The Mail-Journal, Volume 19, Number 35, Milford, Kosciusko County, 15 September 1982 — Page 4

THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., September 15,1982

Editorials

Survey provides decisions, not excuses Surveys are not new to the American media. They have been used for almost everything; from naming a baby to predicting the winner of a Presidential election. Surveys are certainly not new to readers of The Mail-Journal. Our most recent survey, the Syracuse -‘Pulse” Poll, was used to determine the Syracuse community’s opinion toward the town board’s plans for a new town hall. The response was not exactly overwhelming, but it did prove to be an interesting study of how people respond to issues. Or maybe more appropriately, how they find excuses to not respond. Several interested citizens told the publisher of this newspaper that they felt the survey “forced” a decision out of them. They said they were not ready to say “yea or nay.” Others said the survey could not be accurate because no provisions were made to check the tax rolls — to make sure those who responded are taxpayers and would be affected if a town hall is built. Even more said they supported a town hall, but not the one the town board is planning on building. And they felt the survey did not provide an outlet for their opinion. Excuses. It was not the intention of this town hall survey to provide an outlet for the unsure, for the uncommitted. This survey “forced” a decision because we believe this is the kind of opinion the town fathers need in this important issue. They need a definite opinion. The issue is simple — whether or not the citizens of the Syracuse community approve or disapprove of the recent discussion at town board meetings concerning the construction of an estimated $641,480 town hall. ■ Note the word “citizen.” We didn’t say “affected taxpayers.” We said residents of the Syracuse community or property owners. We believe that the question of whether or not a town hall is to be built concerns everyone in the community, regardless of how the building will be financed. No survey is perfect and this survey certainly wasn’t. But we--believe it did provide a voice for those who cared to respond. A voice that’s needed to assist the town fathers during their deliberations on this issue. One thing is for certain. Most good surveys, including this one, don’t provide excuses for a decision. Good surveys provide decisions. Happy 10th anniversary Happy 10th anniversary wishes go to Ralston Purina's Milford plant where a celebration is being held this week. The firm is sponsoring a community agri-business day on Friday, Sept. 17, as a special gift to the people of the area. The firm has been an asset to the Milford community during its 10 years of existance and the community is proud to have this plant located here. What others say — Welfare — unloved children It’s unfair for the working American to have to support families that continue to have children after they go on welfare. In 1979 there were an estimated 597,800 out-of-wedlock babies born in America. Illegitimacy has increased 50 per cent in the last decade, according to recently-released government figures. At least one out of every six American infants is born to an unwed mother. This social and moral tragedy strains both credulity and faith in a better future. The immediate consequences of teenage pregnancies are severe enough. A pregnant teenager is more likely to drop out of school and have subsequent births soon. Unwed dropout mothers are much more likely to go on welfare. Government figures show that at any given point, 60 per cent of children bom out of wedlock to teens receive welfare. More discouraging are projections that predict those same children will be lifetime recipients of welfare of one sort or another and that they in turn will more likely produce children out of wedlock. It is a cycle of dependency that grows with each generation. The majority of these children grow up unloved, unwanted, fatherless, criminalized by the way they are forced to live and become one of the major sources of crime in our country. A factor contributing to the projections is the marked trend among today’s teenagers to keep their children and forego adoption. And, although many sociologists prefer to ignore reality, a motivating factor behind the rejection of adoption is the accessibility to welfare. A recent study of pregnant teenagers who planned to keep their babies disclosed that many of the girls viewed welfare as a means of becoming independent of their parents. It promised them escape from an unsatisfactory home life. Ironically, that kind of "independence” all too often leads to dead-end dependence on the public dole. Somewhere along the line, society and its public agencies will have to squarely confront illegitimacy and its ripple of debilitating results, the most crucial of which is one-parent households with their multitude of social, educational and economic problems. From 1960 to 1980 the number of welfare recipients on AFDC, including both parents and children, jumped from 3,073,000 to 11,102,000. A good way to start would be a critical examination of a welfare system that, by its very nature, lures thoughtless women into personal tragedy. Welfare, which includes food stamps and medicare, pays for limitless children. The maximum that Social Security pays for is a family of three, a mother and two children. Families desiring children and who will love and rear them properly and who can financially support them should be the ones to raise the future generation of this country. This would eliminate, to a great extent, the erosion of our financial base and family breakdown. Offspring of families which are financially able to have children will more than sustain our population. In addition, we feel they will be loved and properly cared for and will grow up to be responsible citizens. Yes, human rights must be considered. But it’s time this country takes a practical attitude instead of realistic. Remember, Rome fell because of such attitude. Legislation is being introduced on this matter. Look around! Think! The average American family cannot afford to have more than two or three children even when both parents are working while those on welfare can have 10 or 12 children and be paid by AFDC for having those children. Right not it’s hard to rationalize the thinking erf Congress. — CARROLL COUNTY COMET

As incomplete as it might be, the poll none the less served its purpose and has the ) people of the Syracuse Community speaking out on this important happening in their town.

Court news

MARRIAGE DISSOLUTIONS The following couples have filed for marriage dissolutions in Kosciusko County Circuit and Superior Courts: Skks — Dan E. Sicks vs Billie Sue Sicks. Epworth Forest. North Webster. The couple married November 20,1973 and separated August 16. 1982. Plaintiff seeks a dissolution of the marriage, an equitable division of property, attorney’s fees and costs — Jerry L. Bray vs Barbara J. Bray, r 2 box 35C. Milford. The couple married September 23,1961 and separated \tugust 3. 1982 Plaintiff seeks a dissolution of the marriage, an equitable division of property.

Unsung heroes —

amUHIMUHB ■if

Sharon Batsela became EMT because of husband

She became an emergency medical technician because her husband was interested and Sharon Batseia laughingly added she had to show him she could learn faster than he could at the EMT classes. She has been an EMT for Syracuse for the past two years. “I like it,” remarked Mrs. Batseia who added “I like the idea of being able to help people and do a little bit for the community now that my kids are grown and out.” Mrs. Batseia has lived in Syracuse for the past 54 years and is married to Ed Batseia who is also an EMT and fireman. She remarked it never fails the week ends she has something planned the ambulance crew she’s on has three to four calls the night before. She is on ambulance crew one. Over the past two years the only thing Sharon hasn't liked about being an EMT is “cleaning up after sick people.” And, like a number of other EMT’s in Syracuse she wants to have the chance to deliver a baby. Mrs. Batseia is an account

and custody of the couple s minor child to be determined Black — Gayle L. Black vs Stephen W. Black, r 3 Syracuse. The couple married on April 8. 1977 and separated June 22, 1982. Plaintiff seeks a dissolution of the marriage, an equitable division of property, attorney’s fees and costs Danner — Tana Kay Danner vs Phillip A. Danner, r 1 Leesburg. The couple married July 12,1980 and separated July 5, 1982. Plaintiff seeks a dissolution of the marriage, custody and support of the couple’s minor child, an equitable division of property, attorney’s fees and costs

SHARON BATSELA

analyst at Commodore Corporation, Syracuse. Her hobbies include reading, knitting and sewing. Batselas have two daughters, Kella Janine England, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Wanda Lou Brown, Syracuse. Mr. and Mrs. Batsela live at 212 E. Pearl St., Syracuse.

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"CRUZIN AROUND 'CUSE"

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RICK BAKER and Garry Ringler have formed a new company, known as the Lakeland Tree Transfer, and are getting it off the ground with a good deed. They are shown above planting a small red pine tree at the northwest corner of Lakeside Park, with tree and moving services valued at about tie®. They got the tree from a woods in the New Paris area, according to Baker. Baker has been greenskeeper at Maxwelton Golf Course for about 10 years, while Ringler is a speech therapist in the Whitko School Corporation, both men being well known in the Lakeland community. THERE'S A good chance a worthwhile patent will come out of the Syracuse area, if we can believe Harold Elliott of Harold Elliott & Son Engineering Co., Inc. It has to do with a new ventilating system for inboard and outboard type boats that is designed to result in fewer explosions and fires on board boats. The idea for the invention came to David Elliott when he saw the result of an explosion to a boat during summer vacation while attending Purdue University. The device, now fully developed, is a prototype unit in operation all season on a Lake Wawasee boat. A patent application was filed thru a Fort Wayne patent lawyer and is pending. " Eliott claims the most common cause of inboard fires and/or explosions is failure of the boat operator to properly ventilate the engine compartment prior to starting the engine. This must be done manually by the operator by turning on a blower switch and then waiting for a period of time prescribed on a placard installed on the panel as required by the Coast Guard. Trouble is, sometimes the operator forgets to turn on the blower. The new device automatically takes care of this. The engine cannot be started until the ventilation cycle is completed. Their slogan is: “It remembers when you forget.” Besides being vice president of Harold Elliott & Son Engineering Co., Inc., David is a project engineer for Switches Inc., of Logansport. Harold Elliott is a retired General Motors engineer with several patents granted in his name. They hope to have their new device on the market next year. The young company lists its address as r 3 box 425 Syracuse. AN INDIANAPOLIS engineering firm has spent some time at the site of the proposed Syracuse Town Hall doing site and soil borings in order to test the suitability of the concrete and subsoil for a new building. At places the concrete is about six inches thick, but the actual findings of the investigative firm remains for its employees’ eyes only. The town has had a quote of >4.®®® to remove the existing concrete preparatory to pouring a floor for the proposed building. BROOKE HAYWARD Heckaman, four-year-old daughter of Larry and Penny Heckaman of Kale Island (Lake Wawasee), was honored with an unusual birthday party last Tuesday. Cousins and friends from Nappanee, Syracuse and Elkhart —l4 in all — joined the Heckamans in their motor home express for a special party at McDonalds in Goshen. CAN THIS be an indication that the four-way campaign for three seats on the Lakeland School Board is heating up? That a bright orange decal appeared at the (hive-up window of the Lake City Bank in the Village one day last week. It's prominent lettering read. “VOTE KOSER. Lakeland School Board.” In case you haven’t been listening, Koser is a candidate for the school board, and so is Henry Smith, manager of the Lake City Bank branch, where the decal appeared. OVERHEARD AT a women s coffee klatch: The only thing worse than a one-armed paper hanger b a woman with a broken wrist trying to pat on her pantyhose. Ummm! RUNNERS DOING their thing on the road past the fish hatchery site were interested in seeing 70 or more Canada geese among those who stop off at the watering hole there on their way to southern climes. Does this portend early fall weather? One would not think so, if the warm weather is any rule of thumb.

VINC LEO, owner-operator of the Maxwelton Golf Club restaurant, is a real believer in the private enterprise system. He demonstrated that at Warsaw last Wednesday morning when he went to bat for Lou Ann Yoder before the Kosciusko County Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Lou Ann was re-applying for a three-way alcoholic beverage license for her new Shrimpboat, and it was Leo who came to her rescue, much to her surprise Mrs. Yoder had considerable opposition to her three-way license application at an earlier hearing, from interests who would be competitors to her operation, who claimed there were enough restaurants with three-way permits in the Lakeland area as it b. Leo took a different tact, claiming “the more the merrier,” even though his Maxwelton enterprise would be in competition with the Shrimpboat. Pretty much on the strength of Leo’s testimony, the beverage commission reversed its earlier stand and granted the alcoholic beverage license to the Shrimpboat. THERE IS a growing interest in widening the influence (and responsibility) of the Syracuse Park Board, to make the board a Syracuse-Turkey Creek Township Park Board. This became apparent when the Department of Natural Resources took steps to open up the fish hatchery site to make it into a public park facility and bass boat ramp site. Kip Schumm. for one, now a vice president of the Syracuse Park Board and a real mover and shaker in this regard, favors widening the board’s influence. "Somebody has to do it,” he contends. We’ve asked Kip to be guest columnist in thb place next week, to explain in part hb view on this important matter. J. B. HOY of Lake Tippecanoe continues his employment at the Kreuter Mfg. Co. in the New Paris Industrial Park as a means of helping support his favorite program — A Rose For Friendship Society. In fact, the employees held a picnic on Saturday afternoon at which Third District Congressman John Hilar appeared at mid-afternoon for a flag-raising. The flag was one presented by Congressman Hiler. which had flown over the nation’s Capital Building. CRAIG R. ATZ, assistant vice president and cashier, of the Cromwell State Bank has recently graduated from The Herbert V. Prochnow Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The school is sponsored by the Central States Conference of Bankers Associations, consisting of bankers associations from 16 Midwestern states. Over 1,500 bankers were enrolled this year from 42 states and Puero Rico. The faculty of over 15® instructors included bankers who are specialists in their respective fields, practicing attorneys, business executives, economists, and members of over a dozen university and college faculties. Requirements for graduation includes attendance at three annual two-week sessions on the Madison campus and the satisfactory completion of extension problems and examinations v 808 AND Lucille Searfoss arrived home last Tuesday from an interesting trip to the West Coast. They visited Bob’s brother, Sam Ed. and hb wife Wilma (Weybright) at their new abode at Leisure World. Seal Beach. Calif., in the Long Beach area, then drove to Modesto to vbit a former roommate of Lucille’s from her Purdue University days. A highlight was an air trip to Gig Harbor, Wash., to visit daughter Sherry and her family. Sherry’s busband N. Anthony is a Lt. Commander on a US ship the US has been using to patrol the West Coast but is selling to Turkey. His crew is training Turkish naval personnel to take the ship over. SPEAKING OF the Searfosses, it’s good to see Charite out and around following hb major surgery at Fort Wayne recently. He’s being seen taking hb dally walks up and down the County Line Road. AVID RUNNERS (and we have a lot of them around these parts) will be given yet one more opportunity to flex their muscles, tins time in the forthcoming Lake Papakeechie Road Run, to step off at 10a.m. Saturday, Oct. 9. (Continued on page 5)