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RAGE 18 • PLAINDEALEK - WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER C, 1978 PLA1ND6ALER, Editorial Opinion R*«p*cHuliy, <1 y. - « • PETER/H.JISIEN & SON IlFLINEPAL HOME McHonry, Illinois 385-0043 Perspective THE CASE OF THE BICYCLE BOONDOGGLE B > R O N A L D R E A G A N Power Of Polls A noted columnist recently pointed out somewhat devastatingly why public opinion polls can't be depended on to accurately reflect public opinion. It's not primarily because only a few hundred people are polled-and that such samples can be wrong. The major cause of distortion in poll results-and news stories they genera te-is the way questions are worded. For example, a Lou Harris poll recently asked a sample of Americans if they favored equal rights for women. Of course, the overwhelming majority said "yes." But when an NBC poll asked a sample if they favored an extension of the ERA amendment ratification, a majority was opposed. And only a 54 percent majority favored ratification of the ERA amendment itself. ^ The question is not to many whether one favors women's rights but whether one thinks the present ERA amendment is the right approach. By asking the question in a certain way, major pollsters can, to a considerable degree, produce the answers composers of the question want. They deny it, of course, but they can do just that- and this power to measure and report public opinion is an awesome one Innocent By Insanity In recent years it has become commonplace for criminals to be declared innocent on the basis of insanity. Even those who have committed the mo6t vicious murders, often premeditated, have often escaped stern punishment via this plea. As with other defenses, this one is abused Several states have tried to do something about this abuse but until now all such efforts to abolish this plea have come to naught. (Sponsors of efforts to abolish the plea point out that it makes no difference to victims whether a criminal is sane or insane. The suffering is the same.) Mental illness and psychiatrists, who often disagree widely or too readily testify in defense of criminals, figure prominently in many complaints about repeat crimes after successful innocent- on-the-basis-of-insanity pleas. Not long ago a murderer in Illinois, freed through such a plea, claimed his second victim-a 15-year-old girl This is happening too often. There should be no unnecessary second-time-around victims. Society owes them protection more than it owes a first-time murderer a second chance, on the basis of a psychiatrist's theory That's why a bill in the Illinois House of Representatives attracted national attention. The Illinois bill abolishes the innocent-by-insanity plea and replaces it with a plea of guilty but mentally ill. The criminal convicted under the new plea would get psychiatric treatment, but in the event medical authorities declared him cured, he would then serve the rest of his sentence While news accounts make it seem as if most public bodies became models of fiscal rec­ titude only after California's Proposition 13 unleashed a nationwide tax revolt, at least a few had come to their senses beforehand. Take the City Council of Concord, Calif., tor example. Last October, at one of those interminable late-night sessions for which City Councils are famous, the governing body of this city east of San Francisco Bay heard staff members describe a $537,000 bicycle path project to run between the Concrod BART (for Bay Area Rapid Transit system) station and those of nearby Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek It seems the federal govern­ ment had solicited a grant application from Concord It would put up $362,000; the state $84,750; and Concord the balance of $90,250, Since, presumably, most bicycle commuters would park their bikes at, say, the Concord station, then ride the train to another station, one coun­ cilman, Lawrence Azevedo. asked the city traffic engineer just who could be expected to ride alongside the train tracks on a bicycle just to get to another train station? TRAFFIC ENGINEER: "There are few hardy souls who commute back and forth to work on bikes. I think they are a very, very small minority..My crystal ball does not enable me to say whether or not we will ever see the day that the (sic) large number of the people in this country will use bikes to go to and from BART and to and from work" COUNCILMAN AZEVEDO: "Are you suggesting that we are wasting our time?" TRAFFIC ENGINEER: "I am suggesting that I think that some of the terms and ob­ jectives that have been fostered by the Feds... are a little misleading." When Councilman Azevedo asked if there were any statistics to show where the possible users of the bike trail might come from, all he learned was that the city had received a petition from thirty- three homeowners who did not want the trail to be built at all! That, by the way. was the only public reaction to the feds' and the city bureaucrats' "model" project Did the boondoggle get the deep six from the Concord Council? Not that night. Reminded - well past midnight - that the federal funds might be "lost" if there were any delay in approving the project, the Council voted 3-tO-l against a motion by Azevedo to submit the matter for detailed study before proceeding. Time passes. It is now May 30.1978. Concord -- and the rest of California - is hot with Propositon 13 fever (election day is a week away). And, on the very next day, May 31, construction is to begin on the BART bicycle path. Much water has passed under the municipal dam by now. Con­ cord has spent $1000,000 in engineering fees so far and has condemned industrial properties along the line of the proposed path. More con­ demnations are needed; hence approval from the Council is required Councilman Azevedo, un­ daunted by.his October defeat, cails for the project to be discontinued entirely. Discussion is intense. Sud­ denly, it begins to dawn on nearly everyone in attendance that the project is nonsensical. Very few bicyclists will ever use the path which would run behind warehouse and through isolated, unlighted areas dif: ficult to enter or leave Besides, the city would be stuck with the cost of maintaining the trail, keeping it secure and remodelling it to connect with future projects. By now the rhetorical tide was running heavily > against the bureaucrats' pride and joy. Still, they had the ultimate Catch-22 -- or so they thought. If you stop the project now, the city staff explained, it will cost you more than it will to com­ plete it, despite the almost negligible value of the project to the community. They pointed out that if the project were discontined Concord might have to absorb all costs to date, rather than get reimbursed by Unce Sam from his barrel of "free" money. After all, the officials at the Department of Transportation could be ex­ pected to sulk and pout if the I roject were turned down. But, said Azevedo, "The Council made a major misjudgment months ago and is about to compound that mistake," To their everlasting credit, a majority of his fellow Council members agreed. They voted 4-to-l to stop the project cold. So did Walnut Creek and the county. This smaii, but certain victory of local common sense over the combined forces of grantsmanship and Govern- ment-from-on-High was un-K derscored by a plaintive footnote uttered by the Concord public works engineer. "This was the model program of this type of project for the entire nation I don't know what they're (the federal agency) going to say when I tell them the Council decided to pull out." What is there illustrious that is not attended by labor? -Cicero. P i \ l \ l ) l \ l I R Letters to the Editor Public Pulse (TK# Ptoindoolor invito* H»o public to wto H»l» this column os on oiprossion ol thoir viowt on subfocts of gonorol intorosf in our community Our only roquost it tfcot tHo writors gtvo signoturo full oddrou ond phono numbsr Wo otk too th®t ono individual not writo on tho nmo sub)oct moro than onco ooch month Wo rosorvo tho right to doloto ony motoriol which two conndor libolous or in objocttonoblo tot to y Energy Savers With summer still around, it's hard to think about cold weather-- and harder still to think about ever-rising utility bills. But this is an ideal time to devise ways of lowering the co6t of heating, cooling, and lighting the home. The National Wildlife Federation, the country's largest conservation education group, cites the case of one florida homemaker who has cut his power consumption by more than 50 percent while continuing to use all major appliances. The following suggestions for saving energy and cutting utility bills are offered: 1--Turn Down The Water Heater Thermostat. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimated that you can save at least $20 a year by lowering the setting on your electric water heater from 150 to 130 degrees (Savings will be less for natural gas heaters.) The higher the temperature inside a water heater, the more heat that's lost through the walls of the tank Thus, you can save even more by dropping the temperature to 120 degrees If you have a dishwasher, the thermostat probably should not be set below 140 degrees, but 120 should be more than satisfactory for most manual tasks A $20 or more savings is a good return for the few minutes it takes to remove the two plates from the front of the heater (remember to cut off the circuit breakers), push back the insulation and move the thermostat pointers to a lower setting 2--Insulate The Hot Water Heater. By wrapping a piece of thick, aluminum-backed fiberglass insulation around your tank, you can reduce the amount of heat lost through its sides and save an additional $20 a year The insulating materials should not co6t more than $10 if you do the work yourself. With gas heaters, be careful not tocover the vent holes; if you don't know where they are. ask a service person V--Drain The Heater Tank. Studies nave shown that sediment collecting at the bottom of a water heater reduces the system's efficiency, ultimately producing higher energy bills. Evefy few months, you can alleviate the probelm by opening the plug at the bottom of the tank and letting the water flow out until it runs clear. 4--Insulate The Pipes.In many homes, there can be 60 feet or more of three-quarter-inch piping between the hot water tank and a faucet That length of pipe contains up to two gallons of water When you turn on the faucet, you must run off that two gallons, plus an additional gallon of water, to warm up the pipes, before any really hot water comes out If a hot water faucet is used ten times a day, this means that you may be wasting 900 gallons of hot water a month. The cost of insulating 60 feet of pipe would pay for itself in six months 5--Hurry Your Showers. Contrary to popular belief, showers save more energy than baths only if they are relatively short During a long, steamy shower with the faucet giving off eight gallons a minute, it doesn't take long before you have drained off more hot water than you would have used in a 30-gallon bathtub You can determine how much water your showerhead gives off each minute by timing how long it takes to fill a one or two-gallon bucket 6-- Use Less Water. If your family doesn't want to take shorter showers, you can conserve hot water by attaching a flow restrictor These devices reduce the amount of water that comes out of the head without sacrificing a hard spray In one test, a $16 95 device released an average flow of 2.1 gallons a minute, compared with a normal release of 8 to 10 gallons a minute According to the DOE, such restnctors can save a family $24 a year in hot water costs 'More energy saving tips next week; For Your Information D«or M*ndi A will should b* reviewed periodically. A change in marital •totui, new children In- created property or othor asset*, change of address to another state, retirement, stetvte changes-each may bo good cause to writo a now will or to amend the existing one. H should be legally drawn and witnessed to bo valid. COACH REBl TTAL "Dear Editor "I have recently been brought to task through this column regarding my efforts as head coach of the McHenry Hornets PeeWee football teams If it wasn't for the reflection on this worthwhile program I wouldn't answer "As head coach I have worked with over 100 boys. 8-13 years old, within the framework of the McHenry Hornets program for three years, kept records, raised funds, stored and issued equipment and attend a coaches' clinic at North Central college at my own expense My only problem is I can't say no When told we could only outfit fifty boys this year, I took sixty- three "It is difficult to get good coaches at the PeeWee level because most want to coach at the Lightweight-Heavyweight levels where the boys are more experienced, not where you have to start from scratch with fourth graders on up (Varsity coaches have been with the Hornets 5-9 years ) In fact, it is a League problem, and only four towns are entering PeeWee teams because of the hard work involved -not for other reasons mentioned in this column "To get to the heart of the matter What is a dictatorship and what is a democracy" If a man offers to coach and after one day informs me his team will have cheerleaders, even though the other three will not. are you dictating policy or being democratic" How does your head coach explain this to the other teams, to parents, and to girls who have not been chosen0 'We do not have cheerleaders because of in surance costs and the hassle of which girls will be chosen ) "If after two days as a coach you inform me you want to draft players, though this has never been done before (except in the NFL), are you dictating policy or are you being democratic" Because of the aforementioned devotion and experience, the head coach can select any players he wants without a draft but because the new 'secondary' coach wanted it, he got it. The only thing I asked for was selection of my entire backfield'-four boys- one was my son, two are brothers allowed to play on the same team, and a new boy. Surely some talent remains in the other fifty-nine boys Ac­ cording to my well-kept records his team ended up with more eighth graders who should be easier to teach Why a draft anyway since we don't keep standings or award trophies, unless you want to build a winner instead of teaching fundamentals0 "If on the third day I refused to allow the secondary" coach to overwork his team on an extremely hot day by doing extra calisthenics and laps am I being a dictator or looking out for the boys' welfare0 You can't teach plays running around the field all night "I think what we had here was an over zealous three-day coach who was able to see and solve all our program problems in three days As for this three year man, I am in the program to teach the boys football-not to coddle coaches This is the first and last time 1 will defend my efforts publicly "Harold Fischbach "Head Coach "McHenry Hornets Pee Wees" MARIJUANA REFORM "Editor: "The McHenry county chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws <NORML> was gratified by the number who attended our fund raising picnic in Crystal Lake It is encouraging to know that SSSSS8SSS8SSSSSSSS& ARE YOU NEW IN McHenry Area? Do You Know Someone New? WE WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND A ROYAL WELCOME TO EVERY NEWCOMER TO OUR AREA!!!!! CALL JOAN STULL 385-5418 UJUSMHH KNOW YOUR AREA-ROYAL WELCOME DOES IT BEST marijuana reform is so generously supported by so many people of every age group in McHenry county "Our picnic was not only a total success from the fund raising aspect (1.800 in donations), but more im­ portant, it proved that NORML supporters are law abiding, concerned citizens who are very serious about making our laws sensible Our picnic was no different from any other large picnic, however, because it was held to raise funds for marijuana reform a few people found it necessary to complain and make public false statements and implications in order to discredit NORML In the future. I hope these in­ dividuals will become informed of the legal consequences that can be brought forth from such public discredits. "McHenry County NORML. like all other non-profit public interest groups will continue to use all public park facilites in McHenry county for events and picnics. In just a few months since we formed our local chapter our membership and support has exceeded our expectations. We welcome anyone who has questions concerning marijuana reform and NORML's policy to write our chapter We will reply to their inquiry and answer their questions "Skip Kloepfer "Director, "McHenry County NORML "P.O. Box 157 "Fox River Grove, 111 60021" (The Public Pulse column is reserved for the opinions of persons residing in the McHenry area except in cases like the above, in which the writer is an official spokesman for an organization that serves the local public) Service Line McHENRY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 385-4300 FAMILY SERVICE * MENTAL HEALTH CLINIC 3409 W Waukegan Road McHenry 385-6400 PARENTAL STRESS LINE OF McHENRY COUNTY Meeting Place: McHenry County 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Call 312-463-0390 STATE CHAMBER GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS HOTLINE 217-522-5514 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 202-755-8660 Hours7:30a.m. to5:30p.m. week days (Ever had a problem involving the federal government and not kndvT"where to call" And then been given a runaround or referrals by persons who meant well but didn't know how to help** Ten specialists available at this center.) NATIONAL RUN-AWAY SWITCHBOARD Illinois Phone: 800-3"2-6004 (For confidential conversation on problems dealing with run-away children) MOVING HOTLINE Phone 800-424-9213 (Complaints about mterestate moving by companies, buses or trains Sponsored by Interstate Commerce commission) CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION Phone 800-638-2666 (For questions or complaints on products ranging from toys to ovens) NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION Phone 800-424-9393 (Answers questions about automobile safety defects or whether a particular model has ever been recalled. Valuable for those interested in buying a used car) ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES Child Abuse Center McHenry County " J (312)546-2150 CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION 800-638 2666 (Operates five national lines Answers inquiries about, or reporting on. the safety of products from kitchen appliances to children's toys) NATIONAL SOLAR HEATING AND COOLING INFORMATION CENTER 800-523-2929 PO Box 1607, Kockville, Md 20850 (Dispenses information on solar systems for heating and cooling to anyone from architects to home owners looking for a sun powered hot water system) CONSUMER PROTECTION DIVISION 1603 N North Avenue McHenry, III John T Licastro (Calls from 9 30 a m to 5 p m - 385 1703; interviews Saturday, 9 30 a m to 12:30 p m ) HIK'I HKH.lt I Prrpnanl.' Vrd Hrlp? ( oun.Hinp Hrrvirr. 38&.2WJ. 21-hour An­ swering Vr i i iT . McHENRY COUNTY YOUTH SERVICE BUREAU Route 47 840 N. Seminary Avenue, Woodstock (Confidential conservation for youths with family problems, lack of communication problems or any other problems) ILLINOIS STATE CHAMBER HOTLINE Phone 217-522-5514 Answer to questions on government regulations. A. G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. WEEKtY MARKET REPORT on the chin which makes it four melancholy »n » 1 Illustrative of just how paper thin confidence is In the face> °j Just one nasty day we had a substantial increase in the number of those asking "Is it all over"? Let's review a bit to put things in perspective. For three weeks now the Dow Industrials have traded in a very tight range--a comfortable type of correction. The prior four weeks saw the market leap up 100 Dow points, with many smaller companies doing even better, and get itself very overbought. The correction of the past three weeks is very normal action in a Bull market and is the price one must pay for past profits and future opportunities. The market has handled bad news quite well in this correction. Declines like yesterday and the overall churning for three weeks have improved the technical health of the market and have again made stocks more vulnerable to good news than bad news. One technical indicator that is disturbing some market analysts is that according to investor's intelligence, 61.9 percent of professional advisors are Bullish. Advice is one thing, action is another. The biggest buyers-pension and profit sharing plans-remained sellers through the second quarter and are sitting on vast amounts of cash. Until a lot of that gets spent, we will take comfort from what people do and not worry about what they say. In the news category, center stage is being held by the dollar and actions proposed and promised by President Carter and his adminsitration. Steps taken so far have pushed up short term interest rates and helped firm the dollar. In our opinion, almost any action is positive as it shows an awareness, finally, of the problem. With a number of important union contracts coming up early next year, we do anticipate that some time after the November elections, a type of income policy will start evolving. This may be necessary to keep wages from building an extremely dangerous base rate of inflation. However, it must be very flexible, used only on giant industries and unions, flexible to specific industry conditions, and must not base future allowable increases on past rates which would punish those who have shown restraint. Market action is saying long term investors "buy 'em". Traders cool it until the big stocks look ready to resume uptrends. A1 Goldman Bare Facts One reason romance lasted longer in the old days was that a wife look­ ed about the same after she washed her face. -Jax Air News, Fla. Need A Cure Most women could be cured of jealousy if they'd just take one good, impar­ tial look at their hus­ bands. -Record. Columbia. S.C. Serii ( 'e & Prof^"""' , ( t ( " V pir<" EARL R. WALSH & JACK WALSH INS. Fire Auto Farm L i t * Bfprnenting RELIABLE COMPANIES 4410 W Rte 120 McMenry ) IS 3300 DENNIS CONWAY AUTO LIFE FIBE State Farm Ins. Co. 331' W Elm St McHenry, l i t 385 71 1 1 DR. LEONARD BOTTARI 303 N Richmond «d McHtnry fvn '»un i in«i Cof l l l t t I tnwi Clttm fitted Mon T u n T h u r j F n 4 t p m Tuei Thur t Fr i . 7 * p m Sal • 30 to 3 00 Ph US 41J I or 3 IJ 37*3 McHENRY COUNTY OFFICE MACHINES SALES SERVICE A RENTALS Mon Si t • J 30 " Fr iday t i l t 00 *3 Grant St Crysta l Lake Ph 44t 127$ McHenry Telephone Answering & Letter Service • Answering Service • Car Telephone £ Paging Service • Complete Mimeographing & Printing Serivce • Typing & Photocopying Ph. 385 0258 Realtors 3*32 W *t. 120 McHenry "GATEWAY TO YOUR FUTURE" CALLUS (815) 385-4810 farm Equipment George P. Freund, Inc. Cos* • New Holland 4102 W Crystal Lake Rd McHENRY Bus. 385-0420 Res. 385-0227 I IRELIT RADIAL TIRES FOR ALL CARS Europa Motors, Inc 2318 Rte. 120 8 15-385-0700 f ir«r/r/ It! M • W at our quick quick-action copy center. F I N E S T C U A L I T Y C O P I E S M A D E O N X F R 0 X E Q U I P M E N T See u s , a l s o , f o r e v e r y k i n d o f P r i n t i n g N e e d ! ! 3909 W MAIN 385 7600 i Ntw TRAILERS used HILLSBORO ft OWNES DUMP-FLATBEDS-CAR HAULERS \ Stidham Horse & Cattle Trailers E A R Plus A Compl*t« Lin* Of BrocUn Winch** \ * ADAMS ENTERPRISES 3017 W. Rt». 120 McHENRY, ILL. 815-3S5-5970 1 A & S SPORTS EQUIPMENT CO. •Name Brand 4211 N DefllUS BWd (SunnySlde) •! Shirts Uniforms McHenry, III 60050 •impr»nt«»»» TEAM SPECIALISTS 385 2552 AH Sports Equipment •Jackets •Bowling Shirts V