x Landslide Nixon by Ralph Nader WASHINGTON—President Nixon's proposed $268.7 billion ' budget for the fiscal year that starts aafy 1, continues the Adminigeration’s indifference to consumer rights. In his inaugural address, a few days before unloading the federal government's biggest budget ever, the President told the people that they shouldn’t expect much from him or the government but rather they should help themselves. Why then, asked many parti- cipants of the American Library Association’s mid- winter meeting, did Mr. Nixon eliminate the entire library ser- vices and construction pro- gram? Thousands of public and school libraries—where people go to improve themselves as the Chief Executive recommended they do—will lose critical assistance in maintaining their programs . and facilities, es- pecially for children and the poor. : Last year, Congress passed the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to help motorists save a couple of billion dollars a year in unnec- essary expenditures to repair cars damaged because of creampuff bumpers. As re- peatedly documented by the In- surance Institute for Highway Safety, cars involved in walking speed collisions (5 mph) re- gistered 800 to $400 worth of damage. The Administration does not like the law so it is spending vir- tually nothing until July to im- plement its requirements. And the new budget plans to spend $7 million for the following year, that is less than one-fifth authorized by Congress. The new law would also save motorists additional millions by setting up systems to inform consumers about the compara- tive costs of repairing cars and prohibiting fake odometer read- ings before resales. But it would The White House chose to cod- dle those corporations. With the ending of Phase Two, the President’s associates, such y Secretary George Shultz, [#®e been emphasizing the need for special attention to antitrust enforcement against price-fixing and other consumer gouging practices. The new budget does otherwise. It left the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission vir- tually unchanged at their current tiny levels. Tripling the staff and beefing up -enforce- ment would help competition by billions of dollars. One recent FTC study estimated price re- ductions of about 25 percent in concentrated industries such as soaps, breakfast copper, steel, and autos once they were broken into more competitive units. President Nixon was not interested in a more competitive economy. The overall budget seethes with hypocrisy. It was sent to Congress on a cloud of rhetoric about frugality and fiscal in- tegrity. Little was said that the huge anticipated deficit (some $12 billion) could have been avoided if President Nixon applied his principals of self-re- liance to corporations which are now on the public dole. He could have started with $19 billion in corporate welfare payments composed of government sub- sidies, practices and tax privileges. Special beneficiaries of such taxpayer largesse include the defense, drug, oil and maritime industries. Not only does the budget help make the poor, poorer and the rich, richer; it offers no new solutions or directions toward solving the country’s problems. For $268.7 billion and a legion of laws, the taxpayers deserve more. We've only got one federal government and one big budget. We've got to make them both work better and more efficient- ly for all the people and for all levels of government. This country has more problems than it deserves but it also has many more solutions than it uses. A political leadership is needed that adopts new ideas, releases new energies, and en- courages citizen opportunities to tackle injustices. Citizens need to hold a very reluctant tions. Otherwise, he may land- slide America. . Feb. 24 buffet lunch at 11 p.m. Feb. 25 Feb. 26 Dr. Rob Feb. 26 Thursday. March 2 March 18 p.m. Call 675-1626. March 24 p.m. until all are served. Abington Journal, Murdoch, Nancy Evans, Becky Davies, Harold Evans and Betty by William Ecenbarger Harrisburg—If a United States Congressman practices law in any proceeding involving the federal government, he faces five years in jail. If a Pennsylvania legislator practices law in any proceeding involving the state government, he gets his fee and (more likely than not) he gets his client off the hook. It’s bad enough that Pennsyl- vania’s lawyer-legislators are permitted to practice before state agencies and in court suits involving the state. But the 1968 Legislative Code of Ethics, one of the most incredible docu- ments in American political science, not only fails to prohibit such activity—it spe- cifically sanctions it! By the wildest of coin- cidences, nine of the 11 legisla- tors who sponsored. the 1968 Ethics Code were lawyers. This brings up what is probably the most pervasive and ignored questions of conflict of interest in the Legislature. Fully 73 of the 253 legislators are lawyers. The imbalance is even more pronounced in the legislative leadership, where four of the six top positions cur- rently are held by lawyers. Lawyers are the high priests of politics, a genuine phe- nomenon that is confined neither to Harrisburg nor state government. Of the 52 signers of the Declaration of Independ- ence, 25 were lawyers. Of the 37 presidents of the United States, 24 were lawyers. There are all kinds of law- yers, and on most issues you won’t find anything near un- animity. For example, Harris- burg’s legislator-lawyers will claw at each other’s throats over any bill to permit wire- tapping. On the other hand, there are a few important matters on which lawyers tend to agree. We saw a good example of it last year in the protracted debate over no- fault automobile insurance, which would reduce negligence suits and therefore drive some attorneys to the help wanted ads. Suppose a bill was introduced to tax unincorporated busi- nesses (like law firms). Would it get a fair hearing in the Penn- sylvania General Assembly? That’s a rhetorical question. There’s another facet to the problem of ethics among legis- lator-lawyers that is far more subtle. As lawyers, they have clients. As’ legislators, they have certain responsibilities to their constituents. These re- Williams - Rich Williams, Jim Faerber. TABLE DECORATIONS, - WINDOW DISPLAYS Many other Easter and Beaded Fruit Kits Available sponsibilities can and often do conflict. Lawyers tend to specialize. One of the specialties of Rep. Charles N. Caputo, Pittsburgh Democrat, is defending liquor licensees who get into trouble with the state Liquor Control Board. Mr. Caputo is a frequent advocate of bills that benefit liquor licensees. Can we believe that his actions are based solely on his role as a legislator and have nothing whatsoever to do with his private law practice? Other common clients of Pennsylvania’s lawyer-legisla- tors are banks, utilities, labor unions and insurance com- panies. All these groups have lobbies in Harrisburg—and their interests do’ not always coincide with those of the gen- eral public. This whole issue has been fashion by Rep. John F.-Lau- dadio (D., Westmoreland), who is disturbed by the fact that the Pittsburgh law firm of House Democrat Whip K. Leroy Irvis is defending a strip mining firm against state pollution charges. Mr. Laudadio has asked the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court to review the propriety of lawyer-legislators ‘‘passing laws and then turning around to defend the violators of those laws.” Conventional wisdom holds that it is a good thing to have part-time legislators because you get a good cross-section of Pennsylvania. But how can this be true of a general assembly where nearly one of every three members is a lawyer in a state where only one of every 800 citi- zens is a lawyer? Insist On Original GENUINE VALSPAR It Happened 40 Years Ago 1933 Folks were trying to dope out what was making heavy con- cussions heard and felt from time to time. No dynamiting around, but windows rattled and the racket was heard from Dallas down to Wyoming Valley. 'The matter remained shrouded in mystery. Struck by a street car as he stumbled into its path, Norman Smith, 57, of East Dallas, was admitted to Nesbitt Hospital with a crushed hip. Site of the accident was between Dallas and Shaver’s Mill. ; Commonwealth Telephone Company's local office, was on the ‘spot in Miami when Guiseppe "Zangara made - his attempt to assassinate Presi- dent Franklin D: Roosevelt, of Chicago. Stroh was within 50 feet of the assassin. laying plans for the annual egg hunt. : Lehman took Dallas Borough 22-20, dealing out Dallas’ first defeat of the season. Dallas Township took Laketon 23-16. Lard was four pounds for 19 cents; celery 5 cents a bunch; eggs 17 cents a dozen; chocolate drops 10 cents a pound; pork loins 9 cents; butter, two pounds for 43 cents. It Happened 30 Years Ago 1943 Sgt. Harold Kepner, veteran radio operator on a Flying For- tress, was reported missing over 'the South Pacific. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kepner, New Year's Eve, but no further word of missing in action came from the War Department. A strike closed the Noxen Tannery, though it was engaged solely in war work. Joseph MacVeigh and Harry Ohlman headed fhe Red Cross Drive. Scranton Merchant wait Certified Pedorthist Abe L. Plotkin, proprietor of Youth-o-Pedic Shoes, Scranton, has been certified as a pedor- thist by the Prescription Footwear = Association, ; a national non-profit group : of professional orthopedic shoe fitters. Mr. Plotkin has long been active in health and welfare agencies in this area, including the Crippled Children’s Society, Allied Services ‘for the Han- dicapped, March of Dimes, and the advisory committee of the Lackawanna County division of the Pa. Department of Health. The local merchant has the term of service in this area for the fitting of stocked orifopedie shoes. Finishes for Over 160 Years! SATINE 1 INTERIOR pe . SATINE INTERIOR LATEX The decorator’s dream! Roll or brush on, clean-up with water . . . and it's d in less than 30. minutes! Colors galore! Dries in less than 30 minutes. . J) Paint in the morning, use the’ same room in the afternoon.- Easy water clean-up. Dries to a washable finish. Wide range ' ‘of colors. The Edward Van Horn home destroyed by fire on the coldest day of the year, when firemen'’s hoses were frozen. A hole was chopped in the ice of a nearby creek to provide water. Sgt.- William Glenn Knecht was advanced to glider pilot at Stuttgart Field. Servicemen ‘heard from in- cluded: Karl Borkowski, Foster Field; Leo Niezgoda, England; Leonard Harvey, Brooklyn; Bill Oberst, - San Diego; Edward Nafus, Virginia; Julian Bala- :vage, New York APO; Larry Newhart, New York APO; Patrick Finnegan, South Paci- fic; Dana Campbell, Texas; Alfred = Lamoreaux, New Guinea; Charles Warden, Texas; Lester Reakes, Camp Edwards; Harry = Sutton, Georgia; James Davies, Atlan- tic City; Stewart Yorks, New Mexico; Ward Yorks, Fort " Meade; Edward Parrish, Fort Lewis Button, Camp Robertson. Anniversary: Mr. and Mrs. >John Crispell, 59th; and Mr. -and Mrs. T. J. Swainback, 50th. Died: Thomas Himm, 53, ‘Dallas; Harold Cook Jr., 18, ‘Trucksville; Ernest Rothar, 85, formerly of Huntsville; Thomas E. Sayre, 86. It Happened 20 years Ago 1953 Bids were opened for the con- struction of ‘a $200,000 elem- entary school at Ross Township to replace six one-room school buildings. Prices on beef were Hmb- ling; housewives were stocking freezers. Sheldon Drake, yen Juris and Fred Youngblood, all Dallas mail carriers, were on the sick list. Dennis Bonning wrecked his car on an icy road near Chase. The Seventh Annual Library Auction was set for July 10 and 11: Mary Weir was a patient at Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre. Trucksville topped the church league. rP1éd: Raymond ‘CP Smith, 52, Lake Township; Benjamin Evans, 41, Mill St.; Aivin J. Misson, 76, Dallas; Melvina Shouldice, while on vacation in Florida; Warren Dennis, 57, William Lewis, 84, Lake; Georgia Post Johnson; 88, for- merly of Dallas; Alicia Weaver, Idetown; Clara E. Shupp, for- merly of Lehman; Michael Niemzyck, Sweet Valley. Anniversary: Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kocher, 50th. It Happened 10 Years Ago 1963 J. R. Davis Fire Company cites J. Sheldon Cave who-has been instrumental in the organ- ization since ‘its inception. Members award him a silver- plated life membership card and a plaque. ; Kingston Township Am- bulance Association president, Martin Porter, complains that citizens and police do not recog- nize the function of the associa- tion and are misusing the am- bulance. Congressman Daniel J. Flood acts as toastmaster at dinner for the Rev. Francis A. Kane, vice Award. Dallas Ambulance Associa- tion orders new hydraulic cot. Howard Whitesell elected to board of directors of Middle Atlantic Lumbermen’s Associa- tion. 3 Commonwealth ~~ Telephone operator rounds up doctor in emergency. When Mrs. Thomas Noon Jr.’s 17 month old daughter went into convulsions, she was unable to read tele- phone number. Operator finally summoned a doctor when family physician could not be reached. : Sandy Ambrose writes about life in Holland as Rotary Ex- change Student. 3 Dallas halts Knights 86-42 in cage contest. Lake team takes ninth straight in Church Base- ball League. Anniversary: Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Kingston observe 37th Deaths: Louis P. Youngblood has fatal heart attack at age 65; Sharon K. Meade, 24, in Wilkes- Barre; Helen Moore, 57, following long illness; John Ferguson, 86, had been bed- ridden at home in Shavertown after suffering a .broken hip; Freda Ehrgott, 66, at the home of her daughter, Ann Yeust in Fernbrook. MONDAY’S ONLY With This Ad NARROWS CAR WASH SHOPPING CENTER. Edwardsville COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA COUNTY OF LUZERNE KINGSTON. TOWNSHIP GENERAL FUND ! $2,946.42 . STATE LIQUID FUELS HIGHWAY AID FUND 11,392.82 TOTAL $14,339.24 RECEIPTS: REAL ESTATE TAXES (CURRENT DUPLICATES) $47,442.06 REAL ESTATE TAXES PRIOR YEARS . 474.30 REAL ESTATE TRANSFER TAXES 11,623.41 PER CAPITA TAXES 14,918.40 EARNED INCOME TAXES 81,401.53 STATE LIQUID FUELS TAX 40,369.41 OTHER-(FEES, LICENSE, GRANTS, : REVENUE SHARING 97.173.74 TOTAL 293,402.85 ~ TOTAL BEGINNING BALANCE—RECEIPTS $307,742.09 EXPENDITURES: : © GENERAL GOVERNMENT $48,203.33 PROTECTION PERSONS, ’ PROPERTY & RECREATION 60,923.27 STREETS AND HIGHWAYS 47,283.14 NEW BUILDING—EQUIPMENT STORAGE 36,731.27 NEW POLICE CRUISERS AND TRUCK 15,490.00 OTHER CAPITAL OUTLAY AND TRANSFERS 36,939.43 TOTAL EXPENDITURES 245,570.44 CASH BALANCE AT END OF YEAR: : GENERAL FUND 25,602.08 STATE LIQUID FUELS HIGHWAY AID FUND 6,569.57 INVESTMENTS (CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT) 30,000.00 ; 62,171.65 TOTAL EXPENDITURES AND CASHENDOF ~~ YEAR. 307,742.09 - RESOURCES: CASH, SECURITIES $62,919.98 REAL ESTATE TAXES RETURNED & . LIENED LUZERNE CT. 5,790.37 PER CAPITA TAXES CURRENT & PRIOR YEARS 2,590.79 VALUE TOWNSHIP EQUIPMENT 46,100.00 VALUE TOWNSHIP BUILDINGS 94,000.00 TOTAL 211,401.14 LIABILITIES NEW BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT-NOT BILLED $12,720.00 EMPLOYEES SOC. SEC. WITHHELD 964.57 TOTAL 13,684.57 JACK’S HOBBY CENTER Narrows Shopping Center SHAVERT OWN LUMBER! 16 E. Center St. : g5.1107 ShEvertown MENTION THIS AD - GET A SPECIAL DISCOUNT- Tel: 779-9366 AUDITORS-JAMES T. REESE--WILLARD PIATT--WILLIAM H. | CLEWELL 8-1-¢
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers