US. Troops To Bosnia?

US. Troops To Bosnia?

President Clinton righteous determination to send 20,000 U.S. troops to keep the peace in the Balkans does not square with harsh lessons of this country’s “peacemaking” failure and final humiliating retreat with bodybags from internal conflicts in places like Vietnam and Somalia. It is the classic tale of militarily inexperienced politicians sending young men to fight old men’s wars, and worst of all into the wrong war in the wrong place and without a mission to win. This President should read some history.

The race for County Sheriff has certainly stirred up a lot of interest in the 1995 election in Rappahannock County.

But of at least equal importance is the question of which party will control the General Assembly starting in January.

A recent poll indicates that voters are learning to the Republicans, but the result will be determined by local races such as that involving our own 31 st House of Delegates District. • Governor George Allen has gone all out to help Republican candidates win these races, because the fate of the rest of his governorship and his hopes to hold national office rest on the outcome.

Local real estate taxes are heavily influenced by the state’s budget. The county is facing a dramatic drop in state aid for education. This is likely to result in an equally dramatic increase in real estate taxes next year.

If lottery proceeds are to be directed to education, the county has a huge stake in how that is done. If lottery proceeds are directed to be spent on helping the neediest localities improve their education systems, Rappahannock will not be getting a proportionate share. If lottery proceeds are returned to the localities based on the composite index, again Rappahannock County will be the loser.

Everything, from whether environmental regulation is reduced to benefit industry to state tax rates to the pace of prison construction to how much commitment the state government has to public libraries and the Extension Service, is riding on the outcome of these elections, and voters need to be paying attention.

Three years ago county voters approved a referendum requiring local elections for School Board members. Now the time has come to conduct the first of such elections. Issues from funding to building to how reading is taught are involved in these races. Again voters should be paying attention.

In two districts voters can basically decide whether they want the Board of Supervisors to pursue the policies it has followed for at least the last eight years or make a change in direction. Voters should be paying attention to those races.

The right to vote is precious to Americans, but too few people vote, and too few of those who do vote pay careful attention to the likely outcomes of their votes.

AWA