Editorials Election s message The results of the November 2 general election showed, as far as Hoke County offices were concerned, that the majority apparently felt the present members of the Hoke County Board of Education were doing about all they could and no one else could do any better. The county commissioners' contests went as expected, with all three Democrats chosen by heavy majorities over the Republican contender. Newcomer Cleo Bratcher led the field, getting 2,931 votes. He is replacing Commissioner Mabel Riley, abo a Democrat, the only woman ever elected to the county board. Mrs. Riley, elected in 1978. was defeated in the runoff primary of July 27. The county commissioners' contest, with one Republican. Evelyn Manning, contending, can be said to have had political significance but nothing that could be tied to the nationwide atmosphere that was credited - or blamed -? for the Democratic candidates going in Congress and state governorships. Hoke always has been heavily Democratic and has been giving majorities to Democratic nominees for years before Reagonomics ever got into print, though some Democrats have crossed party lines in presidential and state contests. The results also should be gratifying to the voters and the winning local candidates. Since over half the county's registered 8.804 voters turned out, the winners can feel they got solid majority approval and didn't slip through by default. The voters can feel the same way. whether their favorites won or lost: the victories and defeats were by solid majorities, not by default through voter apathy. The statewide results in the congressional elections can be seen as dissatisfaction and disillusionment of the majorities with the 1980 expectations of bright changes in the nation's economy. At the same time, however, the Democrats, who unseated Republican congressmen in the Sixth and Uth Districts and those who won the reelection, can consider the size of the tallies their opponents got and see that, though most voted for them, many voted for the Republicans. This, of course, means, that, though many were disenchanted with the Reaganomics, many others approved, or at least felt the system should be given more time to work. As Reagan himself said after the election, the times ahead are times for compromise between Democrats and Republicans in Congress, and the tallies of the losing Republicans support it. We hope, of course, that Reagan will include himself in the compromising, since he has become known as a "partisan" president, feeling in the past that his people in the Senate and House, with some supportive House Democrats, were all he needed to push his programs through. ? BL Start made The Hoke County commissioners are to be applauded for taking action to make life easier for the animals in the present dog pound and to build a new and better one. The commissioners at their November 1 meeting voted to advise the Hoke County Health Department to have the present pound winterized at county expense and to have a committee appointed to study establishment of a new pound. The City of Raeford has S7.000 in its 1982-83 budget as its share of the cost of a new pound, and the county has been asked to chip in the 520,000 remainder of the established cost, but hasn't as yet. It has been stated by the Health Department director, Lloyd Home, and others close to the situation that a new and larger pound is needed especially, to separate animals: the healthy from the ill, the large from the small, males from females (which already is being done), and females in heat from females which aren't. The pound also needs among other things, closed places to protect the animals from summer heat and winter cold, and also one for use for necessary paper work associated with the animal control program. A new site also will have to be found, since the present one is close to what will become the site for a housing project. The work won't be done overnight. But at least the commissioners have taken the First steps toward the objective. --BL Letters Policy Letters to the editor are encouraged and welcomed. Writers should keep letters as short as possible. Names, ad dresses and telephone numbers should be included and all letters must be signed. Names will be printed, however, other information will be kept confi dential. We reserve the right to edit letters for good taste and brevity. Letters should be re ceived by the News -Journal by 5 p.m. on the Monday of the publication week. OO AWMIM, M *WV> urttt rti6 PBopeizw. ?? ? it #M ^ If* a SimH World bfMlMn Last year, Carol Ron alter, a special education teacher, was named Hoke County Teacher of the Year. Last month, her sister, Jane was named Outstanding Young Wo man of Randolph County by the Asheboro Jaycettes. The candidates were judged on their contributions to the com munity, leadership capabilities and evidence of personal progress. Jane Ronalter is lifestyles editor of The Courier-Tribune . which is published six days a week, includ ing a Sunday edition, in Asheboro. She is a member and former director of the Pilot Club of Asheboro (by a coincidence, she is a former reporter for the weekly newspaper. The Pilot of Southern Pines), a member of the Business and Professional women's Club and a volunteer income tax assistant, a member, director and program chairman of the Randolph Arts Guild. She also is president of the Randolph Rose Society and chair man of the 1982 Rose Show. Jane Ronalter also is active in First Methodist Church, at one time serving as a Sunday school teacher, was director of this year's Vacation Bible School program, and is a Senior High School Youth counse lor. She and her sister, Carol, are former residents of Southern Pines where their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Ralph J. Ronalter. are still living. ? ? ? If you get into a discussion with somebody, say, at the proper time, "Fliegerabwehr kanone." "What do you mean by that?" he will ask, probably belligerently. "Flak." you will reply, then walk slowly away. Flak is the acronym for Fliegerabweherk kanone. a German word out of World War II. It means "aircraft defense gun." Speaking of acronyms, some physicists working in computers developed one and playfully gave it a name, which I've forgotten, but they named it so that its acronym was MANIAC. ? * ? Some people in Southern Pines go all the way to the ABC store in Pinehurst when they want to buy liquor. This is to avoid meeting people they know if they went to the Southern Pines ABC store. The other day I heard about a woman who is a Catholic and goes to confession in the church in Southern Pines because the priest iq her home town would recognize her voice. The confession is made in a booth in which the person confessing and the priest are separated by a partition so that the confessing person and the priest cannot see each other, only hear each other. Besides that, the priest, of course, is bound by a vow to say nothing of what he has heard in a confession, even if he is called on to testify in a criminal case in court. Judges respect this. ? * * Anybody who wrote in on a ballot in the November 2 general election the name of a candidate who was defeated in a spring primary was wasting his vote. Unless the loser has changed parties officially, a vote for him or her isn't counted in another election. ? ? ? The other day I found brief notes to the ' effect that a person with Hoke County connections had died and the death notice was in a newspaper. Right under this note was an other giving a man's name but no other information other than a reference to a funeral home outside the county. 1 got the notice about the lady, but the back issues of the news papers was no help at all. Finally I called the funeral home mentioned. "Are you handling the funeral arrangements for Mr. ?" 1 asked the man who answered. "I certainly hope not." he re plied. "He just went out for lunch." Well, at least I had film in the camera that same day when I went to T urlington to take a picture. 1 had to turn around in the parking lot next to the office and go back to the school to get the camera, which I had left by mistake. But I did have film in the dadburn camera. ? ? ? I'm not the only one with a funny memory. Friend of ours had a dog named Jiggers a while back. One day Jiggers got hit by a car. Immediately his master drove the car off to take Jiggers to a veterinarian, 16 miles away. Half way there, he made an embarrassing discovery. He'd forgotten to take Jiggers. Fortunately, the dog had suf fered only a minor injury. Utters To The Editor Carnival A Success To the Editor: Last year the parents of our trainable multi-handicapped stu dents formed an organization to support our school programs for exceptional children. Many good things have happened as a result of this. .One of these is the Halloween Carnival that recently held its second annual event at the Up church Junior High School. The carnival not only benefits these handicapped students, but the entire community gets involved, participates and enjoys an evening of good wholesome fun. The purpose of this letter is to publicly thank the civic organiza tions and individuals that contri buted many hours of their time and talents to make this an unforget able evening for so many of our students. The Kiwanis Gub under the leadership of John Howard was instrumental in recruiting help from the Woman's Club. These two great organizations are certainly to be commended for their tremendous support to this parent group. And never to be forgotten is the News-Journal for their excellent coverage in all our endeavors. A very heartfelt thank you to all. Very Sincerely, Rhenda Cameron, Director Programs for Exceptional Children Hoke County Schools Highly Perturbed Dear Editor: I was very annoyed on Friday, November 5, when I received my News-Journal in the mail and after reading it. discovered that the picture which was taken of the local candidates who visited my class room on October 29, was not on page 8, Section 1 with the school news, but page 5, Section 2 with grocery advertisements. Personally speaking, the publica tion of an event related to exposing youngsters to the voting process, and getting them involved in an event as important as a general election, is a means of informing the public of what our schools are doing to make education relevant and should take precedence over a pagan holiday or a pair of "chatter ing" sheep. Furthermore, I had asked the photographer, Mr. Lindau, to de lay printing the picture in the November 4 edition of the news paper because I failed to get the newi article (which I wanted to accompany the picture) to the publisher before the deadline. Honestly speaking, inspite of the respect that I have for the news media, I question the purpose of your placing (he picture in question on a page that only one who is looking for bargains would merely skim. Highly perturbed, Ms. Ethel yn Baker Third Grade Teacher West Hoke School Puppy Creek Philosopher Dear editor: Some people stay up and watch the election returns on television to see who won. I stay up to see how wrong the pollsters were. A few days before the recent election two big-time pollsters were on television, one who polled for the Republicans and the other for the Democrats. Both said their scientific surveys showed the Democrats would gain a few Congressional seats, say 8 or 10, and both missed by a country mile. When pollsters miss, they say it was due to a last-minute surge of voter turn-out. Between now and the next election they ought to hire out as weather forecasters and, when they predict continued normal and the temperature drops to sub-freezing, blame it on a last-minute surge of weather. In recent years another kind of polling has been invented, called exit polling. By collaring a certain number of people as they leave the polls and asking them how they voted, the TV networks can tell you who won before the ballots are counted. Some of the time. Going a step further, the networks could invent egrets polling, collaring voters before they get inside the booth, CUffBUK... Pm^Ii & htiN POSTHUMOUS. ..Well, the election has come and gone, the sun rises every 24 hours and the moon is a little slower, but makes its rounds on schedule. For many years I have kept a pretty close watch on elections, and this one, 1982, has been no more spectacular than past ones. We have the same problems with us that have been creeping up steadily for months. However, the problems are growing more serious week by week and month by montb. INFLATION. ..The problem is inflation. The dictionary describes "inflation" as a "state of being in flated. Disproportionate and relatively sharp and sudden in crease in the quantity of money or credit, or both, relative to goods available for purchase. Inflation always produces a rise in the price level." If inflation didn't grow so fast, it might not be so bad, but, like a child, it just keeps on growing, unless brought under control and that appears from history as being almost impossible to do. In this column, I have suggested ways to slow it down but only a few may listen as it effects the pocket-book. However, I again suggest one way which I think might prove to be worthwhile. Instead of raising Federal pay every year, let President Reagan ask Congress to reduce salaries lOVo across the board. We might have a percentage to refuse, but a message to Congress along this line, reducing salaries and the price of government materials lO^o would have a great effect upon the whole economy. A message from the President asking money rates be reduced IO??o would be a great help. I know there are great obstacles in anything worthwhile, but if our Congressmen and public officials would get behind some construc tive program of this nature, I think it would be worthwhile. Interest rates could be cut, as well as salaries and Social Security payments. I mention Social Securi ty as I am just starting on the pro gram. I think if the President of the United States would go forward in some fair program of some nature to halt inflation, a majority of the citizens would follow! Nothing has been done of this nature. Our public officials, with the proper leadership, should lead in a posisive way, rather than sit back and let this great country trot along in the upward spiral of infla tion. GEORGE WALLACE. ..The election of George Wallace in Alabama to a fourth term after skipping a term makes him a most unusual man in history. While he was first elected as a segregationist many years ago, now he has been elected more or less on an integrated ticket. One other thing about Wallace, he can sense the times, and this is something that every person can't do. Finding how they're going to vote, and then announcing who won before the election is held. There's just one way to stop this. Who wants to watch a football game or election returns when he already knows who won? It takes all the fun out of either # sport. If enough voters with a " proper sense of humor who don't want to know who won till the ballots are counted will, when collared as they emerge from the booth, tell the pollster wrong, we could get enough confusion among the experts to make election night a lot more fun. Yours faithfully, J. A. s Only the ONLY THE NEWSPAPER 9,v.? you o lift with the heavy wort of liMping up with tfw world oroond you ? molting it aasy tor you to follow your interwti in sports, financial, omvtt nwnta, local and national hap