Page 4A-THE KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Thursday, July 14, 1994
Opinions
JIM
HEFFNER
Columnist
The EPA logic
Three or four years ago, you could buy cans of freon
from any auto parts store for your automobile air con-
ditioner for $1.50 a can. If you had your own gauges,
you could charge your air conditioner for less than five
dollars. Service stations would do it for about $15.
Today, thanks to the Environmental Protection
Agency, a can of freon costs $7, and you can't even
buy it unless you have a permit. To get your auto air
a charged these days, you'll pay upwards of
A couple of years ago, you could get your car in-
spected for a few dollars, now, the minimum is around
$15, and that's if your car is in tip top condition. If
your inspector decides your car doesn't meet emissions
specifications, you could pay hundreds of dollars, an-
other little EPA touch.
Inspection stations had to put in emissions testing
equipment at a cost of between $18 and $20 thousand.
Those who work on air conditioners were forced to in-
stall freon recovery systems, another high-cost item.
You can't even legally flush your own radiator un-
less you recover the old anti freeze and dispose of it
"properly." :
There is no scientific proof that freon or anti freeze
contaminates the environment, but they are an easy
mark. Their targeting by the EPA defies conventional
logic.
Now the EPA is concerned that counties in our area
aren't doing all they can to lower the ozone content in
the air. They're telling us we need to trade in our cars
for newer models, and there have been hints that gas-
powered lawn equipment might be outlawed. Service
stations, now almost obsolete, may have to install
more expensive equipment.
Some companies may have to cut down on some of
the chemicals they use to stay in business, according to
the EPA. that will separate the consumer from more of
his money.
What all this boils down to is that consumers, that's
you and me, are going to have to pay through the nose
because some environmentalist whackos get all bent
out of shape when the weather gets hot. Gasoline will
cost more and local products will go up. It happens ev-
ery summer, and cools down in the fall.
We are likely to find that auto inspections will be-
come more rigid, too.
Frankly, I'm getting a little concerned about all the
starch laundries are using these days. My shirts are
definitely stiffer than they used to be. This is a danger
that the EPA ought to look into. If the continued mis-
use of starch isn't stopped, there's no telling what will
happen.
Pigeon droppings are another problem that should
be addressed. Everybody knows that these droppings
are laced with vermin and disease. You can't even go
out on the ledge of a tall building anymore because of
the danger of a close encounter of the bird kind. The
EPA is sitting around worrying about ozone when pi-
geons continue to produce droppings that are haz-
ardous to the health of humans.
If you find yourself in a room with someone who
has been around fresh pigeon droppings, you are sub-
ject to second hand contamination that may be car-
cinogenic. Pregnant women should make it a point to
stay away from any area containing more than three
pigeons per acre, especially in the third trimester. -
Television news is another pollutant that the EPA
ought to look into. There is so much of that emanating
from the world class city that everyone within a 100-
mile radius is in danger.
TV news is a known contaminant that affects your
hearing and the flexibility of the brain. Anyone ex-
posed to more than two hours a week is taking a
chance on losing his hearing and his sanity.
It's time we got tough with the EPA. If they're going
to ride herd on one pollutant, they ought to monitor
them all. Anything worth doing is worth doing right,
and that reminds me, cliches are dangerous too.
The next time someone says "a stitch in time saves
nine," he should be arrested for violation of EPA pollu-
tion standards. Filling our clean air with cliches will
rot the brain almost as much as TV news.
Next time we'll discuss creosote-laden railroad ties
and people who say "have a nice Da-ay."
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Pictorial Editorial
year-0
HELPING HAND - One- 1d Lacy Willis
*
troller) gets a shove from two-year-old Heather Black
at the Kings Mountain Parks and Recreation Department. Lacy is the daughter of Lisa and Harold Willis
and Heather is the daughter of Michael and Lisa Black.
Your Right To Say It
(7
"GUEST COLUMN §
THOMAS GOOLSBY
Carolina Syndicated
Columns
Education
is a joke
Rather than praise the state Board of Education's re-
cent decision to institute tough competency standards
and hold back students who cannot pass them, state
schools Superintendent Bobby Etheridge criticized the
plan, claiming that it could create "administrative bot-
tlenecks" in school systems. While employers and uni-
versities have completely lost faith in the value of a
North Carolina high school diploma, Mr. Etheridge
seems more concerned about simply churning out
numbers.
Public education has become a sick joke in the
Tarheel state. Administrators and staff personnel dut-
weigh our low-paid and overwhelmed teachers almost
two to one. Many schools are war zones, where educa-
tion takes a distant second place to safety. All the
while, the focus is on the bureaucrats’ convenience,
rather than the education of our children. We spend
more and more money to get less and less for our "in-
vestment" in education.
The current high school competency test is indica-
tive of our farcical system. The test measures not
twelfth-grade abilities, but sixth-grade skills such as
figuring out a restaurant bill on a menu or the ability to
‘balance a checkbook. Ninety-eight percent of the stu-
dents taking the exam pass it and, by simply attending
classes regularly, will typically receive a high school
diploma regardless of their grades. ?
The result? Underachievers are merely required to
"perform" on a sixth-grade skill level and warehoused
until they have attended school for twelve years. They
are then given a worthless piece of paper deeming
them "educated" and are thrown into the work force.
Mr. Etheridge needs to reexamine his role as state
schools Superintendent. His job is not to simply be the
"roto-rooter man" of the state school system by pump-
ing out uneducated students like old sewage. His jobAs
to see that our children receive an education that pre-
pares them to compete in the global marketplace. The
state Board of Education is correct - our children de-
serve high school diplomas that mean something!
Thanks for making fundraiser success
To the Editor:
LIVE! (Living Independently through Volunteers
for the Elderly) recently held its annual spring
fundraiser - Wheels and Deals Auction - to benefit the
frail elderly, disabled and handicapped of Cleveland
County.
Raising more than $10,000, LIVE's board of direc-
tors, volunteers and staff members want to thank the
entire community for its generosity. Cleveland Home
Health Agency Inc., Hoechst Celanese Corporation,
Carter Chevrolet, All American Fabrics, and all 200
businesses which contributed items, we thank you.
A great deal of time and hard work made this
fundraiser successful. We extend a special thank you
to Joyce Dixon and Ralph Elliott, who conducted the
day-long auction with their usual professionalism.
They worked as hard to make the auction a success as
the board members who not only solicited the many
items to be auctioned but also worked tirelessly
throughout the sale. Alta Pernell and Cindy Binion, so-
licitation chairmen, we appreciate the many hours you
graciously worked and your outstanding organizational
skills. Also, special thanks to John Allen who donated
an entire week of time, back breaking labor and his
truck. John, Lance Marshall, Frank Garver and Charles
Alexander moved and organized items from many lo-
cations throughout the county.
Special mention must be made of the youth in our
community who gave of their time and energy to help
us. The National Honor Society from Shelby High
school has always been eager to help the LIVE pro-
gram and assistance prior to the auction was no excep-
tion. Young Life was also very much a part of our suc-
cess, working with us the day of the action.
Janet Edwards, concessions chairman, and her com-
mittee dispensed delicious refreshments to the large
crowd throughout the day. All supplies were donated
by local restaurateurs and local bottling companies.
We thank you.
We would be remiss if we did not thank the local
newspapers, television and radio stations for their pro-
motions - we thank you for communicating to the
community the time and place for the auction. We ap-
preciate the sheriff's deputies who handled the traffic,
the owners and managers of neighboring businesses
who graciously allowed us to use their parking lots.
Finally, but not least, we thank the people who attend-
ed the auction. Through your continued support of
LIVE's fundraisers, we are able to provide volunteer
in-home services to an increasing number of elderly
who prefer to live independently in their own homes.
Sarah M. Wray
Executive Director
Sandra B. Marshall
Administrative Assistant
Thanks for reunion
To the Editor:
My husband and I returned to Kings Mountain to at-
tend my 35th high school reunion on Saturday, June
18.
My former classmate, Betty Sue Kirby Morris and
her husband, Bob, very graciously opened their home
and grounds to the Class of '59. They and others on
the reunion committee (Gertie Pearson Barnette,
Judy/Dean Bowen, DeWayne/Jerralene Caldwell,
Freddy Hambright, Maude Owens Morton, Wray
Plonk Jr., Brenda McFalls Ross, Patsy Foster
Simmons, Charity Goforth Tignor) deserve recognition
for their efforts. Also, thanks to Bob Morris, Jake, Jeff,
Mark, and Greg Dixon for a delicious meal; Sarah Cox
Shaw for serving as waitress; and Linda Mitchem
Dover, Travis Hawkins and others for their assistance.
Those of us who traveled from other states to the re-
union had the easy part - just showing up and enjoying
ourselves. The locals did all the work and staged a
memorable reunion. :
Jackie Merrill Andrew
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Media went too far
To the editor: i
" I am a concerned viewer of television and sub-
scriber of magazines. Like many people I have seen
the O.J. Simpson case on television and in magazines.
Because of this media frenzy, I am concerned about
the future of the media in trials and in anything relat-
ing to the cases.
I feel the media has overstepped its boundary in this
area. They have obviously overstepped their boundary
in the O.J. Simpson case, and I feel that it will be ex-
tremely difficult to find an impartial jury for Mr.
Simpson.
The media has already shown that it is going to use
this tactic with such cases as the Michael Jackson "tri-
al," the Menendez brothers, and the Bobbette trials. I
think if they are going to use this tactic they shouldn't
use it during the trial and definitely not before it!
Clint Kale
You eall this firm?
To the Editor:
If we look back to the past presidential campaign,
we note the candidate Bill Clinton correctly castigated
President Bush for being soft on the Chines
Communist's abuse of human rights, accusing Bush of
having "coddled the regime, pleasing for progress, but
failing to impose penalties for intransigence."
He further pointed out that the Chinese people "are
still denied their basis rights and liberties. They are de-
nied the right to choose their own leaders; they are still
imprisoned for simply calling for democracy; they
continue to suffer torture and cruel, inhuman and de-
grading treatment and punishment.
Candidate Bill Clinton pledged to be firm with the
Chinese Communists.
President Bill Clinton was as firm as a wet over-
cooked spaghetti noodle.
In 1993, Bill Clinton gave the Chinese Communists
a year to come up with sufficient cover to save face by
promising that future renewals of "Most Favored
Nation" trading status would depend on their improve-
ment in human rights. However, last month, President
Clinton not only renewed MFN status but permanently
delinked human rights from MFN. The Chinese
Communists, of course, still produce much of their
goods in a "Gulag" system, using the labor of political
prisoners.
Wang Xizhe, a Chinese dissident who spent 14
years in Chinese gulags, told The Washington Post, "I
think the Chinese saw early on that the United States is
a paper tiger."The Washington correspondent for
Japan's influential Asahi newspaper wrote, "It is a 180-
degree change in direction from policy up until now
and leaves the strong impression that Clinton gave in
completely to China's demand."
Clinton did stop the import of approximately $200
million per year of Chinese firearms and ammunition,
but that was obviously aimed at thumbing his nose at
American gun owners, rather than exerting any pres-
sure on the Chinese Government. As The Nation in
Bangkok remarked, "it would have hurt far more if
Clinton had banned imports of artificial flowers."
In the meantime, the Chinese Communists still con-
tinue its brutal treatment of dissidents and political
prisoners. China is strengthening its Army by having it
involved in various commercial businesses. We need
to also remember that China continues to send ad-
vanced military technology to countries such as Iran,
perform nuclear weapons tests, and aiding North
Korea.
Of course, President Clinton can make claim to be
getting tough on China: free China on Taiwan, that is.
He has slapped limited trade sanctions on Taiwan and
refused permission to the President of Taiwan, Lee
Teng-hut, to spend a night on U. S. soil in Hawaii on a
recent trip, giving him only a 90-minute stop to refuel.
Mr. A. M. Rosenthal of The New York Times re-
marked: "When foes don't believe a President, the risk
is war by miscalculation, as in Korea and the Persian
Gulf. The teaching of Mr. Clinton is: Don't coddle
tyrants, just surrender.” i
The American people must take nofe of what's hap-
pening in Washington and around the world. Our gov-
ernment continues to grovel to petty communist
tyrants, "ex-communist reformers" (what a joke!) and a
bunch of tin-horn dictators in the United Nations. We
must end the erosion of our country's sovereignty.
Richmond C. Beecher
Shelby
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