ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 2, 1996 TAG: 9602020005
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
I WOULD like to respond to a highlighted quote in your Jan. 24 Associated Press article, ``Clinton challenges GOP,'' concerning the State of the Union address.
President Clinton states: ``We cannot go back to the time when our citizens were left to fend for themselves.''
This comment offends my estimation of myself as a competent, intelligent and responsible human being.
I want to make it clear to the president, or at least to my own community, that citizens of America who contribute in a positive way to society, the economy, politics and their communities, and take responsibility for their lives and choices, do just fine when left to themselves.
LISA SUMMERS
ROANOKE
Newspaper biased against the South
REGARDING the political cartoon published on your Jan. 12 Opinion page:
The point I believe the artist was trying to suggest is that Southern people are racially bigoted, not recognizing the trait in themselves but reproaching others who would exhibit this grievous fault.
It seems to me the artist made the same mistake. And instead of chastising Chris Obrion for his unabashed insult to Southerners, The Roanoke Times compensates him and publishes his work. No surprise here!
Obrion has, no doubt, followed many pickup trucks in the Fredericksburg area sporting bumper stickers like the one depicted in his cartoon. ("Lee Surrendered: I didn't!") In fact, he could have followed mine.
I haven't spoken with all pickup owners in the South. I will assume, however, that at least some would agree with me that the fighting has been over for 131 years, but there are still unresolved issues. These issues have nothing whatsoever to do with race, but everything to do with the nation's culture and political direction.
You, of course, know that very well, but continue to discredit any support for a constitutional government in favor of the social mutant that our government has become. For the record, I have no problem with those in the black community, as they are Southern and have been exploited by the same scalawags and Yankee liberals.
Your newspaper has every right to an opinion, and even to be bigoted against the South. But your bias somehow creeps (putting it mildly) into the news pages and sometimes hides in the closet, as in your conspicuous neglect of the Michael Westerman murder.
I call upon your newspaper to cease its anti-Southern proclivity, and join the few remaining responsible members of the Fourth Estate.
MAURICE L. LUCAS
ROANOKE
United Way worthy of appreciation
OF ALL the big news stories of 1995, one of the biggest in my opinion was the wonderful community support given the United Way. Despite corporate downsizing by some of Roanoke's most generous corporate contributors and concerns about the ongoing federal budget impasse, the United Way raised a record $5 million. Even though anti-abortion groups picketed its headquarters, the campaign met its annual goal for the first time in eight years.
How did this happen? Courage, trust and unity.
The United Way had the courage to resist pressure from pro-life groups to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood's teen-pregnancy prevention program - the most effective program in the valley. It didn't knuckle under when special-interest groups attempted to politicize charitable giving.
The United Way has the collective trust of valley citizens. It has a reputation for making wise, professional decisions when allocating funds to worthwhile organizations.
The United Way unifies the community for a common good. Once a year we set aside our differences. The United Way helps us to do this.
If we all work together in 1996, just think of all the support we can give to needy people in the Roanoke Valley.
FAITH DOWER
ROANOKE
Public demands fuel-tax increases
ONE ASSUMES your intrepid city-hall reporter, Dan Casey, thought he was being clever in comparing city real-estate tax assessments to a case of stomach flu (Jan. 24 article, ``Roanoke property assessments going up''). But his gibe is merely one more example of the news media's persistent and whining bias against taxation.
Much of the American public has an infantile attitude about the relationship between government services and taxation: People want beaucoup services, but don't want to pay for them. The news media, which one hopes will someday act responsibly for the actual betterment of society, feed that sorry attitude.
But neither people's childishness nor anti-tax witticisms of newspaper reporters seeking immortality through cleverness can change an immutable fact: The public must pay, via taxes, for services it endlessly demands. As demands and costs of services rise, so must tax assessments. It's that simple.
MITCHELL L. MENDELSON
ROANOKE
LENGTH: Medium: 96 linesby CNB