 news article, "5-year-old fires rifle, hits his mother'':
It's amazing that this type of "accident" doesn't happen more often, with even more tragic results. But the sad part is that it's so easy to prevent.
Some states, such as my home state of Wisconsin, have laws that make it illegal to transport a firearm in a motor vehicle unless it's unloaded and in a proper case. Why doesn't Virginia - and every other state, for that matter - have such a law? A loaded, uncased gun in a motor vehicle is nothing more than a tragedy waiting to happen.
For those who argue that it takes too long to load the gun and take it out of the case, I wonder what they're shooting at that requires them to be in such a hurry. If they're hunting, they shouldn't be shooting from inside the vehicle or from the road, as these are very dangerous practices. So they have plenty of time as they're walking into a hunting area. And for those who are target-shooting, there's even less of a rush to have the gun loaded. The target is unlikely to run away. The only other thing I can think of is for shooting at another human being. And if that is the case, if they're delayed by loading the gun and the "target" escapes, good!
I think it's time for a change of the laws in this regard. JOSEPH A. WEGNER BLACKSBURG
Don't close minds to biblical orthodoxy
I ALWAYS cringe at the sound of grinding axes, and your ax of March 14, "Teach kids real science,'' made for a huge cringe. Your editorial was an excellent example of scientific fundamentalism, and a sad expression of ignorance concerning what is a spirited debate over the numerous pieces of data on human origin.
Having read Stephen Hawking's ``A Brief History of Time,'' I found his learned arrogance more open to real inquiry and growth than the pompous, preachy nature of your opinion. Hawking, in some key areas, comes amazingly close to the view championed by creationists. Apparently, somewhere there's some evidence that a plausible explanation of the world's origin is best explained by an instant point in time, not protracted millennia. Recognition is given to the lack of any concrete data showing, even with trillions of years, an example of biological change that is cross species. This accounts, at least in part, for the change in evolutionary orthodoxy espoused by punctuated equilibrium. One begins to wonder: Could there be a natural limit to biological change that so flaws scientific orthodoxy that it renders it invalid?
I assume that in your vast wisdom you would also consider the work of Phillip Johnson, in ``Reason In the Balance'' and ``Darwin on Trial,'' to also be a "sham.'' This, in spite of his education at Harvard and the University of Chicago, and his teaching position at Berkeley. I was always under the impression that open inquiry and the willingness to hear all the options was the mark of an educated individual.
I don't consider myself a scientist, but I do consider myself a thinking individual capable of knowledgeable inquiry. While I don't have all the answers, I'm much more inclined to accept biblical orthodoxy than scientific orthodoxy because it meshes much more consistently with the world as I know it. EVERETT KIER SALEM
Carding smokers could leave scars
I AM quite concerned about your March 2 editorial, ``Carding underage smokers.''
Unsure what you meant, I consulted a dictionary and found that carding involves combing with a wire brush. Yikes! Much as I would like to perform this act on inconsiderate smokers and tobacco executives, I question whether such punishment is appropriate for youngsters who have been induced to break the law by slick advertising.
While I believe it should be illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21, it seems more efficient to curtail the suppliers than to torture children. CHARLES JORDAN BOONES MILL
Why support illegal aliens?
I CAN'T understand how any American could read Rodolfo F. Acuna's March 19 commentary (``Race, not economy, fuels immigration hysteria'') of garbage without being angry.
Acuna - a professor of Chicano studies at California State University, Northridge - feels that America's taxpayers have the duty to support undocumented aliens and their children. And if we don't, we're racist. He says all those who voted for Proposition 187 in California were racist.
This man's commentary was an attack on the United States and its people, and, in my opinion, every word of it was a lie. Americans should read it to see where we're headed.
Also, even though voters passed Proposition 187, it still wasn't made law. The people's vote was voided, which I don't remember ever happening before.
Ken Hamblin [a conservative talk-show host] is too extreme for your newspaper, but this man, an obvious American-hater, isn't too extreme. Give me a break.
No one is against legal immigration, but I can't see that we have any policy at all, and the people just swim over here at will. Then, after America spends billions a year to help immigrants, we're rewarded by a pinko column such as the one by Acuna. HARRY E. MARTIN ROANOKE
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