ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 4, 1997 TAG: 9702040063
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
Clinton is master of the cover-up
FRANCES H. Johnson (Jan. 29 letter to the editor, ``Proud to have an able president'') must surely cringe at the presidential apologies over sleazy fund raising (Jan. 29 news article, ``Clinton says mistakes in funds made'') and the comments of Fred Wertheimer (as quoted by Cal Thomas in his Jan. 29 column, ``Misuses, abuses, excuses'').
Clinton is most able when it comes to covering up the moral misdeeds of his administration.
He has set a deplorable moral tone in the White House, and it's reflected in the actions of his appointees- there and at the Democratic National Committee.
Johnson can be proud, as I am, about the orderly change of power represented by the inauguration. But Clinton has cheapened the presidency by his actions, his acquiescence to the actions of his staff and the Democratic National Committee. And he has struck hard at pride in the presidency.
WILLIAM S. STORY
MONETA
City should cut property-tax rate
WE WERE happy to read the headline, ``Property tax rate may be cut'' (Jan. 22 news article). It was satisfying to learn that Mayor David Bowers and Roanoke City Council members Carroll Swain and Jim Trout favor reducing the real-estate tax rate. Councilman William White also seems to favor the idea. The last rate reduction was in 1993.
The total assessment of all real estate in the city for 1997, including new construction, will increase 4.1 percent over 1996. Using this as a fair average means that total assessments for the past four years have increased 16.4 percent with a 0 percent decrease in the tax rate.
State law provides that when any annual assessment of real property in a city would result in an increase of 1 percent or more in the total real-property tax levied, the city shall reduce its rate of levy for the forthcoming tax year so as to cause such rate of levy to produce no more than 101 percent of the previous year's real-property tax levies.
Roanoke city gets around this requirement by conducting a public hearing claiming that a tax increase is necessary. It has done this for the past three years. This translates into City Council's using the assessor's office as a blank check to raise our real-estate taxes.
It's time for City Council members to stop their tax-and-spend policies, and to give something back to homeowners as contemplated by the above-mentioned state law.
WILLIAM G. AMMEN
JAMES B. FELTNER
ROANOKE
Editor's note: This letter was signed by 25 other people.
Media ignored a major event
HOW CAN an event be considered a nonevent when it is held in front of the White House, attended by almost 100,000 fervent but peaceful people from across the nation, includes addresses by congressmen, leading citizens, rabbis, bishops and clergymen, and is snubbed by the president who had been invited to attend?
The answer is simple. When an event occurs that doesn't reflect the liberal bias of the media and the president, the media simply choose to slight it.
The Right to Life March in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22 was an inspiring event. A significant portion of this nation's citizens believe that personhood begins at conception, and only God has the right to end life before birth. They believe that the doctrine of death, started with infanticide abortion, will lead to the killing of the terminally ill, then the aged, the disabled and others who are "unwanted." This attitude for death must be exchanged for an attitude for life.
Where was the media coverage of this event? I stood beside the media deck and know the event was recorded by all major news services. Yet the firecracker-fuse event down the street received more coverage the next day.
I submit that the news media, including this newspaper, are involved in trying to influence our opinions by emphasizing the news that supports their personal liberal bias. This is wrong!
WAYNE BROOKS
TROUTVILLE
Racist attitudes are detected
WE HAVE been greatly disturbed by the number of recent derogatory letters concerning Martin Luther King Jr. and the Ebonics debate.
There is an overall tone of racism in them - some more subtle than others - that has no place in a civilized democracy such as ours. These people are so afraid of allowing different cultures to express themselves.
Why is honoring the birth of a great leader in civil rights, important to all races for his message of peace, so threatening? Why is allowing the study of a dialect, to increase communication and mutual understanding, so threatening?
This fear of cultural differences fosters hate and violence. Let's not condone and thereby encourage these sentiments by our silence.
DIRK and MARTHA WILEY
BEDFORD
Kids who excel in arts are ignored
THREE YOUNG men - Brandon Semones, Tiki and Ronde Barber - were recognized for their achievement as students in academics and sports recently. My 16-year-old daughter, Nicole Small-Neff, was also given a certificate from the state for placing first in a poetry contest, as were eight other students in different age categories for their artistic and writing achievements.
What I am upset about is the way the Roanoke County School Board and television news mishandled the publicity for these award ceremonies. The three young men received lavish praise from School Board members. After they were all given chances for speeches by themselves and family members, a television crew whisked them away for further personal interviews. The nine students receiving awards for artistic achievements were left out of any media coverage, after they had been told by School Board members that they would be on television.
This incident really bothered me because it illustrates again how important athletes and athletic organizations are in this state, and how irrelevant are the arts. It was so obvious that the camera crew was there only for the athletes. I think it was extremely rude, and I was furious and embarrassed for the kids who were ignored. One girl even received two first-place state awards for posters and poetry. Where were the media to ask her about her work?
We need to support our students in the arts and writing, as well as those in athletics. This incident proves that we have a long way to go.
KATHLEEN M. NEFF
VINTON
Let's set aside petty peevishness
IN RESPONSE to Cleveland J. St. John's Jan. 21 letter to the editor (``The year is off to a bad start'') about starting off the year on the wrong foot by having "a liar and a cheat for House speaker and big trucks taking over our highways":
What is his major malfunction?
First of all, if he is going to throw stones at somebody, why doesn't he make his first target Bill Clinton? Remember that Clinton is being painted as one of America's most dishonest presidents, and that is without looking at Paula Jones or the Whitewater affair.
St. John should take Clinton's advice from his inaugural speech: "Put away your petty political differences and allow America to get on with its progress." It's narrow-minded dogmatic people who put up obstacles to the American dream.
As far as his concerns about big trucks, if he drives like he thinks, it would probably be safer for him to simply stay off the roads.
JEFF D. MARTIN
DUBLIN
Don't upset the area's balance
MY COMPLIMENTS for an excellent editorial (Jan. 26, ``Mill Mountain's purpose'') on the value of today's Mill Mountain to the Roanoke community, and for a persuasive case to leave it in its natural state for present and future citizens.
The zoo isn't what makes Mill Mountain the attraction it is. Neither would a restaurant or other tourism-based businesses. Why risk the commercialization of a natural landmark when there are sufficient businesses in town that can and would welcome more business? Expanding the zoo or adding other attractions to Mill Mountain would only detract from existing enterprises, including Explore Park and downtown Roanoke, while harming the existing balance of nature provided by Mill Mountain.
Greenways, gardens and hiking trails - yes! Zoo expansion, restaurants, monorails - no!
CHARLES W. CRIST
ROANOKE
LENGTH: Long : 157 linesby CNB