DATE: Thursday, October 2, 1997             TAG: 9710020009

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B10  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Letter 

                                            LENGTH:  107 lines

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR -THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

CAMPAIGN '97

By any measure,

our taxes are too high

Your Sept. 28 editorial, on Virginia's standing among other states in regard to tax burden, misses the point. Regardless of how you measure it or where Virginia stands, our taxes are still too high.

Virginia should lead the way toward smaller government and lower taxes. Jim Gilmore, Thelma Drake, Bev Graeber and Bud West have promised to take us in that direction. Electing them will be a giant first step toward a better state and a better nation.

Edward A. O'Neal

Norfolk, Sept. 28, 1997

TOBACCO

Lung association

backs Clinton

As president of the American Lung Association of Virginia (ALAV), I commend the efforts of President Clinton for taking a giant step to protect our children by not endorsing the ``global'' tobacco settlement that inadequately addresses tobacco-related health problems.

The ALAV believes the president was correct in signaling Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III to put the tobacco industry on trial and in suggesting that Congress should not allow the tobacco industry to dictate timing of legislative action.

Statements about the economic impact of tobacco in Virginia very often fail to recognize the cost of health care for individuals with lung disease or other health problems resulting from tobacco use.

Eleanor H. Garrett, R.N.

Lynchburg, Sept. 24, 1997

Raising taxes won't

stop teen smoking

President Clinton has proposed a tax increase of $1.50 on cigarettes. A tax increase doesn't necessarily mean that teens will just give it up. Teens will steal and get other people to buy the cigarettes. It's all a part of trying to be cool, and even rebellious. The more cigarettes are considered to be bad, the more teens will want to smoke them.

I'm not a smoker, but I think the answer is in the education of teen-agers of why they smoke and why they shouldn't. Teen-agers hear that it is bad for them, but they don't know what to do when peer pressure tells them that, to be cool, you have to smoke.

Gabriele Fruge

14 years old

Norfolk, Sept. 24, 1997

Non-smokers pay more

taxes, in the long run

In the Sept. 22 editorial ``Go for less than a dime,'' The Virginian-Pilot advocated that the Norfolk cigarette tax only be raised by 5 cents rather than 10 cents. The reason: Not enough people would buy cigarettes in Norfolk.

I find this reasoning flawed in light of The Pilot's dim view of any politician accepting tobacco money during a political campaign. It just goes to show why tobacco will never be regulated or banned. The cities want their cut of the pie.

The editorial also stated that other cities will follow suit, increasing taxes to be in concert with Norfolk. If that is the case, why not raise the cigarette tax 25 cents in hopes that everyone will do it? That won't work. The exporters will leave, thus losing revenue. Once again, the cut of the tax pie would be less.

How about a third choice? Tax cigarettes at $1 a pack and make them too expensive. Maybe some people will quit and live longer to pay all of the other taxes.

Steve Kurz

Virginia Beach, Sept. 25, 1997

VIRGINIA BEACH

Bungee-jump hollering

is noise pollution, too

I read with interest your report on monitoring the noise level at the GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater (news, Sept. 23). But who monitors the noise level at the Oceanfront?

I am referring, in particular, to the noise generated by the loudspeaker system at the bungee-jumping site at Rudee Inlet. Every time someone bungee jumps, the announcer hollers, ``THREE, TWO, ONE, FLY'' at the top of his voice. And this goes on and on and on, not only for a limited performance, as at the amphitheater, but throughout the summer season; not only during the day, but sometimes past midnight; and it's not at all what you might call music.

I am glad the bungee-jumping unit is now closed for the season. But what about next year?

Dom C. Calderon

Virginia Beach, Sept. 26, 1997

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Baton is ideal tool

for police defense

In your Sept. 24 story, ``No indictment for officers who shot knife-wielding woman,'' Commonwealth's Attorney Larry Willis states that the use of a police baton ``would not have been appropriate in this incident.''

Mr. Willis' comments on the police baton are misleading. The baton is an extension of a police officer's arm and is the officer's defense against bodily harm from small objects such as knives, bottles, sticks, etc., but not handguns.

I retired as a police officer over 10 years ago. It appears that it is cheaper today to buy a bullet than to train an officer in the use of the police baton as a defense and come-along tool.

Edward M. Olson

Norfolk, Sept. 24, 1997

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