ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, July 10, 1996 TAG: 9607100019
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
KERMIT W. Salyer Jr.'s July 7 letter to the editor (``Speed up gas-tax increase'') is a classic example of the thinking to be expected from one who has lost touch with reality, an all-too-common disease of the ``selfless environmentalists'' Salyer seems to admire.
Implementing punitive tax measures to accomplish social engineering is too often attempted by shortsighted technocrats who espouse the simplistic rationalization that the end justifies the means.
The cost of fuel in today's economy affects virtually every element of our daily lives - the food we eat, the services we require, the medical and legal professions that serve us, and the daily labors we pursue to put bread on the table.
To suggest that eliminating a few vehicles from cruising Williamson Road by implementing a gas-tax increase would have any real impact on the environment is absurd. To propose making fuel costs unaffordable in order to eliminate urban sprawl is totally alien to the freedom to choose, which has always been one of the great benefits of our American way of life.
To proffer a gas-tax increase as an enhancement of the solvency of the country isn't only wishful thinking; it shows a complete lack of understanding of the problems with our bureaucracy, which is insatiable in its lust for revenue. And to offer a new bureaucratic arm to issue gas stamps is nothing short of sheer lunacy.
The way of the future lies in developing alternate fuels. Because of the obstructive influence of the powerful oil industry and the oil-producing cartels that have bought their way into Congress, alternate fuel development is - like the weather - something everybody talks about but about which nobody does anything.
This country has ample resources to make nonfossil fuels a reality in a relatively short time - were it not for the foot-dragging of politicians who fear the hostility of the industrial interests that benefit from the status quo. It's incumbent on us to stimulate effective action in this direction from those to whom we have entrusted the progress and welfare of our country.
|BUD SANTORO |ROANOKE
Can Clinton dodge|
the latest bullets?|
IN RESPONSE to Katherine Maner's July 2 letter to the editor, ``Too much ado on background checks'':
Her attitude is a symptom of a larger problem in this country - apathy! If Ronald Reagan was called the Teflon president, Bill Clinton must be called the titanium president. He has dodged and deflected more bullets than Arnold Schwarzenegger, and people seem to let him get by with it.
Let's assume that all the things poor Clinton has been accused of are ``rumors.'' Let's forget about his 1992 campaign promises not kept, rumors about his affairs, that he didn't inhale, the Whitewater scandal, the travel-office firings, the latest book on the goings-on at the White House. (I'm sure this guy is lying about everything.) Let's ignore the fact that in this election year he's again turning into a conservative right before our eyes.
The fact remains that the files his administration requested and received (more than 1,000 at last count) were improperly requested, and kept for an inordinate length of time (just returned, contrary to Maner's assertion that it's old news). The files included those of past Republican administration officials - even Bill Dale's. Does Maner remember him? He's the travel-office official who was smeared and fired by Clinton's administration.
Now, I wasn't born last night. Unless Clinton is planning on hiring a bunch of former Republican administration officials, I wonder why he needed files on these folks. Gee, it must have been a snafu, an administrative mix-up. If you believe that, I have some ocean-front property in South Dakota I'd like to sell you. I wonder if the news media or folks like Maner would be as forgiving if a Republican administration had done this.
Wake up, people. Where there's smoke, there's usually fire. The news is happening now. All you have to do is open your eyes. |KENT CARTNER |ROANOKE
God willing, VMI|
will remain all-male|
MY HEART rejoiced to see that Virginia Military Institute was exploring privatization (June 28 article, ``VMI explores privatization''). I prayed that God would make it possible. And that he would let people know that he created men and women different, and that there is a place for all men. This doesn't diminish women, but elevates them.
The trend in our society today diminishes the value of women. I hope it will be possible for VMI to be a place to reverse this trend. If small contributions would help, I'm willing. |BEVERLY ERCHUL |LEXINGTON
GOP critic omitted|
pertinent facts|
ART POSKOCIL'S July 1 commentary (``Shameless GOP has created a beast'') is amusing - not for what he says, but for what he omits. I would expect a sociologist to argue from facts and figures.
``[The Republican Party] has for some time represented the pecuniary interests of only a fairly small segment of wealthier Americans,'' he writes. If Poskocil were arguing from fact, he would have a hard time explaining why Virginia's 9th District voted for Oliver North and Mike Farris. I didn't think voters in that district were overly wealthy.
Poskocil deplores single-issue voting, yet he idealizes the Lincoln-Douglas debates. I understand those debates concerned the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which had to do with slavery and popular sovereignty. Lincoln regarded slavery as a moral issue. The Christian Coalition regards abortion as a moral issue. The Lincoln-Douglas debates took place in a single state (Illinois). The upcoming presidential elections encompass a far larger geographic domain, and television time is expensive.
He condemns the Republicans for portraying `` ... public office as an inherently corrupting career that turns long-term incumbents into grasping freeloaders at the public trough.'' Has Poskocil never heard of Dan Rostenkowski? Illinois Dan will collect a yearly pension of $96,469. He was sentenced to prison, and when he gets out, his fine will have been paid by the taxpayers - courtesy of a very generous pension plan. Rostenkowski is a Democrat, and a rich one.
Please, when you give a large section of your Commentary page to a political pundit, give it to someone like Larry Sabato who presents data.
|JUDITH N. CATES |BLACKSBURG
VMI ruling indicts|
the government|
I, ALONG with my husband and many others, am very disappointed with the Supreme Court's decision (June 27 article, ``VMI must admit women, Supreme Court rules 7-1'') regarding Virginia Military Institute. My daughter, who has served her country in the U.S. Air Force, is infuriated!
Why force change on an educational institution that has proved effective for so many years? Why shouldn't the state support single-sex education when it benefits both sexes? And in the case of VMI, our country benefits from well-trained, intelligent young men who serve this country with integrity. Why is a highly respected college being coerced to change simply because of the women's liberation movement? What will our government choose to change next?
Our government that was once deserving of high respect no longer has mine. I regret to say that the VMI ruling is only one reason I've lost faith in those persons holding the highest positions in our country.
As for loyal supporters of the VMI system, take notice that while feeling deeply wronged by this decision, they're handling it with great dignity.
|PAMELA PLOTT |ROANOKE
Woman's heroic|
deed touches many|
IN RESPONSE to The Back Pew column by Cody Lowe on June 30, ``Courage overcomes hatred'':
I, too, was ``grabbed by the throat'' by the photograph (which ran in your June 23 newspaper with the headline ``Body block'') of black female Keshia Thomas throwing herself protectively over the body of a white male wearing the Confederate flag.
This and many other incidents recently in the news indicate to me that women are poised to take another giant step forward, from acceptability to greatness. We're risking our lives for others besides our own children. We're making hard choices that benefit the greater good, not just our own.
Thank you, Keshia Thomas, for being a hero we all can look up to.
|CARA KASTRITSIS |SALEM
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