The Independent-News, Volume 111, Number 31, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 2 January 1986 — Page 4

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- THE INDEPENDENT NEWS - JANUARY 2,19 M

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I COMING IN 1986! ' The new year, 1986, is an election year. It is an off-year । election without a presidential race or in Indiana a race for the governor’s position, but never-the-less, an important election on many fronts. .... < On a local level, two more races will be included this year, one being an election for three school board positions on the John Glenn School Corporation Board of Trustees, and the other, a new wrinkle added after the last town council election, the election of two town council seats in Walkerton. This was brought about by a decision made by the previous board to have staggered terms on the council so that an entirely new board would not take over again at one time. In the 1983 election, the three councilmen that received the highest vote totals are serving a normal four-year term, but the two with the lesser vote totals are up for grabs in the fall election this year, i this year. The School Board election comes during the primary election in May and is separate from the political aspects as you do not have any politics involved in the school board election. This year there will be a seat in three townships, Polk, Lincoln and Liberty, now filled by Lynn Stull, Bill Millar and John Peddycord. The filing time for the school board election will be from February 5 through March 7 and applications will be available at the superintendent’s office in the future. The Walkerton town council election will have the seats in Wards I and II open this year for future four-year terms. The parties will have caucuses prior to name the candidates to oppose one another on the November ballot. On the national and state level, of course all House of Representative seats will be contested and Indiana will have one senatorial seat up for election this year. On the state level, all representatives of course are to be elected and part of the senate seats in the Indiana Legislature. Also a few state offices will be up for grabs and some county seats also will be contested, but not all of them. The primary in May will decide the candidates for the fall election. There has been a strong trend in recent years that very much favors the incumbent for several reasons. It has become very evident that the advantages of incumbency are so strong that many Congressmen, are, in effect, elected for life. How things have changed! When this country was young, citizens were expected to serve in public office only a short time, then return to their former occupations to live under the laws they had passed. Os the original 26 members of the U. S. Senate, only four served two full terms; none sought a third. Daniel Webster served only two-and-a-half terms (five years) in the House, and Henry Clay only five terms, Clay being elected Speaker while a freshman. Before his election to the presidency, Abraham Lincoln served a single two-year term in Congress. Through 1870, the average Congressman had served less than four years; in 1920 the average length of service was less than seven years. Until 1896, at least half of every Congress was made up of new members. As late as 1949, 30 percent of the members were freshmen. Today the average member of the House has served more than a dozen years. Only 9.4 percent are first-termers. Os the 468 Congressmen (including Senators) whose terms ran out in 1984, 437 sought re-election, and 418 of those won! The privileges of incumbancy have made it extremely difficult to defeat a sitting Congressman, no matter how much his philosophy differs from that of the folks back home. He has a huge staff — 50 or more, for some Senators — and many staff members do almost nothing except work on his reelection. He commands free time on the radio and TV and free space in the newspapers. And free mailing privileges — this is another story. It may seem hard to believe, but during a period from July to September, in a report released by the secretary of the Senate, one Senator spent $1.6 million, followed by totals of $790,000, $650,000, $600,000 and a couple at $500,000 each. Remember, that’s during a period of only three months! And you know who pays these bills! An entire bureaucracy exists to enable a Congressman to take credit for federal grants to his district, most of which he had nothing to do with. And every day the advantages of incumbency grow and our elections become less fair. The big question is: if this continues, how long can democracy survive? The cases might be similar, but to a lesser degree on the state level. Unless an extreme situation arises, an incumbent, if he so desires, has tremendous advantages over his opponents on all levels. This is simply a matter of fact. It is less difficult on lower levels to make a change due to the fact these individuals are among us most of the time. With the state legislator a part-time job, the representative or senator still has to return home and live with the people. On more local cases, it becomes more difficult yet. Let any local issue that is not received well arise, and it is certain it won’t be forgotten as soon as one on a state or national level. All of these things will come up again in 1986. If the candidates have done their job and wish to seek re-election, whether it be on a school board, town board, county, state or national level, they hold a big advantage. The time is drawing near for this all to air out again. It is coming in 1986.

VOICE OF ; THE PEOPLE ' Meager Turn-Out It was a disappointment to see > such a meager turn-out for the Community Choir’s Christmas con- 1 cert on Sunday afternoon, December 22nd, at the John Glenn High School auditorium. The choir, under the superb direction of Sharon Klinedinst, had practiced many weeks in preparation for this ' program. Sharon is such a talented musician and gives so freely of her time and taints. It is a shame that the people of our community do not support the endeavors of the group. As one of the members summed it up after the concert, “We have a good time though!” Esther Gerber Evelyn Eddinger SERVICE NOTES ARMY & AIR FORCE HOMETOWN NEWS — Army Pvt. Robert G. Borton, son of Ruby J. and Keith R. Borton of 215 S. Williams, North Liberty, has arrived for duty with the 56th Field Artillery Brigade, West Germany. Borton, a food service specialist, was previously assigned at Fort Jackson, S. C. He is a 1985 graduate of John Glenn High School. ARMY & AIR FORCE HOMETOWN NEWS — Air Force Reserve Airman Ist Class Joni L. Germaine, sister of retired Air Force Maj. Thomas J. Chudanov, of 9650 Chelmsford, San Antonia, Texas, and Richard C. Germaine, of Rural Route 1, Walkerton, has graduated from the U. S. Air Force munitions maintenance course at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado. During the course, students were taught to inspect, assemble and dispose of explosive munitions. They also earned credits toward an associate degree through the Community College of the Air Force. Germaine is scheduled to serve with the 960th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana. She received a master's degree in 1985 from Ball State University, Muncie. ARMY & AIR FORCE HOMETOWN NEWS — Airman Timothy J. Benjamin, son of John A. and Sonja K. Benjamin, Malta, Ohio, has been assigned to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., after completing Air Force basic training. During the six weeks at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, the airman studied the Air Force mission, organization and customs, and received special training in human relations. In addition, airmen who complete basic training earn credits toward an associate degree through the Community College of the Air Force. The airman will now receive specialized instruction in the air operations field. His wife, Andrea, is the daughter of Bill and Shirley Lmerick, of North Liberty. He is a 1982 graduate of Morgan High School, McConnelsville, Ohio. YOU AND YOUR PET DEAR DOCTOR WISE: My dog has had problems getting up on his back legs recently. My veterinarian ran some tests which indicated that he had a disease called lupus. What can we expect? ANSWER: The clinical signs are varied, and can mimic other diseases, making lupus the "great imitator”. Some symptoms which are associated with lupus are: arthritic, blood disorders, fever, kidney infections, skin lesions, muscle disorders, lymph node and

spleen enlargement, mouth ulcers, i pleuritis and neurologic disorders (seizures, meningitis). The diagnosis of lupus is often I very challenging to the veterinar- 1 ian. The signs of illness demon- < strated by the animal will vary, depending on which organ system is involved. The tests for lupus are not extremely accurate, and results may vary from day to day. Other diseases can show as false positives to the lupus tests. Skin biopsies can occasionally help, but can also be variable. Since the disease is unpredictable, the outlook for dogs with lupus is also unpredictable. Dogs affected with joint, skin or muscle disease respond better to medication and can be maintained in remission. Dogs with the blood disorders — anemia, decreased clotting factors, or decreased white cells — are more difficult to manage medically. Animals with kindey infection (glomerulonephritis) rarely do well and often develop kidney failure. Research has shown no evidence that lupus from animals may spread to humans. Signs that the medication is not maintaining remission would be return of initial symptoms, loss of appetite, weight loss, lethargy, pain and stiffness. Animals with the arthritic form of lupus have been maintained in remission for several years. DEAR DR. WISE: Now that cold weather is coming, I am concerned with the welfare of our new dog. He is eight months old and has lived outside during the summer and fall. 1 would like for him to be an outside dog this winter but I am not sure what sort of shelter he should have. ANSWER: Since your dog has been outside during the fall, I expect that he has developed a thick coat of hair that will protect him during the coming winter. If you will provide him with a protected area such as a dog house or an area

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in the garage, he will do quite well. If you are going to use a dog house to protect him it should be built well enough to prevent drafts from entering the house. The floor of the house should be elevated from the ground and there should be bedding material such as an old blanket or fresh straw. The house should be small enough that the dog can just get in comfortably and turn around. That way the dog can heat the house with the heat that radiates from his body. If the house is too large, the animal will never be able to raise the temperature in the house enough to be comfortable. If the temperature goes below zero degrees Fahrenheit, take special precautions to give your pet protection. Take it into an attached garage or add more bedding to the house. Be sure during this time of year that you provide your outside pet with fresh water two or three times daily and more food. The extra food will be needed to create the body heat needed to do well during the winter. (Provided as a public service by the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association. If you have a question about your pet’s health, send it to Dr. John Wise, 1503 E. Riverside Dr., Indianapolis, Ind. 462022097.) Not all fish live only in the water. Walking catfish, mudskippers, and flying fish, among many species, can live on land. Clean air filters not only mean dean air...they can save money, too.