4 The Dallas Post Dall as, PA Wednesday, May 18, 1994 ‘heard a range of views on from property to income, ‘process. But nothing is yet set in stone, and the door still is ‘open to anyone who wants to influence the outcome. - While each speaker, from a top Senator's aide, to a school | Now the tax reform ball is in your court “They came, we saw, now who will conquer? Seventy or so “people turned out for last week's community forum on local tax ‘reform, a reasonably good showing as these things go. They plans to shift the local tax burden and to allow voters a say in the RU-486¢ NO. ‘superintendent, to the spokesman for the teachers’ union, was for some change, they parted company on some details. One point of departure was how many opportunities voters should have to give thumbs up or down to budgets and taxes. In one camp are supporters of a referendum any time a budget’s growth exceeds the inflati * project. In the other are the folks who don’t quite trust the public to act responsibly, and who fear that an active minority of naysayers will block passage of necessary spending. But no one mentioned the states budget, every year, and schools and government continue to J W.J. on rate, and on any large building where elections are held on every function. Granted, there have been and continue to be some dicey votes, but by and large people understand that simply voting against everything isn’t in their best interest. There is, of course, no tives will act responsibly either, and the bloated federal debt is the prime example of that. to vote on the federal budget each year it wouldn't be in the sad shape it is now. The real point, though, is that local tax reform isn’t yet a done deal, and you still have a chance to add your voice to the debate. -Call or write Senator Charles Lemmond and Representatives Phyllis Mundy and George Hasay to tell them what you think should be done. But don't wait too long, because the momen- tum is building to get a bill out this summer, perhaps in a few weeks. The addresses and phone numbers of your government guarantee that elected representa- Perhaps if the public had been able The recent passing of Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th Presi- dent of the United States, was more unsettling for many Ameri- cans (including this one) than most realized until after he was gone. So much of our history, and how we now view ourselves, seems to be wrapped up in the compli- cated, Presidency of Richard Nixon. convoluted person and I have met and talked with six officials are listed on this page. Troubled not much « . Has there ever been such a confusing set of events taking place around the world simultaneously? At the same time South Africa is stepping relatively peacefully from the shadow of apartheid, tens of tho times, and we can do presidents, the first of which was Nixon, and with the dubious dis- tinction of having done so a few days before he resigned in 1974. 1 met him again 19 years later (last year) in Washington...whereupon he recognized me and auto- graphed his latest book for me...so much for my 15 minutes of fame. AsI've thoughtabout him since his death, and witnessed the almost gratuitous outpouring for him at his funeral, it seems that Nixon was right. There is a group of silent Ameri- cans—I refuse to believe, as Nixon usands are brutally murdered in Rwanda. As Israel and its Mideast neighbors grope their way to -an unsteady peace, the Khmer Rouge have returned to slaugh- “ter their fellow citizens in Cambodia. And, while Poland and a handful of other former Communist states bravely plod toward free enterprise, the “nations” of the former Yugoslavia destroy ‘one another and their bea appear tobe a thing we can ‘the recent reckless talk of invading Haiti. During the Cold War, Americans’ eyes were focused on the former Soviet Union and its massive armies and stockpile of missiles. Every conflict was viewed as an outgrowth of the supreme struggle between the two great powers, which fre- utiful homeland. And there doesn’t do to help or hinder any of it, despite proclaimed, they are a majority of Americans. And that silent group was felt, if not heard, throughout the land recently, when one of their own was laid to rest. Indeed, when Richard Nixon said, after losing the election for Governor of California: “you're not going to have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore, he spoke for millions of Americans... speak for themselves...who, fact, don't participate in republi- .whodon't in can democracy...who, instead, stand on the sidelines, mouthing bad things about those who do...indeed, the silent ones who are among those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. Still, Nixon, and despite an almost painful introversion of personality, did thrust himselfinto the public arena...where he was eventually seen to be one of the silent ones.... participating in his daily life by memo, and in his private life by conspiracy and crudity. And lest we forget, and not- withstanding the renowned Ameri- can credo of forgive and forget, it would do us well to remember that the man who was so honored recently, was also the man who very nearly destroyed the nation’s constitutional government. At every turn, and ignoring many opportunities to stand tall, Nixon instead lied, abused power, broke the law and slunk behind the coats’ of his subordinates. More tq the point, and to the day he died, the only regret he ex- pressed was that he got caught. Perhaps the greatest crime committed by the 37th President of the United States, is that, he permanently, and with mean spir- ited self interest, diminished greatly our faith in the political process. He forever tarred the office of the president with a brush of indifference to the idea of consti- tutional goverment; to a separa- tion of powers; to truth, justice, The silent president's clouded legacy By J.W. JOHNSON and the American way; to simple, honorable behaviour by simple, honorable persons placed in in- credibly complex and trying situ- ations. It's almost as if Nixon himself dropped an atomic bomb on - American politics; the radioactive glow of his actions can still be seen today in the cynicism about politics in general. He spent the last 20 years trying to rebuild his place in history. with speeches, books and occa- sional diplomatic missions around the world, Nixon, and with politi- cal lovemaking, sought to cloud the lens of history with an after- glow of good citizenship. If he truly wanted to prove his innocence, he should have re- jected the pardon offered by Presi- dent Ford and stayed around for a trial. And if he wanted forgive- ness, he should have admitted his guilt and said he was sorry. He did neither. Instead, he died recently, cling- ing, it would seem, to the notion that he had at least partially re- deemed himself. From this chair, he should rest in peace, and he deserves the respect of someone who has been in the arena. However, he does not deserve the respect of someone who made a positive difference. Whatever positive differences he made are outweighed by what he stole from the American people. He - stole faith . in our system...and for that, may his- tory always remember him. Library news ‘quently armed and supported one side of the other. But now we know it wasn't that way at all, these uncivil wars were and are . mainly internal affairs, spurred by the same causes that have always caused them: Greed, inequity, envy, and the lust for . power. | The main difference between these times and all before them isinthe speed and scope of communication. We now see clearly ' the brutality of man against man, even as we enjoy the security ‘of a system that values life and order, and provides at least minimal comfort for the vast majority of citizens. It would be convenient if we could impose our values and order on others, but we can’t. They must learn for themselves, ‘often in the most cruel manner imaginable. Our best hope, and theirs, lies in doing what we can to encourage open, democratic dealings, and spurring th e development of free markets that . need the cooperation of all citizens to function. ‘Do you agree? Disagree? Editorials are the opinion of the management of The Dallas Post. . We welcome your opinion on contemporary issues in the form of letters to the editor. If you don't write, the community may never ‘hear a contrasting point of view. Send letters to: The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas, PA 18612. Please include your name, address ‘and a daytime phone number so that we may verify authenticity. We do not publish anonymous letters, but will consider withholding the name in exceptional circumstances. We reserve the right to edit for length and grammar. Fascinating wetlands display visits library By NANCY KOZEMCHAK The display case at the Back Mountain Memorial Library is featuring an interesting arrange- ment of Wetland items borrowed from Sandra Tamanini of Harveys Lake. Sandra became interested in the Wetlands with an idea she read in the Ranger Rick maga- zine. Most of the items in the display are found in the wetland areas. She became a 4-H leader in a town and could not use ani- mals for the 4-H project so a na- ture project was allowed. She acquired a book from a friend which gave her many ideas to work with. The town had lots of wetland areas and they were able to collect them and some also from her former town. Shown in the display is a deer skull, snapping turtle skull, turtle shell, turkey feather, shelf mold which forms on dead trees; which they sculpted with and drew hand prints and dates on them. The display includes a large basin with the dirt which represents the surface of earth; then goes through a sponge and runs down the river and has been filtered through the process. The roots in wetlands are designed to purify the water. There is aroot in the display which is tangled naturally which she found in South Carolina. They adopted a wetland in their former town and cleaned it up and checked the water. They checked the fish, explored the plant life and found some species that only live in wetlands. A pamphlet tells what you can do such as set upadisplay in your library and explain the purpose of wetlands. There are posters of fish with the display and a wreath made mostly from items from wetlands. She goes to schools and teaches about wetlands. She has been interested in wetlands for five years and calls it a fun hobby. Her children, Elia, Sarah, Leo and Juda are all interested in the project and study with her. This display is very timely and will be at the library until June 8. The recent issue of Good House- keeping magazine features the library cookbook “Chefs and Art- ists” in the regional cooking sec- tion. The article features a special recipe from the cookbook and the information on how to order a book from the library. To date, we have received orders from Sanger, California; Huntington Beach, Calif.; Orrington, ME; Reading, PA; Carnegie, PA and Houston, Texas. The Summer Reading Program will begin on June 27 with sign- up in the children’s room. New book at the library: “Win- ner Take All" by Sean Flannery is a novel about th Cold War and Russia and the United States. + These countries plan the mighti- est war game ever staged “Opera- tion Pit Bull' a mock battle to be executed off the coast of Brazil. Pilots and sailors will hone their skills, use new weapons, and world peace will be protected. Published W P.O. Bo Ronald A. Bartizek Editor and Publisher , Peggy Young ' Advertising Acct. Exec. Paul Rismiller Production Manager AND THE PENNSYLVANI The Dallas Post Telephone: 717-675-5211 MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION eekly by Bartsen Media, Inc. x 366, Dallas PA 18612 Charlotte E. Bartizek Associate Publisher Grace R. Dove Reporter Olga Kostrobala : Classified/typesetti Jill Urbanas ye ng Office Manager A NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER'S ASSOCIATION Federal Officials Representative Paul E. Kanjorski (PA 11th District) (Democrat) Wilkes-Barre: 825-2200 Washington: (202) 225-6511 Address: 10 E. South St., Wilkes- Barre PA 18701-2397 or 2429 Rayburn Building, Wash- ington, DC 20515 Senator Arlen Specter (Republican) Wilkes-Barre: 826-6265 Washington: (202) 224-4254 Address: 116 S. Main S., Wilkes- Barre PA 18701 Senator Harris Wofford (Democrat) Telephone Scranton: 347-2341 Washington: (202) 224-6324 Address: 116 N. Washington Ave., Suite 3K, Scranton PA 18503 State Officials State Sen. Charles D. Lemmond (R) (717) 288-3925 or 287-0475 701 West Market Street, Kingston PA 18704-3496 Lemmond’s dis- trict includes the Back Mountain. State Rep. George Hasay (R) 287-75050r542-73450r474-2276 or 477-3752 369 South Mountain Boulevard, Mountaintop PA 18707 Hasay's district encompasses: Harveys Lake, Lehman Township, Jackson Township, Lake Town- ship, Franklin Township, Ross Township, and Dallas Township's north voting district. State Rep. Phyllis Mundy (D) 283-9622 or 655-3375 Suite 107, 400 Third Avenue, Kingston PA 18704 Mundy's district encompasses: Dallas Borough, Dallas Township except for the north voting district, and Kingston Township. Only ] yesterday _ 60 Years Ago - May 25, 1934 L.B. SQUIER LEAVES = LEHMAN SCHOOLS L.B. Squier, supervising prin- cipal of Lehman Township schools for the last four years, resigned this week to accept a similar position at Nicholson succeeding Edwin Kehrli who was elected superintendent of Wyoming County schools a month ago. . , The world's mightiest amuse- ment entourage, the Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Com- bine Circus, with its gigantic, 1934 program of new world-wide won- ders, many of which have never appeared in America, is sched- uled to exhibit in Wilkes- Barre, June 8. You could get - Salmon, 2 tall cans, 35¢; Hellman’ s Mayonnaise, qt. jar, 51¢; cantaloupes, 2/198 new beets, bnch. 6¢. 50 Years Ago - May 19, 1944 FIRE DESTROYS THE RUGGLES SAWMILL The Payne property on Lake St., Dallas for many years the.site of the Adelman Lumber Co. was sold Wednesday in Orphan's Court before Judge Andrew Hourigan to A.C. Devens, Dallas miller, for his high bid of $9,500. Ruggles sawmill at Beaumont, valued at $8,000, was completely destroyed early Thursday morn- ing when it was racked from end to end by flames. Five fire compa- nies were called, but before, any could arrive, the building was burnt to the ground. The first open air spring con certof Dr. Henry M. Laing Fire Co. Community Band composed. of Back Mountain musicians will be given Sunday at 2 p.m. under the direction of Howard Cosgrove, ; 40 Years Ago - May 21, 1954 ~ UNUSUAL CONTESTS AT SWEET VALLEY With one exception - Halle Township, where the vote was a tie — Sen. T. Newell Wood carried, all Back Mountain Townships. in the hot primary contest for State Senator Tuesday. He also carried the 6th Legislative District by 1074 votes and the 5th by 1557. His plurality in six townships and ¢ one borough in the Back Mountain area was 861. Robert M. Scott, Trucksville has made 15 doll beds for the Library Auction July 9, and 10. All are nicely painted and decorated. Volunteers are needed to make bedding. Each little bed needs a mattress, pillows, sheets and a spread. Wood-sawing, and wood- chop- ping contests for women as well as men will be a feature of ‘the entertainment following the Sweet Valley Memorial Day Parade;May 31. Activities will take place on the new school grounds. .* + 30 Years Ago - May 21, 1964 GAS STATION WILL CHANGE OWNERS : Mrs. Mary Dale, formerly of Allentown, will assume duties a$ a librarian of the Back Mountaig Memorial Library September 1: She comes to Dallas from the Als lentown Library. She received her degree in Library Science from Western Reserve Library School, A service station in the middlg¢ of Dallas is due for a change of hands beginning of June, accord: ing to proprietor Raymond Malkemes. The Atlantic refining people have not renewed his leasé on the premises, but so far have not announced the name of any potential occupants either. The property is a landmark, it was originally the site of the famous Raub Hotel The Fine Arts Fiesta of Wyo? ming Valley begins May 21 -ant| continues through May 25. All performances and exhibits are free to the public. Now playing, “Captain News man, MD,” with Gregory Peck ang: Tony Curtis at the Forty Boi Theatre. te 20 Years Ago - May 23, 1964: PRESS AWARDS FOR AREA NEWSPAPERS J.R. Freeman, editor-in-chief, Greenstreet News Co. and Carl Davies, editor of Mountaintép Eagl:, won awards in the Key: stone Press Awards competition, Awards were presented during the PNPA convention in Harrisburg. Misericordia graduated 209. students at the 48th Annual Ceré- monies. Music major Thomas Lewis was the first male student in the history of the college™fo receive a baccalaureate hood: The Sisters of Mercy will oper a kindergarten at Mercy Center, Dallas when school begins . if September. 3 Back Mountain Baseball. “ot Boys will open their season May 28 for the Back Mountain Girls Softball League, a new program in the area. All games will be played at the field behind the Dallas Township School and will begita at 6 p.m. a i) 0 od a »
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers