Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / May 12, 1983, edition 1 / Page 16
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Editorials Landing industries The Raeford City Council took a good step in the direction of im proving the municipal airport last week when they voted to adopt '? the recommendations of a blue ribbon study committee. The recommendations call for getting Hoke County involved financially in supporting the facility, establishing a "non-political" ? commission to oversee the operation of the airport and resolving the ? question of parachute landings near runways. It was the last recommendation that sparked a fiery reaction from " parachute jump school owner Gene Thacker. Thacker holds a different view than the members of the study *. committee and the city council. He believes his operation is not a hazard to aviation, and that the activity of the jump school is keep ing the Raeford Airport alive. Rather than follow the edict of the council and move his jump landing zone one-half mile east of the runways, Thacker has said he ? will take the city to court. Mr. Thacker's position is unfortunate and shortsighted. The community and the taxpayers, who are paying the bills at the ' airport, do not need a long bitter court battle. What they need is a compromise. The airport needs the jump school and Gene Thacker needs the 1 airport. As evidenced by the vote last week, council members believe that the airport should be used to benefit the entire community. We agree. It is a public facility, which is supported by the public through local, state and federal tax dollars. If the airport is not used to the benefit of the taxpayers, then a prudent move on the part of the city might be to sell the $1 million facility and allow it to become private. However, because city and county officials believe the airport is the "front door to the community," and that industrial recruitment efforts hinge on its vitality, selling the facility does not seem to be the answer. The jump school, which is considered one of the best in the world, has given Raeford an international reputation, and students attracted to the school have contributed to the local economy. On the other side, the parachute jumping here has also given the Raeford Airport a stigma. The Raeford Airport has a reputation of being unsafe because of a danger to aircraft posed by the falling jumpers. Pilots from local industries have complained loudly about the hazard, and most of the firms here do not use the Raeford strip ap parently because of the alleged dangers. Whether the jump school is posing an actual threat to pilots or not, is no longer the issue. Because the present operation of the school is perceived to be dangerous, parachutists landing near the runways are posing a threat to industrial recruitment. By relocating the jump touchdown site, the rumors of danger could be squelched, and the airport could become another asset used for landing new employers here. It is hoped that the differences between Mr. Thacker and the city can be resolved amicably, and that the jump school will continue to prosper at the Raeford facility. With the prospect of a sewer moratorium being lifted here and with the economy improving, Hoke County is in a good position to attract new industry. It would be tragic, if the feud at the airport drove a prospect to a neighboring county or state where such problems do not exist. We commend the study committee for their efforts, and the Raeford City Council for taking a strong step to regain a hold on the future for all of Hoke County. Good record The North Carolina Department of Labor will honor Burlington Industries' Raeford Plant this week for amassing 10 million safe employee working hours. Over 1,200 employees have worked at the Raeford Plant since October 2, 1978, without a lost-time or disabling injury. Since the December cutoff date for the special award, the menswear plant employees have garnered almost another 1 million injury-free hours. In addition the Raeford Dyeing Plant is nearing the 3 million hour mark. When one considers the type of machinery used by the workers, the number of employees at the two plants and the size of the facilities, Burlington's injury record is remarkable. Burlington is the largest employer in the county and the commendable safety achievement shows a commitment by manage ment to provide sound working conditions and a conscientious ef fort by employees to watch out for their own and others' well being. Congratulations. ewd - journal 0*/io&na\ PRESS NATIONAL NEWSPAPER association ASSOCIATION PabMsfced Every Thanday at Raeford, N.C. 2*376 119 W. Elwood Avhh Sabarriptioa Rale* la Advaace la Coaafy Per Year? Sit. M 6 MoatH? $5.00 Oat of Coaaty Per Year? $12.86 ? Moat In $4.00 LOUIS H. FOGLEMAN, JR PAUL DICKSON Editor HENRY L. BLUE Prodadloa ! WAMEN N. JOHNSTON N*w?l MRS. PAUL DICKSON Society Editor SAM C. MORRIS C oatribartac Editor ANN WEBB AdverTtaiat fepreaeatatfre Secoad (laa* Portage at Raeford, N.C. (USPS 3SS-2M) Letters To The Editor Editorial questioned To the Editor: .. AHa? "8 read ,he rcce? editorial A Private Effort" it becomes necessary to write this letter Necessary first of all to inform those who do not understand the issue and necessary to put the issue in its proper perspective. First, to respond to the editorial: for one did not know that tempers were anything other than cool I have not lost my temper nor am I aware of anyone who is angry over the issue of the dog pound. The so-called verbal fireworks as described by The News-Journal were a lot less than that and those who were not there and depend on the newspaper for a report have sure been misled. This part of the issue has been blown entirely out of proportion and implies that those of us working toward bettering the com munity by doing all thai anv citi/en has the right to do. have "become angry, but this is liot the case" It implies that the County Commis sioners are angry and stubborn when this is not the case at all. At the April meeting I asked tour questions pertinent to the issue and -was given four cursory answers. Following the discussion the commissioners made a motion to move the pound as soon as possi ble and improve it as much as possible. Granted, a rather nebulous mo tion but a beginning and more than has been done in the past. I have been a resident of Hoke County for over nine years and while living here have wondered why humanity toward animals has never become a public issue. My wife, wondering the same thing, advertised for someone to help establish a humane society but virtually got no response. Promises were made by some in the community, but finally in desperation and singlehanded she did what no one else was willing to do and that is establish the Hoke/Raeford Humane Society with the primary purpose of operating a spaying and neutering program to cut down on the population of animals. This pro gram has eliminated several things that have bothered us: drop-offs or the abandonment of unwanted animals, road kills of stray dogs and cats, euthanasia of animals impounded by cutting down on the number of pickups. Since then, as the public became aware of our existence, we started to receive complaints about animal abuse and one of those was of how the animals were made to suffer in the County Pound. From the very beginning we did not ask for a lot of tax dollars as some have suggested, but for. as you say in your editorial, minimum humane necessities. anHr fei! ?" seemin8ly deaf ears and finally when the questions were put directly to the County Manager, the answer, of course was no money could be ap propriated because they did not know where to put a pound nor did e 8 plan for a P?und. When we pressed the subject to the County Commissioners, their answer was to appoint a committee mandated to come up with a pound plan and a location. Fortunately, I was part of that committee and feel that it did its job to the letter. I now am only hoping that something is done before next winter and have asked others in the community to sign the petition made available in some of the shops in Raeford. This will be presented to the i*?!!ntr 9ommissioners on the loth of this month. It was implied in your editorial that we of tt?c Hoke/Raeford Humane Society, are not thinking beyond the present. Had I been asked what our cur rent long range plans were I am sure that The News-Journal would not have made the implication, when in fact we hope to one day have a shelter that is independent ol government money or govern ment control and would then be able to take those animals that the law requires to be kept 10 days before extermination and give them a second chance to be adopted. This would save the county from the cost of the euthanasia and hopefully increase the adoption rate. So we do haye vision and this is one that others share. wo"'d not be a duplication of effort but an addition to the mandatory" pound the govern ment must provide. And here is where we now are impatient: to upgrade the existing facility or tear it down and build another. The im portant thing is that the animals get proper, humane care. Hoke County ' has been here since 191 1, and has not spent much during that time on a dog pound Most of the expense that needs to be spent now is a one time cost and would not increase the annual de mand on taxpayers (including me) to an appreciable extent, u ?S- 'ast audit of iqoi! bounty's worth (June 30, 1*82) there was a fund balance available for future appropriations in the amount of 5905,236 Since then the Pilot building was purchased and this amount is less than before. Also while it is important to have this surplus for various fiscal reasons it is equally important to have a pound that conforms to minimum standards as required by law and common decency. Lei me end by saying that we ap preciate the ongoing coverage and interest in this issue by The News Journal, but please, become a member of the Humane Society before telling us what we "must Sincerely, Jack McGinnis, Director Hoke/Raeford Humane Society Thanks extended To The Editor: Hoke County Celebration of the Arts '83 Festival, April 22. was a fine week of art ex Posure in spite of the surprise snow that followed the 800-balIoon lift. ?rf on Monday of the festival. The success of an arts festival of this magnitude is due to the hun reds of people who work without compensation because they desire to do something good, productive and educational for their schools and community. r? i Who helped produce the who n'Sh ,0 thank thos? people who made it possible. 9.raI',udt is ?*tended to local residents who provided lodging in one' u?nTJ0r many of ,he over one _ hundred out-of-town guest Performers, artist, and crafts peo ple who had traveled long distances to participate. To the many local visual and performing artist and craftmen who contributed time and talents, we give merited esteem and valued credit. Special appreciation is expressed to the courteous service and creativity of J.W. Turlington School's students, faculty, ad ministration and staff who served as equipment crews, emcees, members of functional commit tees, prepared meals and light refreshments for guest artists and set up areas for art displays, demonstrations and performances. The Exceptional Children's Pro gram, participating through their "Very Special Arts Festival", gave joy and enrichment to the festival week. We thank the efficient efforts of the Sandhill Youth Center, the various schools, departments and staff members of the Hoke County Board of Education whose services were invaluable, and the many parent and community volunteers who graciously gave time, energy and expertise to the festival. A special thank-you is expressed to local merchants who provided necessary staging equipment, to WSHB Radio (now WSMR) and the News Journal for publicity and to the Raeford Police Department for security services. The Hoke County Arts Council, the Chaminade Music Club of Raeford, the Raeford Womans Club, Burlington Worsted Plant, the Public Library and many other agencies actively participated in the festival. We especially salute the hun dreds of cheerful students and adults who attended, lifting the quality of the festival and making the arts celebration worth while. The ultimate benefactor whose generous financial gift made possi ble both the 1982 and 1983 Hoke County Arts Festivals at J. W. Turlington School has been the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Inc., to whom we give our deepest gratitude and highest regard. This Foundation's contributions are often unrecognized by the public, therefore we wish to publicly salute and thank the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and its executive director, Thomas Lambeth. Thank each of you who made the Hoke County Celebration of the Arts '83 Festival one of the finest over! Mary Archie McNeill Cultural Arts Director Hoke County Schools Paramedics save lives To the Editor: A s a result of a recent article ap pearing in your paper, I feel both a moral and professional obligation to reply. The article headlined "Local Doctors Unimpressed by Paramedic Unit Proposal," car ried statements by two local doc tors which I believe to be inac curate and misleading. I have a great deal of respect for both of these doctors. One of the doctors is my own family physician, and I entrust the general health of my family and myself to him. I know both of these doctors to be experts in their field, but do not believe either one specializes in Emergency Medicine. (See LETTERS, page 3B) CLIFF BLUE . . . People & Issues FACING FACTS OF LIFE. ..One of the major weaknesses of American politi-| cians, and would-be politicians, is that they don't have the backbone to say "No" to what the country needs. In fact, it will probably be the nation's ruination. The United States is in an untenable situation when we look at the great national debt. A week ago the nation received the report of the National Com mission on Excellence in Educa- ( tion. The report was the America's ' public schools were not getting the job done. The "milk in the coconut" was that the schools needed more money. If the schools ask for more money they should "find and tell" where the extra funds would come from. The national government now is spending about $S67,965,200.00 per day more than is coming in. Sooner or later the federal government will be like the Con federate States after Lee's sur render. Most intelligent people know this, but some close their eyes and still ask for more and more from poor old Uncle Sam. FEDERAL PAY MYTH ... Some, years ago federal bureaucrats managed a study com paring federal employees pay scales to those selected blue ribbon, private corporations. With results, they persuaded Congress to raise federal pay scales and in addition, provide for twice-yearly guaranteed cost of living increases. The whole process was fraudulent. Not only were federal pay scales higher than the average in most American communities (and the work easier, and benefits and retirement far better) but private economy employees rarely enjoyed automatic pay hikes every six months regardless of business conditions. This pie-in-the-sky federal overspending helped produce record deficits and was one of the major causes of the economic crisis which climaxed in Jimmy Carter's presidency. Interest rates were so high the economy hit bottom. Inflation was also rampant and the many entitle ment programs and automatic pay increases were also aggravating the dilemma. The budget deficit problem is still unsolved because the Reagan Administration dares not to try to roll back gains. It did manage to slow increases, and reduce spend ing on some domestic oroerams. But federal pay scales remain lavish, federal waste vast, and it re mains almost impossible to fire in competents imbedded in Civil Ser vice, with its job protection. The latest proof of this came recently when a Florida man was named to head the government printing office. He found employees there were being paid more than employees in com parable jobs in the private sector. WORKFARE A GOOD PRO GRAM... As with every program which attempts to get freeloaders off their posteriors, and to work, major opposition seemed to have developed to the present effort in Congress to require recipients of federal welfare to work - if physically able to do so. it is hard to imagine anyone in this country objecting to that philosophy a hundred years ago, even 50 years ago. But in some of those millions who have now become accustomed to the federal role, who have been convinced the government owes them a job and a living, the idea of being required to work for federal money, now ap pears to be offensive. We understand that one reason the Reagan Administration is pushing workfare legislation is that it worked in California when Presi dent Reagan was governor. The president himself has said the law there vastly reduced the number of recipients on California's welfare rolls and the financial burden of the state. We understand that the state didn't receive one objection from those cut off the welfare rolls because they wouldn't work (some of whom were already secretly working at other jobs or not reporting all their income). Congress is currently squabbling over similar reform legislation. Those who back it support justified reform, which will save working taxpayers billions and cleanse a program now choked with fraud. Workfare is a moral proposi tion; it is saying to working tax payers who must fund welfare that the federal government will make every effort to see that money col lected from them is not wastefully or fraudulently squandered.
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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May 12, 1983, edition 1
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