Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 25, 1994 TAG: 9404260002
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Concerned Citizens and Taxpayers of Roanoke, Inc., founded by George T. Hitch, made a massive effort a number of years ago to focus City Council's attention on two major areas of concern:
High real-estate rates on homeowners compared with neighboring communities.
Tax disparity between certain commercial properties and that of residential property.
We encouraged voters to support candidates for City Council who shared our views. Among those stalwarts were Howard Musser and Jim Harvey. Also, Mayor Noel Taylor joined the charge to bring our taxes down to reasonable levels. Roanoke's citizens owe these courageous and determined men a debt of gratitude, and they'll be sorely missed. Still on board is Mayor David Bowers, and we hope he and new members will continue to keep a tight fist on the city's purse.
Our organization has continued to monitor these matters. However, we felt it would be counterproductive and wasteful of time and resources to publicly pursue a matter that City Council is correcting, slowly but thoroughly. Taxes haven't been a high-profile issue in the past few years for this reason. It's also the reason that our organization hasn't been visible. Should this situation change, I can assure you that we'll again become very visible.
J. ROBERT JUSTICE President, Concerned Citizens and Taxpayers of Roanoke, Inc. ROANOKE
Don't destroy rights to solve social ills
WE'RE LIVING in an age of using pseudoscience to vilify those things some regard as socially inappropriate. These elitists haven't any tolerance for opposing views and have no problem with suppressing the Constitutional guarantees for those needing their help. Complaints of intrusion into private lives and deprivation of fundamental freedoms fall on deaf ears.
Guns and cigarettes are examples of defining an ``evil object,'' and those who enjoy them are considered to have serious defects in character, morals and judgment, and to be in need of ``protection'' from themselves.
Our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, conservative moral values and belief in rugged individualism are the bedrock strengths upon which our nation was built. Citizens and politicians must recognize that we cannot afford to circumvent the Bill of Rights as a means of addressing our social problems. Any legislation diminishing the rights of 99 percent of our citizens to deal with crime and criminals, or discriminating against users of tobacco products, is blindly irresponsible.
MARVIN E. SHOCKLEY BUENA VISTA
Poor taste in selling old tombstones
I WAS pleased to learn from this newspaper that the Archeological Society of Virginia has raised objections to the sale of old tombstones (March 21 news article by staff writer Mary Bishop, ``Tombstone sales criticized'').
Hoyt Updike, whose tombstone was pictured in the news article, was the infant son of Amon Tucker Updike and Idella Clarence Burnette Updike. They're buried in the Leftwich Cemetery in Bedford County. This is a highly respected family with devoted relatives.
There's a large Updike family marker for the plot, and the children have inscribed footstones. I don't know at what point the decision was made to go to the large marker instead of individual tombstones, but individual ones should have been destroyed by Marsteller Monuments at that time and never put up for public sale.
This has to be a new low in poor taste, to say the least!
MELBA UPDIKE LYNCHBURG
I-73 money can be put to better use
THE VIRGINIA Department of Transportation submitted to Congress a proposed route (Alternative 6A) for Interstate 73 through Giles, Montgomery, Floyd and Roanoke counties that makes no sense at all. This road would disrupt hundreds of Virginians' lives, destroy many farms and wildlife habitat, all at a cost of $500 million to taxpayers. I-73 is intended to connect Detroit, Mich., with Charleston, S.C. A straight line between these two cities runs right along the existing I-77, some 40 miles west of here.
Why should taxpayers pay another $500 million to pave some more of our woodlands? It's time to tell our politicians in Richmond and Washington, D.C., to route I-73 along the existing I-77. Better yet, why not spend the money on improving Virginia's schools or public-transportation system?
MARK SCHONBECK CHECK
Robb cares about senior citizens
RECENTLY, I called and wrote to the offices of Virginia Sens. Chuck Robb and John Warner for information. Robb's office responded with a phone call and a personal letter. Warner's office completely ignored my request.
I was asking for information regarding benefits for senior citizens and the elderly. Our votes don't count? Then let's vote for Robb who's with us and cares about our welfare. His record shows it. He's honest.
WILLIAM FLOURNOY ROANOKE
by CNB