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Page 4A-THE KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Tuesday, November 20, 1990
Opinion
Our View
a Cartoonitorial | Your Right To Say It
Hardships still
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the
Pilgrims in 1621 at Plymouth Colony. Following a
winter of great hardship, the colonists invited their
Indian neighbors to share a feast. The assemblage
made do with four turkey from the wild and various
vegetables they had grown, and though the fare was
meager, there was much to be thankful for. They had
survived for over a year and were well on their way to-
ward establishing a foothold in their new world.
Americans, this thanksgiving, find themselves faced
with hardships, as did their forefathers. again, there is
much to be thankful for. Good health and an abundant
life is certainly worth celebrating. This Thanksgiving
Day, however, finds many Americans poised on the
brink of war in the Middle East. Our men and women
in the armed forces in Saudi, Arabia, will have to
spend these holidays in a foreign country away from
their families and homes. They are making this sacri-
fice so that those of us at home can remain safe.
As we sit down to the traditional meal, it would be
good for each of us to remember our countrymen so
far from their loved ones, > and give thanks for their
safety.
Let people decide
Governor Martin seems to be setting us up for a
hefty tax hike. Several months ago, there was a budget
shortfall of something like $300 million. Now, accord-
ing to Martin, that shortfall may be as high as $1.2 bil-
lion.
The Governor indicates most of this will have to
come from new taxes rather than the cutting of exist-
_ing programs. Specifically, he has tapped the sales tax
as the likely source of new revenue.
We suggest it is time for the state to bite the bullet
and establish a lottery, with the revenue being earn-
marked for education.
Most states are getting into the lottery business.
Neighboring Virginia is siphoning off a significant
sum of money from this state, because North
Carolinians want to take a chance, so they are crossing
the border and purchasing tickets in Virginia.
At least our lawmakers should put the lottery to a
vote. Louisiana voters approved a lottery on October
7, becoming the 33rd state to do so. Since 1964, just
one state, North Dakota, has voted down a lottery in a
referendum.
People are going to gamble. According to Gambling
and Wagering Business Magazine, $290.1 billion was
spent on legal and illegal gambling in the U.S. in 1989.
Gambling was a favorite pastime of Colonial
Americans. The settlement of Virginia was largely fi-
nanced by lotteries to raise revenues. The proceeds
helped to establish some of the nation's most presti-
gious universities--Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton
and William and Mary, to name a few.
The Continental Congress even went so far as to ap-
. prove a lottery to help finance the Revolutionary war.
It is time for the state legislature to stop constructing
a patchwork tax structure. The obvious answer to short
revenues at this particular time is a state lottery.
What is wrong with letting the people decide?
About the draft
During the Viet Nam War, there was a group of peo-
ple, peaceniks they were called, or pacifists, who
howled bloody murder every time the draft was men-
tioned. Many burned draft cards and some fled to other
countries.
The so-called anti-war faction was on the evening
news each day telling us how unfair it was to conscript
young citizens and ship them off to war against their
will. It was a clear-cut case of old men sending young
men off to die, was their rallying cry.
Today, our armed forces are made up strictly of vol-
unteers so what are those same people yelling this
time?
Now they're telling us it is unfair to send young
Americans to war without a draft. The armed services,
they're saying, is made up of mostly the disadvan-
taged. Those who were unable to get kpbs elsewhere.
We should be drafting the sons and daughters of
Senators, Congressmen and billionaires, they scream,
in an effort to promote hysteria.
These people will just have to understand the debate
is over where a military draft is concerned, and it was
largely their own doing.
First they pushed to do away with the draft, now
. they want to re-establish it.
It simply cannot be both ways.
A WORD OF THANKS - The State of North
: Carolina, and especially the people of Kings Mountain
- and Cleveland County, owe a great debt of gratitude to
Ollie Harris.
Harris was defeated in the recent election after
spending 18 years in the North Carolina Senate. Prior
to that, he served 24 years as Cleveland County
Coroner.
During that time Harris was a part of what was one
- of, if not the strongest delegations in the state. He car-
ried a lot of political clout in Raleigh and was a cham-
pion in the area of health legislation, especially in
mental health.
During the past election, which Harris had hinted
probably would have been his last anyway, he fell vic-
tim of voters’ recent trends to-vote against anyone cur-
‘rently in office. That must be the case because one
would only have to look at his record of service to
know that he has been a great legislator.
But, like the gentleman that he is, Ollie took defeat
gracefully, knowing that he had represented the district
well and that his efforts were appreciated by his home
county. Despite running fourth overall in the six-per-
‘son race for three seats, Ollie led the ticket in
Cleveland County.
Harris says he won't run for State Senate again. And
CELEBRATING THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING...
What's the world coming to?
Sometimes I wonder about law enforcement proce-
dures.
All the hullabaloo about James Worthy set me to
thinking. Does the Houston Police Department have so
little to do that they must resort to advertising to get
people to commit crimes? From everything I've been
able to find out, Houston is a high crime rate city. Yet
they advertise in the yellow pages of the telephone di-
rectory in an effort to entice people to solicit for prosti-
tution. I am aware that the ad was probably not placed
by the Houston Police Department, but they certainly
must have arranged to have the telephone number, list-
ed in the ad, routed to them.
I'm not trying to excuse James Worthy, I just ques-
tion those tactics. You'd think that with the drug prob-
lem eating at the very vitals of this country, law en-
forcement officers would concentrate their time and
energy in that area as opposed to playing games with,
generally, law-abiding citizens.
Down in Columbia, a week or so back, a nightclub
dancer was put on trial for "exposing her body in an
obscene manner,” a misdemeanor that carries a maxi-
mum punishment of six months in jail or a $500 fine.
The two male police officers who made the arrest
didn't just testify in court, they demonstrated the act
for the jury and the spectators.
According to news reports they shook their pelvises,
wrapped their legs around a microphone stand, got
down on all fours and shook their posteriors at the jury
to mimic the dancer.
After the jurors stopped laughing, they turned the
dancer loose. As far as I'm concerned, the demonstra-
tion by the two cops was obscene.
I don't know what this world is coming to.
SHORT AND SWEET
Maria Maples, Donald Trump's girlfriend, is angry
at Vanity Fair magazine because they used a picture of
Cher on the cover instead of her. Maples should know
better than to tangle with journalists. The Vanity Fair
editors had a logical reason for their choice of covers.
"In light of the Gulf crisis," they said, "we thought a
brunette was more appropriate.”
Huh?
Kakk
I see where the Soil Conversation Program is back
in full swing. It was put on hold for a while during the
budget crisis. No problem no though. The Agriculture
Department has sent down orders to issue checks to-
talling $1,6 billion in rental payments for taking crop-
land from production. Meanwhile, people are starving
all over the world.
sede sk
Boy, that was some football game they had in
Houston a couple of weeks ago. Texas Christian and
Houston University went at it, and when the smoke
had cleared Houston came out ahead 58-35.
TCU substitute quarterback, Matt Vogler, threw 79
passes and completed 44 for 690 yards, a new NCAA
record.
The Houston quarterback, David Klingler, tossed
the ball 56 times and completed 37 for 583 yards.
Seven of Klinger's went for touchdowns, while Vogler
threw for five.
That was an air raid if there ever was one.
dekek
idewalk Survey
JIM
HEFFNER
@
Columnist
I flew into Charlotte from Miami last Thursday, and,
as I got up from my set to leave the plane after land-
ing, a lady was opening the overhead bin to retrieve
her carry-on bag. "Watch your head," she said.
I thought to myself, "now how am I going to do
that?" Watch my head, I mean.
I didn't have a mirror with me.
Hokok
It says here that Governor Jim Martin is looking to
raise taxes to compensate for the budget shortfall. So
what else is new? I'm not surprised that Martin would
raise our taxes. He has made that a pretty consistent
habit ever since he was elected.
Hasn't he heard that George (RML) Bush has beat
him to the punch? You can get just so much blood
from a turnip.
I love these wealthy guys we continue to elect to
public office. They really don't care how much they
tax us, because increased taxes have little or no effect
on their lives.
Ironically, Martin and Bush both consider them-
selves conservative. What a laugh.
I have come to the conclusion that it matters not one
whit who we elect as President or Governor. They're
all cut from the same pattern. We'd get better govern-
ment form a dime store dummy.
Ask Kk
An oldie but goodie that still fits the times:
There was a man who lived by the side of the road
and sold hot dogs.
He was hard of hearing, so he had no radio. He had
trouble with his eyes, so he read no newspapers.
But he sold good hot dogs.
He put up signs on the highway telling how good
they were. He stood by the side of the road and cried,
"Buy a hot dog, Mister." And people bought. He in-
creased his meat and bun orders. He bought a bigger
stove, to take care of his trade.
He finally got his son home from college to help
him out. But then, something happened. His son said,
"Father, haven't you been listening to the radio?
Haven't you been reading the newspaper. There's a big
depression. The European situation is worse."
Whereupon, the father thought, "Well, my son's
been to college. He listens to the radio, he reads the
papers and he ought to know."
So, the father cut down on his meat and bun orders.
He took down his advertising signs and no longer
bothered to stand out on the highway to sell his hot
dogs.
And his hot dog sales fell almost overnight.
"You're right, son," the father said to the boy, "we
certainly are in the middle of a great depression."
The rights of teenagers
In 1965, two Iowan teenagers were suspended from
school for peacefully protesting the American involve-
ment in Vietnam by wearing black armbands. They
challenged the suspension, taking their case all the
way to the Supreme Court. Then, in 1969, the Court
overruled the school district's decision. In the majority
opinion, written by Justice Abe Fortas, the Court set a
precedent by stating that students (teenagers) have the
same constitutionally protected rights as adults, includ-
ing (as in this case) the right to peaceful protest.
It seems unfortunate to me that this precedent set in
1969 has not often been followed in recent times. It is
becoming increasingly more common to see state and
local governments, as well as school districts, method-
ically chipping away at the basic rights of teenagers.
To begin with, the rights of teenagers are being
abridged in the name of lowering crime rates. Despite
the efforts of law enforcement officials, crime rates
continue to rise steadily. In their quest to find a quick
solution to satisfy their constituents, city lawmakers in
some U.S. cities have passed or are attempting to pass
ordinances and laws that impose upon the liberties
guaranteed to United States citizens under the constitu-
tion.
For example, in some cities it is unlawful for a
teenager to be outside on public property (sidewalks,
streets, places of business, etc.) past a certain hour.
Typically, the designated times are late, such as 11:00
p.m. or midnight, but some city-imposed curfews are
as early as 10:00 p.m.
Officials have said that these measures will not only
lower crime rates, but reduce the amount of potential
delinquency by limiting the after-dark hours teenagers
have in which to be out unsupervised. I think this is
ridiculous. It appears to be only an excuse for more
government intervention into the lives of private citi-
zens. Not only does this abridge teenagers’ rights, it
imposes upon their parents also. First of all, no gov-
ernment can shelter and protect its citizens from the re-
al world until they are "legally mature" and then thrust
them out on their own, expecting them to suddenly
take on responsibility when they've never had a chance
before. You have first to be given enough credit to
make your own decisions before you can be expected
to be a responsible, contributing member of society.
These character traits evolve over time; they won't
miraculously appear at the age of 18 or 21.
Secondly, curfews are private aspects of family life
that should be discussed and decided upon by the fam-
ily themselves. Only a minor's parents know his or her
maturity level, and they can make rules accordingly.
Curfew laws are discriminatory and unconstitutional,
in that they interfere with an individual's right to priva- 1
cy--the parent's right to personally decide what is best °
for his or her own child.
In America, we are fortunate to have a democratic
government and a constitution designed to protect our
individual liberties. Our entire system is based upon
respect for the privacy of individuals, and nondiscrimi-
nation under an impartial legal system.
Our own Supreme Court has ruled that teenagers are
guaranteed the same basic rights as adults. It is the du-
ty of lawmakers under the United States Constitution
to protect, not hinder, the liberties of U.S. citizens. The
system has worked for over 200 years, and it would be
a shame to see it changed because of a few narrow-
minded people who would have us believe they are
working for the good of us all. Nothing that stands in
the way of liberty will ever benefit the citizens.
Melanie Dixon
(Melanie Dixon is a student at Kings Mountain
High School).
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By Chris Nanney
What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?
DENNIS BOLIN
For my health and my
family's health.
TAMMY RUNYANS DENORRIS BYERS
My son. I'm finally | thank the Lord
getting to spend some for my health and
time with him. strength. For my family
to be healthy and
happy.
JACK YOUMANS
To be alive, my church
and for Christ who died
on the cross.
CAROLYN SHERER
My life, health, strength
and my family.
FAYE STACEY
My health, that I'm
American. My family,
especially for the boys
over there in the Middle
East. One thing to be
thankful for is to be
able to reach out to
others.
we can certainly understand that. But we have a feel-
ing Ollie Harris is not through as a public servant. You
don't do something for 42 years and then just walk
| away from it. He may not be holding an elected office
i again, but we're sure he will continue to do whatever
i he can to help people. He has the contacts and knows
how to get things done and, more importantly, he cares
about people.
Raleigh's loss may just turn out to be Kings
Mountain's gain.