Viewpoints
Our Opinions
The market's fall
The fashion in Washington is to blame Alan Greenspan, chairman of
the Federal Reserve Board, for the recent sharp decline in bond and stock
prices. But it may be if Greenspan had waited longer the reaction would
have been worse.
Bond interest had declined so much-to the 3 percent level-investors had
turned to stocks. Long-term bond buyers were banking on continued low
interest rates. The Federal Reserve-seeing thef tock market continuing to
rise and good growth ahead in the economy—felt inflation could become a
threat, raised interest rates.
The resulting quick decrease in bond prices and drop in stock prices
reflected a change in investor psychology, exacerbated by automatic,
computer-driven selling, by traders in both bonds and stocks-and funds.
The suspicion is that some were not unhappy to see interest rates rise;
higher interest rates mean greater earnings for many institutions. They
also unfortunately mean the federal deficit will now increase, because the
federal government is the largest borrower on "the street."
Markets over-react, or react more quickly at least, because there are so
any computer-activated trades. Computers aren't patient.
Computer-driven sharp declines have a psychological and snowball
effect. That's why the New York Stock Exchange last year inaugurated
trading halts when the market moves too fast in one direction.
With the economy improving, more jobs being created, and the annual
federal deficit being reduced, there is little reason for extreme pessimism.
A change in direction for bond interest was inevitable, nor could the stock
market continue to rise without a correction.
The correction may be looked back upon in the future as one which was
needed
Accuracy of polls
A major news magazine recently conducted a poll about religion. One
of the questions asked was whether individuals queried went to church.
A pleasant type, the magazine's religious editor, reported later that
ninety-five percent of all Americans went to church!
Ministers, priests and rabbis across the nation are surely dumbfounded
by this lovely finding-which shows how unreliable polls can be. Only
about two thirds of the nation's population are members of a church!
If most of them attended church regularly there would be long lines at
the front door of every church. If 95 percent of Americans went to church
(about a hundred million are not members of any church) most would have
to stand outside on the lawn or street.
Obviously, poll respondents think it sounds good to say they go to
church. People often answer poll questions with the thought of how the
answer sounds.
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Editor
Houston Times-Journal
P.O. Drawer M
Perry, GA, 31069
Houston Times-Journal
P.O. Drawer M • 807 Carroll Street • Perry, Ga. 31069
Phone: (912) 987-1823
Member Georgia Press Association-National Newspaper Association
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The Houston Times-Journal is published proudly for the citizens of
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through hard work, teamwork, loyalty, and a strong dedication towards
printing the truth.
Bob Tribble Daniel F. Evans Julie B. Evans Mitch Tribble
President Vice-President Treasurer Secretary
Our Staff
Brigette Loudermilk
Editor and General Manager
Eddie Byrd
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News: Brenda Thompson, Pauline Lewis Sports: Veto Roley
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Choice, competition, a must in health care plan
Federal employees, including the
President and Congress, have access
to a health benefits system that
allows them to choose from among
dozens of competing health care
insurers. The system is called the
Federal Employees Health Benefits
Program (FEHBP) and covers
nearly ten million federal
employees and retirees.
Though FEHBP is not perfect, it
allows market competition and
consumer choice to hold down
prices rather than to allow
government to set those prices as
the Clinton health care plan will
do. It works with a minimum of
regulation and is very popular.
Under the President's plan, a
National Health Board would set the
package of benefits we must have.
Under FEHBP the covered workers
decided for themselves what services
they want included. Yearly, they
receive information on the plans
available, usually two to three
dozen, along with the cost of
premiums and out of pocket
expenses.
The FEHBP is a government
program in name only; they do not
STREET TALK:
A group of picketers have decided Sen. Sam Nunn knows more about UFO’s than
he’s telling. If this is so and you could ask the senator one question, what would you
most want to know on the subject of Unidentified Flying Objects?
-
Melanie Newsom
“How did he find out and
why is it being kept a se
cret?”
Br it., /
/
"'T Hi Wm
Rita Ingram
“I’m not that curious about
them so I’d probably just
ask him if he’s ever seen
one himself.”
Your Opinion
Be objective when selecting
a candidate for office
Dear Editor: *
This week, hundreds of Georgians will qualify to run for elected office,
possibly giving Georgia voters more candidates to choose from this year
than ever before. While more competition will likely enhance the overall
quality of political discussion and debate, it also places a greater burden on
registered voters.
Faced with so many choices, it's important to be objective when
selecting a candidate for office. While office-seekers won't have a definite
stance on every issue, it is possible to gauge how they might vote by
focusing on the convictions and beliefs that they do have. Understanding
these principles is the key to understanding each candidate, and
distinguishing one from another.
In the coming months, campaigns will truly kick in, as candidates
cover the state making promises they hope will catch voters' attention and
win their loyalty. With so many elections going on, some voters may
Houston Times-Journal
set the prices of premiums nor
specify the standard benefits
package. Costs are controlled by
workers choosing plans on the
basis of price and service in a
highly competitive market rather
than by regulation.
Recently, the federal government
announced that premiums for the
many plans available through the
program would increase by an
average of only three percent next
year, and that 40 percent of
enrollees would get decreases in
premiums. Not many health plans
I know of have that record.
FEHBP has worked well for
federal employees for more than 30
years. Pres. Clinton recently
attempted to dismantle the plan and
shift federal workers into a
nationwide health care program. He
had to back away from this when
pressure mounted from federal
unions and congress. When
something is working, why mess
with it?
With minor modifications, a
system such as FEHBP could be
expanded to cover all Americans.
The Heritage Foundation's
■ ■ ' jh. ■»
Paul Felty
"I’d want to know how the
government has been
able to keep that informa
tion a secret when leaks
seem to be the way of life
in Washington.”
jpr jgp
Stanley Orantes
"My question to him would
be: What do you know that
you’re not telling us?”
Saturday, April 30,1994 "Houston Times-Journal
page 4A
Consumer Choice Health Plan is
based on the same principles as
FEHBP consumer choice and
competition.
No doubt our present health care
system has problems. Costs are
rising far more than necessary, jobs
and many Americans are without
insurance. But, turning the entire
system over to the feds is not the
solution.
The Heritage plan would provide
affordable health care for all
Americans through a competitive
market of health care plans.
Consumers would shop for
coverage that meets their needs at a
price they can afford, with
incentives to seek the best value for
their money.
Under the current system
Americans receive tax breaks for
health care only if they are covered
by a plan sponsored by their
employer. There is little choice of
plans. The Heritage plan would
give tax breaks directly to workers
and not to the employer. Low
income Americans would receive
vouchers to be used to purchase a
plan. This would allow people to
A'f
Gina Reese
"I d want to know where
they’re from . . .what
planet they live on.”
JM*-.
■ Jr
Inez Strowder
"I’d want to know what he
knew.”
take the easy way out and cast their ballots for the candidate that loods the
prettiest, speaks the loudest, or is affiliated with the "best" political party.
Others may simply vote for the office-seeker that their friends, co-workers
or the media endorse.
Unfortunately, more often than not, those voters will be unhappy with
the results of their vote. They may elect legislators who aimlessly shift
their attention from one "hot" issue to another without providing
meaningful leadership.
Voters could make candidate selection easier if they asked themselves a
few simple questions and took the time to discover the answers:
•Which candidate do I most trust in a leadership position?
•Which candidate best represents my basic beliefs?
•Which candidate has the most reasonable, common-sense solutions to
our problems?
Undoubtedly, you will never find a candidate that you agree with
completely, but these questions will help narrow the field of contestants,
and allow you to fulfill your duty as an informed voter.
Kelly McCutchen
Executive Director for the Ga. Public
Policy Foundation
*Bob I
Tribble I
* J
choose their own plans and retain
them when they change jobs. Out
of pocket medical expenses would
be offset by tax relief. Under such
a plan the self-employed and those
not insured would be able to
purchase health insurance.
The Heritage plan should provide
lower costs, enable workers to keep
their plans when changing jobs,
there would be less paperwork,
equal treatment for all ages and
encouragement to work for those
presently on welfare health benefits.
Why should Americans settle for
any less choice in health care that
their Congressman, mailman or the
President's family? After all, we
pay the taxes that make their jobs
possible.
Veto F. l
LmJ Role y I
■H|| Staff
writer |
A time to be
bom and a
time to die
"There is a time to be bom and a
time to die." Ben Franklin observed
that only two things in life are cer
tain, death and taxes. And, despite
medicine's best efforts, there is still
not a cure for death.
Recently, there has been a rekin
dling of debate surrounding the final
days of man. It is interesting to
note that the debate on the final
days on earth has shifted in the last
few years.
In the 60s and 70s, medical sci
entists and others made remarkable
breakthroughs, curing diseases that
once wiped out entire groups of
people, creating new treatments that
allowed people with heart disease
and other ailments to live lives
decades longer than they could at
the start of the century, inventing
life support systems that would
keep a person alive while his body
healed itself.
Until Karen Ann Quinlin, there
was little discussion about the qual
ity of life. Quinlin was a young
woman, athletic, that had a severe
injury, leaving her in a coma for
years.
After a long time on life support
systems, Quinlin's family requested
that doctors let her die. The hospital
and doctors refused to take her off
life support.
The Quinlin family sued the
hospital and doctors for permission
to take her off life support. In a
case that made it to the Supreme
Court, and that sparked national de
bate on passive euthanasia, the
Quinlin family was given permis
sion to have the life support sys
tems removed.
Today, it is recognized that ev
eryone has the right to passive
euthanasia. All a person has to do
is sign a living will, giving his re
quests on heroic measures to the
hospital and medical staff.
And, in a sense, calling this
Please see ROLEY, page 6A
