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PAGE 2 PLAINDEALER - FRIDAY. APRIL 21, 1984 News and Views Does customer service exist any more? Drunk driving crackdown earns Schaffer's support State Sen. Jack Schaffer, (R- Cary) has called for stronger measures in the fight against drunk driving. "Hiere is a drunk driver in­ volved in more than half of all fatal highway accidents/' Schaffer said. "I am proud that Illinois has been steadily reducing traffic deaths for the past six years-no other state can match this achievement- but we must have an even stronger program to prevent these accidents." Schaffer endorsed Governor James Thompson's budget proposals to combat Driving Under the Influence (DUI) offenses. The program is directed at discouraging drinkers from driving, through educational programs, and arresting those drinkers who do drive, the Senator said. The proposals call for $1 million to increase highway patrols and improve sobriety testing. Under the plan, Schaffer said patrols would be beefed up with an additional 25 state police officers. They could provide heavier surveillance at locations where there have been accidents and at hours when more ac­ cidents occur, particularly along the Wisconsin line during the summer months. Purchases of new breath testing equipment would be continued. Most equipment now in use is 22 years old and expensive toonaintain. These measures would increase arrests, convictions and drivers license suspensions, the Senator said. "Arresting drunk drivers is top priority, and persuading people not to drive when they drink is equally vital. Ibe plan would emphasize providing programs to educate people at local levels about the dangers of drinking and driving." Senator Schaffer explained. "We can make our highways safer for everyone through this program of education and en­ forcement," Senator Schaffer said. In conjunction with National Consumers Week, April 23 - 29, the Consumer's Resource Handbook has been published listing numerous tips on how, where, and to whom to send your product complaints. _ To obtain a free copy of the Consumer's Resource Hand­ book, write to Department of Health and Human Serivces, 35th floor, 300 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, HI. 60606. R a McHenry « »sm« u» lamdealer McHenry Herald (USPS 335-200) Established 1875 3812 West Elm Street Phone 815-385-0170 AAcHenry, Illinois 60050 Published Every Wednesday & Friday at McHenry, Illinois Second Class Postage PAID at McHenry. Illinois by McHENRY PUBLISHING COMPANY POSTMASTER Send address changes to McHenry Plaindealer 3812 W. Elm St.. McHenry. Illinois 60050 Subscribers are requested to provide immediate notice of change of address to the McHenry Plaindealer, 3812 W. Elm St.. McHenry, III. 60050. A deduction of one month from the expiration of a subscription will be made where a change of address is provided through the Post Office deportment. Thomas C. Miller-Publisher Donna Bartulis-Editor Atoarb Winning Bttoapaper MEMBER NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 Year $19.00 1 Year $27.00 !n McHenry Outside McHenry County County Stop In & Check Our Low Rates Turn to the FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF MCHENRY For Your Next Auto Loan. One good turn deserves another. If you are planning on buying a new car, finance it at the 1st. Our low interest bank rates will save you money. Whether or not you have an account with us, visit our loan department and arrange for an auto loan to suit your budget. Shop around for the car of your choice assured that the money will be available when you need it. When you come to the 1st, you will know you made the right turn. LOAN OFFICE HOURS Mon.-Tues.-Wed.-Thurs. ... 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Friday 9:00 AM to 7:30 PM & Saturday 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM Serving the banking needs of the McHenry area. MJ III • Member FDIC Mf 1RST NATIONAL BANK OF MCHENRY 381* WEST ELM STREET. P.O. BOX 338 • McHENRY, ILLINOIS 60050-0338 815-385 5400 Service is as important to everyday living as most anything that comes to mind, but unfortunately there are times when we're convinced it is a vanishing nicety. Our most recent experience started out as a pleasant evening in which dinner would be followed by a show. The restaurant was not the average variety but one highly touted for its dinners. With a reservation confirmed in view of the show to be seen, we arrived 10 minutes early and were pleased to be seated almost immediately. From that point on deterioration set in. There were waitresses scurrying everywhere - well, almost everywhere, but in this small enough room how could we go unnoticed? Nevertheless, we appeared to be invisible to those who counted. After a wait of maybe 15 minutes the waitress came to the table with menus, then she, too became invisible. During a lengthy absence we were able to become acquainted with the personal viewpoints of each diner although we had no intention of eavesdropping. At last the waitress appeared and acquainted us with the evening's specials. We selected one of them and received toast and dip, a tasty come-on that later we thought might have to suffice for dinner. Not long afterward, the pleasant young woman returned with a huge salad bowl con- usiiT &, andenn BY KAF taining only lettuce. The goodies that would make the gourmet offering were in small bowls beside the greenery. Explaining that this was not for everyone, she proceeded to hurry through the ingredients so quickly we could not stop her before she had made one addition we could not eat. So much for the salad! We , could still look forward to the entree. Some time later, after ner­ vously checking the time, we were able to get her attention when she visited a nearby table. She assured us the dinner was almost ready. Ten minutes later it arrived, and indeed, was a tasty treat for a gnawing stomach. Only the coffee was now missing, and it was apparent we might as well forget a second glass of water. It was not that there was any vendetta to "get us." We were merely ignored. In a brief moment of triumph we caught the eye of a bus boy and explained our plight. "Certainly, I'll bring the coffee," he said, then disap­ peared. Our next glimpse of him was clearing a table 10 minutes later. When the waitress returned we explained that we were a failure at getting a cup of coffee. With an apology she hurried away. Five minutes later it arrived via the waitress, who explained, with some apology, that the boy had made his choice of priorities. Our coffee lost to a command from the boss to clean up a table. With only the check to arrive tone hour and 40 minutes after our arrival), we settled back for a moment of relaxation. Hie dinner had been ad­ vertised as broiled perch at $5.95 - certainly a reasonable price. But the bill read in excess of $22 for two people. Surely we had received a different fish, which was very good. When she took the money, we asked what the savory fish was and the waitress replied with a smile, "Perch", then disappeared while we mumbled something about its superior quality. There was no intention of disputing the bill, but there was a temptation to compare the service, and the meal, with what the public terms an "ordinary restaurant." Sometimes we find ourself caught up in ambience because of reputation. A little reflection on what constitutes being ripped off may send us to a less publicized restaurant another time. Capitol Update: LEADERS ASSAIL WORKERS COMP Handbook aids people with complaints Economic recovery and stability depend on a number of factors, but in Illinois, many business and governmental leaders believe that the high cost of workers' compensation is the biggest single detriment to business development and a sustained recovery. The members of the Chicago Association of Commerce and Industry demonstrated their feelings on the subject during a recent meeting at which 57 percent of the membership cited high workers' compensation and unemployment insurance costs as the most serious problem facing Illinois. Republican lawmakers have traditionally worked to enact reforms in these two areas, but an overwhelming Democratic majority in both houses of the legislature has precluded any major progress since the 83rd General Assembly convened more than a year ago. Although the democratic Speaker of the House did con­ vene a summit conference on workers' compensation issues recently to work out a problem with temporary total disability benefit awards, no progress has been made to date. Labor and business representatives have presented their respective proposals, and conference participants are jockeying to establish positions as they prepare for their fourth meeting in late April. As discussions continue, lawmakers are introducing a number of measures. Some actually increase the cost of workers' comp but others en­ courage business expansion by holding down these costs. POSSIBLE INCREASED COST HB 2341-Requires insurers to compute workers' comp rates according to the man-hours worked by a policyholder's employees. Almost two-thirds of the employers in Illinois would pay higher premiums if rates were calculated based on the number of man-hours worked, and opponents say the bill is just shifting the financial bunlen without changing the benefit structure. HB 2482-Requires an em­ ployer's group insurance to make medical payments to some injured employees in cases in which the employer is disputing liability for the injury. The insurance company would then recoup the amount of the payments from the employer if the employer was found liable. This bill provides for the award of benefits before a deter­ mination of liability has been made, and could increase cpsta for insurers, who would pass those increased costs along to businesses. POSSIBLE LOWER COSTS HB 2608-Extends the freeze instituted in 1981 on maximum permanent partial disability benefits for an additional two years. Without this bill, this maximum benefit would in­ crease from $275 to about $350 per week, and businesses would be paying substantially more. HB 2445-Requires ad­ justments in benefit awards for pre-existing disabilities. Currently, in most cases, pre­ existing conditions must be disregarded in determining awards to injured workers. Employers have argued that this practice is unrealistic and actually discourages the hiring of handicapped or previously iqjured workers. H3 2446-Requires that, in the case of minor disfigurement-^ cut hand, a sprained ankle, <a broken thumb-the employee only receive payment for actual expenses, including medical care and lost time. HB 2354-Establishes a ben­ chmark date from which bearing loss can be measured against new, more strict OSHA standards. Workers who met old hearing standards but don't meet new ones would be prevented from abusing the workers' comp system under- this bill. Some of these bills deserve our strong support because they will provide businesses with incentive for expansion while continuing to provide workers with generous benefits. The other bills would only increase an already heavy burden on Illinois' businesses. Grant funds for tourism MEET THE STAFF * Deanna Graham Paste-up Artist Neither the McHenry Plaindealer nor The Citizen shopper would reach your door without the careful attention to detail of Deanna Graham. With the Plaindealer-Citizen since 1975, Deanna works in the composing room. Deanna is responsible for typesetting and com­ position of advertising and classified display ads, page layout and paste-up ot The Citizen and the Plaindealer, camera work and she fills in for the composing room foreman during vacations. Family is an important part of Deanna's life. She lives in McHenry with her husband, Paul, and three children Pauline, Anna and Beth. Children living away from home include Colleen, Kimberly, Marie, Ben and Dawn. Striving for an associates degree in accounting, Deanna also likes to read, swim, bowl and bike. SM« lm hn. ImwK Craw Cok Cmd 0m lb . . McHenry A total of $14,955 was recently awarded in the form of grants to various groups throughout the state to fund tourism promotions, the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA) announced Tuesday. The money comes from DCCA's Office of Tourism and can only be awarded to not-for- profit groups and organizations. By law, DCCA can fund a maximum of 60 percent of the total project cost. "We are happy to be able to help tourism groups across Illinois with their projects to increase tourism promotion," said DCCA Director Michael T. Woelfer. The bulk of the money, $12,135, went to the Central Illinois Tourism Council in the form of three grants to help finance the development of brochures promoting the area. Two other tourism groups received funding to assist with brochure printing expenses. The Galena Historical Museum received about $235 to be used on the "June Open House" brochure. SUPER SAVINCS ON The ColorTrak console you've always wanted Move up to ColorTrak in a 25" diagonal console from RCA. 17-function remote control to adjust volume., change channels directly, or turn set on and off. 127-channel cable tuning * Choice of styles: Contemporary with swivel base GJR69IR lie /I OUR PRICE $67995 U INTERIOR ACCENTS RT. 31 at MJU VALLEY RD. (Enter on Ml V«IUy) McHENRY •CENTRAL VACUUM SYSTtMS'LIGMTINC nXTUMS*lAMM*WHOK HOUSf STSKSO •SUtGlAt t ROT DCTfCTtON'INTEtCOM $YSTIMS*24HOU« ALARM MOMTORMG •MASTER TV ANTENNA SVSTEMS*TEUVISIONS*VCR*CAMftAS*RAI>IOS*Cim > ACCESSORIES ( i