2A THE NEWS-JOITTSAL Rjtfortl. N.C.
April 10.19%
Viewpoints
Library needs support
For almost a year, the Hoke County Public
Library has asked for funds to replace a staff
member who resigned. For almost a year,
their requests have fallen on deaf ears. For
almost a year, the library has been closed on
Saturdays.
Despite attempts from the library staff to
cooperate with the county during the budget
crisis — even to the point of asking for less
money and two part-time positions — they
have gotten little support from the commis
sioners. The county continues to spend money
building jails and transporting prisoners and
continues to rob children of the chance for a
better future through education.
The students in this county deserve a better
opportunity to use the wealth of resources
available at the library. The dedicated, hard
working staff deserves the opportunity to
serve residents. The only thing standing in
their way is a Board of Commissioners whose
Letters
priorities lie elsewhere. Instead of cooperat
ing, the board has dodged the issue com
pletely.
The two part time positions requested
would only cost $10,000 — not a lot of money
in a $12 mUlion budget — but that $10,000
will be invested into the education of Hoke’s
children and the future of the county.
Working parents, adults continuing their
education, college students home from the
weekend all deserve the chance to use the
library. The library is one resource that can
benefit every resident of Hoke County — but
only if the opportunity is there.
Investing in education, in the library, means
investing in the future. A future with lower
crime rates and fewer prisoners. The two are
connected: as education levels rise, crime is
lowered. It is their choice to make — hope
fully, the commissioners will choose wisely.
—Amy Clarkson
County needs new
commissioners
To the Editor;
After reading Mr.McLaugh-
lin’s praise of Mr. Jordan and Mr.
Leach I just had to find a response.
Mr. McLaughlin states the
county has done better under their
reign than any other. But I guess
that it’s hard to see what’s wrong
when you are also part of the prob
lem. Ifthe two incumbents do not
get reelected then Mr. McLaughlin
loses his little majority. Then
maybe we will see some changes
in the way the county is run.
In having traveled in 48 of 50
states, I find Hoke County one of
the worst run counties around. One
thing I do know is that if we elect
“NEW” commisioners into the
government they cannot do any
worse then the current two we
have now. I, for one, could prob
ably do just as bad a job as they are
now or maybe just a little better,
who knows?
Just remember we need some
new faces in here. We just may
make it to the 21st Century. But
first we have to get out and vote.
Shayne MacKinnon
Remember to vote on
the issues
To the Editor,
As you well know, 1 have not
submitted any letters in the past
couple of weeks, rather 1 have sat
on the side lines watching those
that have written you with great
interest.
My last letter received response
both in the paper and on my tele
phone at home. Of the responses I
received, one was partially nega
tive towards my writing. The
gentleman called me at home,
asked if 1 wrote the letter and then
told me that if it were not for
Rockfish there would be no
Raeford. The gentleman then told
me there were no decent restau
rants in Hoke County and he had
all his meals in Fayetteville.
The man was incensed over the
fact that I was picking on Dr. Riley
Jordan. I responded to the fact that
Jordan was a politicv^n and. sub
ject to public criticjsip as well as
praise in regards to his job perfor
mance as a commissioner. When I
pointed out my goal was to see this
county go forward and of course
using “LBD” as a way to open the
door to possible new revenue, this
man thought that education for
our children was more important.
I quite agree with him on that
point. You know, 1 have poked a
little fun by mentioning the
Applebee’s Bar & Grill in Aber
deen. Well, I am starting to really
wonder, because there is a new
restaurant (bar & grill type) going
up on Highway 211 about three
miles from the Hoke County line
and is called “The Brewery”. 1
guess the people are building it
there to attract the first Hoke resi
dents entering into Aberdeen on
Highway 211.
The Democratic primary is
drawing near, 1 hope all eligible
voters will get out and vote. 1 sin
cerely hope that people will take
the time to listen to the candidates,
see who is qualified through aca
demics and business experience.
It takes a good amount of educa
tion to be a doctor, but it does not
mean that person has good sense
when it comes to making busi
ness-related decisions. Being a
preacher is great, that person may
have the ability to talk to people
and say things they want to hear,
but that does not mean that person
has the ability to make good busi-
(See LETTERS, page 3A)
Grandkids easy to spoil
A lot of your grandparents have
been invited by your grandchil
dren to eat lunch with them at their
school.
If such an invitation comes your
way, you are going to go, regard
less of how much you have to do.
When the grandcWldren call, you
are on the way. If you are sus
pended in air a hundred feet from
the ground, you are going to find a
way to get to the ground. If your
best friend is being buried and the
grandchildren call, someone else
will have to attend the funeral,
because you must be at school at
the appointed hour. My youngest
one called the other night and said,
“Papau, will you come and eat
lunch with me tomorrow?” I had
three weeks of work to do in one
day. And an appointment with a
person at noon. What do you think
1 said to her? Naturally, “Peaches
name the time and place.” I showed
up 15 minutes before lunch time.
When the teacher welcomed me
to the class, her tiny second grad
ers hovered around me. I wanted
A View from
the Country
Raz Autry
to pick each one up and give them
a big hug. No hugging, I kept my
hands in my pockets. The only one
I could hug was Peaches. What a
shame we find ourselves in this
fix. Only a few short years ago 1
could have hugged every child in
the class, without giving it a sec
ond thought. Now if I did such a
thing, I could be accused of every
thing except having religion. In
fact, a man is almost afraid to kiss
his wife, he could be taken to court
for sexual harassment. My oT
buddy Rufus found out there
wasn’t any room for good ol ’ boys
anymore. Got news for you Rufus,
there is no more room for hugging
anymore. You got careless with
the taxpayer’s money, which was
a no-no. All us buggers wanted to
THE MOTOP VOTER
UAS PROMPTED A LOT
OP OeMOCRATSTO
registed to vote.
SO
HAS
PAT
BUCHANAN.
Let US vote as we
wish
do was show children we cared.
Tough world, Rufus.
I realize that many children are
abused. Therefore to protect all
children, rules have to be made
and people who truly care about
children are going to suffer be
cause of the action of a few. Need
less to say, the world needs more
love. Unfortunately, we aren’t
headed in the direction that will
lead us to it. Now on to a different
subject.
In many different articles, I have
mentioned my speaking engage
ments. 1 will admit 1 am not Jerry
Glower, but I am a lot cheaper —
I speak for nothing. Most clubs
will give me a dinner, which I
don’t have to list on my income
tax form. Recently I got into a
terrible jam, simply because I
speculated and a person never
should speculate.
A couple of years ago I was
asked to speak to a group of high
school students from across the
state. It was the annual meeting of
{See RAZ, page 3A)
Easter is time for new life
Now that all of the little girls
are finished flitting around in their
frilly Easter frocks, and all of the
little boys have yanked off their
bothersome neckties and button-
down shirts and gleefully tossed
them into the floor, we are left
with mountains of dirty laundry
and boiled eggs—and chocolates
in assorted stages of meltedness.
All thanks to the silly tradition of
the great Easter Egg Hunt.
It’s fun all right, but you really
need to love deviled eggs a whole
Ipt in order to enjoy the aftermath
of the search. Or you need a dog
who loves them.
' Fortunately, my family enjoys
deviled eggs. We are trying to
come up with a better name for
them, something a little more
Sampler
Lenore Morales
wholesome. Like smashed eggs,
mashed eggs, whipped eggs or
stuffed eggs—but no, those names
lean toward the violent side. How
about make-the-cholesterol-taste-
real-good-and-eat-a-bunch eggs?
That’s probably the most accurate
name yet.
But the problem of renaming
the eggs fades into the background
for a person with a sweet tooth
who lives in a house where bas
kets full .of candy eggs and bun
nies lurk on every countertop. I
am not going to embarrass myself
and tell how many chocolates I ate
on Easter Monday.
Now I am faced with either
throwing all of the candy out or
exercising my willpower until the
kids are able to consume it all.
Tossing it out takes a lot less gump
tion, but I couldn’t take the guilt
trip the little ones would give me
— “But we wanted some. Mom!”
So 1 guess I’ll have to try to
remind myself constantly that the
chocolates are perfectly happy in
their wrappers, rather than think
ing of how lonely they look with
nobody eating them up. I’ll have
to remember that Easter is a time
to celebrate new life, which is not
(See Easter, page 3A)
Who does Frances Cummings
think she’s fooling?
The two-term state representa
tive who changed her party affili
ation from Democrat to Republi
can right after the 1994 GOP land
slide is pushing legislation that is
so self-serving it is almost
microwaveable. But she's trying
to convince a legislative panel that
her motives are freedom of choice
for voters.
It’s curious that Rep.
Cummings, R-Robeson, would
promote choice by taking away
one choice which voters have whe n
they vote: that of pulling the
straight party lever.
Cummings has made one of the
oddest political ody vsey s in recent
state history. A former teacher and
president of the N.C. Association
of Educators, she was elected in
1992 with a solid backing of po
litical liberals in her home county
of Robeson, one of the last bas
tions of the Democratic Solid
South.
Somewhere along the line,
Cummings started to act really
kooky. She’s involved with some
thing called the Divine Sounds
Ministry and she allows her spiri
tual advi.ser to write many of her
press releases. During the 1995
legislative session, she informed a
committee that if members voted
against her bill, they were oppos
ing the will of the Lord.
After a 1994 campaign that in
volved shots being fired through
windows and other similarly
Robeson-like events, she con
verted to Republicanism.
Now it’s dawned on her that
she has no chance of being re
elected given the Democratic
Party’s grip on Robeson. So she’s
trying to eliminate straight ticket
voting on the misguided fancy that
that will somehow save her.
Cummings asked the Election
Laws Study Commission to rec
ommend that the General Assem
bly outlaw straight party voting
this year. The party lever denies
voters a choice, she said. Voters
only have free choice, she “rea
soned,” when they are required to
vote individually for each office.
Other members of the commit
tee pounced on the weakness of
her argument. Rep. Willis Brown,
D-Hamett, said that voters choose
to pull the lever.
They’re not required to do so.
Eliminating straight ticket voting
is eliminating a choice, he said. It
also makes voting more difficult
for some. Rep. Leo Mercer, D-
Pitt, questioned another of
Cummings’ assertions — that
eliminating the party vote would
fightfraud. Buying someone’svote
is already illegal, he said, whether
or not it’s a straight ticket vote.
Sen. Wib Gulley, D-Durham,
worried that Ms. Cutiunings’ pro
posal would reduce the strength of
the parties. Mercer added that vot
ers often don’t know all the candi
dates but have some faith in the
philosophies of their parties.
North Carolina is one of 20
states that still permits straight
Watching
Paul T. 0'( onnor
ticket voting, although voters must
vote separately for president.
The proposal had little support
with the committee, and won’t be
presented to the full Assembly in
.May. It appears that Cummings
wili have to go home and face the
wrath of voters who feel cheated
that she was elected as a Democrat
andthcnswitchedparticsonthcm
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