4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, March 20, 1991 Tie SDALLASC0ST Communities should eliminate 'tax by TV" Lehman Township's Board of Supervisors have set a fine example for other communities in the Back Mountain by declining to accept a franchise fee from cable television opera- tors serving the township. The three per cent fee probably would add only 50¢ per month to each cable subscriber's bill—not a lot of money in total. But that’s not the point. The township won't save anything by refusing this revenue; on the contrary, it will eventually have to use tax dollars to make up for its absence. But at least that will mean the burden will fall evenly on all residents, not just on those who have cable TV. Officials in other local communities should look into the possibility of dropping this fee, which is in effect a selective tax. They and their constituents would then face squarely and openly any revenue needs in the community. Emergency Crews show their value Last week's story in The Post about the resuscitation of an 86-year-old Kunkle woman is another reminder of the skill and dedication of local emergency personnel. In this instance, Arlene Updyke was literally brought back from death by Kunkle Ambulance crew members who performed CPR after her heart had stopped beating. A pulse had returned by the time paramedics arrived, and Mrs. Updyke recovered and returned to her home within two weeks. Most of us will never know the sense of satisfaction to be gained from performing such a vital function as manning an emergency vehicle. We simply won't find the time or will be to squeamish, preferring to support others who provide this incredibly valuable service. But fortunately there are many among us who can accept the discomfort, the occasional dis- appointment, and the inconvenience of going out at all hours to help their neighbors in need. Thanks to all Back Mountain emergency personnel. From those who have had to depend on you, and those who may someday. Has ‘patriotism’ gone too far? | © Parades, monuments and politicians questioning their opponents’ patriotism. Is this morning in America? Let's hope not; let's hope it’s just the inevitable hype that accompanies an overwhelming military victory. Americans have every right to be justly proud of the perform- ance of their soldiers and machinery in the war against Iraq. | From the Commander-in-Chief on down it was a masterly use of superior force that secured victory at the least cost to the | victor. But precisely because the war was so brief and one- | sided, the continuous drumbeat of self congratulation is wear- | ing thin. Even more onerous is an attempt by some in Congress to paint as traitors those who voted against authorizing force in | the Persian Gulf. Traitors is a strong word, and is not used, but the implication is clear; if you disagreed, you're not a real American. But if the majority of Americans believe that, we've lost everything this nation has stood for throughout its history. Let's celebrate appropriately, especially because most of us have no need to mourn a fallen friend or family member. But let's agree to disagree on matters of great importance, or we'll | soon have nothing to defend the next time. Ronald A. Bartizek Editor and Publisher Te SPDALLASCPosT Published Weekly by Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 Telephone: 717-675-5211 Peggy Young Charlot M. Denmon Advertising Acct. Exec. Reporter Bk Rich Johnson Composition : Classified/typesettin i Jean Hillard yp g Office Manager MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION AND THE PENNSYLVANIA NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER'S ASSOCIATION Charlotte E. Bartizek Associate Publisher a a er Anderson afield Spring at last (almost) (Photo by Charlotte Bartizek) Library news Plans being laid for annual auction By NANCY KOZEMCHAK The committee for the 45th annual Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction has announced . there will be a meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26, at the library. Committee pictures will be taken at this time. Monty Evans, seer) chairman of the 1991 auction issues an invi- tation to all interested members of the Back Mountain to attend this meeting and become involved in the auction in whatever category interests you. There are many phases of the auction and a large group of workers are needed to plan the format for the 1991 auc- tion. The library will accept books for the book booth at the auction any time the library is open. Con- nie Scott will be chair of the 2nd annual craft fair to be held on the 4th of July. The auction dates are July 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. The refreshment committee for the auction is looking for some good used gas grills to be used in the food booth during the auction. Contact may be made at the li- brary concerning these. The library auction will be sponsoring the 3rd annual horse show in June with Dr. John and Kathy Shaskas as chairs. The Friends of the Library or- ganization will be sponsoring the 3rd annual “Luncheon with a special Author” on Thursday, April 26 at The Barn at Newberry Estate beginning at 12 noon., Cynthia C. DeFelice will be the featured speaker at the luncheon. Our Casey's cash crunch proj- ect has reaced a total of $271.00 to date and we are happy to accept new names for the four leaf clover. A donation of $1.00 or more en- titles the contributor to sign their name on the clover and we hang it in the library and add the donation to the fund. A recent new book purchase from this fund is “Forgiving by LaVyrle Spencer. The story is a rich and heart-stoppping drama done in splendid style. Sarah Merritt steps off the dusty Chey- enne stagecoach determined to start the town’s first newspaper. She becomes involved with head- strong and opinionated Sheriff Noah Campbell which begins an enmity between two willful indi- viduals which can change only when they find themselves united in a common goal. . “Cape Cod” by William Martin is a new book wherein the author captures both the mystique and magnificance of this sandy curl of coastline and creates an ambitious, absorbing book about America’s past and present. The story is fo- cused on two families and their extraordinary first decades in America, and the devastating prob- lems facing their present-day de- scendants. Letters invited The Dallas Post encourages readers to share their opinions with the community by writing a letter to the editor. All letters for publication must be signed and include a telephone number so that we may verify their authenticity. We will not publish anonymous letters. Send letters to: The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas, PA 18612. Letters received by Noon on Monday may be included in that week's issue. Present policy ruins the farms it is supposed to protect By JOHN M. ANDERSON There is much talk nowdays about recession. Whenever the news media lets up on the latest ~ shenanigans of the Iraquis, it turns to economic troubles here at home. Sears is cutting back, the airlines are short on passengers, the big three auto-makers are losing bil- lions: Speaking of those Detroit prod- ucts, let's do some supposing: Suppose our federal govern- ment, in its wisdom, said, “Okay. You guys have produced far more cars than you can sell. But that's not your fault, it's the taxpayer's fault. So we're gonna buy up all those surplus cars, put ‘em in storage at taxpayer's expense, while you make some more.” Suppose those fun-loving fel- lows in the Senate and House said, “Okay, Detroit. You were in such a hurry to produce cars that you wore out most of the machines in your factory. Admittedly, you knew you were doing this, but you did it anyway. Well, we've all got to have cars. So we will pay you to quit ruining your machinery. For every machine you have that is not completely ruined, we will pay you to keep it in its present condition. For those machines that can be repaired, we will pay for the re- pairs. Since we have too many cars, if you switch to making bi- cycles we will pay you so much per bicycle.” I suspect even Congressman John Dingell of Detroit, whose chief concern is the health of the auto- motive industry, would say such federal largesse would not work. An industry that depended almost entirely on government financing would be subject to government planning, and government plan- ning (as every competent marsh manager knows) can be the kiss of death. Let's now. turn to agriculture. Since World War II, the family farm has about disappeared, and farm- ing has become agri-business. There's the ag-chemical industry producing pesticides and fertiliz- ers, the ag-machinery industry, pivot irrigation, aerial sprayings and soon. For today's farmer, huge investments in land, chemicais, and machinery are necessary for survival. Another necessity is a very loud voice in Washington. Consequently, the industries con- cerned with crop production com- prise one of the most powerful lobbies in the halls of Congress. During World War II, in order to stimulate food production, the government decided to guarantee farmers so much per bushel. The war finally ended, but the subsi- dies did not. Being guaranteed a fixed price for every bushel, farm- ers in the Midwest drained every marsh and plowed up hillsides from which the topsoil quickly washed away. Drainage of wetlands was subsidized by the taxpayers. Sur- plus corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, tobacco and cotton flooded the market and had to be stored and fumigated at your expense. Pivot irrigation lowered ground water tables at an alarming rate. The great Ogallala aquifer that supplies much of the Great Plains has dropped several feet and is still dropping. Yet, landowners receive a tax break for every foot of drop in the water table! The list of outrageous aspects goes on and on. As one landowner said of our farm policy, “It's in- sane! We're paid for destroying our land”. In such a situation, we tend to look for some individual as the cause. Unless we are fully aware of the history and development of drainage, chemicals and giant farm machines, we are inclined to blame the farmer. Yet he is no more at fault than any of us. He either took advantage of subsidized drainage of marshes, application of chemi- cals, payment for his surplus crops, or lost his farm. Only yesterday 60 Years Ago - Mar. 27, 1931 CHURCHES PREPARE FOR SPRING HOLIDAY Local churches plan special services for Palm Sunday and expect a large crowd at all serv- ices. Jury commissioners draw panels of jurors for service in Common Pleas Court starting April 20. Lehman High School girls de- feated Beaumont 39 to 19 Friday night to win the league champion- ship. Scandal Sheet starring George Bancroft is playing at Himmler- Theatre. 50 Years Ago - Mar. 28, 1941 BASKETBALL TEAMS HONORED AT BANQUET Oneida, 1.0.0.F. Oddfellows Lodge of Lehman plans a big Memorial Day celebration. Work picks up at the Armour Leather Company Plant at Noxen. Civilian Conservation Corps seeks young men for vacancies. Msgr. Fulton dJ. Sheen will speak over WBRE Radio this evening. « Dallas = Borough baskeibif} teams are honored at the team annual banquet. Wed - Marie Rogers and Ray- mond Williams; Mary Ryman Pick- ett and Paul A. Valentine. St. Paul's Brotherhood enter- tains ladies at Monday night's meeting. 40 Years Ago - Mar. 30, 1951 PHYSICIAN FEES INCREASED IN AREA Robert Bachman joins the Post as ad manager 967th is alerted for Fort Sill to leave for active duty May 1. Library Auction kickoff dinner is set for April 24. Back Mountain physicians in- crease their fees to $3 for office calls and to $4 for house calls between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. and tp $5 for home calls between 9 p. w and 7 a.m. and Sundays and ho days. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hislop, Sr. will open a new cocktail bar on Main Street, Dallas next Wednes- day. Wed - Betty Jane Goldworthy and Reese Finn; Helen Ann Bartholomew and G. Charles Carey. 30 Years Ago - Mar. 23, 1961 FISHERMAN COME OUT AFTER FISH STOCKING Library budget for operatio set at $12,900. Citizens Committee for Better Schools heard a discussion on vocational education last Wednes- day by a panel moderated by Carl Goeringer. Many Back Mountain men are in the 402nd Prisoner of War Unit which is getting ready for training this summer at Fort Lee, Va. Police urge children not to ac- cept favors from strangers. Hanford Eckman is a candidate for Dallas Borough Council on | Republican ticket. 7 Huntsville and Shavertowr tangle Saturday night for the Back Mountain Church League cham- pionship. Engaged - Martha Jane New- berry and John J. Gill; Marie Roberts and George Yatsko. | Mrs. William Cole heads Lehman's Woman's Club. Planting of fish at Harveys Lake attracts hundreds of sportsmen. 20 Years Ago - Mar. 25, 1971 MISERICORDIA BEGINS CONSTRUCTION College Misericordia breaks ground for $2 million building. Four candidates are candidates for the Lake-Lehman School Board. They are Gilbert Tough, F. Richard Sutton, Kenneth A. Williams and incumbent Evan “Tom” Edwards. Ethel Rogers is named Lehman Postmaster. Engaged - Sandra Jane Tait and James H. Robb. R.E. Koeb, James T. Morgan and William H. Allabaugh were named to Commonwealth Telephone Company positions. We could say it’s the politician looking for the farm vote and look- ing to the chemcial and machinery corporations for campaign funds. But no politician can ignore the will of the people forever. In a democracy, chickens come home to roost, and you and I own the henhouse. We have some of the world's best soil scientists. We need to make politicians listen to them. In the above farm-factory anal- ogy, let's remember that machines can be replaced. We can start from scratch and rebuild if necessary. But when topsoil is gone, it's gone forever. We should quit voting for candidates with dismal environ- mental records. John M. "Frosty" Arderson was Director of the Wildlife Department of the National Audubon Society from 1966 until his retirement i in 1987. ; mn ons
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers