The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

PAGE 16-PLAINDEALER-WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 1973 EDITORIALS Welfare Reform Just about everyone who has seriously studied the wel­ fare pieture in the United States agrees reforms are needed; there are, of course, differences as to how present laws, agencies, local offices, state collaboration agencies, etc., should be streamlined. All agree there's too much paper work, varying with the various kinds of welfare, and administered by different agencies, local offices can't keep up with the paper work if recipients report each change of address, rent increase, pay hikie, new expense, new employment, etc. As a result, the present overloaded, complex system translates into many receiving checks long after they should have been discontinued, i ne I i g i b 1 e s receiving checks, some who should receive aid obtaining it late, or obtaining too little, etc. One impossible requirement, of the present system is that it requires .recipients who work a different number of hours each week to report the changes. The local office is then supposed to recalculate the recipient's budget, change the amount of money to t>e given him and notify the central of­ fice of that change. Most offices don't have the personnel for such a paperwork task; in fact, many don't have the personnel to check on recipients to see if they are still eli­ gible, every six months, as the law requires. One of the priority duties of the new Congress is to see that the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and other federal bodies, bring some order out of the chaos of today's welfare system. HEW's recent proposal to reduce federal payments to states found making too many overpay­ ments is a first step in the right direction. Films For 1973 A recent UPI dispatch from Hollywood tells us the new year will see more crime, melodrama and action-violence films. There will be fewer comedies and musicals. Comedies, it's said, are being done so often on televi­ sion Hollywood is shy of making them; musicals have be­ come too expensive to produce. Unfortunately, more pictures are to be made for U.S. television consumption, likely to be released to film thea­ ters abroad. (Many foreign television systems bar the U.S. shock-violence, degradation film output.) On all counts the recent trend is distressing. Movies made for television are disappointingly puerile, silly and nonsensical. There's too much sadism, depravity, vulgarity and degeneracy in both TV and Hollywood films. In addition, many movies today are admittedly aimed at minority groups (blacks make up forty per cent of today's theater goers, because of their concentration in cities, where so many theaters are located.) These films are too often transparent exploitation of the black, for profit, or political vehicles rather than entertainment. Nondegradation The newest battleground in the war on air pollution is that over what is called nondegradation. The term applies to the proposals of many air polluting industries to simply spread their polluting over greater areas. Conservationists bitterly oppose the process, be­ cause it really doesn't lessen total pollution. Unfortunately, industry won the first round in the battle, having convinced the Environmental Protection Agency to accept the concept of spreading pollution over a wider area. The Sierra Club, a conservation group, challenged the E.P.A. decision in the courts, claiming it was contrary in spirit to the 1970 environment protection law. And the Sierra Club won its case in lower courts. E.P.A.; however, appealed to the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule on the case later this year; the hope of most Americans, almost certainly, is that E.P.A. will be forced to bar nondegradation, to insist that industry take the necessary steps, and spend the necessary money, to to stop polluting the air. NOT-SO-HOT STOVE LEAGUE m % DIVINDUN» t££ED Economic Stabilization Questions and Answers Internal Revenue v Service Revenue Sharing- How Program Works 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 inob- jectional taste.) SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION "Dear Editor: "In reference to Mrs. John Grether's letter to the editor in Wednesday's Jan. 17, paper, I, too, have questioned the competence of the head of the transportation department for the board of education here in McHenry, for quite some time! "I have made countless calls to Mr. Blank concerning the pick-up route of buses going to Hilltop school on Lincoln road. I can't, for the life of me, un­ derstand why my child (age 10) and only seven other children have to leave almost before the sun comes up (and before most men are going off to work) to ride an "empty" bus all the way to Route 12, north to Big Hollow (Route 134) then West again through the Bay area ete., only to arrive minutes before school begins each morning, when at ap­ proximately 8:15 each morning a bus passes our homes on its way to Hilltop school. I questioned Mr. Blank about this and his reply was that he liked to keep children from subdivisions together. I was dumbfounded with this answer. I might add, I still am. Is he now segregating our children? How long does it take to stop for eight children? "And, I might add, the high school children are now being picked up later (7:40) and their complaint is they don't have that extra time they need to get to their lockers, run from the first level to the third, etc., and still not be late for classes each a.m. "What is the reasoning behind this reversed scheduling? Everything is backwards! Why does it take from 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes for these 'little people' to return home each day? They are gone 8V2 hours a day, that's 42V2 hours a week. How many hours a week do YOU spend in your office, Mr. Blank? I wonder, only because when called, you're seldom in. "Just one more question...why aren't anyone else's suggestions or ideas as good as yours, Mr. Blank? "I also question the 'good working order' of your buses. Mr. Blank. "Mrs. Nancy Mowrer "2923 W. Lincoln Road "McHenry" Many questions have been asked concerning the new federal Revenue Sharing and how it works. The following information gives highlights of the program. 1. HOW DOES FEDERAL REVENUE SHARING WORK? Congress has appropriated over $30 billion into a special trust fund of the U.S. Treasury for allocation to state and local governments over a five-year period, entitlement starting retroactively Jan. 1, 1972, and ending December 31, 1976. The U.S. Treasury will periodically calculate revenue shares for each state govern­ ment and each local govern­ ment of general jurisdiction. Special districts are not en­ titled to funds under the Act. Checks will be mailed periodically by the U.S. Treasury directly to the en­ titled governments. The state of Illinois and its local governments will receive c. $275 million for the 1972 calendar year entitlements, c. $90 being the state govern­ ment's share and c. $180 being the share of local governments. 2. WHEN WILL THE CHECKS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS BE SENT BY THE U.S. TREASURY? WHAT WILL BE THEIR AMOUNT? The U.S. Treasury's target date for the first check was the first week of December, 1972. The schedule for the second check was early January, 1973. Thereafter, the Treasury will issue checks quarterly. The first check was for the first six months of calendar year 1972, the first entitlement period. The second check was for the second half of 1972, the seconc entitlement period. Entitlement amounts which have been disseminated by the news media and other sources are estimates only, prepared for Congress during the later stages of its deliberations. Estimating was done with old or incomplete data in some instances. 3. HOW WILL ENTITLEMENT AMOUNTS FOR COUNTY AREAS AND COUNTY G O V E R N M E N T S B E CALCULATED? The allocation to Illinois is divided for each entitlement period between the state government and local govern­ ments, one-third going to the former and two-thirds going to the latter. The amount for local governments is then divided among the 102 county areas of the state on the basis of each county area's population, its general tax effort (counting all the local governments of general jurisdiction in the county area), and the relative per capita income of the residents of each county area. The lump sum for each county area is then divided between the county govern­ ment, the township govern­ ments, and municipalities, in that order. The county government share of its county area lump sum is in the same ratio as its adjusted taxes are to the aggregate adjusted taxes of all the local governments of general jurisdiction in the county including the county government itself. The higher its proportion of the aggregate taxes raised in the county is, the higher will be its share of the lump sum. 4. HOW ARE POPULATION, A D J U S T E D T A X E S , GENERAL TAX EFFORT, AND RELATIVE PER C A P I T A I N C O M E M E A S U R E D O R CALCULATED? Population data is from the 1970 Census, as supplied to the U.S. Treasury by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. The adjusted taxes of a local government unit are its gross taxes (excluding assessments and contributions for retirement and social in­ surance systems, and special assessments for capital projects) minus the amount of its taxes allocated to education. Tax data is supplied by the U.S. Bureau of the Census from the latest available to it. The general tax effort of a local government unit is calculated by dividing its ad­ justed taxes by the aggregate income of the residents of the unit. If a local government takes a higher proportion of its taxpayer's income in adjusted taxes than does another unit, its general tax effort will be calculated as higher. Income data used is from the 1970 Census. The relative per capita in­ come of a unit is calculated by dividing the per capita income of the residents of the larger jurisdiction which contains the unit by the per capita income of the smaller unit's residents; for a county area, the per capita income of Illinois is divided by the per capita of that county area. It is an advantage for a unit to have a lower per capita income than the next larger jurisdiction which contains it; counties in Illinois which have a lower per capita incomes than the state as a whole are thereby helped more by this factor. Income data is from the 1970 Census. 5. HOW WILL ENTITLEMENT AMOUNTS FOR TOWNSHIPS BE CALCULATED? After the county govern- * ment's share has been taken £ from the lump sum for the * county area, an amount for all * the township governments in the county is taken from the remainder. This step is by­ passed when there are no township governments of * - ' -•* -r allocation to townships is calculated, each particular township's share is figured from that sum on the basis of its population, general tax effort, and relative per capita income. 6. HOW WILL ENTITLEMENT A M O U N T S F O R M U N I C I P A L I T I E S B E CALCULATED? After the allocations to the county and township govern­ ments have been calculated, the remainder is allocated to the individual municipalities in the county on the basis of each one's population, general tax effort, and relative per capita income. 7. WHAT SHOULD THE LOCAL OFFICIAL DO WITH A F E D E R A L R E V E N U E SHARE CHECK THAT HE RECEIVES FROM THE U.S. TREASURY? Federal revenue sharing money must be deposited in a federal revenue sharing trust fund established for the receipt and disbursement of the monies. After receipt into the trust fund, the money may be co-mingled for investment purposes with other funds; however, for spending pur­ poses, the money must be disbursed from the special trust fund. Practically, this means that a separate account on the local government's books must be kept out of which disbursements are made, but this does not prohibit investing the money to earn interest with funds from other sources. 8. ARE THERE ANY RESTRICTIONS ON WHAT F E D E R A L R E V E N U E SHARING FUNDS MAY BE SPENT FOR? No federal revenue share funds may directly or in­ directly be used to get other federal money; the monies may not be used directly or indirectly as the local financing or matching funds for par­ ticipation in a federal grant or loan program. In addition to the prohibition on matching, there are a limited number of operating and maintenance "priority expenditures" for which the funds must be used: 1) public safety (law en­ forcement, fire protection, building code enforcement, etc.); 2) environmental protection (sewage disposal, sanitation, pollution abatement, etc.); 3) public transportation (transit systems, streets and roads, etc.); 4) health) 5) recreation; 6) libraries; 7) social services for the poor This column of questions and answers on the President's E c o n o m i c S t a b i l i z a t i o n Program is provided by the local office of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and is published as a public service. The column answers questions most frequently asked about wages and prices. Q. The foreman's job in my plant is vacant. I want to promote one of my men to the position. How much can I pay him? A. Bona fide promotions to positions of greater skill, effort and responsibility are exempt from the Pay Board's wage and salary standard. This means you can raise the employee's pay to the level of the previous foreman without regard to the 5.5 percent limitation. Q . . B e c a u s e o f r e v e n u e sharing, my county is reducing its property taxes. Does my landlord now have to reduce my rent? A. Yes. Your landlord must reduce your rent to reflect reductions in real' property taxes. For the formula for rent reductions based on decreases in allowable cost items, such as real property taxes, landlords should consult the Sept. 28, 1972, Federal Register. It may be obtained by sending 20 cents to the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. Q. May a landlord increase the security deposit when he rents an apartment to a new tenant? A. Yes. The landlord may increase a security deposit when an apartment is rented to a new tenant if he can show that his customary practice before Aug. 15, 1971, was to increase the deposit when the rent was increased. Q. What records are required to be kept by employers for documenting compliance with wage regulations? A. Generally, those records that should be kept by an employer are the details of all wage, salary and benefit ad­ justments. This would include details of skill or inequity adjustments; wage and salary rates; changes in shift dif­ ferentials; premium pay; pension, retirement, vacation changes; increases in pension; retirement, health and welfare plans; cost of living provisions; employee incentive programs; any applicable contracts; and the percentage of workers or the total man-hours affected. An employer may also look at Form PB-3 to see what is required for documenting wage, salary and benefit ad­ justments. Forms are available at any Internal Revenue office. Q. How much may a hospital raise its prices? A. A hospital may increase prices to cover certain in­ creased costs for labor, sup­ plies and technology. A hospital can raise its price without notification by no more than an annual average of 2.5 percent to reflect these costs. If annual price increases average bet­ ween 2.5 and 6 percent, the institution must notify the Internal Revenue Service and the appropriate Medicare in­ termediary. To raise the average of prices by more than 6 percent, an institution must apply for an exception. The application first or aged; and 8) financial administration The funds may be used for "ordinary and necessary" capital expenditures without restriction to the above categories. general jurisdiction in a ticular county. After the total amount par- For Your Information ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ V y Are You New In :Henry Area » Someone New ? WE WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND A ROYAL WELCOME TO EVERY NEWCOMER TO VENTILATING FANS Inspection and maintenance of ventilating fans help keep air flowing properly through the ventilating system. Major maintenance items are cleaning and lubrication. Clean the dirt from the fan blade and clean dirt and dust buildup from the motor. Dirt buildup on the motor can cause it to heat and eventually burn out. Keep oil out of the windings and don't over-oil the motor. Three to five drops of oil every few months is usually enough for a small motor. Dear friends, From our vantage point we have seen family disagreements and hardships develop because the deceased left no will. Usually a will reduces probate expenses in­ heritance taxes and promotes family harmony. Professional aid should be sought to assure a properly drawn will. Respectfully, jsm PETER M.JUSTEN & SON FUNERAL HOME McHenry, tltihoii . 385-0063 Know OUR AREA JOAN STULL 385-5418 CALL FRAN OLSEN 385-5740 DORIS ANDRES 385-4518 "553^" YML WELCOME K N O W Y O U R N E W A R E A -- R O Y A L W E L C O M E D O E S goes to the State1 Advisory Board for approval or disap­ proval; then, the application is filed with the IRS district of­ fice; and the final decision is made by the Price Com­ mission. , For more details, see IRS Publication S-3014,- "Price Controls and Health Care Services." It's Available free by dropping a postcard to your Internal Revenue district of­ fice. /// said-would you kindly stop breathing on my umbrella?" bOF '̂0̂ OPTOMETRIST Dr. John F.Kelly At 1224 N. Green St *eet McHenry (Closed Wednesdt") Eyes examined .. Cilas.'.is fitted Contact Lense.> Hrs: Daily 9:30 a.m. t< 5 p.m. Friday Evenings - 8: >0 p.m. Evenings by appointment PHONE 385-0452 Dr. Leonard Bottari Eyes Examined - Contact Lens Glasses Fitted 1303 iN. Richmond Road Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs.and Fri. 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tues., Th'irs., & Fri Eve. 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Sat.: 9:30 to 3:00 p.m. No Hours on Wednesday PHONE 385-4151 If No Answer...Phone 385-2262 OFFICE EQUIPMENT McHenry County Office Machihes Sales-Service & Rentals Typewriters - Adders Calculators Mon.-Sat. 9:00-5:30 Friday 'til 9 p.m. PHONE 459-1226 93 Grant St., Cyrstal Lake, III. LETTER SERVICE Mimeographing - Typing Addressing - Mailing Lists McHenry Letter Service 3509 W. Pearl St. McHenry PHONE 385-0258 or 385-8020 Monday through Saturday »»*»»»*»¥» »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» »»»»»»»»; INSURANCE Earl ft. Walsh & Jack Walsh Fire, Auto, I arm & Life Representing RELIABLE COMPANIES When You N?ed Insurance ot Any Kind PHONE 385-3300 3429 U. Elm St., McHenry, 111. George L. Thompson General Insurance L I F E A L I O -HEALTH FIRE 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 put want ads TO WORK FOR YOU FOR FAST RESULTS PHONE 385-0170 /