F armers represent
* important minority
By John Sledge
N.C. Farm Bureau
There are those who say that
because farmers comprise less than
of this country's population
they are in the minority and
therefore don't have much impact
on the economy.
The truth of the matter is that
our nation's biggest industry is
agriculture. Farm assets, totaling
$1,049 billion on January 1, 1983
were equal to about 70V? of the
capital assets of all manufacturing
corporations in the United States.
The farm equipment industry
provides one example of the im
^ pact of agriculture. When a slump
? ing economy forces farmers to
reduce equipment purchases,
machinery sales plummet, demand
for steel nosedives, workers are
laid off, less taxes are collected and
the entire economy suffers.
The same people who claim
fanners don't have an impact on
the economy also believe farmers'
only job is to produce food and
fiber. Granted that is a big part of
what farmers do every day, but we
wonder how many realize farmers
today must also struggle with com
plicated marketing formulas,
depreciation schedules, computers
and farm equipment designed by
engineers with a Ph.D.
Today's farmer is a modern
businessman, often with multi
million dollar operations to
manage. From growing of food
and fiber to selling it in the retail
store provides jobs for 22 million
people. That means that
agriculture is the nation's largest
employer.
How many minority groups can
you think of that have that kind of
impact on the economy?
Letters To Editor
Planes should be
more careful
about borders
Dear Editor:
Some problems on the surface
are simple to handle, but if you go
deep enough they get out of hand.
For example, when you own a
piece of land you own what's
under it, unless some oil experts
already claims the mineral rights.
But how far down do you own?
What brought this up is the pro
blem airplanes and helicopters are
having staying inside their own
country's borders. Two U.S.
senators in a helicopter on the
border of Nicaraqua were fired on.
A U.S. helicopter was fired on
when it strayed into Czech
airspace.
Tom Sawyer would have argued
it's easy to tell what country you're
flying over just by looking at the
color. The map he studied in
school, when he wasn't playing
hookey, showed each country in a
different color.
Modern computerized and
televised kids now know the color
of a country on a map doesn't
mean that country is that color.
Maps are colored to show
georgraphy teachers where to
point.
But if confused pilots keep edg
ing over the wrong country's
border, some real trouble may
break out. The answer is: mark off
your country's border with line,
like high school football fields are
marked off.
By the way, how far up does a
country's airspace extend? One
mile? Two miles? Ten miles?
Forever? Way past Jupiter. Law
schools of the world can't turn out
lawyers fast enough to handle this.
J.A.
Truck Load Sale
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I. N.C.
Opinions
Chinese alliance
is 'low road'
By Richard A. Viguerte
The United States appears head
ed for a much cozier relationship
with the Peking government and
another sellout of our longtime al
ly, the Republic of China
(Taiwan). The prospect of an
alliance with mainland Chinese
warms the hearts of Republican
politicians (who want the President
to score a foreign policy
"triumph" before the election)
and big international corporations
(who look forward to more trade
with the mainland).
But all the rice wine served at all
the state banquets ever held in Pek
ing cannot wash away the blood of
the 34 to 64 million people killed
by the communist Chinese. All the
alliances ever made cannot ease the
suffering to the Chinese people as
long as they must live under one of
the most repressive regimes the
world has ever seen.
In communist China, more than
ten million slave workers are held
in a thousand forced labor camps.
Millions of Chinese women are
being forced to abort "unauthoriz
ed" babies and forced to undergo
sterilization operations. In many
communities, the method of birth
control used by each family is
posted on a public list and "granny
police" are assigned to monitor
each woman's menstrual cycles.
As many as 100,000 prisoners
have been summarily executed in
the recent "anti-crime"
crackdown. The authorities use
psychological torture to force con
fessions from criminal suspects
and political prisoners.
Catholic priests ? including a
bishop who has lived 21 of his 76
years in prison ? are rotting in
Chinese jails for refusing to re
nounce the authority of the Pope
over church affairs.
Don't be surprised if you
haven't heard about these
atrocities. According to The
Washington Post, "many China
experts and Chinese dissidents
believe (there) is a growing U.S. ef
fort to ignore Chinese human
rights abuses in order to smooth
the way for Sino-American
diplomatic exchanges such as
President Reagan's trip ... to the
People's Republic."
While the communist Chinese
live at a bare subsistence level, the
Chinese who fled to Taiwan pro
sper under a relatively free
economic system. Taiwan's per
capita income is ten times that of
the mainland. Among Asian na
tions, Taiwan's standard of living
is second only to Japan's.
Recent moves toward abandon
ing Taiwan and entering into a
U.S./Red Chinese alliance are sur- '
prising in view of the fact that
Ronald Reagan is president. For
years, Reagan was considered one
of this nation's strongest sup
porters of Taiwan; when President
Nixon announced his trip to
China, he sent Reagan to Taiwan
to assure the nationalist Chinese
that the United States would not
abandon them.
When President Carter
repudiated Taiwan and recognized
iWUMV yfttVV/ /
the government of mainland
China, Reagan said, "I've talked
of our betrayal of the 17 million
Chinese on Taiwan. Haven't we
also betrayed millions and millions
of Chinese on the mainland who
lived with a dream of one day
regaining freedom? We have
legitimitized ,the denial of their
human rights."
In 1979, he said it is "foolish to
pretend that the regime in Peking
is the actual government of
Taiwan." In 1980, as a candidate,
he said, "One of the things I look
forward to most if I am successful
in this election is to re-establish of
ficial relations between the United
States government and Taiwan."
Since taking office, however, the
President has acknowledged the
communists' claim that there is
"one China," not two. He has
made no effort to restore official
relations which Taiwan and he has
promised to abandon our ally by
stopping all arms sales to Taiwan
at some point in the future.
In 1980, he also promised that
"I will do everything to try and
perhaps lead the communist nation
(China) away from communism."
He now has the chance to try. He
can reach out to the Chinese peo
ple and lend them a helping hand
in their struggle to achieve peace
and prosperity. But the way to help
the Chinese is not by selling
weapons or weapons technology to
their communist government, or
by winking at human rights
abuses.
He can help the Chinese by en
couraging their government to ex
pand its experiments in free enter
prise and to allow a diversity of
opinion to be expressed. Aid from
the United States - financial,
military, or otherwise - should de
pend on how far China moves
toward a free society.
The Red Chinese ask us to
overlook their battles with
American forces during the
Korean War, in which 54,000
Americans were killed. They ask us
to overlook the Chinese supplies
that enabled Ho Chi Minh to fight
the Vietnam War, in which 58,000
Americans were killed; their sup
port (for many years) of the Soviet
empire; and their huge recent sales
of weapons to the Ayatollah Kho
meini, who threatens to cut off our
supply of oil from the Middle East.
If they want any help from us,
we should expect a lot in return --
not just for us, but for their own
people.
Otherwise, it will be obvious
that Washington's foreign policy
establishment is selling out a loyal
ally in order to forge an alliance
with one of the cruelest gangs of
cutthroats in history. And we will
again show Taiwan ? and the rest
of the world -- just how dangerous
it is to be a friend of the United
States.
WV#/, ...
"We may have to be here for a while... We're waiting for the Libyan government to
?19*4 CopUrr Swno
evolve to the point where it's ready for civilization."
To My Friends In Hoke County:
I Appreciate Your Support.
Tommy Wellington
N.C. House Candidate
PD. POL. AOV.
Enviro-Chem Co.
EXTERMINATORS
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Letter* Po?k> - Letters 10 the editor are encouraged and welcomed. Writers should keep letter* as short as possible
Names, addresses and telephone numbers should be included and all letters mutt be signed Names will be printed,
however, other information will be kept confidential. We reserve the right to edit letters for good taste and brevity.
Letters should be received by The Hews-Journal by noon on the Monday of the publication week
Spruce it up!
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113 Campus Avenue
^ RAEFORD
Equal
Housing 875-5061
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