The Mail-Journal, Volume 20, Number 4, Milford, Kosciusko County, 9 February 1983 — Page 4

THE MAiL-JOURNAL — Wed., February 9,1983

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Editorials

We're proud of them, one and all Several groups of students represented Wawasee High School in area contests on Saturday and this newspaper’s staff is proud of each and every one of them. The wrestlers won the regional championship! The girls basketball team won the sectional championship! And, 61 WHS musicians won gold medals and 18 won silver medals at the district four music contest. We feel these are special accomplishments worthy of recognition. We also feel the entire community should be proud of these young men and women who have put in many hours of practice and hard work and the community should back the boys as they participate in the semi-state wrestling tournament at Fort Wayne, the girls’ basketball team members as theyr epresent the high school in the regional basketball tournament at Warsaw and those musicians who received gold medals in group one who will participate in the state contest at Indianapolis. Saint Valentine's Day » s In history there are several Saint Valentines and most are linked to February 14. There are different versions of how Valentine’s Day became a day for lovers. But probably the most reasonable explanation is that the custom grew out of the general belief of the Middle Ages that birds began to mate on February 14. It was the custom in many countries for names of boys and girls to be drawn from boxes on the 14th and gifts were then Can the reader remember the first school or neighborhood playmate asked to be his or her Valentine? Did it provoke giggles or did the chosen run away? How simple it was! Few will forget their first true-blue Valentine, as nature began to work its magic force on a child starting life’s long road. The heart, after all, is a very big subject, especially on February 14. A day to remember Many hospitalized veterans face unique challenges which made a day of remembrance especially important. Some still bear the scars of war: Men without limbs. Men kept alive by machines. Young men and old, in whose minds war will never end. Many are far from family and friends. So thousands of Americans will mark February 14 by visiting loved ones in VA medical centers. At many of the 172 VA medical centers, visits begin the week before Valentine’s Day and continue after that date. Some centers plan special visits for the 14th. These visits by service organization members, sports stars, beauty queens, Camp Fire Girls and government officials, play an important role in letting hospitalized veterans know they are appreciated each day of the year. In 1974, groups like Vietnam POWs and No Greater Love —a national humanitarian organization — visited veterans in 50 of the VA’s medical centers. By 1978, this first salute became an official Veterans Administration program — celebrated in every VA medical center. Appropriately, Valentine’s Day —a day of caring, sharing, loving and remembering — is now National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Day. There’re many teachers who know the difference between teaching and learning, but who cannot teach. Few men finish their work by thinking about it.

What others say

Hoosiers not keeping pace with education needs The following is a summary of an article entitled “Economics, Education, and the Hoosier Prospect,’’ by Harrison J. Ullmann, Director of Communications Research and Planning at Indiana University, and Carlyn E. Johnson, Associate Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. Both are members of the Education Subcommittee of the Policy Development Council of the Policy Committee. Although Indiana holds to a Hoosier heritage of small towns and family farms, the facts of Indiana history are that our state has been one of the most industrialized states in the union for the last fifty years —a state built on the strong but narrow economic foundations of the automobile and steel industries. But that foundation has been undermined by the tides of economic stagnation, foreign competition, and changing technology. The automobile and steel industries may recover their markets and they may recover their profits — but they will never recover their old positions as the primary employers of Hoosiers. In fact, the economic recovery of these industries requires permanent and substantial reductions in their work forces. t The industries of Indiana’s past were industries of natural resources .. . industries that manufactured their products from the raw materials of mines and forests. The industries of Indiana’s future must be industries of human resources . . . industries that make their goods and services from the educated talents and trained skills of their workers. But Indiana has neglected its human resources. The price of low taxes for Indiana’s citizens has been an education system too small and too poor to prepare our children for the'work of the future. Indiana has an unusually large population of men and women who have not completed high school. . . men and women whose prospects for work are poor even in times of economic recovery. In the states that have invested best in the educations of their citizens, Massachusetts and California, there is nearly one college graduate for every high school drop-out. For the nation, the ratio is nearly one to two: One college graduate for every two adults who have not completed high school. But in Indiana, the ratio is almost three high school dropouts for every college graduate in the work force. / On every index of support for education, Indiana ranks with the last of the states; 34th for per capita expenditures for students in Ivy Tech and the state universities, 40th for appropriation increases for higher education during the last 10 years. Indiana has failed to create the economic and educational foundations the state must have for the knowledge industries of the future. One result of this neglect is a great Hoosier brain drain ... not only is our state failing to educate enough of its citizens, it is failing to keep those it does educate. Indiana’s rather small and comparatively inexpensive education system may have been well fitted to the requirements of a state that had built its prosperity so successfully upon the great manufacturing industries. Now Indiana has lost its old economic foundations but it has kept its old education system, still rather small and still rather inexpensive ... but now entirely inadequate for the support of the knowledge industries. These, after all, cannot prosper in a state of ignorance. — LA GRANGE STANDARD

J1 L ■ lul Wawasee students are to be commended for the outstanding job they did in representing the school and the entire Lakeland area on Saturday. Juan Roa is shown on the left in the top left photo and is one of several wrestlers who brought home the regional wrestling crown on Saturday. Michele Nemeth and Cindy Knotts, right, were among the first place winners at the ISSMA district 4 solo and ensemble contest held at Wawasee on Saturday. In the bottom photo members of the Wawasee High School girls' sectional championship team presented the trophy to principal Howard Hull during festivities held in the high school gym Saturday night. Unsung hero — ' "XX 1 I ■r "' .AKLJH K.- uhyJdgtMwy . DICK ROBERTS Roberts is new member of Webster Fire Department

Dick Roberts, 38, rural North Webster, is one of the newer members of the North Webster Fire Department. Roberts became a full time firemen in late August after spending six months as an auxiliary fireman. He became a fireman through the influence of “good friends,” and he believed the community needed all the help it could get. Roberts stated he likes being a fireman basically because the men he protects the community withare “a super bunch of guys.” Roberts has been a resident of the North Webster area all of his life, graduating from North Webster High School. His hobbies include coon hunting along with other hunting and fishing activities. He and his wife, Sandy, have two children, Melissa, 15; and Ray, 11. Roberts is employed at Bowen Motors in North Webster and is a member of the Albion Coon Hunter’s Club.

During his time as a fireman Roberts stated he remembers strongly the sand bagging in the spring of 1982, while he was still an auxiliary fireman. THE MAIL-JOURNAL (U.S P S. 325 840) Published by The Mail-Journal every Wednesday and entered as Second Class matter at the Post Office at Syracuse, Indiana *4587. Second class postage paid at 103 E. Main Street, Syracuse, Indiana 44547 and at additional entry offices. Subscription: Sl3 per year in Kosciusko County; Sls outside county. POSTMASTERS: Send change of address forms to The Mail-Journal. P.O. Box IM. Milford. Indiana44s42

"CRUZIN AROUND 'CUSE"

(EDITORS NOTE. Ross Ritchey was pastor of the Saint Andrew's United Methodist Church from June I. 1960. to May 31, 1964, when the new church was built His most recent pastorate was the Leesburg United Methodist Church. June 1. 1979 to May 31. 1982 He hod previously served Bourbon Methodist Church, 19541960, and Mishawaka United Methodist Church, 19731978 He and Mrs. Richey now reside at 3115 East Jackson Blvd.. Elkhart. GREETINGS TO “old” friends, and new! Recently I had lunch with Arch, and this was concluded with an invitation to write an article for ‘Crusin* ‘Round ‘Cuse. Well, how can one turn down that kind of invitation, especially in light of the fact that Arch said. “You have a lot of friends around Syracuse and Leesburg!” These are two communities where 1 have pa stored. Well, on the chance that he was telling me the truth, and that I do indeed have friends out there — “Hi!” And, on the chance that you are interested in what’s happening in my life now, as he also indicated then, sit down a minute and let me simply share! Now, it’s really O.K. too, if those of you who do not know me from Adam — would do a little “window-peeping,” and share in this article. 0.K.? Do we now have everything sorted out, and all necessary apologies made? Let’s assume that this is true. Around late February of ’Bl I wrote an article from Saint Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis. It was fun to write, in spite of the fact that 1 was simply awaiting my turn for open-heart surgery! Many of you have indicated to me that you enjoyed that article!/Great! (This is not to be a sequel to that.) Since that time, in fact, on January 19, ’B2, I fell on my head playing tennis at the Warsaw Raquet Club, was rushed to Kosciusko Community Hospital — where they said that they had neither the equipment nor the personnel to care for my problem. I was then rushed (unbeknown to me) to Fort Wayne Lutheran Hospital where I had a craniotomy on January 25, and remained unconscious for another week or so. On February 20,1 was dismissed and have tried since to become a “well” person! > In this effort I discovered that vision was becoming less and less satisfying. (Later tests, led to the unwelcomed — though scientifically correct designation — “Legally blind!”) This is a technicality which indicates that one’s vision is as bad as 20/200. I pursued sight until told simply: “Due to long years of high blood pressure, this has finally resulted in what we call a “small stroke” in the area of the optic nerve. With (that .cutting off the blood supply) to that area, the optic nerve has begun to atrophe. And to the degree. Sir. that your loss of vision is due to the death of the optic nerve, to that degree, there is no hope now, or ever of any improved vision.” O.K. Now, that’s not a laughing matter! There is nothing funny about losing his/her vision! But where do you go with that information? What does one do? The doctor at Cleveland, thought by Elkhart doctors to be the best neurologist of the eye in the world said, “Sir, the best we can do for you is to recommend that you hurry home, relate as quickly as possible to a Re-habilitation Center for the visually impaired — and if you don’t get a good one — don’t waste any time — change, but do get help!” We moved from Leesburg on June 9, and on June 10 at 11 a.m. Mary and 1 were at the Rehabilitation Center in Elkhart for the Visually. Impaired, sitting across the desk from Mrs. Rod Workman — and signing up for work which they had to offer. “What they had to offer”, and my acceptance of those services — to me — is a thrilling story. It follows: I was granted a 13 one-half day stint with them — during which time 1 was exposed to their kind of services. First of all, I was asked, “How can we help you?” And my response was this, “I’ve always loved my independence, so I’d like to be able to get around by myself.” (They call this “mobility training.”) And it includes (if you wish) seeing-eye dog training, long-white cane training. (I chose the latter.) I also wanted to be independent to the degree that if Mary had opportunity for a day or a weeklong which she’d really like to take in, fine. I would Cehbh* to do my own cooking. The idea of always having to depend on memory, or someone else to look up telephone numbers and addresses, did not appeal to me at all. So, since I am relatively comfortable in the kitchen, I chose to take Braille training, and the long-white cane training. As a result of the above thinking and knowledge, through the Elkhart Re-habilitation Center we applied for this help, and since I had been declared “legally blind” it was free. (Thanks tax-payers!) I had known for years that there was a Re-hab center in Elkhart for the visually impaired —for I had known the Workmans since 1969. But, I had no idea of the depth of concern, and the ability to help — and lack of cost to persons involved. I did, literally, weep for joy on the day that 1 became conscious of that fact, that through the years, my tax dollars (some of them) had gone to the business of helping people put lives back together again.

Letters to the editor Abolish taxes

Dear Editor: “Something’s wrong” claims the publisher of the “Indianapolis Star” (Sunday, Jan. 30), “when the President of the United States can’t suggest that our tax structure needs to be discussed. ’ ’ The Star is right, something is wrong but it is not with the corporate tax as the president suggested. It is with the personal income tax. It is past time for

We hear so much about how our tax dollars are blowing people and nations apart around the world — and all the scandals, etc. I was simply overjoyed to know that some of mine had gone to help the helpless, and sometimes “hopeless persons,” who without this help would simply “Die on the vine.” On November 1. *B2 1 entered the program “full steam ahead!" I was there five mornings a week — except for Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations — learning to read and write in braille — and to walk with the assistance of the cane! I spent two hours each morning with the mobility trainer (he prefers to be called “Facilitator”). I spent one hour each morning with a girl who was doing her internship at the center. Bonnie was around 29 years of age. and she had never seen the light of day — never! She was teaching me how to read and write in Braille! This training ended January 7.1983. Bonnie was “mainstreamed” through 10 of her first 12 years of school. Then she earned her initial college degree, and had done all the necessary class work for her master’s degree (all she had to do was to finish her internship and graduate.) I never wanted to accomplish anything so much in my life. I felt that her graduation might depend on her success with me learning to accomplish what she was there to teach! (This happens to not be so.) She would have graduated even though I had not succeeded, but 1 didn’t know that! Learning braille isn’t too difficult — but feeling it was really tough for me. The dots are so close together. I said, “Please, someone has to know that I do know the braille, but I just can’t feel it. My fingers were made on the farm, and 1 could use them for hauling manure and the like in physical labor — but I just couldn’t use them to read braille. And then the teacher asked. “Have you been introduced to JUMBO BRAILLE?” I had not. but I said. “I’d trade this small slate now, or anytime for a JUMBO SLATE!” My teacher asked. “Do you mean that?" And I surely did! She took my small slate and went to the basement at Re-hab and returned with a JUMBO — And “Hey. I can read!” 1 can also write! And the problem with JUMBO is that “books are not printed in JUMBO, articles are not written in JUMBO, nothing is done in jumbo — but who cares? 1 was always more interested in “making history” then in “reading history.” So, with that applied here, 1 can read my own writing, and that’s important! I have just, today finished a list which, do doubt, will continue to grow! It is a list of names and addresses and phone numbers pf family and friends to whom I write occasionally, or call periodically. (It is an index file in Braille!) And I call that “Outreach!” I had to use “Jumbo cards for this too. JUMBO writing takes too much room (1 bought two packages of sxß index cards — and a sxß file box and the tabs to separate the alphabet listing.) Now, I can walk, and I can cross an intersection. One has to learn techniques which we never dreamed were available — but one does learn them! There has been at least 11.100 of taxpayers money go into helping me to find myself again! “Thanks to all of US taxpayers!” (Fact is. Um still among that number also!) I would gladly trade in $l,lOO of our own, with other things of material value, in return for my sight — but since that is not in the cards for me, I am determined to not be side-tracked simply because I am only one of around 500,000 persons in the USA who are also declared “legally blind” — arxfperhaps more who have not had the courage to tested and declared ‘legally blind! ’ I have given up driving! I never did have an urge to fly! So there’s no sacrifice involved with the decision to not fly! I do love to canoe, and Mary, and I did organize a canoe trip last fall where there were 16 of us spending one and one half days on the beautiful and exhilirating Pine River west of Cadillac. Mich. This year was different in that I had to ride in the bow of the canoe. No one trusted me to ‘drive.’ I shall soon be sitting down with Mary Workman again to discuss the days I have available for ‘volunteer work’ at the Rehabilitation Center. (I really look forward to being a part of this kind of “helping agency ”) In the meantime. I have preached once “without notes” at Albany, on the last Sunday in October. I’m looking forward to leading a Methodist Men’s group at Bristol in near future. And then I have a date in the not too distant future, to preach at a former church 1 served for five years in Elkhart — Calvary. On April 30,1 have been asked to be on a panel at Wesley Manor in Frankfort (one of our United Methodist Retirement homes). My emphasis is supposed to be “Coping with a handicap! ” Now. it seems that all 1 have to do is. to learn “how to cope with a handicap!” It was very rewarding for me to spend this time with you. Hope you enjoyed it too! Arch asked me to include the following: J . Ross & Mary Richey 3115 East Jackson Blvd. (SR 120) Elkhart, Ind. 46516 Telephone 522-3186

some heavy national “discussion” into this area. The facts are that when Congress initiated the income tax in 1909, they never intended that a direct tax be placed on personal income but allowed only for a corporate or indirect tax on the privilege of incorporation. The guidelines had been set earlier when the Supreme Court had struck down a personal income

tax in the Pollack case because it was a direct tax on earnings and wages. The Supreme Court later ruled that the 16th Amendment was constitutional because it gave Congress no new taxing power and in subsequent cases, ruled that “wages are not income,” but only an exchange, “not profit or (Continued on page 5)