Opinions
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Poll shows changes in thinking
The Starch Readership Service,
which has been polling American
households since 1932, polled
4,547 households to learn what the
Ibasic interests of Americans are to
day.
Results for the year 1983
households show quite a change in
the attitudes of Americans in the
last two decades.
In 1953, the top ten basic in
terests of men were: sports,
automobiles, entertainment, home
building, religion, gardening,
business, politics, travel and
fbooks.
But in 1983, U.S. men's top in
terests. were: business, sports,
automobiles, travel, science,
politics, health, cultural activities,
entertainment and education.
Books, religion, gardening and
People and Issues
home building disappeared from
the list.
In 1953 U.S. women were most
interested in: religion, food,
homemaking, child care, home
furnishings, fashions, entertain
ment, gardening, books and
education. The latest polls, for
1983: fashions, food, health, home
furnishings, cultural activities,
child care, travel, home-making.
education and entertainment and
books.
Religion and gardening disap
peared from the women's list,
religion having been No. 1 in 1953.
These results, reported in the
Christian Science Monitor, in
dicate our churches need to work
hard to make their message appeal
ing and more realistic, relevant and
practical in today's society.
MEMORIAL DAY
Memorial Day began - as a na
tional observance - during the
Civil War, first in Mississippi and
other states. In 1865 it was observ
ed nationally. That year the U.S.
Army suggested graves be
decorated throughout the country.
To those who responded to the
call of duty and gave their lives the
nation is indebted.
Retreat meetings spark debate
Public officials sometimes find
the public to be a real nuisance.
They want to re-zone a piece of
land, close a school or raise taxes
and the public wants to horn in on
the fun with its two cents.
City council or county commis
sioner chambers get all crowded
and the citizens get all worked up,
some even get ugly.
The county commissioners in
Mecklenburg have arrived upon a
solution to this inconvenience.
They've asked the legislature to
give them special authority to hold
official meetings outside of their
county. This way they can go
ahead and do what they wish, and
they won't have to listen to all
those dissenting opinions.
The sponsor of the bill, Rep.
Ruth Easterling, D-Mecklenburg,
doesn't view the idea so cynically,
of course. Explaining her bill to
the House Judiciary I Committee
recently, she said it was needed for
those occasions when the commis
sioners travel together to national
conventions. If there is a resolu
tion up for a vote, the commis
sioners can't discuss it because that
would constitute an official
meeting.
Others weren't so impressed
' with the bill, Rep. Martin Nesbitt,
D-Buncombe, said the bill would
lead to violations of the spirit of
the Open Meetings Law. A crowd
of commissioners on an out-of
town junket could call a meeting
and give the proper public notice
Watching
By Paul T.
O'Connor
back home, "but it doesn't make
any difference because you're in
Timbuktu and no one can get
there."
Rep. Tim McDowell,
D-Alamance, asked how a board
could comply with the Open
Meetings Law if they're in Los
Angeles. How could they post the
required official notice on the
courthouse bulletin board? Mrs.
Easterling said no notice of any
particular meeting would be re
quired because the entire trip to
and from Los Angeles would be
considered an official meeting.
One notice would be sufficient.
Hugh Stevens, lobbyist for the
N.C. Press Association, told the
committee the bill "strikes at the
very heart of the idea of a people's
access to their government." This
law wouldn't hurt the press much,
he said. Reporters would be sent
along to follow the commissioners,
he was certain.
"Our principal concern is not
with the press," he said. "But this
would be an enormous problem
for the people. It is their rights,
their property, their taxes that are
being effected. The county com
missioners are off in Las Vegas,
Miami or Pinehurst taking action
effecting these taxpayers when
there is really no likelihood that
the people they're effecting would
be present."
Stevens said local officials might
delay decisions on really tough
issues until they were going to be
out of town. Then they could
decide and not have to put up with
the hassle of an angry citizenry.
Mrs. Easterling retorted that
state law allows municipal officials
to meet outside their jurisdictions.
Stevens said that wasn't good
public policy, either. If anything
the municipal law ought to be
repealed, he said. McDowell
defended the municipal law,
however, saying it was needed to
allow officials from different cities
to meet and discuss common pro
blems.
Although this was only a local
bill, several committee members
said they didn't doubt it would
spread to all the counties if
Mecklenburg was granted the
privilege.
The bill was put in a subcommit
tee that is also looking at modifica
tions to the Open Meetings Law.
The committee appeared willing to
allow boards to meet outside of
their own jurisdiction but members
voiced grave concerns about allow
ing any final actions to be taken in
these meetings.
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