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Past 65 byCarlRiblet Jr. Q. - "Last Spring I asked your advice about divorcing my husband after 51 years of marriage and you told me I should follow the dictates of my heart. 1 did just that and got the divorce. But my alimony is so small I can't live on it and the man I was going to marry is now sick and can't marry me. I asked my Ex for more alimony and he said he would think about it but that I was getting too much as it is. I wish I hadn't gotten the divorce. What can I do now?" - Anna Mae D. A. - Anna Mae could ask her ex-husband to marry her again, although he may not be agreeable now that he is free, except for paying alimony. "Alimony" is one of the most hated words in the English language. One of the divorced pair hates it because it isn't enough, and the other hates it because it is too much; which is to say that alimony is something like feeding quarters into an empty slot machine. Q. - "The packet of letters from persons interested in movies for nursing homes has been received. I hope I can help each one of them get started in such a gratifying hobby. "I noticed a strange thing as I was going through the letters. Eight of the 14 , inquiries came from the northeastern section of North Carolina, two of them from the small community of Bern, N.C. How about that!" - Bob R. A. - North Carolina generates a large volume of mail to this column. Q. - "I am 84 and was married for 44 years to my first husband. My teacher's pension, bank account, driver's license, insurance, car registration, credit cards, etc., are all in my first married name. "Is it legal for me to keep that name on all those papers and cards and the bank account since I married again, this time to a man with another name? My Social Security and Medicare was changed to my new name, but not the other things. "My new husband doesn't object if I use the old married name. Is it okay legally? Does my home that I owned at the time I remarried become equal property with my new husband?" - I was Cecil P. and now Cecil Van F. A. -- Cecil resides with her new husband in a com­ munity property state. Therefore, her property and his are community property. ' For the correct answer to all her questions Cecil should go to a lawyer; either her own or a lawyer at a legal clinic. Q. - "Why is my father's benefit under Social Security less than that of others with whom he has compared notes? He has always paid the maximum SS since it started in 1936. He has asked SS twice to refigure his account and both times he got the answer that it was . correct as being paid. "My feeling is that this is the typical bureaucratic answer when one doesn't ask the right question. The ac­ counting received was unintelligible, to us. My suspicion is that somewhere down the line an employer failed to turn in the money deducted from my father's paycheck for Social Security and so my father has not been credited with the right amount paid in. Thankfully, his records go back to 1950.1 think he should assemble those records and then have SS figure from them. Do you think that is a good ap­ proach, or is it an exercise in futility?" - (Illegible signature.) A. - The man or woman who wrote the above letter is unfair to the SS people in the father's city. It may be, as suggested, that an employer did not pay the full amount into the father's account, but that is not tne fault of SS. The only way to make certain is to go back to the beginning and search the records. In every contact I have had personally with SS, they have all but one been helpful contacts and the information given was accurate so far as I could judge. The lone unsatisfactory contact was at the time the head honcho in the Tucson SS office puffed his chest and sent word he was too busy to see me that day or any day. I told the underling who passed the word to me to pass the word back that if I wished to really see the head honcho I could, because all I had to do was telephone a bigger honcho in Washington, D.C., who would order the Tucson honcho to see me. I said, however, that it wasn't worth the trouble. Bureaucrats of whatever department of government are such an awful pain in the -- ah -- neck. Q. - "Medicare will pay only $20 of $159 owing on the wheelchair my doctor prescribed and they said the reason was that, although my claim was legitimate, I had not filed it within the six months time limit. That is an untruth! They are giving me the runaround. Can you help me?" - Nell M. A. - If Nell can prove she did file the claim within the required time frame, then 1 she should go to Medicare and ask again, if she can make the trip. She may be able to -get help from the Genesee County Office for the Aging, 2 Bank Street, Batavia, N.Y. 14020. Q. - "I was born in 1905. I was forced to retire at 60, although I could still work. I wanted to draw the maximum on Social Security so I waited until 65 to apply. They told me then that I wouldn't get any SS benefits because I had not paid SS tax for the last three years. You spurgeons Custom- made Drapery SALE ^ 400 fabrics and colors to choose from Come pleated and fan-folded . ready to hang Available lined, self-lined or unlined Weighted corners i* Just bring us your window sizes Sale ends Sept. 30, 1980 McHENRY MARKET PLACE 385-4100 DAILY 9-9, SAT. 9-6. SUN. 10-5 can imagine how I hollered, but they said a 1968 law changed everything and it didn't matter that I had already paid the maximum for 22 years. Now I am 75 and I have to work or starve." - W.E.P. A. - There is no law that prohibits SS benefits being paid if the worker has not paid into SS for the last three years before retirement, after a lifetime of work. W.E.P. must be confusing the rule on disability payments with regular SS benefits. If a person under SS who applies for disability payments has not worked for at least five of the past 10 years, he or she is not en­ titled to disability payments. The key words are "disability payments", not regular benefits. W.E.P. should go back to SS with a clipping of this column, show it to them and ask again. Q. -- "I question the statement you made in today's paper that said; "At death, the Internal Revenue Service takes charge of the deceased's lockbox at the bank until its contents have been inventoried and arrangements made to pay taxes that may be presumed due." "Here in Oregon as of last July such is no longer true. Will you please set it straight?" - A Reader. A. - I don't care much for anonymous letter writers, especially since I have never revealed an identity that wished to remain secret, or betrayed the confidentiality this column maintains. In a long life I have learned that anonymous writers of complaint generally are wrong in their assumptions and statements about so- called errors. That's what is the matter with this one. Oregon is orte of the 50 states. Its residents must comply with the federal tax laws that are in force for all the residents of all the states. It is a fact that IRS stands guard over a lock box that belonged to someone recently dead, until the contents have been officially inventoried. It may well be that the State of Oregon rescinded a state law that had placed a guardian eye on lock boxes. The federal law still stands, however, in Oregon and elsewhere. Q. - "I read every once in a while in these, my later years, that medical science is always finding new germs. My doctor said that is hogwash, that the germs we have today are descended from germs that were always present since the beginning. Is my doctor kidding me?" -- Joshua G. A. - I don't think he is . kidding. The latest poop is that germs which many medical scientists thought had evolved spontaneously down through the many centuries have in fact been here on earth ever since Creation and Paradise. That means that Adam had 'em. Q. - "My husband had surgery in Vincennes, Ind., but he didn't recover. He passed away last April. The hospital surgical team sent me a bill for $1,060. Medicare Part B paid $439 and a small supplemental insurance policy paid $109, leaving a balance due the doctors of $511.1 am told I will have to pay the doctors direct. I am 70. All I have is Social Security benefits that leave me nothing to pay the doc­ tors. I can't pay them. What can I do?" - Mrs. K.L. A. - Mrs. K.L. can talk with the doctor in charge. If she can satisfy him that she cannot pay, it is quite likely that he will cancel the balance due. - "The insurance fmpany that I thought had le covered for hospitalization,' refused to pay my hospital and surgery bills when I recovered from a mastectomy because I went home in six days. They said I had to stay there for eight days or longer to get paid. I have paid on this policy for six years and never used it. I want to warn everyone. Do like Mr. Riblet says and watch out for hospitalization insurance." - - M.C. A. - The insurance company no doubt did exactly what the policy said it would do - pay for eight days or more, or not at all. M.C. didn't read the fine print. Don't trust any in­ surance people without thorough checking if they sell by mail. Ask local in- PAtiE 11 -1'LAIN DEALER surance people, experts who you can check out on the fine print. You have to watch out for the implied promises that so often go sour. It is staggering the amount of mail I receive with complaints against mail order insurance companies who specialize in selling to the elderly. Such floods of complaints simply have to mean that something is rotten in the mail order insurance -business. The insurance companies blame the policy holders for misreading the fine print. If so, then they ought to make the print larger and teach people how to read the tricky clauses. Write to Carl Riblet Jr at P.O. Box 40757, Tucson, Ariz., 85717 with self- addressed,^ stamped en­ velope for information or advice on questions you may have as an elder citizen. All questions will be answered if possible. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17,1980 PREVENT GLAUCOMA Glaucoma, the Leading Cause of Blindness in the Nation today, can cause irreversible vision loss without pain or other symptoms. The best defense is an eye exam every other year if you're 35 or over. For more information about glaucoma, write: National Society to Prevent Blind­ ness, 79 Madison avenue, New York, N.Y, 10016. OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER - lit Hogan it shown complimenting Katherine Kastlne on being named the outstanding Veterans administration volunteer servient, representative in the "Big to" conference. Presentation of the silver plate showing the national president's theme was made at the national convention of the Ladies auxiliary to Veterans of Foreign Wars which was held recently in Chicago. Ms. Kastine. a member of auxiliary No. 4308, Lake Villa, is Ladies auxiliary chairman. Department of Illinois at Veterans administration hospital of North Chicago. Mrs. Hogan is a member of auxiliary No. 4600 of McHenry, serving as co- chairman at the hospital. m 'Geisha" literally person Japanese. t r 11 7 DAYS p 7AM TO 1 10PM DEAN'S HALF& HALF We reserve the right to 1 limit quantities while they last. Not respon­ sible for typographical FIELDCREST 2% MILK SPECIAL LOW PRICE PINT EVERYDAY Wkr m&dp'* SUNNYSIDE FOODS & ED'S FINER MEATS & SAUSAGE SHOP 4216 N. WILMOT ROAD. SUNNYSIDE, ILL. (JUST NORTH OF JOHNSBURG) (815)385-8097 * 1 3 1 grocery savings GROCERY PRICES EFFECTIVE SEPT. 18-20 - RENT - BLUE LUSTER CARPET SHAMPOOER'S HERE!!! ke OLDE FASHIONED ICE CREAM % GALLON ALL FLAVORS OEAN'S COTTAGE CHEESE LARGE OR SMALL CURD MANUFACTURER COUPONS QS ( H * . » . . » < » « » * * > . . B P K . BETTY CROCKER 4V« OZ. TO 5% OZ. SOU* AM CM)VI, CHAM 1 AUCtATM 1 KLEENEX FACIAL TISSUE 2ooa. <GA fiQc SALAD DRESSING . 9202.09 MACARONI I CHEESE DINNER... 7% o2. 4/110 BANQUET a/1 f|fI POT PIES •oz d/l.UU HOMESTYLE BREAD 1 LB. LOAF ED'S FINER MEATS (815)385-7663 FRESH X X 3 CHICKEN yr LEGGED LEG / FRYER QUARTERS C FRESH FROZEN CHICKEN NECKS SLICED FRYING CHICKEN WINGS HICKOR SMOKED PICNIC CHICKEN BREAST DOUBLE BREASTED FRYERS c SLAB A'VC HAMS \LB-/ • « j FROM THE SAIISA6I SHOP RED DELICIOUS APPLES... 3 lbs II BANANAS fresh produce A $ CARROTS... 4 LBS freezer specials USDA CHOICE 4 CQ HIND QUARTER 1 LB MINI-HOME SELECTION HOME SELECTION BOX BEEF FREEZER BOX S I I B P A C K A G f S G R O U N D B i f f I S L I C i C H O I C E R O U N O S T i A N I S 4 I C E C H O I C E S l i t O l N S T E A K 1 7 1 . I I F R Y I N G C H I C K E N S C U T U P I 3 T O 4 L B P O T R O A S T I 4 I t R O L L E D B i f f R O A S T 7 4 ( A C f N T I R C U T P O R K C H O P S 7 1 I B S T E A K S 7 I A C M USDA CHOICE BEEF SIDES i I IS P K G J G R O U N D l i l t I S I I I O * G R O U N D t i l ' P A T T I I S - J H I C l i C M O l C I I O U N D S T I A * I I A C H J S U C I S C H O I C I S l t l O I N S f t A K I I A C M 1 I i l P A C K A G f S I I I * S U M J J , I I H » I N G f M I C M N S C U T U P 7 3 T O 4 I I P O T t O A S I S I 4 I S t o i l I D I I I ' R O A S T ? S I A I S t A t f I P A l t R I I S 1 < I t POt l IO IN ROAST ? 4 IA CINT l t CUT POR« ' MOPS 7 M l PKGS I f f ! UVlR SHOD 4 t i l SHAHS 1 I ACM 2 C O t N I S M M I N S I I I I P O t K S A U S A G I R O I l 105.50 A b b •>«> IBS A A • 4 S l R l O l N S T l A * S I A C H 2 R O U N O S f | A » » S I I A C H 4 f t iB STIAKS 7 « A (H 1 T B O N I S T # A * S 1 I A T M 4 ( u B f S T I A « S 7 * A C H 1 S l B B O J r B i l l P A I T H S SUB GROUND Bi f f ? 1 B B i f f S U W ? J I O 4 l l P O » R O A S I ? 4 ( B R O u l D B i f f B O A S ' J 7 I AC H SHORI R«BS B l l» ) J I A C M B l l f S H A N * S < 7 TQ ) ,B p ' ( ORN B l f 125.50 A P P 7 0 IBS Of MPA T LB. PRICE INCLUDES CUTTING, WRAPPING, FREEZING SLICED ^ BOLOGNA % LB 99 SL,CED M COOKED SALAMI %LB 99 SLICED ^ M BOILED HAM v, LB. 1.69 FRESH HOMEMADE . ITALIAN SAUSAGE . . . U B 1.89 LAND O'LAKES . JC AMERICAN CHEESE /, LB 1.45 SL,CCD AAr SPICED HAM 7, LB 99 SMOKED ftft LIVER SAUSAGE. v ,LB89 LEAN . _ft BAKED HAM % LB. 1.79 FRESH . M BRATWURST 1 LB 1.89 WISCONSIN SLICED ^ SWISS CHEESE % LB. 1.69 V V • r t t o v a t h * r i g h t t o l i m i t q u o n t i t i * * w h i l * t h « y l o t t S o l * b « « r n o t i c « d LIQUOR PRICES EFFECTIVE SEPT 18 21 'il ** BOTTLE SHOP AT SUNNYSIDE FOODS PABST WINDSOR CA WHISKEY! 35S 12-12 OZ. CANS 1.75 LITER RFUNITE LAMBRUSCQ RED. WHITE, ROSE LOS HERMANOS WINES 750 ML T mjm/wrn. *f mm 1.75 LITRE 750 ML SEE SPECIAL DISPLAY 1.5 LITRE /. -