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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, January 21, 1992                   TAG: 9201210351
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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`MALAISE' II

If there were required topics in presidential stump speeches, one we'd like to include is the candidates' thoughts on a survey conducted earlier this month by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News.

Americans were asked to rate 1991 - a year, mind you, when the Cold War and the Gulf War both were won. Amazing, five times as many ranked it "one of the worst" years in American history as called it one of the best.

OK, people are down because we're in a recession. This too will pass. But another question the survey asked was: "Do you think America is in a state of decline?" By a 2-1 margin, those surveyed said yes.

Something's wrong here. America is the land of optimism, the embodiment of the idea of progress. We need to hear more from our leaders and would-be leaders about what they think such survey results mean, and what they think we as a nation need to do to sestore our confidence.

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