Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, October 5, 1993 TAG: 9310150369
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The other half of the nicotine problem - snuff - was not mentioned. It's several times as potent and addictive as cigarettes. The 2.7 cents tax per can is ridiculously low compared to the current cigarette tax. I hear that snuff sales have skyrocketed this past decade as has cancer of the mouth and throat of snuff dippers. Did the increased cigarette tax in that same decade cause snuff sales to take off?
During my daily walks through a park adjoining a middle and a high school, I find many more discarded snuff cans than cigarette packs.
Are teen-agers using more snuff as cigarette sales go down? Is the cheaper price the cause? If so, we need to pressure Congress to tax all nicotine products equally. Would $2 per can save our teen-agers from their elders' error which we learned too late
GEORGE F. SNYDER
VINTON
Clearcutting is still clear
THE PRIMARY goal of the U.S. Forest Service is to cut trees - anywhere, anytime. However, recently its methods - clear cutting, shelter wood, etc. - have virtually all come under attack because they lose money and degrade ecosystems.
To counter the growing public revulsion, this agency has been concocting schemes to put a new face on its abuses while allowing the cutting to continue. Most of these schemes involve "wildlife" (read target species) habitat- improvement cuts, salvage logging for "forest health" (but spreading the gypsy moth and pathogens far and wide) and "educational" cutting, usually involving special-interest clients.
The latest scheme is a cooperative arrangement with something called the "Silvicultural Coalition" which is bent on taking something for nothing from the public forests. Under this arrrangement, there would be "demonstration" cutting in such places as the George Washington National Forest and along the Highlands scenic-tour route - in case we've all forgotten what a clear cut looks like. This is analogous to the Icelandic scheme of "research whaling" to get around the whaling moratorium.
Although this coalition is mostly about cutting trees, the real silvicultural results of 30 years of clear cutting on national forest lands are a disaster. Rather than getting the desired regeneration of valuable oaks, clear cuts have resulted in a plethora of undesirable species such as red and striped maples, gum, etc., which may turn pretty colors in the fall but hardly provide quality wood. Even the oak that does regenerate is of poor quality because it tends to be bowed or suffer from rot as a consequence of sprouting from stumps.
Apparently the Forest Service and its free-loading clients now feel compelled to further obscure these results, and get a little free cutting in, too, by forming this coalition.
ROBERT F. MUELLER
STAUNTON
Write-in offers a second chance
AS REGISTERED voters in Roanoke city, we will exercise our right to vote next month for those offices on the ballot, especially for the office of commissioner of revenue.
We are truly sorry for Howard Musser's illness, but under the circumstances we think it very unlikely that he can expect to carry many votes. If we, and others like us, do not vote for Musser, what other choice is there? Cast our votes for Marsha Fielder? No way.
There is another alternative. We can and will use our right to a write-in vote, and vote for the person who has always been best qualified for the job.
David C. Anderson lost the Democratic nomination in May by a mere 23 votes. His friends, co-workers and associates were so sure of his nomination victory that we can name more than 23 who felt their vote would not be needed. Well, they were wrong, but now have a chance to correct this mistake.
While we understand it's virtually impossible for anyone to win on a write-in vote, wouldn't it be a wonderful way to show Anderson that we still stand behind him? We're not often given a second chance to right our wrongs, so we should take advantage of this opportunity.
VERSAL and WANDA DEARING
ROANOKE
Refugees from the TV wars
IN THE EARLY '80s, Joe Jackson sang about the coming television age. In this musical nightmare, those controlling the tube eventually controlled the entire populace. Who would have imagined that his amusing ditty would find its realization in 1993?
Audiences are being forced to view the strife of yet another civil war on our television screens. The site is not Bosnia or Lebanon, but the conflict is in our own living rooms and dens. The battle is not between religious factions or political parties but the forces of the television industry.
This time we are the refugees as the cable industry and local television stations argue over who has the inalienable right to pick our pockets.
How can this be? Back in the early '60s, people circulated petitions trying to stop what appeared to be a threat to the "free" commercial television that most of us enjoyed. Those signatures, however, could not halt the establishment of the cable-television industry.
Still, we could tolerate the rates charged to watch commercial-free TV. Then came "superstations," such as WTBS and WGN. The characteristic that made them super was that their owners could make money. Rather than charging subscriber fees like cable stations did, or charging advertisers like commercial television stations did, the superstations did both. Not only did cable subscribers have to pay a fee to receive these stations, they also had to endure even more commercials than they experienced on commercial stations. Before we knew it, there were hundreds of superstations.
Thanks to our government, even local commercial stations will be able to charge an additional fee to receive their programming via cable. I'm beginning to wonder if the entertainment value of television is really worth it.
Consider the amount of time the average viewer would have to spend watching commercials to see a two-hour adaptation of a Stephen King novel. I'd rather read the novel.
I wouldn't be charged the subscription fee that I'd have to pay in order to watch it on television. The book might cost a little more money in the beginning, but it would entertain me for a far longer period of time than the average television fare. The book would be mine when I finished. Book publishers don't charge a "pay per read" fee. I wouldn't have to commit myself to any particular time period because I can always put a book down without worrying about whether I might miss something if I were to get up.
THOMAS HANKS
ROANOKE
Johnson needs no training
BOB Johnson is running for re-election to the Hollins seat on the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors. His return to that position is very important, not only to his constituency but likewise to Roanoke County.
With our community facing a soft economy for the foreseeable future, organized competition on all fronts from communities across Virginia and neighboring states, and a host of other significant issues that occur regularly and unnoticed while the rest of us are busy with day-to-day living, it's important to be represented by an experienced, seasoned and informed public servant who has been there. This is no time to train someone new - the stakes are too high.
Johnson played a significant role in making Valleypointe Industrial Park the finest such park west of Richmond. The honor roll there includes Diebert Valve, Optica Cable, CMMA and Magnetic Bearings, to name a few. Jobs of the future are here, now.
Johnson has served during the time when improvement has been registered in virtually all apects of county government. His commitment to the Roanoke Regional Airport, negotiating skills during merger talks, leadership on huge issues such as the Spring Hollow reservoir and the regional landfill are reasons to return him to the board.
One final note (and this is true for all public officials): Johnson has sacrificed thousands of hours of personal time to fulfill his duties. His track record during that tenure has been most impressive.
I trust that his re-election will help Roanoke County and the valley continue their progress.
MARSHALL M. HARRIS
ROANOKE
by CNB