THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 9, 1996 TAG: 9606060216
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 38 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 155 lines
I am writing in response to the article published in the May 17 edition of The Virginian-Pilot's North Carolina News, regarding neighbors' complaints emanating from the Atlantis Bar & Bistro Restaurant. My name is Elizabeth Dowless, and my husband, Jerry Dowless, and I are very proud of the restaurant we have opened. We have hired a well-respected chef and maitre d' who have worked on this beach for more than 20 years.
The neighbors' complaints concerned the noise from within the facility and yelling and screaming in the streets. There were also parking problems that were addressed.
First and foremost, I would like to say: Just because someone says it is so, does not necessarily mean it is true. As of the writing of this letter, the Atlantis Bar & Bistro has not received a single noise citation from the town of Nags Head, although we have received numerous alleged complaints.
There are two other clubs in the area who also feature live bands. Could the noise be coming from these facilities and their customers? Yes, we are the only venue on the Outer Banks that can book such acts as DaDa, Firefall and The Freddy Jones Band, but with booking national acts come real professional musicians. How do the neighbors know that the people ``yelling & screaming'' in the streets came from the Atlantis or the parked cars near the Atlantis? Is it possible these people could be weekly renters, or perhaps from one of the other clubs?
I have watched my husband go out of his way to rectify any possible problems. I am beginning to think that as hard as Jerry tries, the neighbors will not be happy until the Atlantis is shut down. We have gone through all the permits to have this restaurant operating and have no intention of closing down.
Elizabeth Dowless
Kill Devil Hills Praise for Republicans
It has been about a year and a half since Republicans became the majority party in the North Carolina House of Representatives. Although the House is only part of the state government, having a real two-party system is already showing great and positive benefits.
In a conservative contrast to Gov. Hunt's proposals, the Republican House refused to spend all of the state surplus, instead setting aside almost $400 million for a reduction in the sales tax on food and for other tax relief.
Focusing on education, crime and the environment, Republicans increased the House budget for education by $60 million, provided funds for additional prisons and a major increase in prosecutor and district attorney staffs, and launched the largest expansion in environmental protection in a decade.
Following up on their historic vote in the first week of the ``short session'' to repeal the state tax on food over four years, the House voted to limit budget growth to a rate equal to growth of inflation and population.
The Republican House also passed a 3 percent increase in teacher and state employee pay and state employee retirement benefits. Republicans stated that Gov. Hunt's proposal to raise salaries by 7 percent graphically demonstrated that he is irresponsibly willing to sacrifice the future job security of state employees and financial stability of the state by promising pay raises in an election year that would result in a budget deficit.
The Republican control of the House of Representatives has already resulted in significant restraints on the excesses of state government. It is very likely that, in November, the citizens will elect a Republican governor and a Republican-controlled senate. People in northeastern North Carolina should consider that possibility seriously.
This region has long been a Democrat stronghold because, as I was once told, ``if you don't register as a Democrat, you can't vote!'' However, with a Republican majority and probably a Republican governor, Democrats are not going to be very effective at representing this region in Raleigh. It is time to put off this charade of being a ``conservative Democrat,'' stand openly for good government and support Republicans.
Jim Robison
Edenton Budget hurts education
The North Carolina House of Representatives adopted a budget in recent days that appeals to blatant partisanship at the expense of good government, progressive education policy and continued economic development in our state.
The House strategy is clear: Adopt an irresponsible budget, force the Senate leadership to do the right thing, then bash them with the tax-and-spend label during the months leading up to the fall elections.
First, a little fiscal context. North Carolina is in the midst of a sustained period of economic growth. Economy-based revenue growth has ranged from 6.1 percent in 1992-93 to 10.1 percent in 1994-95. Public sector employment has grown, and bipartisan initiatives to downsize state government have been instituted. Current estimates by the fiscal research staff in the General Assembly indicate there is a reserve of $396 million in revenues available, over and above the $500 million rainy day fund established by legislators to counter future economic downturns.
House Bill 1108, the budget bill, threatens sound public policy and subjects the welfare of our citizens to the whimsical game of ``political chicken.''
Chancellor Michael Hooker of the University of North Carolina System put it well in remarks concerning the House budget when he said, ``...it seems to me that the state of North Carolina is at risk of doing severe damage to itself and its future if it does not take this occasion ... to reinvest in ensuring our economic future by investing in higher education and in K-12 and in community colleges.''
Our university system's premier institutions are slipping in national reputation because the most able faculty are leaving due to stagnant salaries and a sense that there is a failure to see the future among some of our legislative leaders. The House budget contains a pay raise of only 3 percent for university faculty. This is hardly a recognition of reality.
The Smart Start initiative, which supports very young children and their families, has received national acclaim and enjoys the overwhelming support of the citizens of North Carolina, according to polling data. Yet, the House budget includes no funds to expand the program to 11 additional local partnerships. A recent program evaluation indicated the initiative was having a worthwhile impact on the lives of children in those communities where it already exists.
Parents, students and boards of education are clamoring for resources to provide public schools with the technology that will allow our children to make better transitions into the world of work and higher education. The State Board of Education has requested $7 million for school technology, while Governor Hunt proposed $10 million for this purpose. The House bill fails to address school technology altogether, even though a coalition including North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry and Chamber of Commerce executives lists this as a legislative priority.
School safety and violence are growing concerns in many communities. A proposal to place a certified school security officer in every high school in North Carolina went begging in the House budget, even though it would be left up to each local community and school district whether or not to use this resource.
One senator noted in a recent meeting that the House budget contains a net expansion funding of $60.31 per school student verses $395 per prisoner in the correctional system. This represents 6 1/2 times more spending per inmate than per school student. Assuming these figures are correct, how can we not question these priorities?
Sen. Marc Basnight and the Senate leadership are in a tough spot. By doing the right thing, they risk political persecution, an agonizing prospect for any public official. I have every confidence, however, that the senator and his fellows will risk the agony, and not the future, of North Carolina.
For my part, I have a growing concern that my generation will heed the sirens of self-interest, and those who pander to our baser instincts, at the expense of the young and their welfare.
I am grateful there are leaders among us with the courage ``to touch . . . the better angels of our nature.''
William R. Capps, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Currituck County Responsibility is answer
Although I am not a cat lover, I have to agree with Rick Farmer's recent letter regarding Nags Head's ``would-be solution'' to the stray cat situation. Just as I do not think abortion is a proper and legitimate solution to human overpopulation, this is not a legitimate solution to the cat problem.
The problem in both cases is simply irresponsible people. If they would spay or neuter their pets, practice responsible sexual behavior themselves (get a vasectomy or have their tubes tied), when they have all the children they can properly care for themselves, the problem would be solved. It would end this grisly business of abortion (over 35 million in this country so far), partial-birth murder and the not very human slaughter of millions of animals each year.
Charles Elms
Manteo by CNB