SECTION 2 • PAGE 2 - PLAINDEALER - WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 17. ltn EDITORIALS The Doll keclineof th or Decline The continuing decline of the dollar in the world's major money markets should be of concern to every American. Simply stated, it means most world economists and financial experts feel our % government is spending too much money-more money than the Ration can afford or has a moral right to spend. was only a few years ago that two devaluations of the dollar forced on President Nixon, as the dollar plunged and U.S. national trade balances ran heavily in die red. By President Ford's last year in office, the trade balance was in the blade, nicely, and the dollar stabilised, even gaining against other currencies, at times, in 1975 and 1976. Concern over the fall of the dollar touches even more ominous dimensions this time. Because of the energy crisis, many western governments are in extremely shaky economic condition. If the U.S. doesn't keep its financial house in order, and another period of world currency (fisorder follows (which some are now predicting), the consequences may be worldwide and very grim. . • " . / , * - v . Value^ Of Vacations In the United States just about every worker gets a vacation. That is not true in some countries of the world, and it was not always true in the United States. The summer vacation season is almost over and before the year is out Americans wiB Spend millions of dollars on vacations. That means that tens of millions will have spent time at the beaches, the mountains or lakes or other vacation areas. Most of them will have a week or two weeks off, but many will have longer. Vacations are of great importance. Psychologists agree they are necessary-in most cases"for proper mental and physical health, and variety in living. In order to enjoy your vacation tojhe fullest, take your time in coming and going. It gives you a better chance to enjoy many future vacations. Ronald Reap HUMAN RIGHTS > (By Ronald Reagan) Is the Carter human rights campaign just another Pat Caddell public relations stunt? Only the White House knows for sure, but the bumpy road of inconsistency-along which the Carter program has made its way since inauguration day in January shows no signs of smoothing out. Back then, the newly sworn- - in President had barely taken his hand from the Bible when he declared, "Our commitment to human rights must be ab solute..." He should have ad ded, "...well, almost." Since that day, the Administration's commitment has been relative, at best. Except for some lumps he's given the Russians about their dissidents (and the long-range value of that criticism isn't certain), Mr. Carter has allowed his Administration to reserve most of its human rights scoldings for our friends, while practicing dead silence when it comes to some of the world's worst offenders. Item: Carter's human rights office managed to block export licenses for the sale of pistols and anti-riot gear to police in Argentina and Uruguay. This reflects the persistent liberal myth that Marxist terrorists in those countries are simply harmless "dissidents" whose human rights are being threatened by the authorities. The same myth ignores the recent history of theseand other Latin American countries in which American businessmen and diplomats (as well as nationals) have been kid napped and sometimes mur dered. Years of terrorism threatened the economic balance and basic stability of these nations, long friendly to us. Though Uruguay has vir tually brought terrorism under control and Argentina is close behind, their ultimate success will apparently have to come without even moral support from the Carter Administration which has saved some of its sharpest criticism for them. Whatever the myth-makers say about Argentina and Uruguay, of course, goes double for Chile, the left's favorite punching bag in the Western Hemisphere. Item: The Administration continues to flirt with Fidel Castro, exchanging mid-level diplomats and talking about resumption of trade. A former George McGovern aide squires planeloads of U.S. businessmen to Havana, where they smack their lips over the prospect of opening new markets. What about the several thousand dissidents locked up in Castro's iails for th#»>r heliefs? Not a For Your Information Dear friends, Th* final retting plac* should be an area that can ba returned to when the bereaved feel the desire to remember the final separation. This final place of romembranco is el so vital to those who could not attend the funeral service, yet need con firmation that the death was a reality. Respectfully. PETER MJUSTEN & SON FUNERAL HOME McHenry, Illinois 385-0063 Small Business Rejects Standby Gas Tax A large majority of the nation's small business people do not like President Carter's proposal for a "standby" gasoline tax, according to a nationwide poll conducted recently by the Rational Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Through its official publication, Mandate, NFIB polls its 515,000 members every eight weeks on issues of interest to small business. More than 87,000 small businessmen and businesswomen responded to the most recent Mandate poll. Seventy-eight percent said they opposed the "standby" tax, with 17 percent favoring it, and five percent undecided. In the State of Illinois, the results were 80 percent opposed, 16 percent in favor and 4 percent undecided, The Carter proposal would add a five cents per gallon tax to the cost of gasoline each year that gasoline use rose above a certain federally-designated level. If gasoline use stayed under the designated level for any year, the tax would drop five cents a gallon. , NFIB members also expressed their opposition to the Department of Transportation's proposal to convert all road signs to metric units by 1982. The vote on that issue was 75 percent opposed, 19 percent in favor, and six percent undecided. On three other issues, the respondents were fairly evenly divided. Asked whether they felt that highway construction money should be withheld from states that do not enforce the 55-rrdle-per-hour speed limit, 48 percent said they were opposed, 48 percent were in favor, and four percent were undecided. Fifty percent of those responding said they were opposed to forcing manufacturers of large appliances such as freezers and air conditioners to meet federal standards for efficient energy use. Forty-six percent said they were in favor, and four percent were undecided. To protect the nation against another Middle East oil embargo, the federal government has set aside a five months' supply of oil, known as^a "Strategic Reserve". President Carter proposes expanding the "Strategic Reserve" to a 10- months' supply. Forty-eight percent of NFIB members said they were opposed to the idea, 43 percent were in favor, and nine percent were undecided. Building Permits Building permits recently issued by the Department of Building and Zoning for McHenry County include: Edward Friedle, 2118 Meadow Lane, Lindenhurst, to build a single family residence at 4003 Keith Dr. in Richmond Township, for an approximate value of $50,000. The permit and service fee of $238 was paid by the applicant. P. Folliard, 5010 Hilltop, Wonder Lake, to build a three-bedroom home at 400 St. Joseph in McHenry Township for an approximate value of $40,000. Permit and service fee-$206. Robert G. Lambourn, 3412 W. Fairway Dr., McHenry, to build a single family residence at 4106 Pine St in Greenwood Township for an approximate value of $32,000. Permit and service fee-$155.64. Diamond Head Builders, Inc., 1811 Cassandra Lane, McHenry, to build a single family residence at 3731 Pitzen Rd. in McHenry Township for an approximate value of $65,000. Permit and service fee-$282. Bruce F. Gilbert, 1503 W. Birch St., McHenry, to build a new home at 1902 Orchard Lane in Nunda Township for an approximate value of $30,000. Permit and service fee-$194. Daniel T. Carabine, 325 Douglas Dr., Bloomingdale, to build a single family residence at 7435 Foxfire Dr. in Nunda Township for an approximate value of $80,000. Permit and service fee-$268. word from Carter's human rights "specialists," let alone from the Oval office. Item: Secretary of State Cyrus Vance packs his bags to jet off to Peking to have a chat with the Communist regime's leaders about "normalization" of diplomatic relations. Meanwhile, not a word was recorded between inauguration day and the deadline for this column from the mouth of a single Administration official about the status of human rights mi the mainland of China. Yet, the most basic rights in which we believe - free expression; the right to move about freely; to work where we wish - simply do not exist there. Uncertain how to play its cards with Peking, and anxious to show "progress"' toward "normalizaiton" (even if it is cosmetic), the Administration practices dead silence about the human rights issue when it comes to the Chinese mainland. Meanwhile, it shows an in creasingly colder shoulder to the Republic of China, on Taiwan, which honors those basic rights. But now Peking may have interfered with American human rights. A U.S. scientist, Dr. Ernest Sternglass, has reported to the National Academy of Sciences that in fant mortality in the nor theastern states went up to 13 to 14 per cent early this year. He says 100 babies died from fallout over the Northeast caused by ' Peking's at mospheric nuclear test last September. Will Cyrus Vance take that up with Teng Hsiao- ping in Peking later this month? Don't hold your breath. President Carter touched a deep nerve when he first spoke out about human rights. A survey commissioned and just released by the Institute of American Relations (taken by the Opinion Research cor poration of Princeton, N.J.) bears this out. It shows that 54 per cent of Americans think there are not "any conditions under which a government is justified in suspending the human rights of Its citizens." So, Mr. President, what's good for the goose.... August, 1914 i Mushrooms People continue to die from mistakenly eating poisonous mushrooms. Throughout history, the lethal species also have been used to commit murders. The Roman Emperor Nero once gave a large banquet and deliberately .served poisonous mushrooms --killing all the guests, the prefect of the guard, and a num ber of tributes and centurions he believed were plotting against his rule. There was an August this century that changed the lives of almost every human being on earth-August 1914. The war that erupted in that month, exactly sixty-three years ago, ended a way of life, a style of living, an idealism that was partly romantic and partly chivalry, and introduced communism into the world through Russia. America, it is now known, went into that war against Germany largely on misinformation and propa ganda. The famed liner "Lusitania" was indeed carry ing contraband when torpedoed and sunk. And Ger many had a valid claim to conduct unrestricted sub marine warfare in view of the fact that the British Navy was starving the German people systematically with its worldwide blockade. But the German Emperor (Kaiser)was a blustering, proud and pompous man, not very effective in the field of public relations. In addition, the Germans thought they could win a war in central Europe. Of course, American sympathy went out to its mother country because of the common language and heritage. But the question remains whether the defeat of Germany in 1918 produced anything good. The treaty of 1919 embittered Germany, made a new war certain and also produced Adolf Hitler. And Germany, to help bring about Russia's surrender in 1917, helped Lenin to power and thus planted communism in the western. world-so the 1914-18 war is responsible for com munism. Many believe the Kaiser's Germany, had it not been destroyed, would have been less troublesome than Russia's communism. France was bled white in the First World War, has never really recovered. Britain was seriously weakened. So the fabled war to end wars actually produced another greater war twenty-one years later-and few would argue today that it produced results worth the awful cost to the world. from HISTORY'S SCRAPBOOK DATES AND EVENTS FROM YESTERYEARS August 19,1890--The daughters of the American Revolution are organized--membership is restricted to those having one ancestor who aided in establishing American independence. August 20,1741--Alaska is discovered by Danish navigator Vitus Jonas Bering. August 21, 1951--The United States orders construction of the world's first atomic submarine. August 22,1762--The first American woman newspaper editor, Ann Franklin, assumes her duties on The Newport Mercury, Newport, Rhode Island. August 23, 1914--Japan declares war on Germany in World War I. August 24, 1909--Construction crews start to pour concrete in Gatun Locks, the Panama Canal. August 25,1718--The city of New Orleans, Louisiana, is founded and named in honor of the Duke of Orleans of France. ipoooooooooooooooocoooocoocoooo n Are You New In McHenry Area? oooooooooooo Do You Know Someone New? WE WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND A ROYAL WELCOME TO EVERY NEWCOMER TO OUR AREA!!!!!!! CAlL JOAN STULL 385-5418 McHenry j?" I »ibM KNOW YOUR AREA--ROYAL WELCOMF. DOES IT BEST booooooooooooooooooooooooooooocooooooooooC ! PUBLIC PULSE (The Plaindealer Invites the public to use this column as an expression of their view on subjects of general interest in our community. Our only request is that the writers give signature, full address and phone number. We ask too, that one individual not write on the same subject more than once each month. We reserve the right to delete any material which we consider libelous or in objectionable taste.) SCHOOL PROBLEMS "Editor: "Regarding our McHenry schools' overcrowding. The solutions, as proposed, all sing the same tune. "West campus can't house a four-year program - Build an addition. "Valley View and Hilltop need more classrooms - Divide existing gyms and build new ones. "Edgebrook and McHenry Junior high will need more room soon - Join them or add ten more rooms to the latter. "Why can't all these ex pensive building ideas be tabled until they can be af forded? Let's be sensible and 'make do' with the existing buildings. When the students leave for Johnsburg there should be rooms to spare. "Heaven forbid that children from two school districts learn under the same roof! "But they live in the same area, so why can't all our eighth graders be moved to East campus with the first year classes and have second, third and fourth year classes in West campus? Then fifth grade could be placed in the two junior highs with sixth and seventh graders. % "This would relieve the first four grades in their present position. "I feel that the board members of both districts could work out a reasonable agreement for sharing East campus expenses and be able to keep the two enrollments separate for each district's records for their respective state and federal allotments. "New construction would be prohibitive if" the fall referendum fails. We need to cut expenses, not expand them. "It goes without saying that the teachers would move with their classes without necessitating any salary in crease because they moved into another building. The grade level would remain the same. "Dorothy C. Kirk "119 N. River Road "McHenry" „ "Editor: "I am sure the residents of Lakeland Park appreciate the m CSPS LET S GET TOGETHER AND TALK ABOUT LOW-COST AUTO INSURANCE. Tony Fick Ton* Fick Chuck Lewandowski GIVE ME A CALL FOR THE FACTS ON LOW-COST HEALTH INSURANCE. I 'D LIKE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS ON LOW-COST HOME OWNERS INSURANCE. d 1 •i 1 Call us for Details 385- 2304 AUTO AMERICAN FAMILY MUTUAL INSriUNCt COMPANY* MADISON, WIS. 937*1 'OUR NEW LOCATION' Corner of Crystal Lake| Blacktop & Rt. 120, upgrading of our streets by the city. If we could talk the skateboarders and bicyclists into sharing the streets with us motorists, we could appreciate it even more. "Sincerely, ."Harold Bowlin "4802 W. Shore Drive ' "McHenry" LIFE "Editor: " 'The best things in life are free', as you readers who at tended the McHenry County Youth presentation, 'Life', this past weekend will agree. A group of young people of all faiths frdm this area gave a delightful performance, under the direction of Janet Webel. "No experience, no auditions, no special talents were required - just enthusiasm, and a desire to express themselves in song on life's values, choices and con sequences. The hours of rehearsal and the three per formances were a 'gift' to this community - free admission and refreshments. "A big bouquet to the i . • • • • e e e e e e e e e e e e o o e o e o e e e e e I V.A. NEWS EDITOR'S NOTE: Following are representative questions answered daily by VA coun selors: Full information is available at any VA office. Q - How long do I have to convert my Serviceman's Group Life Insurance to Veterans Group Life in surance? A - SGLI coverage continues for 120 days after separation from active duty. A veteran may apply for conversion to VGLI without evidence of in surability within that 120-day period. A veteran may apply for conversion to VGLI up to one year from date of separation by supplying evidence of insurability. Q - My husband was killed on active duty and 1 receive dependency and indemnity compensation. If 1 begin, working, will my benefits be reduced? A - No. Income is not a factor in determining eligibility for DIC. Q - When I purchase a home using VA loan guaranty, will my wife's income be con sidered? A - The veteran's and the spouse's income is considered in determining ability to repay the loan. Q - I am an 80 per cent service-connected disabled veteran. Am I entitled to obtain a hospital bed and lift from the VA? A - You may receive any prosthetics or appliances you require. Have your physiican contact the nearest VA clinic or director, the chorus, the musicians and to Faith Presbyterian church where it was staged. ' - "Rita Ulrich" & r EARL R. WALSH & JACK WALSH INS. Fire, Auto, Farm, Lift Raprastnting RELIABLE COMPANIES 4410 W. Rta. 120, McHanry 3SS-3M0 DENNIS CONWAY AUTO-LIFE-FIRE State Farm Ins. Co. 3319 W. Elm St. McHanry, III. 305-7111 DR. LEONARD B0TTARI 301N. Richmond Rd., McHanry Eyas axaminad - Contact Lama* Olastas fittad. Man., Tim., Thur»., Frl., 4-4 p.m. Tuas.. Thurs., Frl., 7-t p.m. Sat.,»:MtO):M Ph. 304-4151 or 305-2242 McHENRY COUNTY OFFICE MACHINES SALES-SERVICE * RENTALS Mon-SatV-S:M Friday til 9:00 *3 Grant St., Crystal Laka Fit. 459-1224 McHenry Telephone Answering & Letter Service • Answering Service • Car, Telephone & Paging Service • Complete Mimeographing & Printing Serivce • Typing & Photocopying ... PI). 385-0258 "GATEWAY TO Y0URJUTURE" CUIUS (815) 385-4810 ( i~t CNV.IN AMOC*T»' ALTOPS Farm Equipment George P. Freund, Inc. Cose - New Holland 4102 W. Crystal Lake Rd. McHENRY Bus. 385-0420 Res. 385-0227 ff RADIAL TIRES FOR ALL CARS Europa Motors. Inc 2318 Hte. 120 815-385-0700 PATZKE CONCRETE* MrHENBV.IIIIMrtlf FOUNDATIONS • FLOORS « SIDEWALKS 815-305-9337 FREE ESTIMATES: Cupuit! ML \W at our auicl quick-action copy cantor. FINEST QUALITY COPIES MADE ON XEROX EQUIPMENT See us, also, for every kind of Printing Need!! 3909 W. MAIN 385-7600 4 TRAILERS USED HILLSBORO * OWNES DUMP-FLATBEDS-CAR HAULERS Stidham Horse & Cattle Trailers iPlws A Complete Lino Of Brodon Winch** ADAMS ENTERPRISES 30»w.*f. 120 1 AAcHENRY, ILL. tl5-3M-5970 \