ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, October 2, 1996 TAG: 9610020014
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
I HAVE lived in every decade of this century. Consequently, the current presidential campaign reminds me of the election of 1936. Franklin D. Roosevelt was running for re-election as a new Democrat. His Republican opponent was the jovial governor Alf Landon of Kansas. During the campaign, FDR was harshly criticized for not having solved all the country's problems which resulted largely from the speculative boom during the 12 years of Republican presidents Harding, Coolidge and Hoover.
At the time, Maine voted one month earlier than the national elections. When Maine went Republican in 1936, there was great jubilation among the GOP as the old saying went: ``As Maine goes, so goes the nation!'' However, voters had the common sense to re-elect FDR in a landslide vote, carrying 46 states. In his election speech after the victory, FDR said, ``As Maine goes, so goes Vermont.''
Now, 60 years later, we again have a presidential election in which a Democratic president is running for re-election as a new Democrat. His Republican opponent is Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas - who is not, however, so jovial. President Clinton is also being harshly criticized for not having solved all the country's problems neglected during 12 years of Republican presidents Reagan and Bush.
From a historical standpoint, it will be interesting for me to see whether the voters in November will have the common sense to produce the first re-election for a second term of any Democratic president since FDR's time.
WALTER MUIR
SALEM
The end is near, the start less so
COMMENTS I hear on radio and television indicate that there is a widely held misconception about the year 2000. Some members of the class of 2000 in high schools and colleges attach special meaning to that year.
Many have stated that the year 2000 is the start of a new century and a new millennium. Just the opposite is true. The year 2000 is the end of the 20th century and the end of the second millennium A.D.
How is this so? Consider that there was no year zero. The year l A.D. was followed by 1 B.C., so the first century included the years l through 100. Likewise, the second century began in 101 and ended in 200. Similarly, the year l900 was the last year of the 19th century and 1901 was the first year of the 20th century. Thus, 2000 will be the last year of the 20th century and 200l will be the first year of the 2lst century.
Another point of trivia is that the year 2000 will be a leap year. The rule governing leap years is that such years must be evenly divisible by 4, except centennial years, which must be evenly divisible by 400. Thus, 1600 was a leap year, but 1700, 18OO and 1900 were common years.
RICHARD W. RHOADES
BLACKSBURG
Under the influence of hypocrisy
LET ME see if I've got this straight. A pregnant woman can take RU-486 for the purpose of killing her unborn child. But if the same woman drinks alcoholic beverages in the third trimester and the child is born with an elevated blood-alcohol level, the mother can be sent to jail.
Or, in other words, you can kill the baby but just don't get the baby drunk.
J. MICHAEL BESTLER
MARTINSVILLE
The fill-in-the-blank candidate
CANDIDATE Bob Dole really has but one speech. He just fills in the blanks: ``Liberal, liberal, liberal - elite, elite, elite - liberal elite, liberal elite, liberal elite. Let me repeat: liberal, liberal, liberal - trust me, trust me, trust me!''
Is this the same much-admired Sen. Dole of past decades? Does he covet the presidency so much to cap a distinguished career that he courts defeat through a surfeit of obloquy?
LEONARD J. UTTAL
BLACKSBURG
LENGTH: Medium: 78 linesby CNB