ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, October 7, 1996 TAG: 9610070112
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
NEWS ARTICLES and recent editorials in The Roanoke Times have called attention to a desperate need in our country for quality early-childhood programs.
As a former teacher and current administrator of an early-childhood program, I am in a position to recognize the validity of current licensing standards. Minimum educational and training standards for workers shouldn't be lowered. I am appalled that Gov. George Allen would propose this.
For many years, those of us involved in early-childhood education have worked to elevate the status of child-care workers, and to increase the quality of programs through training of workers and by maintaining a small child/teacher ratio. The Allen administration's proposals to omit the high-school education requirement for teachers and to increase the ratio of children to teachers could result in great harm to Virginia's children.
Perhaps Allen has never had to leave his children in a child-care setting and doesn't understand how important safe, quality care, administered by competent adults, is to a family's well-being. Instead of endangering our children, the Allen administration should try to raise the competency and compensation levels of early-childhood workers and promote quality care.
Parents and others need to express their concerns about early-childhood programs to their state and federal legislators so that the youngest and most impressionable in our educational system will receive the quality care they deserve.
CAROLYN KRISHA
ROANOKE
The public-opinion polls may be wrong
LET'S FACE it - the upcoming election is a vote for either socialism or capitalism. You guess which party stands for which. If you can believe the polls, socialism will win.
But can we really believe the polls? What if the so-called results of the polls are nothing but a fabrication on the part of the Democrats to make us believe that it's useless to vote for Bob Dole because, according to the polls, he cannot win?
I am not sure that I believe the polls. Likewise, I don't want to believe that the voting public wants America to become a socialistic country.
DONALD R. HILL
ROANOKE
How can Clinton be where he is?
A DRAFT dodger who demonstrated against his country while in England during the Vietnam War, while real Americans were dying in the jungles of Vietnam, chosen by his political party to run for governor of Arkansas, and then being elected to that office? How did such a thing happen?
Even more unbelievable is that he was elected president of the United States! And now, four years later, this person is highly favored in the polls to win four more years for his do-nothing and promise-breaking presidency. Unbelievable!
To me, it's plainly evident that real red-blooded Americans are fewer in number than I thought it possible in all my 80 years, which included military service in the 1st Cavalry Division, members of which are now being sent to Kuwait by the draft dodger.
As an American citizen, a combat veteran of World War II, and a reserve officer who was called back to duty in the Korean War, I'll put it this way:
I am one sick and disgusted old Cavalry trooper. I read letters to the editor asking readers to "respect'' Bill Clinton, "not to pick on him," and saying that ``reasonable voters will choose Clinton.'' Well, here is one American who has no respect at all for him. And if picking on Clinton enough would help run him and Hillary out of office, I say keep on picking.
ED BAKER
SALEM
Sen. Warner sided with the unborn
REGARDING the partial-birth abortion vote:
Thanks to Sen. John Warner for standing for human decency against President Clinton. Everyone should be aware that he stood up for the right of this nation's unborn children.
The partial-birth abortion has very limited medical uses in saving the mother's life. And yet, it's used far more frequently as a method of destroying an unwanted child by delivering a living, fully developed child to the point where all is delivered except the head. A sharp instrument is then plunged into the base of the child's skull and the brains are sucked out. And we all thought Hitler was a monster!
One older American said it reminded her of the stories heard during World War II about Japanese soldiers tossing Chinese babies into the air and catching them on their bayonets. Pretty disgusting, isn't it?
Sen. Chuck Robb decided to support President Clinton in his veto of legislation banning this kind of procedure. But Sen. Warner stood against the president in voting to override the veto. Though we lost this battle, the war is far from over.
WILMA C. PINCH
SALEM
LENGTH: Medium: 93 linesby CNB