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Opinions
JM
HEFFNER
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Columnist
Deception
all around
Did you ever read "Catcher in the Rye," by J.D.
Salinger? I got hold of a copy about three years back
and read it, after hearing about the book all my life. It
is a classic.
The theme examined by Salinger in his best selling
novel is deception, or, as described by Holden
Caulfield in the book, phoniness.
Well, I gotta tell you folks, there's a lot of that going
around these days.
I was attending a basketball game recently, and a
guy was smoking three rows down and considerably to
the left of me. I wouldn't have noticed had it not been
for the lady sitting beside me. She started up with a
hacking put-on cough and elbowed me in the ribs.
Don't you think that's terrible?" she said, pointing to
the criminal offender.
"What's terrible?” I asked.
"That guy down there smoking. Doesn't it bother
you?"
"No, ma'am," I replied, "not a bit."
She turned up her nose and had nothing more to say,
which suited me fine.
If that isn't phony, I don't know what is. 1 don't
smoke cigarettes--never have. I do smoke a pipe occa-
sionally. I believe in live and let live. If a person
chooses not to smoke that's fine with me, and if some-
one wants to smoke that's ok with me also. I am, how-
ever, offended by people who go out of their way in an
effort to deny anyone the right to smoke if he or she
elects to do so.
This smoke/no smoke situation is getting out of
hand. The Texas state legislature recently voted to in-
crease the state tobacco tax to $4.10 per carton, ignor-
ing warnings that cigarette thefts would increase, and
sure as shooting that problem is already on the rise in
Texas. Not only that, according to the Dallas Times
+. Herald, the tax hike has increased the value of
‘cigarettes to such an extent that black market tobacco
is becoming a problem in that state. I just don't under-
stan}, why government can't leave well enough alone.
FALLEN WOMAN - A few years back, my wife,
Ann, fell down some steps in a building in town, She®
didn't get hut badly but she did suffer a few scrapes
and bruises. I’gst week she went to a local funeral
home to pay respects to the family of a relative who
had passed away. As she started up the steps of the fu-
neral home, she took another spill, and this time came
away with a split; knee and a sprained wrist. Still, she
wasn't hurt too badly but she did encounter some pain.
Anyway, last Sunday, she took part in the Easter
Cantata at church. As she was leaving decked out in
Needless to sa, I had plenty of second thoughts af-
ped she wouldn't take me seriously.
ANEWS - I travel quite a bit and I always
ithe local newspapers wherever I find my-
hai'last couple of weeks I've been in Charleston,
Savzginah and Raleigh.
Jicame across a story in one of the papers that was
interesting to me.
J There's a town in Texas called Chrystal City. A
farming community, Chrystal City's chief agricultural
product is spinach. They grow so much of the green,
leafy vegetable in fact they bill their town as the
"Spinach Capitol of the World." To prove they are seri-
ous, local citizens point to a statue of Popeye promi-
nently displayed in the town square. It's been there
since 1937.
Another item I came across tells about how
LensCrafters, a $600 million chain of eyeglass stores,
goes out of their way to increase morale among their
employees. It seems that field managers routinely
challenge stores to meet sales goals. When those goals
are accomplished, a store representative gets to throw
a pie in the field manager's face. LensCrafters says it
does wonders for morale. I wonder how high the
turnover rate is among field managers?
How about it Gary Stewart? Can we work some-
thing out.
(ED. NOTE - Yeah, and you've just been promot-
ed to field manager).
| Cartoonitorial Your Right To Say It
w
LT
a
C 1991. PM Editorial Service
SRS
Established 1889
Published Thursday at East King Street at Canterbury Road,
Kings Mountain, North Carolina 28086,
USPS 931-040, by Republic Newspapers, Inc.-2nd Class postage paid in Kings Mountain
Crunch time for schools
It is now "crunch time" for the public schools of
North Carolina. In a year where the economic situation
of the state has the General Assembly searching for
ways to balance its budget schools are facing the pos-
sibility of having to substantially change offerings to
their students.
The debate in the legislature focuses on whether the
budget should be balanced by reducing expenditures,
raising revenues, or a combination of both. Most peo-
ple seem to think that there will be some of both, but
even with that option being pursued, it appears that al-
lotments to public schools will decrease somewhat,
perhaps considerably. Projections are tentative at this
point in time. However, as the cutting process begins,
it appears our continuation budget for 1991-92 may be
reduced by as much as $130 per pupil. That would
mean that we could have our state budget cut by more
than $500,000.
Cutting over a half million dollars, even from a
large budget, is a very difficult process. At this point I
am not prepared to make firm recommendations to the
Board of Education as to where those cuts would be
made. Those recommendations will have to come after
a more careful study of our programs and services.
This budget debate must cause citizens to focus very
clearly on one specific question. "What is it that we
expect tour public schools to accomplish?"
In recent years the schools of this state have greatly
expanded their services to children. Society seems to
expect its schools to deal not only with the academic
preparation of its youth but also with the results of a
myriad of social/legal problems which confront those
youth in today's world. No one should hope that the
schools can accept all of these tasks without adequate
resources.
Consider some of the new programs state funds
have allowed us to implement in recent years. We have
had a very successful tuition-free summer school pro-
gram for students in grades 1-12. Participation in the
program has allowed many students to avoid failure
and stay on track with their age group in school. If
funds are cut substantially, the summer school program
may have to be cut back to only deal with grades 3, 6
and 8 as where law requires summer school. Recent
increases have also given us more money with which
to purchase instructional supplies and equipment and
textbooks, all of which cost significantly more than
they did a few years ago.
By far the largest portion of recent increases has
been for new offerings due to the Basic Education
Program. We have substantially expanded and im-
proved our programs to children in a number of ways.
Examples of offerings expanded or begun through
Sidewalk Survey
BOB McRAE
Superintendent
Kings Mountain Schools
ol
BEP funding are elementary physical education, for-
eign language, art, and music and K-12 dance. We
have also been able to expand our guidance services to
children through the BEP, a move that was sorely
needed as our children face more and more societal
preblems in today's world. Were it not for increased
funding in recent years, we would be nowhere near
where we are today in the services we can provide the
children of our school system.
I know the economy is struggling. I also know that
across this state, including in our own county, bond is-
sues and tax referendums to support the schools have
been passing far more often than they have been de-
feated. Public opinion polls consistently show that the
citizens of North Carolina are willing to foot the bill
for better schools. Our ability to continue the level of
service we are now offering is at risk. If you are inter-
ested in that not happening, I would encourage you to
contact our legislative delegation and make your feel-
ings known. It is only through a strong voice from the
citizens of this state that we can come through this de-
bate with minimal damage.
I do not pretend that there is the potential for large
increases for schools even if new revenues are found. I
realize that some cuts are inevitable. What I am inter-
ested in is minimizing the effect. If we are unable to
accomplish that, we will have to take a serious look at
people and programs for reductions. Your children and
grandchildren will be affected as will our employees.
Where those reductions will fall remains to be deter-
mined, but their effect will be substantial.
I saw a sign the other day that said, "When you stop
looking up, you start looking down." We have too
much left to do. The existence of adequate funding
will not guarantee success, however the lack of it may
indeed guarantee the lack of success. I plan to let my
legislators know how I feel. If you agree that we must
keep the momentum built for public education going
forward, even if that means new revenues, I encourage
you to contact them as well - and do it quickly.
Aspartame
safe to use
(ED. NOTE - The following letter was written to
Amy Morris of King Mountain in reply to a letter
to the editor which she wrote in the December 6,
1990 edition of the Herald). id
I am writing to you about your article titled "Sugar
substitutes harmful to health" which appeared in the
December 6, 1990 issue of the Kings Mountain
Herald. Specifically, I would like to take issuc with
your comments about aspartame (which is sold under
the trade name NutraSweet brand sweetener).
Aspartame has been reviewed and found safe for the
general population, including children, by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration, the World Health
Organization, the Council on Scientific Affairs of the
American Medical Association, and regulatory agen-
cies of more than 90 other nations. Prior to FDA ap-
proval of aspartame in 1981, more than 100 studies
were conducted in animals and humans. The safety of
aspartame has been well-documented by numerous
controlled studies in both adults and children, as well
as special subpopulations: obese persons, diabetic per-
sons, lactating women, those suffering from chronic
renal failure, and those heterozygous for phenylke-
tonuria (PKU).
With more than 150 million regular aspartame con-
sumers in the United States alone, it is statistically in-
evitable that some individuals who experience symp-
toms will also consume products containing
aspartame. The NutraSweet Company investigates and
voluntarily reports all such complaints to the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These reports
have been extensively reviewed by the FDA and the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC exam-
ined 500 complaints and found it was not possible to
identify any "specific constellation of symptoms clear-
ly related to aspartame consumption.”
The FDA also conducted an exhaustive review of
more than 4,000 complaints, which incidentally repre-
sents a small fraction of the 150 million aspartame
consumers, and arrived at the same conclusion. The
FDA has stated periodically that the adverse reactions
allegedly related to aspartame "...do not establish rea-
sonable evidence of possible public health harm, There
is not consistent or unique pattern of symptoms report-
ed with respect to aspartame that can be casually
linked to its use." :
In addition, a controlled study of 108 normal adults
by Leon, et al. at the University of Minnesota further
confirmed aspartame's safety. The authors concluded
that daily consumption of aspartame at 1.5 times the
government Allowable Daily Intake (which is 50
mg/kg body weight/day) is safe.
We are all aware of the power of the printed word.
All those who read the Kings Mountain Herald de-:
serve a solid, balanced report. It is for this reason that I
write to you. :
J Sincerely,
Robert H. Moser, M.D.
Vice President, Medical Affairs
The NutraSweet Company
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Kings Mountain People
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Barrell Austin... Li ni Publisher
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Do you think UNC Coach Dean Smith should have been ousted from Saturday's basketball game?
0 3
“KEN LAIL
A omit igo
gre tS yn a i sm
JOYCE WHEELER
TERESA HINSON
. Je SHERRY WILSON JACK SIMS RICK LAWS
NO. His action didn't No, Their ruling was ~~ No. The action of the No. Coach Smith No. Carolina had lost Yes. I'm a die-hard
warrant being too harsh. officials was petty. didn't do a thing and it served no Duke fan.
thrown out of the wrong. purpose.
game.
T= SRN,