Daily RaOactor, OraanvUla, N.C.Thuraday, January IS, U79

Interstate-Type Roads Valued

DANCES TOGETHER ANYMORE!

If there Is anyone left who has doubts about an interstate standard U.S. 2M through Fitt County they might want to refer to Bill Noblitts column which appeared on the editorial page of Sundays edition.

Noblitt reported that the state industry hunters cite transportation as thp critical factor in attracting industry.

There are other factors such as livability. available employees, reasonable lax and utility rates and good schools, but firms want to be less than an hour away from an airport and close to an interstate road.

Noblitt quoted Gov. Hunt. The coming of an interstate highway today is a lot like the coming of the railroad was in the past ... It can actually mean that much to the communities which are

opened up.

Hunt cited the Benson-to-Wilmington interstate and said, It will be a tremendous boost for economic development.

The availability of interstate type roads has been cited time-after-time as being critical to the development of industry and industry provides jobs for people who need them. What they earn is spent for goods and housing, and everybody in the area benefits.

It is noj difficult to see why gettingU.-S. 264 extended from Wilson through Pitt County as a fully controlled access freeway is our countys top development concern. To fail would put us at an economic disadvantage for many decades into the future.

Tobacco Research Needs The Money

A 50 percent increase in anti-smoking funds and a cut in research funds are a part of the federal budget presented to Congress by President Carter.

It should be the reverse. More funds should be put into tobacco research to gather facts, and im-

THIS AFTERNOON

prove the safety of cigarette tobacco, rather than putting the funds into hysterical anti-smoking campaigns.

Hopefully the propaganda funds can be reduced and the research funds restored as the budget moves through Congress.

Hunt Approach: Caution

By BILL NOBLITT

RALEIGH - Its resting time, the cagey, old legislator laughed.

He was only half joking. Hes seen a lot of legislator legislatures come and go. This one. he says, is a "resting session.

With that attitude rather broadly afoot, the 197 session of the General Assembly has eased into motion.

Even the leadership appears intent on keeping things on the downhill grade. House Speaker Carl Stewart is counseling frugality, and cautioning that the state doesnt really need bold, new initiatives to get things all stirred up. Gov. Jim Hunt has sharply limited his pitch for new and expanded governmental activities, choosing rather to focus on some areas considered critical; letting others ease along for awhile. It is as though the states political leadership heard the old-timey contry expression: We got more than we can say grace over.

The Budget

Hunt has placed on the legislative agenda what he terms an essential budget. It is. he says, both frugal and

compassionate. Can a governmental budget be both austere and progressive as the governor characterizes his.'

Absolutely. Hunt inSfsts. And those who argue that this cant be done are simply .living in another time .... them day is gone.

Another time? Hunt did not elaborate on that somewhate puzzling observation. We asked his close advisors later about that.

It turns out that some essential definitions are needed before coming to grips with Hunts essential budget.

Another time, not so lo^ng ago, government decided to end once and for all the social ills of poverty. Massive sums were flung into the War on Poverty.

What Hunt is doing, essentially. is rejecting the notion that governmental programs and spending hold all the answers to all our problems.

The people should keep some of the money which has been going to the government for themselves, and solve some of their own problems, he has said repeatedly.

Big government programs

tend to funnel the dollars into bureaucracies which tend to perpetuate themselves whether or not the programs are working, problems are solved, or people are helped.

BILL

NOBLITT

Rather. Hunt is saying, lets ease into some of these things. Start om small scale to see if things work. If so, it can be expanded: if not. abandon without producing a bureaucratic uproar.

The essentials are all covered in the budget. Hunt believes. Not everybody agrees. A new school bond issue? Hunt says no, it has been such a short time since the other one. student population is declining, and there is nothing critical about that.

The Rebate More millions for highways? No. the state is already building as much as it can watch over, he says.

Prisons? Sure there is a need, but so much is already under construction and on the boards that this can be delayed. Hospitals? Theres no patient crunch at specialty or mental hospitals.

.Some respond to the idea of a minor tax rebate: Keep my 10 bucks and do something good with it. to which the governor is responding taht government has gotten used to getting and keeping every dollar it can grasp: its time to reverse that philosophy.

The $10 is a symbol; even a political symbol if one reads into his actions future ambitions at the state or national level. But a symbol, nonetheless, which says government can still do the job which people need done without spending so much.

We must be both frugal and compassionate. We must govern with our heads as well as our hearts Some people do not understand that (rebate). They say government. not the taxpayers, should spend it. But they dont understand that government doesnt have any right to that money. It belongs to the taxpayers.... Hunt said.

CARTER, THEN AND NOW

By BROOKS JACKSON Anodated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -President Carters State of the Union address shows what a difference a year makes.

A year ago Carter was fighting unemployment; this year its inflation.

A year ago he was proposing tax cuts of $2,5 billion; this year he proposes cutting the federal deficit.

His top domestic goal last year was passage of his energy legislation, much of it

designed to produce higher fuel prices.

Now he wants hospital cost controls and increased competition among truckers, bus companies and railroads. The aim is to lower prices.

Last year he promised to seek substantial increases in funds for public jobs for our young people, but this year he is seeking cutbacks in summer youth employment programs to help cut the deficit.

Last year Carter noted, As 1 came into the Capitol

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tonight. I saw the farmers, my fellow farmers, standing outside in the snow. They were threatening to strike by not planting crops in protest against low prices.

But virtually all of the so called strikers eventually planted and harvested crops, and Tuesday night Carter declared, Farm exports are setting alltime records, and farm income last year was up more than 25 percent.

A year ago the Camp David summit was undreamed of. Tuesday night Carter indicated he was willing to call another one if needed to nail down a Middle East peace treaty.

In last years State of the Union speech. Carter stressed the idea of an open foreign policy: In our foreign policy, the separation of people from government has been in the past a source of weakness.... If we make a mistake in this ad-~ ministration, it will be on the.

side of frankness.

Since then the Camp David summit was conducted in extraordinary secrecy, without which administration officials have said repeatedly the summit would have failed. And Carters recognition of Peking and the severing of ties with Taiwan were sprung on the nation last month with no notice that such moves were imminent.

Last year Carter made ratification of the Panama Canal treaties his No. 1 foreign policy goal in Congress and said he expected a new strategic arms agreement with the Soviets to be completed during the year.

The canal treaties have long since been ratified, but Carter is still waiting for completion of the strategic arms pact. When and if it comes, ratification will be Carters new No. 1 foreign policy goal.

Strength For Today

HOW TO BECOME WEALTHY

Some years ago a wealthy businessman gave a dormitory to a missionary college in Africa. Then he suffered financial reverses and lost most of his money. But he never regretted giving away the large sum to the college. The only thing I have today. he said, is the building I gave to that college. That is a real possession in the inmost regions of my heart. 1 carry it on the asset side of the ledger.

By JAMES J. KILPATRICK

Unfinished Business

WASHINGTON-TheCongress has a piece of unfinished business left over from 1971. When the two houses have nothing better to do, which is most of the time, they ought to get at it. This is an act to provide for the holding of a Constitutional convention.

Once again the states are applying pressure. At the last count, no fewer than 22 states had filed petitions with the congress, asking that a constitutional convention be called in accordance with Article

V of the Constitution. The petitioning states want an amendment to require a balanced federal budget. They are going at it the hard way.

Not many persons are acquainted with the state application provision of Article V. and this is not surprising; the provision never has been successfully invoked. Every amendment to the Constitution thus far. has come into being through the familiar procedure by which two thirds of each house of

Public Forum

Letters submitted for Public Forum must be limited to 300 words.

Year Mokes A Differnce

Totbeedltrar:

The Pitt Co. Board of Commissioners has instructed the city and county school systems to come up with a proposed merger plan. Before this plan is implemented, it would be well to ask several questions regarding this proposed merger.

The first question which should be asked is Is this merger in the best interest of the students? No matter who wants what for whatever reasons, this is the most important question. At the present time only vague references about obtaining more federal monies for more programs for the students has been the answer.

Possibly, the second question which should be asked is Is one school system better than another? It certainly does not appear to be the case. There is no doubt that there are two different philosophies which govern the two systems. Both are valid. Neither is perfect.'One stresses physical facilities; the other, programs.

Number three What effect is this merger going to have on the students? At the present time students are being constantly moved from one school to another to conform to guidelines established by HEW. It is difficult to establish loyalties and traditions when a student is moved from school to school. There is enough instability in young peoples lives now without the upsetting influence of changing schools.

There seems to be a concept that anything which gets bigger becomes better. Not so with education. The more impersonal cKlucation becomes, the more the student suffers. When schools and school administrations become too large, students become numbers. There appears to Ix? a move in North Carolina to have 100 school systems, one for each county. It this movement is not in the best interest of the students of Pitt County and Greenville, it should be opposed.

Many school systems work well with one system per county. Not all do. Ask Wilson and Wake counties.

There is one more question which should be asked Is this a plav for more power by the countv commissioners.

C.B. Kip West

congress approves a proposal and sends it out to the states.

The founding fathers, fearful of an intransigent national legislature, wisely provided an alterhative cours. The Congress on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states shall call a convention for proposing amendments. Note that tne provision is not discretionary: it is mandatory; The Congress shall call.

Over the past 190 years, every state in the union at one time or another has petition-p, ed the Congress in this fashion. Amendments have been sought embracing everything from polygamy to prohibition. Early in the century, so many states petitioned for the direct election of.^ senators that Congress itself put in motion the resolution that resulted in, the Seventeenth Amendment. At the time of a study by the American Bar Association in 1971. more than 3(K) such petitions had been filed.

The ABA report steemed from a sudden onrush of state applications having to do with the issue of reapportionment. Many of the state legislatures were infuriated by the Supreme Courts one-man. one-vote, decree in Baker v. Carr. They set about passing resolutions, many of them identically phrased, demanding that Congress call a con-stitutional convention to undo what the high court had done.

Then as now, 34 states (representing two thirds of all the states) would have triggered the call. Amazingly. by mid-1967 the count actually got to 32. Senator Everett Dirkson of Illinois, grand marshal of this remarkable parade, was ecstatic. His colleague. Paul Douglas, was aghast. Douglas suggested that if a 34th application should materialize. Congress ought to refuse the call anyhow. That set Dirkson into flights of oratory scarcely equaled

(CtmtimiedoapageS)

Claim

Faster

Start

By SHARON BOND Anodated Pre WMtcr

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Although no major legislation has been enacted by the 1979 General Assembly in its first two weeks in session, legislative leaders are patting themselves on the back about the progress being made.

They say this legislature has gotten off to a faster start than some of the previous ones. And as evidence of that, they point to the nearly 400 bills that have been filed so far.

The number was more than ;KK) at the end of the first full week, compared to 82 filed during the same time in the 1977 session.

Although plenty of legislation has already been introduced, little has made its way to the full House or Senate, as few committees have taken much action. On most days there are hardly more than half a dozen bills scheduled for action on either chambers calendar.

But leaders say committee organization has gotten off the ground much quicker this year. Lt. Gov. Jimmy Green said the reason for the progress is his push and that of House Speaker Carl Stewart. D-Gaston, to end this session in four months.

I hope they got the message from this office that they need to move out or take a recess and go home. Green said Wednesday. Instead of a recess, they got to work.

Stewart said Wednesday he is more certain than ever we can adjourn by May 10. Both houses are organized and con)-mittee work is well under way.

Stewart said this legislature is about two weeks ahead of the 1977 legislature in schedule because lawmakers are responding to the publics call for an efficient government.

Rep. Ed Holmes. D-Chatham, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said if he were grading the session, hed have to give it an A right now for progress.

The committee appointments were made the first day, he said. The appropriations (committee) met the next .day and has been meeting daily since. There is an emphasis to get bills filed early.

The legislatures most time-consuming task is formulating an appropriations bill. Holmes said. But at this date the appropriations process is way ahead of schedule, he said.

40 Years Ago Today

Jamiaiy 25,193B

The 61 direct and hidden taxes included in the; price of the average movie ticket drain more than $4,763 annually from Green-villes 1,818 movie-going families, a survey by the National Tax Commission declared today.

More than 16 percent of the price of the average admission ticket is due to the imposition of 41 federal and 20 state and local tax levies. the survey stated.

Even in the enjoyment of their leisure, the American family cannot throw off the stifling pressure of the enormous tax load. The cost of food, clothing, rent, automobiles and cosmetics is likewise drastically increased by direct and hidden taxes. And these levies are already equal to 23.6 percent of the national income.

LymCaveriy

Restraint Will See Reaction

Among people of this kind there is a radiant spirit of happiness, an absence of fear concerning the future, and a deep sense of gratitude for the blessings that come to them. These people never think of the sacrifice involved in giving; they think only of the satisfactions that come from it.

Their attitude illustrates how the Christian gospel turns the standards of the world upside down. It is not what we get that makes life significant, but what we give.

WMia rhmgl

l^JOHNCUNNIFF AP BwiiieM Analyst

NEW YORK (AP) - The new fiscal fashion is restraint, as illustrated by tax revolts, limitations on state spending and the tenor if not substance of President Carters budget proposals.. Its the style.

As with other styles, in clothing, cars and modes of living, fashion begets reaction. And those who are paid to assess the future, such as financial analysts, say they see at least one inevitable reaction.

It will come from state and local governments, they say, from units of government expected to provide services despite slower revenue growth and less aid from Washington. Its the flip side of the tax coin.

That other side, say the bond rqen on Wall Street, has

never been fully evaluated, appreciated or anticipated by the advocates of restraint.

Over the years, it is explained. state and local governments have enlarged the scope of their services. With revenue growth lagging and a recession threatening, those services may have to be ended.

As some municipal finance analysts see it, the problems that got the cities into serious financial trouble have never been resolved, the biggest of them being the loss of population and jobs.

The cities hardest hit in the last recession, large and medium-sized cities in the Northeast, remain financially week, says Merrill Lynch Economics. Inc. In a recession, it concludes, theyd be hurt again.

However. it continues.

they are likely to be joined this time by some Midwestern and Southern cities in bearing the fiscal brunt of .a recession. These vulnerable cities are characterized by a long-term underlying imbalance between their revenue base and service needs.

Many cities, it observes, approach the new environment (possible inflation and less aid from Washington) in quite poor shape.

Many of them have tax rates that are already at or near a politically acceptable maximum. the Merrill Lynch reports observes. The solution of higher taxes may therefore be denied them.

Various analysts have also noted that state and local governments face a unique combination of pressures; reduced revenues, damaged

bond ratings, less aid and possible recession.

Combined with fashion for reduced taxes, or at least for a moratorium on tax increases. such governmental units might find themselves in an even tighter'bind than they did in 1974 and 1975,

In the earlier years it was felt that federal aid would bail them out. Now that they cannot be certain, it could compel them to cut services even more.

Will the new fashion for restraint hold sway? Or will taxes be raised? And if the latter is chosen, hqw does a city or state gd about raising taxes during a recession?

The decisions, it would seem, will determine whether the style of restraint is just a passing fashion, or whether it is instead a deep-rooted conviction.