4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, February 19, 1997 i EDITORIALS New candidates add yeast to election mix One of the great privileges we hold as citizens of the most free nation on Earth is the right to run for public office. With a few réasonable restrictions, nearly everyone can at one time or another make a bid for any elected office, from the lowliest to the highest. In past years, the greatest obstacle to success might have been an individual's ethnic background or religious affiliation. Those factors have diminished in importance, and that’s a positive step for the United States and all who call it home. But a new stumbling block has taken the place of the old ones; the huge amount of money now considered necessary for a candidate to have any real chance of success. There was a time when expensive campaigns were needed only for national office, but the cancer of outlandish spending reaches deeper into our political system each election cycle. It appears to have reached the county row office level this year, with candidates for controller already talking about raising war chests of $100,000 to $250,000. That is an extraordinary amount of money, the mention of which makes us wonder whether or not the election will turn on the merits of the candidates or the volume of their advertising. Into that breach steps Clarence Michael of Dallas, a well- known figure at meetings of the Dallas School Board and other governmental bodies, where he has often acted as the self- ‘appointed conscience of local government. Undoubtedly there are those who view Michael as a crank who disrupts the go- along mentality that rules at most levels of government. Others perhaps see him as a Don Quixote type, always tilting at windmills but with the best of intentions. The characterization is irrelevant for now — what's important is that he is stepping forward to exercise the right we all have to offer ourselves as candidates for elective office, and by doing so to give voters a choice between competing ideas. ‘When the time comes, we may agree with or dispute Clarence Michael s stance on issues, but we congratulate him on having the gumption to take up the challenge of running for office. This area needs more real competition for governmental positions; % is the yeast that adds real substance to our society. “There's time for others to throw their hats into whatever rings they like, as the election season has only begun. Call the Luzerne County Bureau of Elections to find out how to get involved, if you re so inclined. w ou su . ¥1akt Publisher's notebook [TET— y Wer ve been hearing for years that today’s families just don't have the financial security prior generations enjoyed, particu- larly the post-WWII group. Wages haven't kept up, we're told, and both husband and wife have to work just to make ends meet. The result i is the lowest U.S. rate of saving in history, and one of the lowest in the developed world. But it can’t be helped, because it just costs that much more to live these days. I wonder how true that nostrum is. ~ Hasit occurred to the people making these claims that many people feel they're entitled to live in a manner only the wealthy could afford in years past? I don’t know how you grew up, but mine was what's called a “middle-class” household, in which my father worked and mom stayed home with the kids. Our life was made easier by a military pension for my dad’s injuries suffered in the Pacific, but that was small compensation for the pain he lived with for more than 40 years. So, we got a new car (Ford or Chevy) every five or six years, lived in a small house and took one glamorous vacation that I recall, a trip to California in 1960. My parents could have spent a lot more of their income if they chose to, but they believed in saving for their own future, and their children’s. ~ Compare that commonplace lifestyle to today’s family. I can hardly think of anyone who hasn't been to Disney World, many of them more than once, and planes are filled with vacationers to even more obscure spots. (I plead guilty; we've been to the Carribean five times.) The average home size continues to expand, along with expected amenities such as whirlpool baths and fancy windows. Count the number of Ford Explorers, Chevy Suburbans and similar vehicles driven by people who have no real use for such exotic — and expensive — hardware. And how many one-television households do you know? Per- sonal services like maids and lawn care are growing at an amazing clip, as more of us pay someone to do jobs we could handle but don’t care to. All those luxuries come at the expense of saving, and none of them except a home (If you're lucky) will return the money spent on them. You have to wonder what the long-term implications will be of our personal spending habits and those of our government. I'm afraid if we keep going down the path we're now on, our children won't look back very fondly on their parents. They'll be too busy trying to survive. A Real Hometown Paper you can feel good about The Dallas Post The Dallas Post Published Weekly By Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 717-675-5211 Ronald A. Bartizek Charlotte E. Bartizek : PUBLISHER ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dennise Casterline ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC Kylie Shafferkoetter REPORTER Paul Rismiller PRODUCTION MANAGER Olga Kostrobala CLASSIFIED/TYPESETTING Jill Gruver OFFICE MANAGER NIN hh NEN PENNSYLVANIA NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION Pus PRINTED WITH SOY INK|_ I. AE Sat Se Ca aa HL vgs All stocked up, but — hopefully — not needed much longer. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. LIBRARY By NANCY KOZEMCHAK The Back Mountain Memorial Library Board of Directors met recently for the 1996 annual meet- ing. The annual statistics report was presented. The number of books in the library on December 31, 1995 was 62,741. Books added in 1996: 1,823 adult and 607 juvenile, a total of 2,430 added to the inventory. Books with- drawn and discarded were 2,297. The total inventory on December 31, 1996, was 62,874. Circulat- ing materials in 1996 included . 28,562 adult fiction; 19,721 adult non-fiction; 29,453 juvenile fic- Annual statistic report tion and 11,176 juvenile non-fic- tion for a total circulation of 88,912. Reference questions an- swered were 4,700; Interlibrary loan transactions: books borrowed 560, books loaned 220 and xeroxed for a total of 786. Book Club books circulated 1,893; new borrowers 12,150; re-registrations 2,866. Volunteer hours given at the library 4,252. Estimated ac- tive borrowers on December 31, 1996 was 11,489. New books at the library: “Evening Class” by Maeve Binchy is a new novel filled with warmth, wit and unforgettable characters— a powerful, moving tale of ordi- nary men and women whose quiet lives hide the most unexpected things. Aidan Dunne, a Dublin Latin teacher, but as years passed, he concentrated on usual struggles of daily life until the evening class. “HIS class.” “The Dancing Floor” by Bar- bara Michaels, is the story of Heather Tradescant who had dreamed of the journey she and her father would take to England— a pilgrimage to the great gardens of history. Now that her father is dead, she is determined to fulfill his dreams, although the trip won't be the same without him. In the heart of the English countryside lies an ancient secret. “Marrying Mom” by Olivia Gold- smith is the story of Phyllis Geronomous, a senior citizen and still trying to run the lives of her three grown children. As far as they're concerned, her best at- tribute is that she lives in Florida, while they live in New York. Then Phyllis decides alone in Miami is not for her and she’s going to move back to the Big Apple. Her arrival in New York will be the unraveling of them all. They try to marry her off. LEGISLATORS DIRECTORY Federal Officials Congress Representative Paul E. Kanjorski (Democrat) Wilkes-Barre: 825-2200 Washington: (202) 225-6511 10 East South Street, Wilkes-Barre PA 18701-2397 or 2429 Rayburn Building, Washington, DC 20515 Senator Arlen Specter (Republican) Wilkes-Barre: 826-6265 Washington: (202) 224-4254 State Officials State Senator Charles D. Lemmond (Republican) (717) 675-3931 22 Dallas Shopping Ctr., Memorial Hwy., Dallas PA 18612-1231 State Representative George Hasay (Republican) 18707 287-7505 or 542-7345 or 474-2276 or 477-3752 369 South Mountain Boulevard, Mountaintop PA Hasay’'s district encompasses: Harveys Lake, Lehman Township, Jackson Township, Lake Town- ship, Franklin Township, Ross Township, and Dal- las Township's north voting district. 116 South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 Senator Rick Santorum (Republican) B-40 Dirksen Building Washington, DC 20510 Washington: (202) 224-6324 Fax: (202) 228-4991 State Representative Phyllis Mundy (Democrat) 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 dis- trict, and Kingston Township. 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. LL el ONLY YESTERDAY 60 Years Ago - Feb. 26, 1937 FARMERS GRANTED LOANS FOR SEED AND FERTILIZER | Donald G. Rose, field supervi- sor for the Emergency Crop and © © Feed Loan Office, has informed The Post that loans will be made this year to farmers for the pur-.- chasing of seed and fertilizer to": produce a crop. Loans will be’ granted from $15 - $400 bearing interest at the rate of 4% to farm- ers who are unable to receive fi- nancial assistance elsewhere. Coach Walter Hicks’ Kingston Township basketball team, which “+ ~~ stretched its string of victories to. . five last Friday evening will have its crucial crack at the Back Montain championship tonight. . If the team can defeat Dallas Town- ship, it will tie with Coach Ernest». Line's league leading Dallas Bor- ough five and a three-game post season series will have to be played to decide the championship. 50 Years Ago - Feb. 28, 1947 + + © TAXPAYERS CONTEST ROAD TAX INCREASE Thirty Kingston Township tax-" + payers were present in Quarter; Session Court Wednesday morn- - ing to contest action taken by Kingston Township supervisors for an increase of 2 mills in the. township road tax. The supervi-"- sors contend that the present 7 mill levy for road purposes is not , sufficient to cover increased labor and truck hire. Dedication of Charles H. Long’ 3 new Farm Machinery Building . took place as scheduled on Fri-. day. $40,000 worth of modern farm equipment, some of it being introduced to this territory for the first time was on display. Tea You could get - Sirloin steak, ~~ 59¢ Ib.; hamburg, 35¢ Ib.; cab- , bage, 5¢ Ib.; potatoes, 3 lbs. 23¢; Palmolive Soap, 2 bath bars 29¢. . * 40 Years Ago - Feb. 22,1957 + DRUG STORE WINS TROPHY Sheldon Evans owner of Evans’. Rexall Drug Store is one of the nation’s first Rexall druggists to- =. receive the new Mortar & Pestle | Trophy, presented by the Rexall *.* - Drug Co. as an annual award to outstanding member-druggists for high professional standards and." community service. 1 Two motorists were arrested in Kingston Township by Trooper Leon Gallowicz of the Pennsylva-. nia State Police for passing a' '. school bus stopped on Memorial: Highway to discharge students..." The red warning light on the top of the bus was flashing at the time. Ld Drivers will be fined $25 and $5 costs when they appear before Justice of Peace Beatrice Will-". iams of Trucksville. Now playing at the Himmler Theatre - “Friendly Persuasion” with Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire. A \ 30 Years Ago - Feb. 23, 1967 +. & PROPERTIES NEEDED FOR * DALLAS SCHOOLS The Neuman and Lipp proper- ties in Dallas Township are needed « . for the new proposed school build- ings of Dallas District. Directors met Tuesday evening in an ad- journed meeting to act on the matter. Milton Evans, chairman of the property committee and’. ' Mr. Fritzges, financial chairman, ry had contacted the owners and both had refused on the appraisal value offered. With the creation of the new Lake Borough, there are those’ who are convinced that a man- ager type government is best and other residents who oppose this form of administration. With com- plete fairness to both factions, the J Dallas Post last week published = =~ an uncensored report of the meet- * ings of both groups. This we shall ° continue to do. 20 Years Ago - Feb. 24, 1977 HL WOMAN TRIES TO MAKE BOARDING HOUSE The effort of Mrs. Elizabeth Maher, Harveys Lake to make her home a boarding house is the basis of a suit against officials of" @ 7) the borough. Borough council members approved the use of the Maher home as a “nonforming use” in a single family residential zone and became defendants ina ’ suit brought by neighboring resi- dents opposed to the boarding house. / LC
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers