ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, June 21, 1996 TAG: 9606210021
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
THANKS to the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, I recently awoke old and jaded. I'm only 30 years old, but it seems I've seen enough to recognize one unfortunate fact:
Our government, from federal to local, cannot be trusted to uphold the very laws it makes. If this is a surprise to you, I would have to conclude that you're either a child or a fool.
On June 17, the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors voted to break the very law it made and to approve (June 18 article, ```Smart' road wins approval'') the condemnation of 140 acres of agricultural and forestal district preserve (AFD-7). As with any treaty offered to the Native Americans or any agreement reached with the United Nations, our government clearly cannot be trusted to uphold its promises.
If our government was your neighbor, you would call him a cheat, a liar and a thief.
MICHAEL E. WEBER
BLACKSBURG
Federal workers earn their benefits
IN RESPONSE to Jeff Deaton's poorly researched letter to the editor (June 14, ``Feds, too, need to downsize'') concerning federal employees not paying their fair share for their benefits and retirement, not to mention earning their salaries:
To start with, he in no way pays for 100 percent of my or my fellow federal employees' benefits or retirement. We pay group rates for our medical coverage - and, by the way, I had better coverage as a Teamster working in a warehouse. We pay into the Social Security system and Medicaid, and pay additional monies into a program similar to a 401K plan for our retirement fund.
As an air-traffic controller who went to a school that was so intense and stressful that it had better than a 50 percent failure rate, I had no guarantee of any job security until successful completion of an on-the-job training program (for approximately 21/2 years). Failure would have terminated my employment. And now being responsible for public safety, I'm definitely earning my pay. I'm also contributing to my benefits.
Perhaps Deaton confuses federal employees with politicians. Federal employees, as with any other workers, must earn their pay and benefits.
KEITH THOMAS
ROANOKE
Correctionx|
IN A June 13 letter to the editor from Paul W. Nordt Jr. of Salem, titled ``Monetary system is getting sicker,'' one line should have read,`` ... recall when, for $1, you could buy 10 gallons of gas.''
Vet center's woes may not be over
CONCERNING Andrew J. Vinson's June 4 letter to the editor, ``Vet center is past its growing pains'':
Being new to his job as executive director of the Virginia Veterans Care Center, Vinson knows little of the years of struggle that it took to approve, fund and build the center. It is therefore presumptuous and shortsighted for him to dismiss the value of veterans' groups and the state's Board on Veterans' Affairs in favor of yet another government board.
Nonetheless, he does just that by stating: ``I can envision no other governing body that's more responsive to resident and family needs than the 10 board members.''
Those of us who supported the center project know the state came within weeks of losing its $10 million federal-funding commitment. At that time, the project's fiscal manager was the same state employee Vinson praised by name in his letter.
Contrary to his assertion about that employee's role, it was only after the appointment of a new director that the center secured full funding and moved on to a timely and cost-effective completion.
Creation of the center was a nonpartisan, cooperative effort by many caring people both in and out of government. How sad and unfortunate it was to see its post-construction management turned over to a board of political appointees.
The center's growing pains were predictable, and I fear not yet past.
CORKY B. COUGHLIN
Past vice president
Roanoke Valley Veterans Council
ROANOKE
A costly wait for surrender
I SEE the Freemen have given up (June 14 news article, ``Freemen surrender without a fight'') after only about $80 million of taxpayers' money was spent and they made the law-enforcement look sick. I wonder how many days law-enforcement officials would wait at the average person's door with the same charges.
HARRY E. MARTIN
ROANOKE
LENGTH: Medium: 93 linesby CNB