PAGE 8-PLAINDEALER-WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 1?72 EDITORIflLS Memorial Day, 1972 Memorial Day began--as a national observance--during the Civil War, first in Mississippi (Columbus and Vicks- burg), Virginia (Winchester) and other states, and by 1865 was observed nationally. That year the Adjutant General of the U.S. Army suggested graves be decorated throughout the country. Though the military establishment is much abused in America today and though wars art1, admittedly, humanity s greatest tragedy, it is nevertheless true that defense has often been necessary to preserve liberty. It is highly likely it will lie necessary again-to preserve our democratic freedoms. Christian, idealistic and moral principles and philosophies notwithstanding, unless a tree nation contains men willing to fight and die, if necessary, for their country and its freedoms, liberty cannot long survive. These are the thoughts which should engage us on Me morial Day, 1972. And to ail who responded to their duty when their country called, and who gave their lives, the nation is indebted. It is too much to expect each individual soldier, sailor or aimian to pass individually on the light ness or wrongness of the foreign policy of his government an<J act accordingly. This would produce only chaos. Rather, a nation must necessarily depend on brave men who be- leave, as Robert K. Lee did, that duty is the sublimest word in the English language. Gambling Revenues Many of the relatively poorer states in the nation steadfastly refuse to seek revenues from gambling in any form. Without arguing the issue, it is nevertheless accurate to report that gam bling of various kinds flourishes in all, that states which legalize and seek to control it earn huge revenues therefrom. New York State, for example, earned about $160 million from race tracks alone in 1970! California earned over $50 million, Illinois over $46 million, Florida $18.5 million, etc. Of course, this is only a part of gambling revenue. New York also has a lottery, as do many other states. There is little doubt that legalized lotteries or racing in many states would enable legislatures to avoid increasing individual taxes. PUBLIC PULSE (The Plaindealer invites the public to use this col umn as an expression of their views on subjects of general interest in our community. Our only re quest is that writers lim it themselves to 300 words or less - signature, full address and phone num ber. We ask too, that one individual not write on the same subject more than once each month. We re serve the right to delete any material which we consider libelous or in ob- jectlon&i taste.) ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS "Editor: "The HOW (Happiness of Womanhood. Inc) organization, The League of Housewives and the Right to Be a Woman Organization in Illinois, urge the women of Illinois to oppose the Equal Rights Amendment now pending in the Illinois House and Senate, with telegrams, phone calls and letters "We submit the following statement: "Equality under law equates with sameness not justice. There is a greater inalienable right with which we were born, the right to be a woman and the right to have the difference of our sex taken into legitimate consideration under laws enacted by this state and by this country. It is the state purpose of the backers of the Equal Rights Amendment to deny women this right forever "According to the top legal authorities of this land the entire body of law pertaining to women will be left to the un predictable judgments of the courts in the form of con stitutional decisions which could not be changed by our l^islators "Protective legislation enacted after long struggle and undeniable need would be destroyed "In the area of domestic law eminent legal authorities maintain that the Equal Rights Amendment could abolish the common rule whereby a husband has the primary duty of support toward his family. There are approximately 44 million women who depend on their husbands to provide this primary support "Equal application of the draft laws' means that women will be drafted into combat Other laws affected will be widow's pension which generally favor women and Social Security. Any law that treats men and women dif ferently can be challenged by either the man or the woman as unconstitutional. Third parties such as businesses may take laws to court where it benefits the business to do so. "The separate but equal doctrine has been forbidden by the Supreme Court of the United States, so differences must be resolved by identical treatment. In concrete terms this is a unisex amendment. "Our organizations stand for just treatment of women We see the Equal Rights Amend ment as unjust, deceiving in its simplicity and dangerous. Amending the federal con stitution is a solemn matter and ought not to be embarked upon unless it can be demonstrated beyond question that no other means can assure the few desired changes. "We support specific remedy for specific wrong such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963 which gives equal pay for equal work and also Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Much progress has been made for working women and more is pending. Why not enforce these acts? "We believe in legislation which unlike the Equal Rights Amendment will not effect the status of women in the area of domestic relations and military training. The ERA will render all laws unconstitutional that exempt women from the draft. Our choice of military life is therefore denied. "We believe in the family as the basic unit of American society. How can the dif ferences between men and women be ignored in fashioning our laws and institutions. No legal presumption will exist of granting a child to his mother. "The Elmo Roper poll as listed in the Feb. 8, 1972, Congressional Record shows \that 83 percent of American women do not favor what the Equal Rights Amendment will do. We urge you to act now, to contact your state represen tatives and state senator to vote NO on this amendment. "We represent thousands of women from the working force and the home front who have children at home and family to care for and unlike the women's liberation do not have time to spend days in Springfield pestering the legislators. "We favor full and open debate. "Mrs. Darlene Degenhardt "4506 N. Riverdale McHenry, 385-7384, for itfiUSSiZM* •ANOTHIW MEMORIAL DAY mm Let's keep the casualties down! Memorial Day- M v \ is..**** Most avid followers of the nation's national pastime will probably claim skill is the key to good hitting. How ever, we believe weather is also a factor for the base ball hitter. The best kind of day for t h e h i t t e r , o r s l u g g e r , i n baseball, is the warm, clear day, when the air is- light, or when the wind is blowing from the homeplate to the outfield. This weather pro duces excellent vision, light air, with no handicap wind for the ball being hit. A ball will travel just a little further in warm, clear air. The batter's vision is best on a clear day. On the other hand, the best weather for a pitcher is a cold, dark, day, with the wind blowing from the outfield to home- plate. In such weather the bat ter's vision will be more re stricted, the air will be just a little heavier, and the ball will not travel as far when hit and the wind will also check its flight. A combina tion of these factors can often be important in a base ball game, although any one of them (with the exception of a strong wind) is not overly important. New Outlook In Geriatric Transfer - : Many of the transfer patients, Cravens said, are not mentally ill, and once they are placed in a community facility it is hard to tell the mental hospital patient from the ones from the private sectors. Cravens said his goal is to complete the transfer program by the end of 1973. Not all of the geriatric patients will be tran sferred, but only 800 to 1,000 patients will remain in the state wide mental health system. He said those patients who are suicidal, homicidal, combative, infirm or have a terminal disease will remain in the hospitals. At the start of the transfer program the ten state hospitals that handle the majority of the geriatric patients had a population of those over 65 years old of 6,634. Through mid-April that number had been reduced to 3,084. The patients, Cravens added, have not shown any appreciable objections to the moves even though when first confronted with the possibility they voiced some objections. The families of the patients often show concern over the move, Cravens said, but when everything has been completed the family members become more interested in the patient than ever before because the patient may be closer to home and because the stigma about living in a mental hospital has been removed. Through the Geriatric Transfer program, Ono longer will the elderly citizen have no place to go except the mental health facilities. SOCIAL SECURITY by John K. Watkins FIELD REPRESENTATIVE Today's- questions are ones frequently being ask ed of our representatives by the people of McHenry county. The Social Secur ity office at 2500 Grand avenue, Waukegan, re minds McHenry county residents that it has repre sentatives meeting people at two locations in McHen ry county on a regular ba sis. The representatives are at the Woodstock Pub lic Library, 414 W. Judd, Woodstock every Wednes day from 9 a.m. to noon and at the Harvard city hall from 9:30 a.m. to noon on the first andthirdTues day every month. If you have a question you would like answered cm Social Se curity in this column, then please forward it to Social Security Administration Question and Answer Col umn, 2500 Grand avenue, Waukegan, Illinois, 60085. Give your full name, ad dress, and Social Security number. If you do not want your name to appear, please indicate this and we will use only intitials. Q. I am receiving monthly Social Security benefits as a widow and I'd like to get married again. Will my Social Security benefits stop if I remarry? A. Benefits continue for most widows who remarry after reaching 60. However, the amount of your monthly benefit may change. Check with any Social Security office for an answer on your specific case. Q. I work part time as a waitress at a supper club. I collect all tips at the tables I serve, and later 1 share them with the bus boys working at , my tables. Do I report all these < tips for Social Security? A. You must give your em- • ployer a written report of your • tips within 10 days after the month you receive them when they amount to $20 or more for a month. Report only the amount you keep for yourself. The other employees should also report their tips to the employer if they amount to $20 or more in a month. Q. I own a small grocery store and recently cashed a bad check for a person who used his Social Security card for identification. Can you help me locate this person? A. No, sorry but we can't. According to the law, social security records are con fidential and we are not allowed to give out such information. As a word of caution, Social Security cards are not intended to be used for identification purposes, and, therefore, they are not good proof of identity for check cashing and related purposes. Christ and his teachings have outlasted the Great Empire that permitted his death, and will outlive those who now defy him. The majority of the 7,000 elderly citizens of Illinois' mental health facilities are getting a new outlook on life and a new start in community living through the Geriatric Transfer program. The program, instituted by Gov. Richard B. Ogilvie in 1969, provides for geriatric patients to leave the confines of a state mental institution and live in the community atmosphere of a nursing home or sheltered care facility. Through many years of accumulation, state-wide mental health facilities had reached, before the start of the program, a geriatric population of more than 7,000 persons, most of whom were over 65 years old. "Elderly citizens," Dr. Albert J. Glass, director of the Illinois Department of Mental Health, said, "live in mental hospitals, not because they are mentally ill, but simply because they have no place else to go." Since the start of the program in September, 1969, more than half of the geriatric population has been placed in licensed nursing homes or sheltered care facilities throughout the state The program is not a wholesale transfer of elderly patients into the community facilities, Glass said, but is a selective process of placing the patient in or near the community or county he originally came from and matching him to the facility offering the appropriate type care the individual requires. The licensed sheltered care facilities provide personal care, assistance and supervision for persons who require continuous assistance with the activities of daily living. The nursing homes provide the basic nursing services 24 hours a day and deal mainly with people who have long-term illnesses or disabilities. Ira D. Cravens, state coordinator, Geriatric Transfer program, said even though there are approximately 1,100 long- term care facilities in the state the transfer program has been slow because of the careful match-up of patient to facility and because many of the community facilities are not acceptable or the homes do not want to accept mental health or public aid patients. Cravens added there is still a stigma placed on persons who have been in mental hospitals and many home operators are hesitant to place these patients with those residents who come from private sectors of the community. Nothing Beats Illinois Beef The public taste for beef has steadily increased during the past 20 years. Per capita consumption of beef has jumped from 70 pounds in 1950 to 113 pounds in 1971. Illinois cattle feeders have long played an important role in providing quality beef to the nation. For more than 100 years the Chicago Stockyards set the price for top-quality finished cattle. The tradition is now being carried on by the new Joliet Illinois stockyards. Highest prices are paid for highly finished cattle that grade USPDA Prime in the carcass. Most Prime beef goes to the kosher market or to the ex pensive restaurant trade, and it makes up only a fairly small percentage of the total beef market. Most of the finished beef produced in Illinois ends up with a USDA Choice grade. Choice beef is consistently good in eating quality, but it is less expensive to produce than USDA Prime. Many grocery chains specialize in marketing Choice f I 17 IS 11 grade beef, and many beef LJr, JOflJT F OPTOMETRIST industry observers say that the consistent flavor and palatability of beef provided through grocery stores has been a big factor in increasing beef consumption. Another government grade appropriate for finished beef is USDA Good. Beef graded Good contains less fat but also has less flavor and juiciness than Choice beef. Marbling is the primary factor determining grade. And producers can increase mar bling in their carcasses by feeding longer periods. Current consumer demands for beef require the cattle feeder to produce beef with enough marbling to make USDA Choice, or close to it, but with as much leanness as possible. The Right to be a Woman. "Mrs. Dolores Lynch, for Happiness of Womanhood Inc. "Mrs. Eileen Condon, for League of Housewives" The going is usually best when you remain on the level. When there is no bright side, try polishing the dull side. Are You New In McHenry Area 5 Do You Know Someonthlew ? WE WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND A ROYAL WELCOME TO EVERY NEWCOMER TO •i •1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 t 1 K % I I •I I I I I I I I •I I •I I I I I I I I I I * \ I K ( ' ' K N O W Y O U R r l OUR AREA CALL JOAN STULL 385-5418 FRAN OLSEN 385-5740 'a. t l V J I f l M I l i N E W A R E A -- R O Y A L W E L C O M E D O E S I T B E § T . ( I I ! I I I I I I 5®** NOW PLAYING At 1£24 X. Green St eet McHenry (Closed VVednesdt") Eyes examined .. Glass's fitted Contact Lenses Hrs: Daily 9:30 a.m. t< 5 p.m. Friday Evenings - 8: j0 p.m. Evenings by appointment PHONE 385-0452 Dr. Leonard Bottari Eyes Examined - Contact Lens Glasses Fitted 1303 X. Richmond Road Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs.and Fri. 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tues., Thurs., & Eri Eve. 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Sat.: 9:30 to 3:00 p.m. \o Hours on Wednesday PHONE 385-4151 If Xo Answer...Phone 385-2262 AT FAT BOB'S BAR NATURAL GAS" I I | McHenry County Office Machines OFFICE EQUIPMENT BOB - DAN - BOB with FAT BOB I » I I INSURANCE Earl R. Walsh & Jack Walsh Eire, Auto, I arm & Life Representing RELIABLE COMPANIES When You Nsed Insurance ot Any Kind PHONE 385-3300 3429 W. Elm St., McHeiry, 111. Sales-Service & Rentals Typewriters - Adders Calcu !ators Mon.-Sat. 9:00-5:30 Friday 'til 9 p.m. PHONE 459-1226 93 Grant St., Cyrstal Lake, 111. LETTER SERVICE IIWED. 9:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.mj I I I I FRI.-SAT.-SUN.-M0N. (Memorial Day) 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. a Hounge) || 4720 W. Rte. 120^385-5225^ McHenry, III, j Mimeographing - Typing Addressing - Mailing Lists McHenry Letter Service 3509 W. Pearl,St. McHenry PHONE 385-5064 Monday through Saturday. George L. Thompson General Insurance "LIFE * AL'TO * HEALTH * FIR E *CASUALTY *BOAT Phone 815-385-1066 3812 W. Elm St., McHenry In McHenry Plaindealer Bldg. Dennis Conway AUTO, LIFE, FIRE STATE FARM INSURANCE COMPANY 3315 VV. Elm St. McHenry, Illinois Phone 385-5285 or 385-7111 want ads TO WORK FOR YOU FOR FAST RESULTS PHONE 385-0170