Talk now or cry later

Talk now or cry later

The Virginia General Assembly opens the 1993 session this week. The odd-year sessions are “short” in time but not in work load. Our representatives in Richmond will try to consider nearly 2,000 bills during the next four weekg^ • Fortunately most of these bills will die a quiet death in committee; only a few will face hard-fought debate on the floors of the House and Senate. We can affect the final votes, but only if we take the time to contact our representatives and let them know our opinions.

Governor Wilder plans to introduce legislation to restrict the sales of handguns to one per month for Virginia residents. Should the Assembly go along? What about changing the residence requirements fora driver’s license to make it more difficult to use a fraudulent license to purchase guns?

Rappahannock County now has an agricultural extension agent who really understands direct marketing. His knowledge and skills are sorely needed here as local farmers ' change their practices to meet the demands of consumers. If . the General Assembly doesn’t add about $3.4 million to the Extension Service’s budget, his position, among others, will be cut. His job is guaranteed only through June 30. We will be forced to share an extension agent with a neighboring county if Wilder’s ax stays buried in the service’s budget. If we want to keep him we must say so. Loudly.

Wilder has whittled away at the state library system as well. If funds are not restored by the General Assembly our local library will see its state contribution cut in half to about $6,000. There will, of Course, be no corresponding cutback in state mandated requirements for libraries. Members of the General Assembly have been bombarded on this issue across the state. The hue and cry should continue. If it doesn’t, lawmakers in Richmond will be tempted to cut libraries to save some other pet program.