Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, November 27, 1995 TAG: 9511270090
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Your editorial is equally wrongheaded. Why do you think American corporations are leaving the United States for Third World countries in such large numbers? In case you haven't figured it out, it's much cheaper to manufacture goods where no standards exist for clean air, clean water, workers' health and safety, and no need to negotiate with worker organizations over wage and job-security issues.
The loss of manufacturing facilities from this country represents a massive reduction in high-wage jobs typical of these industries. The only effective and fair way to reverse this trend is to impose a tariff on all goods imported from those countries whose environmental and worker standards are so grossly out of balance with ours as to affect differences in production costs. This will force foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies to either improve their acts overseas or incur an enforced equity for the price of products they sell back in our markets in competition with locally produced goods. This practice will result in fair competition, a concept I'm sure even your newspaper could endorse. It might also produce some badly needed revenue.
CHARLES F. ROBERTS BLACKSBURG
Board was not an effective teacher
I COULDN'T agree more with Sabrina Joy Grubb (Nov. 10 letter to the editor, ``Thin line separates spanking and abuse'') that using a paddle to deal with disruptive students is a practice that must stop.
As a recalcitrant student throughout my educational training, I was often the recipient of the "board of education," the worst when administered by the tennis coach. It didn't cure me; I'm still incorrigible.
JOHN E. PHILPOTT WIRTZ
Green Party offers a viable alternative
I ENJOYED Ross C. Hart's Nov. 11 letter to the editor, "Politicians should give voters what they want: control."
He writes: "What no candidate seemed to understand is that the big lesson of 1994 is 'control'.'' I certainly agree that we have lost control of our government, if we ever had it. I also agree with Hart's proposed solutions: charter schools; initiative, referendum and recall; and repeal of the food sales tax. One serious omission from this list is reversal of the Dillon Rule, which concentrates power in Richmond and severely restricts flexibility of local governments.
In concluding his comments, Hart lamented: "What's amazing is no politician running for office seemed to have figured it out. Maybe that's the difference between a politician and a leader: A politician does what is thought to be popular; a leader proposes what's really needed."
He's mistaken. There were actually four General Assembly candidates running on the ideas he espouses, including three of us up Interstate 81. All of the above-listed solutions were actually planks in the 1995 platform of the Green Party of Virginia - the only party to publish a platform.
The Green Party offered Virginians an alternative to the money-controlled politics of other parties, and several thousand stood up and voted for it.
So cheer up, Hart. There's a vision of leadership that wants to return control to the people - you just haven't been looking in the right places.
ERIC SHEFFIELD 1995 Green Party candidate House of Delegates, 24th District BUENA VISTA
Is Gingrich running our government?
NOW HEAR this! Who's running our government? Newt Gingrich?
That's no way to run a government. Sound off!
SAM GOLDEN ROANOKE
Giving short shrift to old-time virtues
THOMAS C. Kerr's Nov. 11 letter to the editor (``Bennett is too smug to spend time with'') is an appropriate illustration of what's wrong with America. After a day or two with Geraldo (anything for a buck) Rivera, I think he would pine for the company of Bill Bennett, whose values and virtues would make him a welcome, long-term companion.
Kerr mirrors the short attention span of too many Americans - ``Give me a momentary thrill (high?), and to hell with the future (literally)!''
That must account for the incomprehensibly high favorable rating of President Clinton and his fellow keep-the-entitlements-rolling Democrats.
What a tragedy that we have become a nation of selfish, greedy individuals, and the elderly (of which I ashamedly am one) are the worst, or at least the most vocal offenders. If we think we can extricate ourselves from the mess we're in without a return to the moral values that made us great, we're kidding ourselves. God help us!
DANIEL C. ESAU ROANOKE
Ceding land for peace won't work
ISRAEL IS the only democracy in the Middle East and the only country on which the United States can rely in any emergency - both politically and militarily. To fulfill its role as a U.S. ally, Israel must be strong and secure. An Israel that depends on us to protect it and is in need of American troops on its land to prevent aggression would be a liability, not an asset.
You can well imagine the outcry if, as it would inevitably happen, scores or perhaps hundreds of American troops would be killed and wounded by Arab suicide attackers should U.S. troops be stationed on the Golan to monitor the peace between Israel and Syria.
The ``peace process'' isn't going to happen, because the Arab-Israeli conflict isn't a war of two peoples over one land, but of the Arab nations against Jewish rights to any land.
Ceding land for peace - unless it's all the land and unless Israel agrees to its own liquidation - will not bring that peace about.
ALVIN W. FINESTONE CLIFTON FORGE
Bias for decency is needed, welcome
IF ALBERT O. Bird Jr. (Nov. 10 letter to the editor, ``Bias shows clearly in endorsements'') thinks that Southwest Virginia needs an alternative to The Roanoke Times, then he has every right to establish his own newspaper. Isn't that just exactly the sort of free-enterprise solution the Republican Party advocates?
Don't have the time, talent or capital to do so? Too bad! That's the Republican way, too: The strong, ruthless and lucky shall survive and prosper, while the weak and those hit hard by misfortune shall perish. Republicans would like ``the law of the jungle'' to be the law of the land so they can be free to exploit other people, rape the land and pillage in the marketplace without pesky ``liberals'' interfering.
A perfect example of this is the action taken by the Allen administration to let polluters and automobile dealers police themselves. The consequences for the environment will be grim, and hundreds more Virginia consumers are sure to be cheated. But that's OK, because it's all being done in the name of ``free enterprise.''
There may be some instances of environmental or commercial regulations that are excessive and need to be fine-tuned, but putting the fox in charge of guarding the hen house is irresponsible and extreme.
If this newspaper is biased, then I'm glad it is biased in favor of decency, compassion and good stewardship of our Earth's resources. I shudder to think where we would be without this strong voice speaking out against the tide of right-wing extremism that seems to be rising throughout our land.
But I don't think it's fair to say this newspaper is biased. After all, it prints the conservative views of Cal Thomas and others. Besides, Bird has Rush to present the opposing point of view. What more does he need?
DAVID MILLER ROCKY MOUNT
by CNB