Editorial
Marshall Must Find New
Tax Revenue Sources
Marshall became a more expensive place
to live last week.
At a special session of the town's Board of
Aldermen, a ten-cent increase in the property
tax rate was passed without opposition. The
new rate of 85 cents per $100 of assessed valua
tion gives Marshall one of the highest tax rates
in all Western North Carolina.
While the aldermen's decision will un
doubtedly be an unpopular one with many Mar
shall taxpayers, those familiar with the town's
financial situation must realize that the town of
ficials had few alternatives available to them.
Paced with an increasingly shrinking tax base
and rising costs, the town was forced to choose
between higher taxes and reduced services.
Marshall has already cut the police force as a .
result of decreasing tax revenues. The tax in
crease was necessary if essential services such
as garbage collection were to be maintained.
Even before this latest increase, Marshall
residents were paying one of the highest pro
perty tax rates in Western North Carolina.
Now, only merchants and residents in a
revitalized section of the Hendersonville
business district are taxed at a higher rate.
Although this latest increase may have
been necessary, it should be clear that the tax
rate can go no higher. Other sources of tax
revenue will have to be found to support the
town.
Although it will no doubt meet with a greai
deal of opposition, it is time that Marshall con
sidered allowing alcohol sales within the city
limits. With the state General Assembly poised
to increase taxes on the sale of alcoholic
beverages, now would seem like a good time to
, take advantage of this source of tax income.
Revenues from a similar store in Hot Springs
have benefitted the town's financial situation.
We see no reason why Marshall should not also
benefit from the taxes such sales bring in.
We haven't noticed that the present ban on
alcohol sales has stopped many drinkers from
imbibing. Legalized sales of alcohol would at
least give Marshall the benefit of the tax in
come which currently goes out of county to help
support Buncombe County.
Now that video games are sprouting all
over, it may be time to place a hefty tax on each
machine as is done in many communities. As
any teenager can attest, those blinking, blipp
ing machines eat quarters like there's no
tomorrow. Placing a stiff tax on Pac Man would
seem to be the only way to beat the little
monsters.
A third source of potential revenue can be
found along the curbs of Main Street. Parking
meters in the business district would generate
needed income and provide a traffic turnover
beneficial to business on Main Street. It would
also help the town fill its lots off Main Street
which are currently under utilized.
These suggested sources of income will no
doubt provoke criticism from many corners of
Marshall. Alcohol sales will be abhorent to
many, while others will condemn a video game
tax or metered parking. We hope other sugges
tions will be forthcoming. The only other sug
gestion we've heard, increasing the property
tax, is no longer a viable solution.
Guest Editorial
We Are Free Because . . .
I am an American ? a free American. Free
to speak without fear. Free to worship God in
my own way. Free to stand for what I think
right. Free to oppose what I believe wrong.
Free to choose those who govern my country.
This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold,
for myself and all mankind. There are certain
needs common to all men, one of these is
freedom.
In the United States, a person may live
where he wishes or move to the place of his
choice. He may go to whatever church he
pleases or attend none at all. Anyone in the
United States may work at whatever he
chooses. The only limitations are his own abili
ty and training.
The practice of freedom is based on the
idea that every person is different from others.
Everyone in a free country has a right Lo
decide for himself how his life is to be spent
without government interference. A free socie
ty also allows everyone the right to change his
mind. A man can change his job, his church, or
his address without permission from any agen
cy or government.
Our American people of the past have given
us their lives for the freedoms we now have. We
should never forget how they have sacrificed so
we can live as we do.
By Jamey Parks, Grade 6
Hot Springs Elementary School
LPRP... THE COURT
HPS TAKEN AWAY
OUR ALL-WHITE
CHRISTIAH SCHOOL'S
TMC EXEMPT STATUS..
WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
?
I
V';*
The News Record
ESTABLISHED 1901 ? NON-PARTISAN IN POLITICS
* Box 369 ? Marshall, N C 28753 ? Phonm (704) 649-2741
ROBERT T. KOENIG, Editor
CHERYL W. KOENIG. Advertisir? Manager
JAMES I. STORY. Columnist
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Heard And Seen
BjFOPnOBY
The new road along the French Broad
River from the end of the bridge to the rear of
the Marshall Glove Company is a needed im
provement. When completed it will offer new
dimension to the site of the future Hydroelec
tric project being initiated by the French
Broad Electric Membership Corporation. A
new two-flight stairway has been erected
which makes it convenient for pedestrians to
reach the cotton mill street without having to
walk all the way around to the upper end of
the street. This improvement should have
been made years ago after the bridge across
the river at Upper Bridge Street was remov
ed.
What effect a rising river will have on the
new road remains to be known.
However, the new road is definitely an im
provement, both for pedestrians and
vehicles.
FOND MEMORIES
Whenever Vader Shelton and I get
together, we usually talk about how things
used to be in years past. Naturally, much of
the reminiscing is about sports at Marshall
High and throughout the county. Vader has a
keen memory and can quickly recall the ex
act dates and circumstances of games,
teams and players. A few days ago we talked
about the great football teams at Marshall
High School including the first Tornado team
composed of the backfield of Charles Giezen
tanner, Rex Cohn, Paul Roberts, Ralph Red
mon; and the fine line including Edward
"Husky" Rector, Charles Dover, Joe Nix,
"Squirrel Burnette, Arthur Ramsey, Herman
Bradburn, Otto Henderson and the other
outstanding members of the tough and winn
ing team, coached by W.L. Rickard.
Although there have been many outstan
ding teams at the school on the Island, con
versation usually goes back to the first team,
one of the greatest, if not the greatest, in the
Fall of 1931.
KUDZU ? A DELICACY?
Annie Mae Tipton, a friend of long stan
ding, told me via phone Sunday night ,
something I didn't know.
She said that Kudzu is a "delicacy in
Japan" and is a popular and edible food. She
added that several of her friends in the States
had verified this and she had tasted the
prepared dish and found it was delicious ?
she promised to give me the recipe. She said
it only takes a few minutes to prepare and it
tastes like potatoe chips and fried chicken.
I've forgotten how she said to fix it, but the
finished dish contains valuable proteins and
minerals. I'll pass along the recipe when I
get it.
She said she told Lucille Roberts about it
and Lucille suggested that she tell me about
it since I've written many times about my
"kudzu ranch."
Thanks, Annie Mae, I might just try it if I
can get "Bill" to fix it.
Steve Ferguson
Shaping Up
The exercise craze is sweep-(
ing the nation. From "macho
studs" like Richard Simmons
to small, wimpy health
fanatics like Arnold Schwart
zneger everyone is getting to
be fit and trim.
If you're as busy as I, you
don't have alot of time to set
aside for exercise. If you're as
lazy as I am, you probably
don't want to exercise
anyway. I have the solution.
The key to getting exercise
is to incorporate it into other
things. Setting time aside is
difficult, but if you can get in a
little activity while doing
something else, it's must less
painful. For instance, while
shopping, there are several
things you can do to exercise.
There's the price jaw drop
which happens every time you
see a price that is bigger than
you ever imagined. The "price
tag jaw drop" is excellent for
working the mouth muscles
and helps get more oxygen to
the brain to keep you from
passing out after reading the
price.
The "shopping cart hurdle"
is another useful maneuver
when you are being run down
by someone going for the
bluelight special. This move
has been known to save lives.
Better to break your shins try
ing to cart hurdle than to be
found on the floor with tread
marks across your body.
The "50 Yard Grocery
Push" is what happens when
you suddenly realize that
everyone in the store has
finished thier shopping at the
same time and is making a
mad dash for the cash
register. This tests your ac
celeration ability as well as
your ability to dodge small
children and animals.
Since summer is here, if you
enjoy swimmimg, that's exer
cise enough. If you prefer to
take it a step farther, you can
do other spectacular
maneuvers while enjoying
your swim. You may want to
try the "three gallon water
drink" which is what happens
when you get pushed into the
pool unexpectedly. This exer
cise tests just how fast you can
drink three gallons of pool
water, and also gives you a
chance to compare tastes
among other pools you've
been pushed into. The "Head
and Ear crunch" is a
maneuver you can try when
swimming to the bottom of the
pool to impress someone. This
tests your body's pain
response and is the equivalent
of lying down and having a
horse stand on your head.
The local bank can be an ex
cellent spot in which to get
some exercise. There's the
"Get to the teller window
marathon" in which you run
through a series of ropes and a
maze of posts and directional
signs until you finally make it
to the teller window. It's not
advisable to do this with a lot
of people in line. Another exer
cise, the "Red Face"
maneuver, is what happens
when the teller sees just how
little you really have in your
account yet you still want to
withdraw money. This tests
your body's ability to rush
blood to your face and tests
your ability to lie out of a
tricky situation.
I have a few that I use in
writing my column. There's
the "Get To Marshall Before
Deadline" road race, in which
I test my car's ability to get
my column down to the News
Record before it's to late. I do
the "Panic Column" method
when I get one together at the
last minute. And finally, I do
the "Beg Ttie Editor" exercise
when I beg Mr. Bob not to slice
my column to ribbons.
You see, getting a little ex
ercise every once in a while
can be an exciting experience.
Why waste all your money at a
spa when you can go to the
bank and get all the exercise
you need?
Living And Growing
By CARL MUMPOW KR
M.S.W.
Anheville Counseling
Center
"III All Balances Out"
Try as 1 may, I can't come
up with much that was put on
earth that's all bad. some
things may seem that way
sometimes, but seldom do
mother nature's goodies have
a totally negative function.
Yea, folks, that includes rich
kther
I it or i
of our
V'
painted picture is not totally
dark.
So, how is it that so often too
many people are destroyed by
some of the traditionally view
ed negative things of life?
Well, here I guess we are talk
ing about the word extreme.
Anything, when used, pur
sued, or weighted to an ex
treme, has the power to under
mine us. One good rich desert
every few days isn't a big deal
for most healthy folks. Eating
oneortwoaday, however, can
A glass of
a day isn't going to kill
irtually or
physically, but a bottle a day
will most assuredly doso A
sr rzx? r?:
v ? I ? '? V .'?'?fit'
? - - : \ - : . - .--'V; .
pleasurable possession. A
loaded gun under tbe bed is a
potentially lethal toy for a
child. Money buys us food,
clothing, shelter, and comfort
Obsession with money can buy
us blindness, selfishness, and
emptiness. Politicians who
treat their responsibilities
with integrity and maturity
are blessings to us all. Those
who use their position selfishly
or manipula lively are curses
Bain and snow prepares our
land for nature's beauty. In its
most extreme forms it curtails
that same ? War when
fought for the protection of
liberty and peraonhood bears
acceptance War for power,
wealth, or destruction bears
avoMmcp
of what life has to offer if you
remember that word balance.
For example work is fine, if it
is balanced out with intimate
time with family and friends.
Sitting in an easy chair with a
good book is nice time, if we
also make it a point to exer
cise our body with some
regularity. Time away from
others is a pleasure that
should be cherished by all
But. so too, is time with others
an important part of the
human experience. Goals,
from my i> perspective, an
mandatory In life. They can
unless we also make it a point
to enjoy the process of
reaching these goals. Self
nature, is the mark of a
mature person Self-support,
of a positive nature, is another
part of that same type of per
son.
Glance briefly at your own
life. Are there certain aspects
of it that are aimed toward ex
tremes that might be harming
you? Obviously there are a lot
of things in life that are con
demned by one group or the
other It's a key of being a
person to make your own deci
sions and tfcat is that word