t
Jim HuntrPower And Purpose
By Hoyle H. Martin Sr.
Post Executive Editor
Inspite of four lackluster years as
the state’s first Republican governor
in this century, and the difficulties of
working with a legislature controll
ed by the opposition party, Jim
Holshouser will leave office on Jan
uary 8 with a record of some notable
accomplishments.
Under his leadership, the state
gained a public kindergarten pro
gram, the development of more park
lands than any previous administra
tion, a number of new health care
programs, industrial development -
that is - new jobs and industry - and
expanded environmental protection.
On the other hand, governor-elect
Jim Hunt, who has said frequently
during the election rampaigr^ “Let
us get North Carolina moving a
gain,” may, in the words of one
lawmaker, “crash" and be buried
by a General Assembly controlled
by his own party even before he
begins to get things “moving a
gain.”
We refer here to the developing
battle between Hunt and the Legisla
ture over the power of the Office of
the Governor. Hunt wants to change
a historic pattern that would allow
him and future governors to succeed
themselves and to give the governor
—-veto powers over actions of the
Legislature^GElvmThe historic fact
that neither individuals nor organi
zations willingly relinquish their
_Iff- IT...4 L
|IVMWUUg V* I • tlUilW U1HJ wv
pursuing a confrontation with his
own party that could set the tone for
his entire four-year term as gover
nor.
: Fully aware of the difficulties he
faces, the new governor apparently
plans to mount a strong campaign
for the second-term-Meferand the
^8ic
ment for the proposed changes are
to end the “lame duck” nature of the
governorship, which, hinders effec
tiveness, and to have the authority of
the veto to check-and-balance possi
ble bad legislation by the law
makers.
We support Hunt’s view on these
important proposals for at least four
reasons. First/as already noted, the
“lame duck” nature of the governor
ship makes it very difficult for the
state’s highest public official to offer
strong assertive leadership and a
meaningful set of policy and pro
gram directions for the state. Se
condly, a single four year term
allows for not more than three years
of effective administration after
allowingforlQ months or ay ear for
adjustment Thirdly, since the Lt.
Governor-elect Jimmy Green comes
from an entirely different school of
political thought than that of Hunt,
the governor’s programs and budget
proposals could be hampered by
Green’s power and influence in
legislature committee assignments.
Lastly, the meager patronage and
appointment power that the gover
nor has has been gradually taken
away by the lawmakers themselves.
Such arguments have been offered
before with virtually no success^
Therefore, if any degree of headway
is to be gained for these proposals •
both of which would require a
constitutional amendment and thus
a vote by the electorate - Hunt will
have to begin by playing the politi
cally artistic game called “compro
mise” and “trade-off.”
We believe the compromise should
begin with Hunt changing his posi
tion to the extent of starting the
two-term governorship with the next
administration, not his own. There
are two very practical reasons for
this suggestion. One is to reduce the
belief of some that he, Hunt, is
seeking greater personal glory and
power. The other is that some
lawmakers who may desire to run
for the governorship themselves in
1980 might oppose the two-term
proposal for that reason. On the
other hand, we believe Hunt should
stand firm in his effort to gain the
veto power.
On other matters of getting North
Carolina “moving again,” we com
mend the governor-elect for his
efforts to-date in cabinet-level and
other appointments with the possible
exception of Lauch Fairdoth (see
story on page 1). We are especially
Dleased with thp annnintmpnt nf
former Chapel Hill Mayor Howard
Lee as secretary of Natural and
Economic Resources and Dr. John
R. Larkins as Special Assistant for
Minority Affairs and special pro
grams.
Finally, it is our hope that the
General Assembly and the people of
the state will set aside some of their
partisan political views to help Hunt
“get North Carolina moving again.”
Where’s Insurance?
Last November 15-year-old Lisa
Haney, a 10th grader in a Yancey
County school, was severely injured
and possibly crippled for life as a
result of an accident involving the
school bus she rode on.
The accident left Lisa with a
crushed spine, a punctured lung, and
broken ribs and wrist To add insult
to these serious injuries, the state,
the county, and the school system
involved each claimed “sovereign
immunity” from suits for damages
under the N.C. Tort Claims Act.
The law says the state can only be
sued with its own consent and then
only within its own financial limita
tions. County school systems may
purchase liability insurance cover
ing i injuries only during school acti
vities7Bowever7the law specifically
^ excludes school bus accidents.
Strangely, this has happened in a
state that requires privately owned
motor vehicles to have liability
insurance and in a state where
private passenger automobile insu
rance companies had reported the
highest profits in the nation. Clearly
something is wrong.
Reading And The Intellect
Let us suppose athletes
could not enter any of the
Olympic competitions unless
they were able to run 400
meters in less than one min
ute. The logic of using this
standard would be that run
ning iB.aJjgsic fprm of phypi- „
cal movement, and that unless,,,
one aqhid tlB weO, one coufctr;
not perform any other physi
cal activity well. All those who
could pus such a test would
be considered superior ath
letes and would be qualified to
display other forms of athletic
ability, such u swimming,
jumping, skating, etc., while
those who could not pass the
running test would be consi
dered “inferior” and would be
eliminated from the games.
Sounds ridiculous? But it is
no more ridiculous than the
idea of using reading u the
standard for judging child
ren’s Intellectual capabilities.
In many schools, those who
can read well are considered
to be ‘superior’ students, and
those who cannot read well
are considered ‘deficient’ in
their ability to learn.
Regardless of how strong a
case may be made for the
promotion of reading skills,
reading la but one form of
mental activity. It is the abili
ty to receive information
through the use of alphabetic
symbols. The ability to read
fast or with a high degree of
skill is no more an indication
of Intellectual ability than
speed running is an indication
of one’s ability to swim, hurl.
the discus, figure skate, or
perform on the balance beam.
We constantly Bee evidence of
a highly efficient intellect at
work when we see individuals
organizing people into a tight
ly knit unit; arranging musi
cal sounds into a pattern
beauty; conveying messages
ArsugS the strokes ef a paint-,
brush; swaying crowds of peo
ple with spoken words; or
simply surviving under highly
adverse circumstances.
Just as the Olympic games
provide the impetus and the
stimulation to athletes to de
velop their various physical
skills, the schools should seek
to nourish and develop Intel
lectual talent in all its various
forms. Yet, in the schools,
there are numerous cases of
children who have outstanding
intellectual ability, especially
in the creative arts, but who
have been assigned to the
‘dummy’ room because of
their inability to read well.
Such a case was that of a
young student whose intellect
was highly developed in mu
sic. Without having had any
formal training in music, he
could compose, perform on
various Instruments, and play
musical compositions after
having heard than only once
or twice. Yet this child was as
signed to the ‘alow’ group in
school because he could not
seem to learn the skill of
decoding alphabetic symbols.
By the time the child reached
the 7th grade, he had become
one of the school’s worst be
havior problems, and in a few
more years, joined the ranks
of the dropouts.
In another instance, a school
was invited to bring 30 young
sters to see a very exceptional
art exhibit. The students who
readers. The explanation for
this was that these students
were the 'brightest’ and would
therefore be able to appreci
ate the exhibit much more
than the other students. Cases
such as these are not the
exception, but happen so fre
quently in the schools that few
people think there is anything
unusual, unjust, or illogical
about it.
No one can deny that some
degree of literacy is necessary
in order to be able to function
in this society, but surely
great care must be taken not
to stamp out real creative
talent in the relentless pursuit
of higher reading scores. It is
not difficult to imagine the
amount of frustration which
would be caused to athletes if
one physical skill were used as
the meimr*f«g stick >'t *11
other skills, and one can also
imagine how dull the Olympic
games would be if all but the
track stars were shunted a
side. The range of capability
of the human mind is infinitely
more varied, complex, and
brilliant than anything the
human body could ever per
form.
mm w
Yemen E
*
Choices For Tlte New Year
1977 will be a crucial year. It begins with the/Bi
country in a seemingly intractable recession B
that’s a major Depression for poor people and for tt
black penile, and with a new Administration V
entering office whose every move will be B
scrutinized for hints of how it will deal with fl
the nation's problems. B
President-elect Carter has said that even S
before his inauguration he will announce his B
{dans for getting the economy back on the right ■
track. The basic decision revolves around what ■
sort of stimulus the economy needs. I
Everyone, regardless of the ideological ta(B ■
worn, believes some sort of stimulus is needed. 1
Production is way below what it should be, -I
unemployment is rising from an intolerably high I
base, and public and private needs are going 1
unmet.
That’s why many are advocating a hefty tax
cut. The idea is that cutting taxes will put money
in people’s pockets and get them spending again,
leading to higher production levels and more
employment.
That’s a tidy package. The only trouble with it
is that it is wrong.
A tax cut would be a wrong decision for several
reasons. First, experience shows that people
don't spend their tax cuts, which often amount to
only a few dollars a week anyway in the average
paycheck. After the last tax cut, the savings rate
rose sharply, and that doesn’t lead to more
production or more johs._
Second, a tax cut would go to those who heed it
least. People who are jobless, who are poor or
near-poor, would pot benefit at all. j
Third, whatever stimulus a tax cut brings to
the economy takes a long, long time to show
itself. The full economic impact of a tax cut is not
seen for many months while sharply targeted
direct government spending can boost the
economy immediately.
ftst,, it, wpuld be
ffrjk lime whfcri
v can taxes be cut
when teachers are being laid off, city health
facilities closed down, and public transportation
systems deteriorating? In the face of unmet
public needs and growing unemployment, it
would be a tragic mistake to add to the enormous
budget deficit by cutting taxes, thus reducing the
very revenues the government needs to do its job
properly.
The way to get the economy moving again is
through a program of job-creation that avoids
the tortured indirect, inefficient mechanism of a
tax cut. Immediate federal spending on public
works programs and public service employment
should do the trick.
Last September Congress voted a $2 billion
public works program designed to create jobs.
This month it was reported that applications for
25,000 projects from state and local governments
amounting to $24 billion had already been
received by the agency in charge of disbursing
those funds. And those applications are still
pouring in!
That’s just one indication of the huge demand
for schools, libraries, stadiums, bridges, sewer
systems, and other necessities. And those
projects aren’t ones dreamed up by Washington ^
bureaucrats, they’re projects being asked for by
local governments on behalf of their citizens.
• • •»
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Prayer In Public Schools
By Gerald O. Johnson
The newest beef in Charlotte
is the federal court order to
have school prayer stopped in
a CMS school. The law was
passed several years ago, so
why the fuss?
It is hard for those people
who are self acclaimed Chris
tians to realize that everybody
does not believe in Christiani
ty. What is even more the case
is everybody does not want to
believe in Christianity. In fact
Christianity is one of the
youngest of popular religious
beliefs
Now, since the religion you
believe is of your choice you
worship wherever you like.
But a public school is not the
place to display a religious
belief. The reason is obvious
Everybody that is in a class
will not be of the same reli
gious belief. Why then, if the
tearner happens to be a Chris
tian, must everybody be sub
jected to her beliefs. It is not
fair and I think the Supreme
Court was justified in doing
what it did.
Moreover, • lot of people are
unable to realize the conflicts
that can occur when you try to
interject religious beliefs into
public institutions. One exam
ple will suffice to demonstrate
this point.
In Philadelphia a Catholic
school teacher was using her
religious beliefs in conducting
her class. The class was made
up of Mormons, Catholics,
Jews, and Protestants. During
holiday seasons she insisted
that religious programs be.
acted out and the Holiday be
observed as a Catholic would
observe them. All of the little
kiddies did wha their teacher
told them and everything was
find. Everything was fine, that
is, until the parents got wind of
it. Then the whole thing went
up in smoke. The poor kids of
non-Catholic faith don’t know
if they should believe in their
parents faith or in their teach
ers faith.
The satpe situation has
cropped up all over the coun
try since massive busing has
integrated neighborhood
Gerald 0. Johnson
schools. Before busing neigh
borhoods were basically of the
same religion as well as of the
same race, and economic
standing. But now with busing
the mixture of public schools
is quite heterogeneous. There
by it is s necessity that teach
ers refrain from using their
religion in a classroom
Once we begin to realize
that the world and its ideaio
gies are much larger than the
small circles we travel in, we
can then appreciate the Job
the federal court system has
to do. In most cases they are
doing what is democratic for
all people, be it against your
own belief or not.
CIAA HOOPLA
It is that time of year when
the mad rush starts for the
basketball teams in the CIAA
to make it to the CIAA Tourna
ment.
The tournament will be held
in Hampton, Virginia again
this year. Get your tickets
early because the collkeure in
Hampton holds only 10,000
comfortably. You better be
lieve it will be packed.
It will be hard for this year’s
tournament to be as exciting
and as spectacular as the
tournament last year. The
games were incredibly exci
ting. Of course Norfolk won
the tournament, as usual, in a
thriller against Winston
Salem State College.
This year, however; the
race to get to the tournament
should be exciting. Norfolk,
Virginia State, and Elizabeth
City should all make it from
the North. The fourth North
ern school lan't so easy to pick.
But more than likely it will be
Virginia Union.
The Southern Division four
Is even more difficult to pick.
Winston-Salem is a shoo-in.
Even without the over-rated
guard, Tom Paulin, Winston
Salem will have no problem
being number one in the Sou
thern Division. Both St. Au
gustine’s and Shaw have come
of age and don't see anyone
stopping either team from
making the poet season tour
nament. St. Augustine’s did
not dress their sensational
guard Calvin Rand or their
oUUtandtng forward James
Salvage when they played in
Charlotte recently. Why, I do
not know. But with these two
young men St. Augustine's
would give Winton-Salem a
run for the number one spot.
The fourth team is a toes up.
JCSU, without Robert Lewis.
• w •• *
will have to participate from
the stand* this year aa Fa
yetteville State will be the
fourth Southern team to make
it. So we have the following:
NOTHERN
1) Norfolk -
2) Virginia St. i
3) Elixabeth City
^Virginia Union
SOUTHERN
1) Winston-Salem
2>St. Augustine's
3jShaw
4) Fayetteville ;
Don’t be surprised if the
championship game pits Ya.
State against Winston-Salfcn
this year. Regardless, Big
house and the bettering Rams
will bring the trophy back to
the South this year.
It will be a outstanding
affair so don't miss it. Someof
the best talent in basketball
and some of the worst coach
ing and officiating that yiu
will ever sea will be there. Tf
that's not enough for you, 1
will be there.