PAGE 2 - WEST CRAVEN HIGHLIGHTS — JANUARY 14.1988
Eastern
Echoes
By
Gail Roberson
17 Years Of Rolaids
My name is Riley. I can type a bit, but my fingers are more
accustomed to hooking up breaking plows and planters then
searching for the margin release and the back space button.
However, there are times, now and then, when the author that
regularly writes for this space gets so "spaced out” herself that
she has to be locked away from society. And, since that's
exactly where she is right now and I have the key in my pocket
to prove it, I guess the rest is up to me.
I don't need to do a pile of research or hair tearing to write
this column. I know exactly what I'm going to say, as I've been
married to her for 17 years.. .and there is nothing she can do to
punish me any worse than that, and the fact that I have to eat
here three times a day.
I am a Greek God. At least she must think so from the burnt
offerings that she places before me all the time. That woman
can fine talk me through a bad dinner better than air control
lers can talk jets through thunderstorms and belly landings. I
know that's burned meat down there under that greasy gravy,
but she has such a way with words that I half believe that’s the
way it's supposed to look.
Everybody that comes here remarks about how nice the
house smells all the time. It took my whole peanut crop to pay
for that scented mess she spreads around here trying to get rid
of the odors from her cooking catastrophe.
When I was dating my wife, she told me right up front that
she was NOT the average woman, and that she had absolutely
no interest whatsoever in anything domestic. I was so blinded
by love and huge brown eyes that I never paid that much
attention to anything else. Now I wish I had taken the time to
look up the word "domestic” in the dictionary. I’ve eaten three
things this week I didn’t recognize. I’m learning to keep a big
supply of catsup in the pantry. It will cover most of her errors
other than my pink drawers and t-shirts and the hole her cats
dig in my recliner.
There isn’t a pocket left on her pajamas. She rips them all off
on the kitchen drawer handles. I had to come to her rescue the
other night and get her off one of those things, or else she'd
have hung there till dawn.
Yesterday was her “break it” day in the kitchen. She des
troyed three glasses, a mug, two plates, the can opener, an
“unbreakable” piece of Tupperware, the tea pitcher and the
last bottle of catsup. I made a mad dash to the store. I will NOT
be caught without catsup in this house.
And speaking of Tupperware, I finally got a tobacco stick
and fixed a hook on the end so I could stand way back to open
the cabinet door to her Tupperware supply. Otherwise, I’d be
buried alive under the avalanche. I’ve watched that woman
toss things in there from thirty feet away.
Yesterday I took her butcher knife down to the farm shop
and sharpened it with the side grinder. We were having lemon
pie that night. The night before, I watched in total amazement
as the serving spoon stood upright in the mashed potatoes for
twenty minutes before it eventually fell. When I finally got up
enough nerve to try a biscuit, I went out to the shelter for the
shovel to break it loose from the pan and heave it to the table.
I’ve had 17 years of Rolaids.
We have to pay more for chicken because she can’t cut one
up. The one time she tried, I never did find the legs. I just don’t
believe a chicken has such body parts as those she served me
that night.
Close friends understand. They bring me casseroles and
cookies, and a can of beef stew for backup, she will always
need an oven that flushes, and I will always need that bottle of
pills in the medicine cabinet. And, at this house, dinner will
always be ready when the smoke alarm goes off.
ASCS Notes
Our Opinion
By CUFF MOORE
There will be an 0/92 program
offered for wheat and feed grain
producers in 1988, but participa
tion will reportedly be limited
and will be determined on a bid
basis.
In this program, producers
may elect to devote all or a por
tion of their permitted acreage to
conservation uses. Deficiency
payments for the land so devoted
are guaranteed to equal the pro
jected deficiency payment rate
for the crop.
Participation wiU probably be
limited for the program to mini
mize the adverse effect on agri
business and other agriculturally
related economic interests in the
county.
Also included in the 1988 prog
ram as options is a 20 percent
mandatory acreage reduction re
quirement, meaning that a pro
ducer can participate by planting
80percentofhisbaseandsetting
aside 20 percent of his base. Far
mers can also participate in the
additional 10 percent diversion
program, meaning they can de
vote 30 percent of their base to
set-aside land, 20 percent to ACR
and can divert 10 percent They
would be eligible to receive an
additional diversion payment on
10 percent of the base land laid
out This program would enable
a producer to plant 70 percent of
his base.
The acreage reduction require
ment for oats will not exceed five
percent A producer may plant
all the oats he desires If he is not
in the oat program. If he partici
pates he must plant his oats
according to maximum-
permitted and set-aside require
ments. The cross compliance sti
pulations of the 1985 Farm Bill
do not apply to the oat program
because there is a shortage of
oats, but it is the only program
crop that is not subject to cross
compliance.
Under cross compliance, all
other program crops planted on a
farm that has a crop piuticipating
in a program must be planted
withing their established bases.
Producers will be eligible to re
ceive advance deficiency pay
ments after signing up for the 01
92 program. They will be able to
receive not less than 40 and not
more than 50 percent of the adv
ance projected payment. The
program ^o provides for haying
and grazing of conservation land
and the use of ACR for wheat and
feed grains except during the
five month period which will be
established by the State Agri
cultural Coruervation and Stabi
lization committee between
April 1 and Oct. 31 of the crop
year. There has been no word as
to the amount of the projected
deficiency payments or diver
sion payments. Producers will be
notified when more information
is available. The sign-up period
for the 1988 programs will be
from Feb. 16 to April 15.
The delay in the signups was
caused by legislation recently
passed by the U.S. Congress re
quiring changes in commodity
programs. New provisions for
these programs will be
announced as soon as possible.
There has been no notification as
to how an 0/92 program for 1988
will be run.
There has been a change in the
acreage allotment for the 1988
tobacco program. The acreage
allotment has been increased
from 353,600 to 379,588, meaning
that the national average yield
per acre will drop from 2135
pounds per acre to 1989 pounds
per acre.
Last week this paper carried the story of the work being done
on the Vanceboro Community Center. And rightly so. Such
efforts and determination need to be mentioned and rewarded
publicly.
Some people might wonder at the cooperation of the volun
teers. But we prefer to think that the cooperation is just a sign
of where we come from. Is such cooperation really all than
unusual? Probably not, if one stops to think about how things
were built years ago it is not so unusual. Bam raisings—those
community events seen now mostly in old movies—were the
foremnner of construction companies and general contrac
tors.
While the men and boys did the work on the building, the
women and girls were charged with preparing food to feed the
builders. But in these days and times, the women can be found
on the roof pounding nails as well as the men beside them. It
was a time for work, hard work. But it was a time for socializ
ing and doing things together.
The volunteers working on today's community project have
borrowed and modified an old concept of neighborliness.
There is plenty of hard work to do on the old community
center. But we cannot help but think the volunteers wUl come
away from the experience with more than sore muscles, splin
ters and smashed thumb or two from errant hammers.
Whether they know it or not, the volunteers will be putting
something into the community center other than wood, paper,
paint and wiring. We wonder how many smiles will be added
to the buidling. We wonder if the spirit of cooperation will help
the insulation keep the building warm. Some “construction
material” used in the building will undoubtedly give the com-
More Than Nails, Boards
munity a better foundation.
We really should not be amazed at what is happening.
Although our lives are much busier and varied than the lives of
our forefathers, we stUl hold the values they had dearly. We
might not visibly show or even practice those values, but they
are still there. They may be under the pressures and worries of
today’s fast-paced lifestyles, but they usually come out when
needed.
Now that it is out, we need to keep it out. If we stop and think
for a moment, we can surely think of several projects and
needs In the town that need addressing. It’s time to take
advantage of the cooperation found at the community center.
It can do a lot for the town. And it has done a lot for the town.
Everytlme the volunteer firemen fight a fire, everytime the
rescue squad races to an emergency, it symbolizes the spirit of
cooperation needed irt rural areas. Often that spirit is taken for
granted. With just a little nurturing and care, that spirit will
grow.
We would venture a guess that the people we see with smiles "
on their faces each day in town know the secret of cooperation.
Look closely at the firemen, rescue workers and other volun
teers around town. Their smiles should let us know they are
enjoying something the rest of us might be missing.
It takes more than nails, lumber and brick to build some
thing. The tools are useless unless used by willing workers.
There is some building going on in Vanceboro and what is
being built is more than just four walls, a floor and a roof. The
future of the town grows with every nail pounded.
Pass the hammer.
Tracing Deficit’s Roots
By WILLIAM A. CALSTON
How did we get into the morass of $150-200 billion annual
federal deficits? And why haven’t we been able to get out of it?
The story really begins more than twenty years ago. During
the 1960s, economic growth was rapid and inflation was low.
Money was available for government programs, and many
new commitments were imdertaken. In 1965, for example.
Medicare was enacted into law. A few years later. Social Secur
ity benefits were raised significantly and indexed for inflation.
Appropriations for children, poor people, and students were
also increased substantiaUy.
These new ventures turned out to be more expensive than
anyone predicted. As the cost of medical care soared, so did
M^icare. In the past decade. Medicare spending has quadru
pled fium under $20 million annually to over $70 billion. Dur
ing this same period, as inflation repeatedly reached double
digit levels. Social Security outlays more than doubled, from
$94 billion to almost $200 billion.
Through most of the 1970s, this increased domestic spend
ing was largely counterbalanced by decreased defense ex
penditures and higher taxes. Late in the 1970s, however, as
many people came to see a deterioration in the U.S. armed
forces relative to those of the Soviet Union, pressures grew for
defense increases. At the same time, many people revolted
against being forced by inflation into ever-higher tax brackets.
President Reagan came into office pledged to strengthen
America’s defenses and cut individual taxes. Since 1981, de
fense spending has more than doubled, while taxes were cut
an indexed to prevent inflation from producing unlegislated
tax increases.
The Reagan Administration was not able, however, to cut
domestic spending enough to compensate for these new de
ficit producing programs. After early efforts to cut Social
Security produced a strong backlash, it was declared off-
Ratification
Within two days after the framers of the U.S. Constitution signed
the completed document, it was published in the Philadelphia news
papers and the debate began. Nine of the original 13 stales had to
ratify the Constitution before it could form the basis of our new
government.
Today a major event is communicated immediately throughoul
the country through television. If there had been modem commu
nications 200 years ago, citizens would have watched the proceed
ings of the Constitutional Convention live followed by interviews
with James Madison and Geoige Washington. Within days a con
sensus would be forming within the country.
But in 1787. communications about the events in Philadelphia
spread slowly across America. The Convention itself was held in
the strictest secrecy. When one delegate misplaced documents con
cerning the deliberations. George Washington thundered such dis
approval that the delegate was loo ashamed of his carelessness to
claim them.
Kir what the Convention brought forth would shock many around
the country. No one expected a complete revision of the American
government. Washington and others feared that premature release
would destroy any hope for compromise.
Once the Constitution was completed, the job of selling it to the
people fell on the delegates themselves as they relumed to their
home states. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay
collaborated on the famous Federalist Papers, which were widely
reprinted. The opponents circulated Richard Henry Lee’s Letters
from the Federal Farmer to the Republican. Thus the debate was
joined.
Delaware was the first to ratify on December 7lh, followed by
Pennsylvania on December 12th. New Jersey on December I8lh,
Georgia on January 2, 1788, Connecticut on January 4lh and Mas
sachusetts on Bebiuary 6lh. Bor the day, these first six ratified in
quick order. But three more were needed, and it would be summer
before their approval was achieved. The last of the 13 was Rhode
Island. It ratified the Constitution on May 29, 1790. more than a
year after Washington was inaugurated as our first president, lil
Thh is OIH o( a wries of ratumns ntebtalinii Itw lOOIh annlstrsary ol Itw U.S.
CoftMitulkNi.
• 1907 PMCiMonglS«fvc«$
limits. Medicare was also protected. As the agricultural eco
nomy slipped into depression, farm price/income support
programs soared from $7 billion in 1980 to almost $30 biUlonatu
1986. Increases in these large domestic programs swamped
cuts in such areas as education, environmental protection,
housing, and community development.
Finally, the performance of the economy made a bad deficit
even worse. The severe 1981-82 recession reduced revenues
far below earlier expectations. And after a strong recovery in
1983-1984, the overall rate of economic growth fell far below
administration projections. The hope that we could “grow our
way” out of the deficit proved to be unrealistic.
By the mid-1980s, a deficit deadlock had developed. Presi
dent Reagan pushed for higher defense spending, resisted tax
increases, and proposed cuts in a range of domestic programs.
Congress refused to accept the President’s proposed domestic
cuts, pushed for smaller increases in defense spending, but
shrank from the political risks of advocating higher t^es.
Neither Congress nor the President was willing to contem
plate cuts in Social Security and Medicare. So, while virtually
everyone deplores the continuing large deficits, the country
seems unable to reduce them significantly.
The final article in this series will outline some strategies for
dealing with the problem.
Poverty From Page 1
bad business. Irresponsible."
Still they voted for it. I watched
them. And four nearby churches’
leaders did too, Presbyterian,
Methodist, Episcopal, forming a
financial coalition that reached
into one of the worst neighbor
hoods in Charlotte, Optimist
Park, a decaying, crime-ridden
relic of a mill village. Strong lead
ers from within the Optimist
Park neighborhood met the
churches and made it happen. In
1987 Optimist Park has earned its
name. The neighborhood has
radically changed in spirit and
sight, with thirty Habitat houses
built by skUled volunteer labor
and intricate community plan
ning.
In The Charlotte Observer,
Optimist Park leader Richard
Banks describes Habitat as “not
just a house-building program. It
is a community-building prog
ram.” For people who have been
the “objects of mistrust aU their
lives, suddenly people are
saying, T trust you to pay the
mortgage. I trust you to be a good
neighbor."’ The new homeow
ners are proud. They are paying
monthly mortgage installments
of about $150. And prior to Jim
my Carter’s coming with a mas
sive volunteer labor force to raise
fourteen new houses from con
crete slabs in one week’s time.
Optimist residents raised $2,500
door to door and by a neighbor
hood festival toward building
more houses for the poor. “The
neighborhood, says Banks, “is
no longer the same."
Throughout North Carolina,
Habitat affiliates have raised an
additional thirty basic houses in
Brevard, Durham, Roanoke
Rapids, Chapel Hill, Raleigh,
Winston-Salem, Marion and
Tiyon. Local leaders with clout,
such as Presbyterian layman-
builder John Crosland, Jr., have
made an important difference.
Crosland, selected as "1985 Buil
der of the Year” by Professional
Builder magazine, became a
foreefril chairman of the fledg
ling Habitat Board in Charlotte
alter visiting Habitat housing in
Americus, Ga.
The Charlotte affiliate of Habi
tat employs a ftill-time builder.
Drew Cauthell, a skilled crafls-
man with deep religious convic
tions. Executive director Julia
Maulden, a retired Charlotte
teacher and school board mem
ber serves without pay.
Habitat’s primary founder and
organizer. Miller Fuller, Is a tall,
rangy traveling man, fervent in
speech and enormously success-
fid in his advocacy effort with
over 200 affiliates, which since
1976 have built over 2000 bouses
in U.S. and Canada with projects
also in 18 countries. Fuller be
lieves, “The emphasis today par
ticularly with some television
evangelists, seems to be on what
can God do for me? It seems to
me that’s off the path. The whole
purpose of Habitat is to offer
good news for the poor — but
also to give affluent people an
opportunity to serve.”
(Editor's Note: Maty JCiaft of
CJiarJofte is a widely pubJisJted
poet and aufJior of both fiction
and non-fiction works. She has
written extensively on Charlotte
and Mecklenburg history, as wplt-
as NortJi Carolina historical sub
jects. She is the auUior of five
publisehd books.)
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