ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 23, 1996 TAG: 9602230087
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A8 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
FRANCES Johnson (Feb. 16 letter to the editor, ``The Clintons are being harassed'') and others who have written recently to express their concern that the Republicans want to destroy Medicare, Medicaid and other programs remind me of the lady who, when asked for whom she was going to vote in the 1964 presidential race, said that she wouldn't vote for Barry Goldwater because he wanted to take away her TV.
No, no, it was explained. He wants to do away with the TVA. ``Well,'' she replied, ``I'm not taking any chances.'' HAROLD W. FRANCIS LEXINGTON
America's Newts and their harpoons
I HAVE recently reread Czech author Carel Capec's satirical novel, ``War With the Newts.''
A sea captain discovers a family of intelligent, giant newts on a South Sea island. These 4-feet tall salamanders live underwater in the shallows. They quickly learn human speech, and in exchange for harpoon guns with which to fight their enemies - the sharks - they're willing to build various underwater projects, such as dikes, breakwaters, etc.
Humanity, in its greed, immediately takes advantage of this free labor, and the newts are encouraged to procreate. Having defeated their enemies, they do so in large numbers, quickly using up all shore lines for living space. When they finally run out of usable beaches, the newts create their own shores by cutting up continents and submerging them. Humans are finally given only mountain tops to live on.
While the book was aimed at German Nazis - who needing ``Lebensraum,'' living space, for Aryans pushed other nations aside - the story is applicable to our Newt and his ``freshmen.'' They also offer us goodies, such as tax cuts, etc., while trying to take over and blackmail the nation into accepting their version of democracy. ROBERT A. HELLER BLACKSBURG
City mismanages its resources
I RECENTLY received assessment notices increasing my taxes because Roanoke city needs more money to beautify the downtown area some more. We've seen money squandered away on hotels, bridges and the City Market area. Why not do something in the black area to keep its residents quiet?
What a waste. Put factories and jobs downtown to keep people in work.
It took the city several days to plow the snow on my street, and garbage has not been picked up for eight days. I saw three trash trucks drive by my house, but not one of them stopped. Then city management wonders why it gets calls, and why taxpayers are upset.
I've had 20 years of this waste and mismanagement, so I'm moving to Salem where government knows how to manage, and it things get done. SANFORD L. KENNEDY ROANOKE
Students face classroom hazards
I HAVE read all the articles and letters to the editor concerning the proposal to build a new school. I was furious when I read Don Terp's Jan. 26 letter (``A new high school isn't needed'') saying that a new school isn't necessary. I was very happy when I read Wayne Newman's Feb. 5 letter (``New school must not be postponed''). He was correct in saying that Cave Spring Junior High School is overcrowded.
I'm an eighth-grade student at Cave Spring Junior High School, and it's definitely overcrowded. Classrooms are so full that there's barely any space to walk around in the class. You practically have to jump from desk to desk to get to your seat!
I'd like to remind those who don't want to build a new high school that students are getting hurt. Some of us are having heat-related problems, and some are getting hurt from accidents related to overcrowding.
You can pretend that this is only about money, and maybe to you it is, but it's our education and safety at stake. AMY ROSAPEPE ROANOKE
SPCA stuck with the `dirty work'
REGARDING Beth Macy's Jan. 25 column, "Good-hearted volunteers have special place for animals":
It was a fluffy and feel-good article about people who have their thing to do to feel like they're achieving something. Their priorities lie with the dogs and not at all with cats, which have greater problems and are more overpopulated than dogs. The real problem wasn't mentioned, much less addressed.
Hear, hear to Lynda McGarry's Feb. 7 letter to the editor, "SPCA staff cares when others don't.'' It addressed the real problem - pet overpopulation. The solution is for people to spay and neuter their pets. Then, there would be fewer homeless animals. And the SPCA and animal-control personnel wouldn't have to do the emotional "dirty work" of cleaning up the problem irresponsible pet owners have caused.
``No-kill" shelters have the luxury of not having to euthanize animals because they don't take in the hundreds of animals that pour daily into public shelters. They don't have the right to condemn other shelter workers who love animals, provide care to an animal, and who then must be strong enough to hold that animal and euthanize it. The public has no right to put shelter workers in that position. But people do it every time their pet or the stray they're feeding gives birth to yet another litter. TRISH WRIGHT President Roanoke Valley Animal Foundation, Inc. ROANOKE
LENGTH: Medium: 98 linesby CNB