Editorials
Just pounds and cents
A committee set up to study the feasibility of constructing a
new dog pound should be praised for the speed that they car
ried out their duties.
The group completed its task in three weeks and is prepared
to recommend a location and the type of building at next
Monday's Hoke County Commission meeting.
After months of foot dragging, the commission finally ap
pointed the study committee during the last meeting in
February.
During its tenure, the group, under the leadership of Chair
man Jack McGinnis, has looked at pounds in surrounding
counties, studied costs of construction and selected one of
three proposed locations.
1 The site chosen is a good one.
\ Although serious consideration was given to constructing a
new pound at the present landfill, the group decided on a
location at the end of North Main Street.
This site, which will be donated for a pound, is 2.5 acres
and adjoins a 23-acre practically landlocked city-owned tract.
A pound in this location will be easily accessible and will
have good visibility from the U.S. 401 bypass. By construct
ing a facility on the site, the county will also provide an en
trance for the city to the larger tract, which at some future
date could be developed for recreational purposes.
There is some economic justification, however, for locating
the new pound at the existing landfill.
That justification is overriden by the remoteness of the site
and the unappealing image it evokes.
One of the purposes for building a new pound is the hope
that the facility would entice more county residents and others
to adopt animals. A remote location could defeat that pur
pose.
The issue of a new pound is not only one of providing a
humane facility, but one of economics?
At the present pound, almost 90% of all of the animals cap
tured are being exterminated.
In a new facility, officials hope the percentage of animals
that have to be killed will be lowered, and that some of the
costs of the pound can be recouped by charging a small adop
tion fee.
It is hoped the county commission will act with as much
speed as the study committee and adopt the group's recom
mendations.
To do otherwise, would be an affront, not only to the com
mittee members who donated their time to develop the recom
mendations, but also to the taxpayers, who are footing the bill
for the project.
An intoxicated bill
Watching Governor Jim Hunt's Safe Roads Act make its
way through the state General Assembly is like watching a
drunk trying to cross an interstate highway during rush hour.
The spectacle is a nerve-racking experience, which could at
any moment end tragically.
In the case of the DUI bill, the tragedy would be legislators
failing to pass a measure because of overriding political con
siderations.
The way the legislation is going, the drunk has a better
chance of making it through on-coming traffic.
Each day the bill seems doomed to failure as a new obsticle
is placed in its path, but staggering, it weaves past the hurdle
and moves closer to passage.
After being mired in the "Dram Shop" issue since January,
the legislation finally cleared that measure last week, only to
find itself knocked off the track by an approved change in the
drinking age.
Last week after Senate members voted 27-21 to bump the
beer and wine consumption age from 18 to 21 years old, the
safe roads bill appeared destined to spend the remainder of
this year's session in committee.
On Thursday, after a strenuous night of lobbying by the
governor and other supporters of the bill, the Senators realiz
ed their error, and voted 48-0 to move the age limit back to 19.
After the first vote, somebody apparently figured out that
moving the drinking age to 21 would cost the state $3.2
million in tax revenues.
In the House of Representatives, a similar version of the
bill, which has been heavily laden with amendments, is
laborously moving from committee to committee waiting on
the arrival of the Senate's package.
Back in the Senate, members are swearing to tack on addi
tional amendments and to eliminate a provision which man
dates an automatic 10-day suspension of driving privileges for
motorist caught "under the influence."
In order for the bill to beat the adjournment deadline and
get to the governor's desk, the salons must put it on a sober
course.
However, if the present path is maintained and with other
time consuming matters on the agenda, like the budget, it is
unlikely that when the final horn is honked that North
Carolina will have the strongest drunk driving legislation in
the nation.
Letters Policy
Letters to the editor are encouraged and welcomed.
Writers should keep letters as short as possible. Names,
addresses and telephone numbers should be included
and all letters must be signed. Names will be printed,
however, other information will be kept confidential.
We reserve the right to edit letters for good taste and
brevity, letters should be received by The News-Journal
by noon on the Monday of the publication week.
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Letters T o The Editor
Officers applauded
To the Editors
We would like to commend the
Hoke County Sheriff Department
and the Raeford Police Depart
ment for the outstanding job done
concerning the robbery of Jack
Tucker on March 2.
These men worked day and
night constantly until the culprits
were apprehended.
Detective Hart and Detective
Riley kept us well informed at al'
times.
With the help of the Police and
Sheriff Department working
together, the men were arrested in
just a few days.
We would like to thank these of
ficers and, we feel safe knowing we
have these men working in our
county.
Jack Tucker and family
Bingoers thanked
Dear Editor,
1 would like to take this oppor
tunity to thank those folks who
came out to support our Bingo
games Saturday night. We had a
wonderful turnout and everyone
enjoyed the fun.
We'd like to remind everyone
that we'll continue our Bingo
games each Saturday this month.
We continue to give away $105
each night, including our S50
jackpot.
Come on out this Saturday at
7:30 p.m. at the Civic Center.
Bring some friends, play 20 games
for $1 and you might win big!
Sonya Falls, Publicity
Raeford Jr. Woman's Club
DUI Bill supported
To the Editor
Please allow me to appeal to
Hoke Countians to support Gover
nor Hunt's proposed safe roads
legislation.
1 realize that this is a controver
sial piece of legislation with many
facets to be argued pro and con.
The central idea cannot be
argued: drunk drivers kill people.
We need penalties so stiff that
individuals would not dare drink,
then drive.
We can support the creation of
such laws by encouraging our
representatives to do so. We know
Danny DeVane, let's write to him.
We need laws that will help pro
tect ourselves and our children.
Sincerely,
Kay Thomas
Please write:
Representative Daniel H.
DeVane
State Legislative Office Building
Office 1319
Raleigh, N.C. 27611
McCain advice sought
To The Editor:
Legislators need to receive local
input on both legislative matters
and local issues.
A subtle issue to date is our State
Department of Human Resources
determination to close McCain
Hospital.
If you are concerned about this
matter you have a right to express
your position. Hoke County has
one of the finest State Represen
tatives ever elected in Dan
DeVane.
However, he nor Representative
Hasty, Senator David Parnell nor
myself can do very much about
McCain unless we hear from you
the voters. Phone calls, letters,
cards, etc. will help.
Let us hear from you before
something happens as opposed to
after the fact.
Sincerely,
Sidney A. Locks
Representative
Legislative Office Building
Room 538
Puppy Creek
Philosopher
Dear editor:
I don't think it'll have any
serious cffect on economic
recovery, but according to an arti
cle I read last night sideshows are
going out of business.
"There just aren't very many
country bumpkins left who want to
stare at freaks," a veteran circus
worker said.
The decline of country bum
pkins if there ever were any can be
blamed on television.
For instance, if you live in the
smallest and most remote hamlet
in the country and your TV set
works you can find out as soon as
people in a big city that the Queen
of England, on her first five days
in this country, showed up in five
different hats.
It used to be that a U.S. Senator
in far-off Washington was con
sidered a mysterious giant of a
man, but most of them have been
seen on television so often saying
so little that we've discovered
they're just ordinary people hop
ing to hold on to a good job for the
rest of their life.
There are very few small town
people left, but there are lots of
people living in small towns.
There's a difference.
It should be understood that I
speak here of country bumpkins,
not city bumpkins. For all I know
cities are full of bumpkins, some
of them serving on city councils or
working as grammar school prin
cipals.
Occasionally one of them gets
into Congress.
It no longer makes sense to say
somebody was wrong by a country
mile. If he was monumentally
wrong, more than likely it was by a
city mile. A country mile is about
60 seconds long, while a city mile,
due to the crazy traffic, sometimes
is an hour long.
The sideshows are doomed.
Why would anybody pay to get in
to one when he can stay at home
and see a better quality of freaks
free on television? What's on for
tonight?
Yours faithfully,
J. A.
The wearing of the green,
symbolizes noble life
by Lucien Coleman
II must be some form of tem
porary madness, this irresistible
urge to wear something green.
Every March 17 it strikes us,
young and old, regardless of social
class or ethnic origin. It evokes
parades, parties, and an unusually
high degree of gaiety.
They call it St. Paddy's day.
St. Patrick's Day has a
venerable history in this country,
going back at least as far as the
French and Indian Wars.
A celebration in honor of
Ireland's patron saint took place in
the garrison at Fort William Henry
on March 17, 1757. And, during
the Revolutionary War, both the
American and British armies
observed St. Patrick's Day. In
fact, the Americans celebrated the
occasion on March 17, 1776, by
driving the British out of Boston.
When you go into the ancient
origins of this annual occasion, it's
hard to separate fact from legend.
For example, tradition has it that
St. Patrick performed ?luring
feats, fwh as drhrtnt all the makes
Things That Matter
out of the Emerald Isle, and mak
ing fire out of ice and snow balls.
What can be known with
reasonable certainty is that a mis
sionary named Patrick came to
Ireland about the year 433 and
labored there for the next three
decades with extraordinary results.
He founded something like 385
churches and placed a school by
the side of each, established at
least two colleges, and civilized the
people in general .
Despite the fact that he and his
many converts suffered persecu
tion at the hands of Druid priests
and the Celtic rulers, his preaching
attracted great masses among the
common people. When he came to
Ireland, it is said, there were no
Christians; when he left there were
no heathens.
The shamrock is a symbolic of
Irish culture to this very day
because St. Patrick used this little
three-leaved plant to explain the
doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
As in the case of other holidays,
like Thanksgiving and Easter, we
tend to carry^n uie celebration
long after the cause for celebration
has been forgotten.
Maybe this would be a good
time to remind ourselves, as we put
on the green adornments, that they
stand for a life well-lived.
CLIFF BLUE . . .
People & Issues
SANFORD & HOLLINGS ... '
We were interested to read that
former Governor Terry Sanford,
was going to head up U.S. Senator
Ernest Hollings' campaign for
President in North Carolina.
Sanford says he will be "less
than a manager's job and a little
more than figurehead, and will not
give up his job as President of
Duke University.
Hollings was Governor of South i
Carolina the same time Sanford
was Governor of North Carolina,
and for the past several years has
served as U.S. Senator from South
Carolina. While there are several
other candidates for the
Democratic nomination, Hollings
with an early start should be able
to lead in the North Caorlina
primary.
SOCIAL SECURITY. ..It ap- 1
pears that Congress can never
come forward with a sound Social
Security program.
The U.S. Senate put off raising
the retirement age to 67 in the next
century 17 years from now! It's a
pity we don't have more statesmen
in Congress who would face up to
the problems of the Social Security
program. .
The longer they put off on mak
ing the program sound, the harder
it will be in the years to come -- if it
last's that long.
We think Congress should have
the backbone to face up to the
needs of the system immediately
and make it sound by cutting social
security payments, if necessary, to
put on a solid basis.
POST OFFICES... We notice j
that seven Eastern North Carolina
Post Offices have been directed to
end Sunday mail service, and
surveys are underway to determine
whether Sunday service will be
discontinued at about 25 others.
Until a few years ago mail was
dispatched from Aberdeen and put
up in the local boxes every Sunday.
However, you can drop mail in
an outside box at the post office
and it will be picked up about 5 t
p.m. on Sundays and carried to
Fayetteville where it is dispatched.
We have gotten used to not go
ing to the post office on Sundays,
but occasionally, we dispatch a let
ter that day.
Evidently, the U.S. Postal Ser
vice is cutting down on expenses
and we understand that the U.S.
Postal Service is now on a "pay as
you go service" and we have no |
quarrel with that.
If Uncle Sam can put more and
more Federal services on a pay as
you go basis, we think the people
will put up with it, without too
much bickering.
OIL. ..If the cut-throat competi
tion rules in the oil market in the
rest of 1983 and prices continue to
fall some bankers will be nervous.
But for the vast majority of *
Americans the oil glut is welcome
relief at a critical time. New taxes
on gas, next month, and new state
taxes -- likely in many states in
1983 -- are to be offset, in effect,
by lower prices at the fuel pump
and for oil heating eventually.
Some in the oil industry,
however are being hurt by falling
prices. Yet lower prices and the
recovery are almost certain to in
crease demand in time. Oil com
panies have enjoyed fine profits in
recent years and there's no threat
to survival among the giants.
Smaller affiliated companies,
however, are in a more critical
position.
Their fate and the fate of many
western economies are tied, in
part, the current price disarray &
among oil exporters.
SOBRIETY TEST . . .Ttfe
Supreme Cojift told the states
recently they can fight the "car
nage caused by drunk drivers" by
using a motorist's refusal to take a
sobriety test as evidence of guilt.
e?hccn eu??> - journal
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