4A The Mountain Messenger, Thursday, August 9,1990
Time: The not-too-distant future --
"'Wake i11), Johnny. It's 4:30 a,nl. -- time to get ready lbr
school."
"O, Morn, let me sleep just a little longer, pa-lease,"
"Johnny, you know the bus will be by in less than 20
minutes. Put a move on it, boy!"
Johnny wearily tumbles ollt of bed, switches on tile lights
as he sleepwalks Ms way to the ba/hroorn. His mother is busy
at tile kitchen stove, preparing lhe lad's breaklast.
"Come on Johrmy. You'd better hllI'l-y.'"
"Okey, Mona. I'm coming."
"So's Chrislmas! Rasch! Rasch!
Johrmy stumbles out the door. The winter's morning is
dark and cold. Through the darkness, the golden rays of
headlamps pierce the frosty air, Jotmny quicksteps to the bus
shelter, still rubbirlg sleep trom his eyes. The bus squeaks to
a halt and Johnny clinff)s aboard to be greeted by the sleepy
smiles of other 13-year-olds.
To the back of the bus Johnny plods. A green-grey glow
emanates from the personal compulers attached to the bus'
seal frames. Foldaway keyboards and portable mouse pads
are moved into place as the children begin their early morn-
ing "quality Iinle" with the mobile computer. An aulomatic
tracking satellite antemm arcs slowly atop the bus -- con-
nectmg the children to a nminlranm located somewhere in
Kansas.
Johnny plops down ixl his seat, accesses his file, signs on,
and slowly begins to respond to the beeps and chirps emanat-
ing from the liquid-cD, stal-display device in front of him. His
consolidated school day has begun.
Time: The not-too-distant past
"Wake up, Johnny. It's 4:30 a.m. Time to get ready tor
school. You'll have to feed Dobbin before you saddle him. you
know."
"Oh, please Marne, let me sleep just a litlle longer."
"Johnny, you know it takes you ihree hours to get lo
school on these winter mornings. The horse is gelling older
and slower."
Johnny tumbles otll o[ bed. Feels his way in tile dark to
tile warm/h of the kitchen slove. His mother fills his porridge
bowl as Johnny slowly dons his homespun clothes. His
mother hands him a baked potalo to keel) his hands warnl on
the long ride to school.
The boy lakes lhe lantern to the barn and saddles up Old
Dobbin. His pre-consolidation school day has jusl begun.
Ah. progress!
Chas. A. Goddard
Dear Editor:
Enclosed is a letter originated
by the Potomac Highland Con-
vention and Visitors Bureau to
Commissioner Fred Van Kirk,
Commissioner of the Division of
Highways of the West Virginia
Department of Transportation,
in which we have expressed our
disapproval of the State's of
herbicide spraymg in controlling
growth ahmg highway rights-of-
way.
Please let us have your
assistance in whatever way you
might be able to help to end the
State's present policy of herbi-
cide spraying along our beauti-
ful highways!
Perhaps you could also in-
clude this in your editorial col-
U Ilia.
Sincerely
Charles Ha nkinson
Pi*esident
Potomac Highland CVB
Ada Kirkpatrick
Office Manager
Potomac Highland CVB
Dear Commissioner Van Kirk:
The beauty of West Virginia's
famous country roads is being
seriously damaged from herbi-
cide spraying by the Department
of Transportation. The Potomac
Highland Convention and Visi-
tors Bureau (CVB) requests your
assistance in semng that this
spraying is ceased immediately
before further damage is done.
At its ]uly meeting, Potomac
Highland CVB members cited
the unspoiled beauty of the Po-
tomac Highlands as its number
one asset for tourism. The Bu-
reau also noted the destruction
of roadside greenery, erosion,
and unknown long-range haz-
ards to streams and ground wa-
ter as factors in seeking the ban
on the current chemical defolia-
tion program by the State of
West Virginia.
Noting that Agent Orange
herbicide used m Vietnam was
once believed safe, the Bureau
requests the Department of
Transportation to resume tradi-
tional cutting methods of all
highway right-ot-way foliage
along roads, guard-rails,
bridges, etc., and discontinue its
use of chemicals for this pur-
pose.
The Potomac highland CVB
noted West Virginia was cited
by Reader's Digest for being a
national model for beautiful
highways which was achieved
by cutting rather than the pres-
ent practice of chemical herbi-
cide control.
The Bureau also expressed se-
rious concern over the growing
use of herbicide spraying along
power line rights-of-way, add-
ing that such practices are also
adding to the deterioration of
the State's natural beauty and
creating harmful erosion, silta-
tion and possible long-term
threats to the State's priceless
water resources.
It is also requested that the
Department of Transportation
start reseeding areas where the
greatest damage has occurred
m~d to start seeding perennial
native wildflowers along road
banks, etc., as is the current
practice in the State of North
Carolina.
The Potomac Highland CVB
noted highway spraying is dis-
placing native grasses and other
foliage along the scenic U.S.
Route 33 running eastward from
Elkms through the Alleghemes.
The Canaan Valley and Seneca
Rocks areas, as well as numer-
ous other sites throughout the
13-county region, are experienc-
ing the unsightly spraying
which is often done in the spring
and fall so that the public is not
immediately aware of its dam-
ages and ugliness.
The Potomac Highland CVB
would again like to see green fo-
liage and beautiful native flow-
ers along the roadsides greeting
our visitors and residents in-
stead of brown, scorched earth
and erosion which now appears
along some of our beautiful and
celebrated country roads.
Sincerely,
Charles Hankinson
Aria Kirkpatrick
STAFF
Chas. A. Goddard, Editor
Dotty Brackenrich. Office Manager
Troy Forren. Advertising
Ten'i Boone, Advert i sirlg
Betty Morgan, Ad Design
Matt Lenders, Act Design
Jonathan Wright, Staff Writer
Lou Burroughs, Typesetting i
Brenda GhernlmL Production
122 N. Court Street
Lewisburg, WV 24901
304/64 7-5 724
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SUBSCRItrrlON RATES:
In State, $14.84
In State Senior Citizens $13.78
In State Students 11.13 ( 9 enos,)
Out-ot:State, $15.00
To the point
By Jonathan Wright
State Fair time around these
parts in many ways signifies
summer's last gasps. By the cal-
endar we have over a month of
this season left, but for all practi-
cal matters we know it's about
O VID'.
Kids go crazy over the fair .....
but they all realize that once the
rides are disassembk~ and the
food stands are packed up,
school is just a matter of a few
days away. The annual bom-
bardment of back-to-school sales
throughout the media doesn't
make it any easier, either. Adults
don't have it nmch better. "Sun>
merholics" cnnge as the fair is
torn down and leaves town, for
~t takes with ~t the caremx' days
of vacations and temporary fwe-
dora from responsibilities. We
know only a couple of weeks
remain until Labor Day, the un-
official end ol summer through-
out the United States.
Look around you. Sure, the
fair's on, goil~g fuil-blast in all its
Pronto-Pup, cotton-candy, ele-
phant-ear glory. But before you
know it the fairgrounds wilt
once again be vacant as the
hundred ol vendors and carnival
workers go elsewhere. The trees
will soon be turning, the cold
winds w~ll come, and winter
wilt set in once more. It always
does. That's the way liie is here
m the Greenbrier \/alley.
Dear Editor:
1 want to answer the letter
about the veterans. Yes 1 agree
very much that many veterans
have been hurt and a many of
their wives too. I am one who is
deeply sorry the way veterans
who fought in World War 11
have been treated. Some people
do not care how many got shot
down and wounded. I really
know for I am a veteran's wile
and my sweet husband would
tell me he saw the handwriting
on the wall. He served under
General MacArthur and said he
was a fine man and a good man.
There is a man next door who
was a sergeant. He only gets
$117 a month. He lost his wife.
No one seems to care to even
come see about him and help
him get his check. It looks like
some good veteran, or one of the
Lodge fellows, would help him.
He told me ~)metimes he had to
crawl to his work. I do hate to
see anyor~e, even the veteran's
wife cursed and abused. I say
God help the ones who do it. My
precmus mother used to say
"What goes over the devil's back
always comes under his belly."
Some people are not thoughtful
what those boys went through.
They think that they were just
having a good time. God rest
each one who was wounded or
killed.
Linda Reed
Marlinton
My grandson said I have
stayed in the mountains too
long.
Dear Editor:
For the second year in a row
the Jefferson National Forest
(JNF) has lost more money, for
the amount of timber harvested,
than any other National Forest
in the southern region.
According to statistics re-
ported in their most recent State-
ment of Revenues and Expenses,
the JNF has suffered a loss of
$1,027,000 in an effort to harvest
21,171 thousand board feet
(MBF) of timber. That works out
to a net loss of $48.50 spent to
harvest every MBF of timber.
None of the other 14 National
H)rests in the southern region,
which stretches from Texas clear
to Virginia, has done as badly as
the JNF in setting this record sta-
tistic of inefficient management.
Budget restrictions, as a result
of the national deficit, should in-
fluence how the Forest Service
rnanages our land. Reducing the
amount of clearcuttmg will re-
duce the amount of monev being
lost. Changmg the management
focus from timber to recreation
makes sen,~ given the stagger-
ing losses that below cost timber
sales have caused.
Economic considerations,
wildlife benefits, conserw~tion of
the soil and water resource and
serving the public interest arc' all
reasons to reassess the failed
policms currently being prac-
ticed by the JNF. If you want to
see less clearcutting on the JNF
please write Congressman Har-
ley Staggers, U.S. House ot Rep-
resentatives, Washington, D.C.
20515.
Richard Ettelson
Waiteville
Dear Editor:
1 was delighted to read about
the cloth diaper revolution at
Humana Hospital-Greenbrier
Valley. 1 used cotton diapers for
nw two children and it really
wasn't a big deal to wash them. I
trust others will follow this lead
set by Humane Hospital.
I am very pleased to read
regular reports of recycling ac-
tivities in the Greenbrier Valley.
We desperately need to modify
our wasteful ways and Humane
Hospital has set a wonderful ex-
ample.
Let's all do our part to keep
%¥est Virginia "Wild and Won-
derful.'"
Sincerely,
M artha Murray
Alderson
More Letters
To The Editor,
With the special legislative
session for education fast ap-
proaching, I feel it is only fair
that the public be aware of'some
very distorted figures bandied
about rather carelessly by; manv
newspaper editors .... -" and read-
ers -- during the teachers' strike
ol last w, ar.
Firs{, let us consider the much
discussed "low" pupil-teacher
ratio for the state of West Vir-
ginia, 15 to 1. Several editorials
compared that 15 to I to the 17
to I of our neighboring state of
Kentucky. Since, in all the years
I taught 1 could remember hav-
ing less than a half dozen classes
whose enrollments were less
than 20, 1 decided to call the
Kentucky State Board of Edt, ca-
tion to determine exactly how
they arrived at their figure. A
very helpful administrator there
col{firmed what 1 already sus-
pected -- when the division is
made in that state to obtain this
average, the number of students
is divided by the nunlber of
teachers only. In West Virginia,
the divisor includes non-teach-
ing personnel such as librarians,
guidance counselors and school
nurses. Special education classes
are included in the total and
nlanv are federally mandated to
have; enrolhnents ~}f 8 or less. So,
the comparison to other states is
indeed unfair unless the ratio is
arrived at the same way. In our
state, where the southern coun-
ties are sparsely populated, the
ratio will seem low, certainly,
because of their low enroll-
meats. But nothing, save discon-
tinuing schools there, can be
done to pre,/ent that,
Another distorted, much dis-
cussed, figure was the average
teacher's salary, which by
anyone's standard, is low. But
at least one press release, admin-
istrators' salaries had been used
as part of the total. Certainly
these salaries are higher than
those of teachers -- thus, the av-
erage appeared higher than it
really ,wa',~" In all, fairness, dis-
pcnsers of informatmn to the
general public should say what
they are really quoting dad not
dis{ort the facts.
The one statement that both-
ered me most was "If 7()'/, of our
tax dollar is being spent for edu-
cation, where is it going?" As
one who had to "steal" paper in
the spring of the year to be cer-
tain I could duplicate my final
exams, 1 really worried about
that one -- so 1 obtained a copy
of the state's budget for the last
fiscal year and discovered some
distorted information el
ded figures hit the
sad for all concerned.
For once, a "qui
needed -- to prevent
school year from be
the lowest teacher
-- if it begins at all. It is
bent upon our chosen
do something to regain
of those whose job is
important in our state
education of our youth.
the short term answer
they nmst consider
plai'ming for total
way our education tax
are being spent.
The following are
situations that each
senator should consider
veloping, over the
years, a plan
ience for our state.
The most drastic cuts
come at the elementary
ondarv levels. Our state,
is figt{ting for its
is still supporting
year colleges and three
schools, while our sister
Virginia, which is
nomically, has a much
tax base and over
our population, sup
fifteen four-year
two medical school~
smaller colleges are du
many fields of
afte(speaking with
trative staffs of a sam
five of them, 1 found
of those five were ope
year with full to capac
tories. Our
reunite colleges are
the seams and are
cultv expanding because
ol f{mds. While it might
politically popular to
date and condense our
system doesn't it
sense to do that
star~t!y' cut back
stall tor our Y ~
ondarv students? It
(mr fir~tt lbfio.rity
sure quality education
lower levels so that
well-prepared students to
our colleges in the
The eight RESA
mend more than
of our tax money. Are
rices and county
cation duplicating
What do these RESA
ally do to benefit the chi
the classroom and those ~
trying to teach them.
There are 62 salari{
tions listed in the West
interesting facts. Under the Bluebook for staff at
broad heading of education a to- Departrnent of
tal of $1,251,097,101 appears Charleston. These
with the following receiving, with maintenance and
portions of that figure, for those facilities are
1) State Dept. of Education say the least. Are our
esalaries and maintenance of the and administrators
maxmmm support and
facility in Charleston).
2) School Lunch Program.
3) Vocational education.
4) State Aid to Schools
$940,384,332.
5) Aid for Exceptional
Schools.
6) School for Deaf and Blind.
7) F.F.A.-F.H.A. Conference
Cen ter.
8) Division of Rehabilitation.
9) Board of Directors of the
State College System
10) Board of Trustees for the
University System.
11) Educational Broadcasting
Authority.
12) Library Comrnission.
13) Division of Culture & His-
tory.
14) Education and the Arts.
Number 4 Public Aid to
Education is the funding for
the public schools. If the total
$1,251,097,101, represents 70% of
our budget, the amount for pub-
lic schools, $940,384,332, repre-
sents 75% of that. 75'~. of 70% is
52%. So let us not confuse the
facts. During the strike, the total
monies involved in all of the un-
rest was not 70% but 52% of the
total budget for the state.
As August 22 draws near our
legislators indeed have a great
task before them. Far too often,
in the past, during the waning
hours of the sessions when their
actions approach comedic status,
they have looked for and hastily
voted upon "quick fixes" to sat-
isfy teachers and schoo, I person-
nel--and then on to 'business
from this body?
Those of us who are,
been, on the "front
cation have heard of a
stream of two and
workshops held at
parks and cities whose
range from nutrition
education to peer
cipals' and teachers'
have been held each
college campuses, with
few from each county
dance. Various state
gional officials travel 19o
out of West Virginia
conferences concerning
the latest trends in
a state where
lem, all of these
beneficial and
ful to a certain
situation. But this
highly skeptical as
benefit these ex
hundreds of
lars actually filters doWfl
six-year-old in a first
classroom who is
trying to learn to read
the high school senior,
for a pre-med
can't get both
Chemistry 11
schedule because of
teaching staff.
As a retired
spent 27 years in the
portant profession on
I implore those of you
been elected to repre
zens of West Vir
as usual" for a few more years long, hard look at
until another crisis occurs and picture of education
another "quick fix" shuts every- If we don t have more
one up for a while longer. Mean- spend, then please let
while, the public school system what we do have witla
deteriorates; teacher morale gets care. It is the
lower because of lies and broken vival that this
promises; and John Q. Public be-
comes more confused as more White Sulph :
