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The Dallas Post
Dallas, PA Wednesday, March 6, 1996 '5
det
| John W. Johnson
"Second of a three-part series
--Living on the Canadian border
in the 1970's, I had immediate
and daily exposure to the much
celebrated Canadian Health Care
System.
And one of the most interesting
things about that system—about
Canada in general—was that Ca-
nadians believe in two principles
which are, literally, foreign to
many Americans. They are:
—Health care (and a variety of
other social services) should be
universal and cover everyone, re-
gardless of income.
“"—More importantly, that it is
practically immoral to consider
someone's ability to pay for that
‘health care as a condition for re-
ceiving it.
“In other words, it is a Canadian
view that its big neighbor to the
south, (that us as in U.S.) is a
money grubbing, uncaring, social
irresponsible....in a word, self-
ish, form of government.
And as the Canadian system
has been debated on its positive
merits, there are other things
about the system which are just
plain mythology, i.e.:
‘Canada does NOT have social-
ized medicine. Canadians, in fact,
have a free choice of physicians.
Most hospitals are non-profit (an
intellectual nonsequiter vis a vis
the facts), and not owned by the
government.
More serious questions
about health
And while the health care sys-
tem is operated and financed by
the various provinces, it was con-
ceptually a national system when
conceived in 1959, and remains
that except for management dif-
ferences to be found in the differ-
ent provinces.
The major problem with the
Canadian system (and I knew one
man who visited his doctor and
hospital emergency room an av-
erage of 12-15 days per month,
every month) is that Canadians
have no incentive to save money.
The Canadian system, in essence,
relieves all Canadians from finan-
cial worries over the cost of hospi-
tal and doctor bills and most drug
costs.
And that, of course, is the
system's major flaw...someone has
to pay for all this inattention to
the bottom line. That someone is
the Canadian taxpayer who pays
extraordinarily high taxes vis a
vis what is received.
As well, and because the Cana-
dian system oddly does not pro-
vide universal and essentially free
long-term nursing and home care,
older Canadians find themselves
staying in much more expensive
hospital beds...because it's free,
right?
So now we look north and says:
“Isn't that great. They have a
compassionate and caring gov-
ernment.”
That means health care is be-
ing seen as yet another in that list
of seemingly immeasurble length
of special benefits wanted by vir-
tually everyone from the ‘govern-
ment.’
Perhaps more importantly as
we address the question of health
care reform
are is asking ourselves the right
question, to wit:
—Do we want to permanently
remove Americans from worrying
about the cost of health care from
the need to remain healthy, and
have care when ill?
—Or do we want to perma-
nently remove Americans from
worrying about the cost of health
care from the need to remain
healthy, and have care when ill?
—Or do we want to provide
dollars for those citizens in need?
It's a conceptual issue, and one
which has not been part of the
national debate. Do we, in fact,
want to change the way we look at
ourselves as a nation?
We are, essentially, now a self
reliant nation, expecting the best
and brightest among us to rise up
and seek the rewards found in the
free enterprise system.
What we would become with
universal health care is a nation
which has abandoned the notion
of self reliance, instead choosing
to depend upon a bureaucracy
and deep pocket taxpayers to fund
the idea that medocrity in every-
thing is preferable to excellence
for most.
Behind the calls for health care
reform are those basic questions,
the answers to which will deter-
mine far more than the future
cost of aspirin, whether a doctor
makes obscene amounts of
money, or hospitals are money
grubbing capitalistc institutions.
In the larger sense, answers to
these questions will decide
whether we lose our freedom to
fail.
And to succeed.
NEXT WEEK: PART THREE.
Jackson
(continued from page 1)
lot or record. “It's a lot of record
with ‘a valid deed,” he said, “so I
can't deny it.”
“Solicitor Blythe Evans ques-
tioned Krupa's reasoning saying
“If that's true, then you can build
on a 25-foot lot if it's a lot of
record,” Krupa agreed, saying,
“as long as the house fits in the
required setbacks.”
‘However, both Evans and board
president Walter Glogowski con-
curred that the matter should be
~ taken up with the planning com-
mission.
After the meeting, Vickie
Humenansky said that prior to
the subdivision, the matter had
gone before the planning com-
mission which recommended that
a building permit not be issued
for the'lot in question. She said a
member of the planning commis-
sion later told her “just because a
“lot 'is a lot or record, doesn’t nec-
essarily mean it can be built on
even if it does meet the setbacks.”
Evans announced he received
a letter from the township engi-
neer, Jack Defazio, indicating find-
ings that mining operations con-
ducted by American Asphalt in
the Hillside Rd. area are occur-
ring beyond township mining lines
by 800: feet. The findings were
‘based’ on a study by Pasonick
Engineering from which measure-
"ments were determined by a topo-
graphical map.
A motion was passed authoriz-
ing the solicitor to send a letter to
American Asphalt informing them
of the violation.
Evans said if the issue is not
resolved, the township can “file
with a district justice concerning
the matter.”
Township resident John Filip
suggested getting an immediate
injunction to stop the mining.
However, Evans remarked that
this is more a “matter of uphold-
ing the integrity of the law,” not so
much as creating any damage.
PHARMACY
1-159 N. Memorial Hwy,
*.. Shavertown, PA
675-1191
Evans said that an injunction
would only be granted if they could
show “irreparable damage to the
public,” which would be extremely
expensive to the taxpayers and
the township and therefore not an
option the board would consider.
Evans also mentioned that a
poll was taken of 20 families in
the township with 779 telephone
exchanges who are paying toll
charges to call nearby 675 or 696
numbers. However, he said, they
don't want to switch from Bell to
Commonwealth and have their
numbers changed to 696. They
justwant the toll charges removed,
which Evans indicated may be
difficult to achieve.
President Glogowski an-
nounced he received a copy of a
letter from Senator Lemmond re-
garding the re-examination of well
water use at the State Correc-
tional Institute, Dallas (SCID).
SCID officials sent Lemmond cor-
respondence indicting they will
use well water only one day of the
week, from May 1st through Oc-
tober 30th, purchasing the bal-
ance of the water through Penn-
sylvania-American Water Co., the
public water utility. For the re-
maining winter months, the De-
partment would draw only half of
its water needs from the wells. .
The letter from Lemmond
states: “This action, and subse-
quent monitoring by the
Susquehanna River Basin Com-
mission, may well be the answer
to the concerns raised over the
past years.”
Representatives from the Back
Mountain Youth Soccer Associa-
tion attended to present a letter to
the board requesting permission
to use the township's recreation
field for their fall soccer program
from August lst to the end of
November, providing the neces-
sary equipment at their expense.
Glogowski said they'll pass the
letter on to the recreation board,
« Silver Coins
« Silver Dollars
« U.S. Gold Coins
COINS & JEWELRY
18 Church Street
Dallas, Pennsylvania
Next to CVS (formerly Rea & Detrick)
WANTED TO BUY
Paying Cash for
« War, Buffalo Nickels
e Indian Head Pennies
» Gold & Silver Jewelry
which he explained, is a “separate
entity vested with the power of
authority to make decisions,” even
though the township owns the
property.
Soccer association president
Pete Hoffman voiced concern say-
ing that he talked with the head of
the rec board several times and
got conflicting answers. Hoffman
said, “First he said if the field was
ready we could use it, then he said
the committee may try to get bas-
ketball courts and a baseball field
instead ”
Charlotte Matza, secretary of
the soccer association added that
they need an answer soon in or-
der to qualify for insurance cover-
age.
Glogowski suggested that they
attend the next recreation board
meeting, scheduled for Mar. 19 in
the township building.
Police chief Donald Jones re-
ported that he sent a letter to
PennDOT requesting them to in-
spect guard rails at the intersec-
tion of Follies and Huntsville
Roads that are now in need of
being repaired or replaced.
He also said that efforts are
being increased to control speed-
ing on Huntsville and Chase
Roads.
LETTERS
Seeks accident witness
Editor:
We were involved in an acci-
dent on Sunday, March 3rd fol-
lowing 11 o'clock Mass at St.
Therese’s Church on Pioneer Ave.,
Shavertown. We are looking for
someone who might have wit-
nessed the altercation. By print-
ing this article we are hoping to
obtain some information. Please
call 675-0422 with any informa-
tion.
675-5872
Mon., Tues., Wed.
10 AM.-6 P.M.
e Thurs. 10 A.M.-8:30 P.M.
Fri. 10 AM.-7 P.M.
« Sat. 10 AM.-6 P.M
e Sun.-Closed
- for 1996 was $3,550.00.
LIBRARY
By NANCY KOZEMCHAK
The Back Mountain Memorial
Library will be celebrating the
month of March with the annual
‘Pennies for Periodicals’ campaign.
The library currently subscribes
to 101 magazines each year. The
total cost of these subscriptions
The
pennies that are collected in the
green jar during the month of
March will be used to offset the
cost of these magazines.
Many of our patrons do collect
their pennies through the months
and bring jugs of them in to the
library. Most recently, a kind
patron brought in a plastic four
gallon container filled with pen-
nies. We will hold a contest in
conjunction with the campaign,
asking for an estimate of how
many pennies you think are in the
jug. The jug will be on display at
the information desk in the li-
As was
Jack Hilsher
Awhile back when I wrote for
the late lamented Sunday Inde-
pendent, my editor was discuss-
ing possible subjects for my col-
umn. (Not the dike expert editor,
the one before that.) I remember
him saying, “Jack, this is not the
place of ‘think pieces!" ”
So I never wrote any. I think I
knew what he meant. And that
carried over to my post at the
Post...no think pieces, no politics,
no school board fights: (When I
proclaimed this I am certain my
present editor looked relieved.)
But there comes a time. ' And
the time is now. I will take a swing
at a subject so massive, so com-
plex, so tough to explain that a
truck full of columns would only
scratch the surface.
Unions.
What brought this subject to
the fore was a recent full page ad
Guess how many pennies:
ret
in the jar and win a prize
brary. There will be prizes awarded
for the closest estimates to the
actual amount of pennies in the
jug. The contest will run through
March 30. Forms for estimates
are available at the library front
desk.
New books at the library:
“Romeo” by Elise Title is a nerve-
shattering major pscho-sexual
thriller that will leave you breath-
less. Rome: His is the courtship
every woman dreams of. His is
the seduction no woman survives.
His victims were San Francisco's
most invulnerable women—pro-
fessionals, beautiful, smart. They
eaglerly embraced his darkest fan-
tasies. They just didn't expect to
die. Dr. Melanie Rosen, leading
psychiatric expert of serial killers,
was his fifth victim—a victim of
her own unctrollable desires.
“Equation For Evil" by Philip
Caputo is a razor-sharp novel,
penetrating exploration of racism
and violence in a contemporary
America gone haywire. The story
examines the anatomy of a hor-
Union leader
in The New York Times from strik-
ing members of the Big Apple's
Janitors’ Union. Under the head-
line “An Appeal to the Members of
All Unions," its highlights were as
follows:
“35,000 of us have been strik-
ing office buildings since January
4. We need your help. This is
your strike too. It is critical to the
survival of organized labor. The
outcome will affect you and your
family.
“If the multi-millionaire barons
of real estate can crush our union
it is simply a matter of time before
your employer decides to crush
your union. Real estate is the
richest industry in America. If it
can cut wages and destroy our
union, no union and no union
member is safe. If you cross a
picket line, you hurt members of
our local and you hurt members
of your union. You hurt yourself
too.
"An injury to one is an injury to
all’ was-born in-times of turmoil
and every union is facing times of
turmoil again. Please don't cross
our picket lines.”
Well, they went back to work
and there are no more picket lines.
But there is an everlasting con-
trast to these workers who make
$30,000 per year and wanted a
of touch with his members."
rific crime: a lone gunman has
opened fire on a busload of Aian-
American children in rural Cali-
fornia, then turned the gun on
himself after the attack. Special
agent, Gabriel Chin, and forensic
psychiatrist, Leander Heartwood
are ordered to conduct a “psychi-
atric autopsy” of the killer to de-
termine his motive and state of
mind. ils
“Absolute Power” by David
Baldacci combines the highest
levels of political intrigue with big-
money law, cutting-edge foren-
sics, and the riveting search fora
truth hidden within the power, of
the Oval Office. Luther is a rare
combination of thief and honor-
able man. Now he’s the invisible
eyewitness to an event that, if ever
revealed, would shake America to
its very roots. The story master-
fully plumbs the depths of human
greed, power, and corruption.
That is the reading experience of
the year: thrilling, shattering, and
as provocative as it is relentlessly
suspenseful.
is real fat cat
$15 per week raise. Their leader,
one Gus Bevona, hauled down
$422,727 in 1994. 1 have no
figures for last year, but it would
not be less. tf
Bevona lives on Long Islarid
where he pays as much in prop-
erty taxes as his average union
member earns in a year. He has
a penthouse on Sixth Avenue con
taining a large suite of rooms, two
bathrooms, and a library. T here
is also a 700-square ft. terrace
overlooking lower Manhattan. .
His home on Long Island was
appraised at $860,000. The es’
tate features a cobblestone drive,
an outdoor fountain, a 30x60 ft.
pool, a raised hot tub and aca:
bana. On 165’ of waterway lead-
ing to the bay is an air conditioned
boathouse with two powerboats;
Commenting onall this, a ufion
member said, “Paraphrasing'Bill
Clinton, I don’t think this guy
feels our pain.” A labor lawyer
believes this labor leader to be ou}
‘He
added, “Given what the average
person in his union makes. for
him to make over $400, 0001 1%
obscene - no matter how hard tie
works.” :
Now. If] were to write a titink
piece, I think I have found a suit-
able subject. Rte
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