THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 24, 1995 TAG: 9512210195
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Long : 111 lines
Whenever someone tells me he's just a country boy, I pull up my boots and grab my wallet with both hands.
Country boys rarely quote Mark Twain, Will Rogers and ol' Ev Dirksen; rarer still, all at once.
Those and other thoughts came to mind on reading Ronald L. Speer's column that referred to ``the childish battle the Republicans are having with the Democrats about the balanced budget.''
In a way, it illustrated an earlier observation published in your paper: ``People, egged on by supercilious journalism, are irritated by what they consider 'childish' behavior in the current budget debate.'' But, noted George Will (Nov. 30 '95), ``This is what politics looks like when the stakes are high and serious politicians take them seriously.''
It may be unfair to compare the ``applesauce'' of the past Sunday's Carolina Coast column with the heavy pudding of Will, but since the author said he didn't want to be a part of ``misconceptions'' we were practically invited to examine his own. They are apparent in the fictious and misleading quote attributed to some anonymous Congressman: ``We've found 135 billion dollars, and all our problems are over!''
Lord knows, we've all been exasperated by Congress over the years, but the sudden discovery of an extra 135 billion in projected revenues came not from the Legislative branch of government but from the Office of Management and Budget, an arm of the Executive. The figure was cooked up in the White House kitchen during the continuing debate over whose estimates are to be relied upon, those of the Congressional Budget Office or those of the OMB, in reaching a budget agreement. This isn't applesauce, nor is the greater budget debate - and current stalemate - between the president and Congressional leaders over national priorities.
Hope you won't take personal offense, but this area may be more diverse in tastes than you suspect. We don't all go for applesauce.
Tony Sylvester
Kitty Hawk Save the fishing, too
I suppose I should cheer the proposed fourth groin to save the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse for I am and always have been a loyal supporter of that historical project. After all, conservation of our most important tourist attraction has a generally high priority.
All this enthusiasm makes me ask the question one more time: What about protection and stabilization of Oregon Inlet? If the inlet closes down, and it's now well on its way, what about our commercial and sports fishing industry?
Presently there is a move afoot to replace the present Bonner Bridge across the inlet with a new span at a cost of $186 million. It is my understanding this bridge is being planned entirely without consideration of inlet stabilization of the much studied Oregon Inlet jetties project. Where is the guarantee that the $186 million will not go to sea as the present Bonner Bridge would have if the inlet had not partially stabilized by a south side groin put in place in the late 1980s?
Concerned citizens of Hatteras Island will be circulating a petition to combine replacement or repair of the Bonner Bridge with stabilization of Oregon Inlet by jetties. It would be nice of my fellow Hatteras men and women to come on board one and all to support the stabilization of Oregon Inlet so that we will have a permanent, stable bridge to reach our historic homes and yes, the fantastic Cape Hatteras lighthouse.
In conclusion, let me say that if environmental rules can be lifted to put the protection of a tourist attraction such as the Hatteras Lighthouse on the front burner, certainly the welfare of our fishermen can be put into the environmental equation concerning stabilization of the Oregon Inlet.
Danny Gray
Dare County Republican Party Chairman 10 glad tidings
There has been a great deal of discussion about voters and how they view their government in North Carolina. Sometimes voters have been justifiably critical of government, but more often they have been puzzled as they try to wade through the sea of innuendoes and half-truths thrust upon them.
So in keeping with the holiday spirit, I would like to offer 10 glad tidings for North Carolina and its citizens:
1. The General Assembly reduced taxes this year by over $400 million including a repeal of the intangibles tax and the largest state income tax cut in state history.
2. North Carolina is one of only five states which has received a AAA bond rating from the three pre-eminent bond rating agencies.
3. Kindergarten and first grade class sizes have been reduced in the past two years and student achievement is on the rise.
4. 740,000 students, one out of every 10 North Carolinians, were served by the Community College system last year. The General Assembly enacted one of its largest community college expansion budgets in its history - $37.6 million in new money for salaries, books, equipment and job training programs.
5. The University of North Carolina system attracts more than $325 million annually from federal agencies.
6. North Carolina has the nation's largest state-maintained road system. Texas is second.
7. The General Assembly set aside over $10 million for repair and renovation of existing park land and to acquire land to expand our state parks.
8. In 1993 and 1994 over 60,000 new manufacturing jobs were created in North Carolina.
9. During the last four years, North Carolina has led the nation in new international manufacturing locations.
10. North Carolina has the lowest unemployment rate of the 11 largest states.
Richard Conder
Majority Leader
North Carolina Senate by CNB