Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / Aug. 19, 1993, edition 1 / Page 5
Part of The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Summer Thistles BY BILL FAVER In 37 stales ii is supposed to be against the law to allow one species of the many varieties of thistles to grow on one's land. These arc the kinds of laws left over from another time, and no one enforces them, so thistles flourish throughout the country. One species of thistle was the emblem for the Scottish Stuart Clan and became the symbol for the country when the clan came to power. FAVER orjgjn as the national emblem of Scotland is said to come from the Battle of Brannockburn when King Robert the Bruce was leading the Scots against the English. The English were attempting to slip up on the sleeping Scots in an early morning raid and became entangled in a patch of thistles. The cries of the raiders awoke the Scots and they successfully defended their positions. Or so the story goes! Thistles are a part of the composite or daisy family and spread by their roots and by small tufted airborne seeds. Goldfinches and birds feed on the thistle seed and butterflies and numbers of other insects are drawn to the nectar during late spring and summer. Rowers from the many varieties range in col or from pink to purple to yellow and white. Those we see most often are purple or purplish white. In years past, some Indian tribes used thistle roots for food. Thistles are found along roadsides and in old fields, hedgerows and waste places. Most species arc considered weeds and carry names such as Field Thistle, Virginia This tle, Swamp Thistle, Tall Thistle, and Bull Thistle. The beauty of the flower head, the lure of the sweet nectars to bees and butterflies, and the chance of seeing goldfinches extracting seed make thistles very interesting plants to observe. Like most weeds, thistles have some beauty and some interest for us if we will take the time to examine the parts and look at the beauty in na ture found there. PHOTO BY BILL FAVEK THISTLES ARE CONSIDERED weeds in most places, but are interesting and impor tant as a food source for birds and insects. GUEST COLUMN Local Governments Can Learn From Charlotte HY WILLIAM E. EGGERS Charlotte has bccome the envy of America's struggling cities. While many urban centers are shrinking, Charlotte is growing by leaps and bounds. It has grown from a small Southeastern city to a robust interna tional metropolis of 430,000 ? dou ble its population of 20 years ago. A booming economy prompted the pil grimage: Since 1989, when New York City was losing 370,000 jobs, more than 2,000 firms were laun ched in Charlotte and numerous na tional corporations relocated there. As the nationwide crunch in city revenues moves into its fourth year, Charlotte is beginning to attract widespread attention for something other than its economic growth: lean government. Charlotte's two-year old program to "rightsize" city hall by cutting costs, bureaucracy, and the number of city employees, is garnering notice from the likes of in fluential magazines such as Governing and reform-minded may ors like Indianapolis's Stephen Goldsmith. Rightsizing is very different from downsizing, say its practitioners at Charlotte City Hall. Rather than across-the-board spending cuts or other short-term fixes ? which tend to be undone as soon as tax revenues start flowing back into government coffers ? rightsizing is about funda mentally changing the city's struc ture, priorities, and service delivery. It's about asking key questions. If we were to design city services anew, what would they look like? What services should city govern ment provide, and at what levels? Which services should be left to the private sector? To answer these questions, Char lotte surveyed the city council, pub lic employees, ana its customers (residents and the business commu nity), asking respondents to rank the importance of 41 city services. This process prompted the city council to consider how much services cost compared to their importance to the community. CONVENIENT TOURS AND TRAVEL FOR ALL YOUR TRAVEL NEEDS Oct. 7-10 Nashville, Tenn. Oct. 14-17 WestVa. Oct. 18-24 New England Fall Foliage Nov. 4-7 Florida Nov. 12-14 Christmas in Dixie, Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Dec. 4-8 New York Dec. 9-1 2 ..Christmas in Opfyland Dec. 17-18 .Christmas at Biltmore Plus many more ? Deposits needed CALL 754-4222 FULL SERVICE TRAVEL AGENT I I Not surprisingly, the policc de partment, which runs seven out of 10 of the services ranked most im portant, is getting more money this year. One department getting less money is solid-waste disposal. The council voted to switch from a cost ly backyard garbage pick-up system to curbsidc pick-up, saving $50 mil lion a year. In addition to redirecting taxpayer dollars to more pressing community concerns like crime prevention, Charlotte is also keeping a lid on spending growth. In the late 1980s, the city council began indexing city spending to the inflation rate (ad justed for population increases). This year the Transportation and Solid Waste departments actually saw their budgets drop in real terms ? a rarity for government. To be sure, spending restraint has been made easier by shedding a few pro grams to the county, but even after accounting for some cost-shifting. Charlotte did in fact "go on a diet" to meet service demands without raising taxes. One way Charlotte dieted is by increasing workforce productivity, allowing city hall to cut payroll. More than 270 positions have been eliminated, saving about S8 million a year. The workforce cutbacks, however, didn't come from indis criminate layoffs. By copying some of the radical changes now laking place in how private firms are orga nized, the city is using a knife in stead of a cleaver to shrink the pay roll. But a big problem still remains. Like other big citics, Charlotte is ex perimenting with "community polic ing" as one way to make neighbor hoods safer. But even if the police department is able to get more offi cers out from behind their desks, it won't be enough to quell Charlotte's rising wave of crime. The city sim ply needs more police. The problem is how to pay for ther.. Tax hikes would harm the lo cal economy. City councilman Don Reid, former president of Citizens for Effective Government, a local watchdog group, has another idea: create a brand new revenue source by selling or leasing some of the city's assets to private firms. Reid points out that a tax payer- financed binge in the 1980s left Charlotte with plenty of saleable assets, in cluding two coliseums, an airport, fancy government buildings, a per forming arts ccntcr, and a conven tion center (the city is now building a new center). Like other cities, Charlotte be came enamored with the idea that "if we build it, they will come." While very popular across the country, this "Field of Dreams" strategy rarely lives up to its advance billing as a robust engine of economic develop ment. Reid thinks that taxpayers would get greater benefits from their previous "investments" by privatiz ing some of these facilities. "Experience around the country demonstrates that sports stadiums and convention centers are best run in private hands," Reid says. Experts estimate that the new Charlotte Coliseum (home to the city's NBA franchise) could fetch about S70 million from a private owner, allow ing the city to pay off its coliseum bonds and still have S30 million left over to pay for new police. Rcid and others also hope the city will bring the power of competition to bear on city services by opening them up to bidding from private firms. A privatization task force has recommended opening up a host of services ? from grounds mainte nance to garbage collection ? to competition. The task force estimates that about 4 1 percent of city employees now do work that could be done by nrivafr* firmc Pri v.u i'/iniT mnl of lh?Q r "* -- -? * " * * " "O "* work could save the city as much as S13 million a year. With no public sector unions to combat in Charlotte, privatization enjoys bipartisan sup port Many cities are now talking about making the kinds of changes now taking place in Charlotte. It's time other communities followed the Queen City's example. Eggers is director of the Priv atization Center at the Los Angeles based Reason Foundation. BOATS Affordable! 1-800-545-2293 919-457-9080 ONE HOUR EYE GLASSES ...LOWEST PRICES IN TOWN! We can make arrangements to have your eyes examined today! I CLEAR-VUE 1 | ? Single Vision* igie visit Plastic $ 05 Some Prescription Umilatjons Apply. Plus <x Minus 3 00 diopters^up lo a 2 00 cytaxJer Limit One Coupon Per Customer. No Other Advertised Specials Apply. Expires 8 31 -93 1 COUPON 1 - CLEAR-VUE -- Bifocal $OQ95 Round Seg. Flat Top 28's. Any power spheres plus or minus. $OQ95 Any power for Astigmatism. Limit One Coupon Per Customer. No Other Advertised Specials Apply Expires 8-31 -93 1 COUPON 1 I CLEAR-VUE , Progressive No Line $CQ95 Any power spheres plus or minus. ,95 Any power for Astigmatism. Limit One Coupon Per Customer. No Other Advertised Specials Apply Expires 8-31-93 1 COUPON 1 CLEAR-VUE OPTICIANS (919)395-6563 1-800-634-1085 3901 -A Oleander Dr., Wilmington ?54 eye and above oversize. Tints and ultra violet filter extra. Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m. -8 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m. -5 p.m. V7$ Other localions-Kinston, Greenville, Jackson, Wilson, Wilmington and Raleigh MORE LETTERS Group Asks School Board To Amend Hiring Decisions EDITOR'S NOTE: The follow, ny was presented to the Brunswick County Board of Education at its Aug. 9 meeting It was submitted to the Beacon for reprint as a letter to the editor. ? * * * Members of Ihe hoard of educa tion, ladies and gentlemen, with your permission I would like to be somewhat lengthy tonight, but not near as lengthy as 1 was in my at tempts to have each of you elected to your present positions. 1 stand be fore you tonight representing a few less than 800 concerned cili/cns across this country. We were concerned, humiliated, disgusted, insulted, flabbergasted, stunned and bewildered when we learned that Brunswick will have no black principals this fall. Where were those lavish promises that were advocated by each of you as you met and participated in the various black churches and other black orga nizations of Brunswick County dur ing your campaigns? What has suddenly caused each of you to suddenly turn your backs, your attitudes, your minds, and your attentions against those who fur nished the balance of power that elected you to your present posi tions? I would proudly, prayerfully, decently, intelligently, enthusiasti cally, eloquently and expeditiously request that each of you reconsider your previous actions and make amendments without being forced by the judicial system to do so. If, in your opinion you so deter mine that your previous actions are capricious, unjust, unethical or racially discriminatory, please make proper amendments immediately. Board members we, the black cit izens of Brunswick County, feel that your treaunent to us is capricious, unjust, derogatory, unlawful, ungod ly and contaminated and polluted with the evil stench of racial dis crimination. You have treated the black voters of Brunswick County in the same manner that Judas treated Jesus ? you broke bread with us in ihe evening and then betrayed and erutified us after supper. Jesse A. Bryant Supply ' Incredible Computer' To the editor: "The two most dangerous words in the English language arc 'social engineering,'" said Paul Johnson, British historian. We have two engi neers in the White House who want to redistribute the wealth of this country. We have a Congress that forces the U.S. Treasury to create one bil lion dollars every day out of thin air so that they can bribe their con stituents to continue to rc-clcct them. Ross Perot claims he has the an swers to our plight, but I have not seen or read his conclusive solu tions. He may be waiting for the right time; Ross Perot has demon strated that anyone who can develop a message that can capture the mood and imagination of the people can work the TV talk shows, keep re peating the 8(X) number, and be off and running as an independent can didate for public office. Television, as we know it today, will be different by the next presi dential election. In Microcosm, George Gilder said, "The new tech nologies completely transform the balance of power between the entre preneur and the state..This is the age of the individuals and the fami ly.. .Inventive individuals have burst every link in the chain of constraints that once bound the entrepreneur and made him a servant of parlia ments and kings." This new form of television will have an interactive computer that will feature two-way communica tions, known as a tclccomputcr, that will really transform power to the people. George Gilder was right; this will be an incredible computer! Bob L. Johnson Ocean Isle Beach Write Us The Beacon welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must include the writer's address and telephone number.llnder no circumstances will unsigned or anonymous letters be printed. Letters must be legible. We reserve the right to edit libelous comments and to shorten letters. Address letters to The Brunswick Beacon, P. O. Box 2558, Shalloltc, N. C. 28459. IN-HOME Therapeutic, professional massage given in the privacy of your own home or mine, for your convenience. Please call and make your appointment today. (919) 754-7705 I C1993 THE BRUNSWICK BEACON | SECURITIES AMERICA, INC. 18 Resort Plaza Shallotte Member NASD/SIPC Richard C. Glenn PO Box 2865 Shallotte, NC 28459 (919)754-6771 CHICORA Medical Group Complete Primary Care Adults * v * Children Hospital YdflS) Minor Care r^\ Emergencies Lee Langston, MD ? Jon Langston, PAC ? Roger F. Nelson, MD We have 2 locations for your convenience Shalloue Seaside 341 Whiteville Rd.(Hwy. 130 W) Seaside Plaza (Jet. Hwy. 179 & 904) 754-8731 579-8512 1 I Call for appointment-Vacationers & Walk-ins Welcome, g
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 19, 1993, edition 1
5
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75