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

Page 2 - PLAITS DEALER-HERALD, FRIDAY. MARCH S. 19#5 Opinion/Politics Robert Gordon A strong economy is part of a strong nat'l defense Those Grammy blues still got me down Its been almost two weeks since the Grammy awards were given out to the winners, but the bad taste the ceremony left in my mouth still remains. It wasn't just the actual show that depressed me. I took it well when most of my favorite musical artists were passed up by the academy of performing arts and sciences. In fact, I expected it. When you understand that some of the brightest and most influential musicians such as Elton John, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Doors, Rod Stewart, Led Zeppelin and Neil Young have never won a grammy, you kind of lose hope. Even King Elvis only won two grammys during his reign, and they were for gospel performances. But what really got to me was the increase of contemporary music being used as a means to sell a consumer good. Before Lionel Richie accepted his "best album of the year" grammy, he performed one of the songs from that recor- a,"Running With the Night," in a Pepsi ad. I guess the ex-Commodore got the idea from his buddy, Michael (please don't make me take off my shades) Jackson. He just took one of the most successful tunes from his hit album, and changed the joyful lyrics to words praising a cola brand. In just one 30 second television advertisment, Richie tran­ sformed his song into a jingle, his artistic expression into sales propaganda - and exchanged his credibility for megabucks. Although I've always found Richie's slow love ballads to be enjoyable, his songs have always been on the safe side-designed and produced to be listenable to virtually everyone except heavy metal fanatics. However, now the king of adult contemporary radio has gone to far and literally produced melodic sales propoganda. Richie and the Thriller are not the only villains completing the metamorphisis of popular music into a marketing tool. During one of the pauses between Una Turner's acceptance speeches and standing ovation performance, her old single, "Proud Mary," was used to sell a four door sport coupe But then the coupe de grace occurred when anotner Mercury car commercial came on, blasting out a muzak version of Lennon and McCartney's classic,"Help! The ad was complete with cars driving around in fast circles like the fab four did in the movie by the same title, and a Maharishi character sitting on an automobile's hood. I am sure there are some that would argue that the new video phenomenon i is no different than these prime time commercials. After all, the micro-musicals are designed to sell records and concert tickets, and musicians do have to make a living. But I disagree. I'm not too happy with the strong relationship between a musician's video, and how much radio airplay he or she gets. But it is still pure entertainment, which can diffuse their unique artful expression- not a blatant sales pitch. Where does this extreme commercialism trend end? When Pepsi pays Richie to perform their song in concert between his other tunes? Or when you pay thirty dollars for a ticket to see the Jacksons, and hear Michael sing "Pepsi Generation?" I don't want to hear the music of classic love ballads or political rock anthems used with lyrics proclaiming the benefits of eating a particular hamburger. I don't want to see music that has a lot of meaning to me butchered up to fit the format of a beer com­ mercial. And I certainly do not care to deal with hearing music that has great personal sentimental value destroyed by marketing strategists. This year's Grammys and the ads in between revealed that, more and more, it is money, not art, that is the motivating factor for producing music. Songs that show insight, social expression, true originality...tunes that ask us to imagine...are rarely heard on the radio these days. I just hope the academy doesn't promote this trend any more than it already has. What if they open a new category? "For best adaption of musical expression in a television or radio advertisement, the nominees are..." It is often the nature of economic news that important developments aren't identified until after the fact. Only since 1985 began, for example, has it been statistically possible to describe the performance of the U.S. economy during all of 1964. What a year it was. Hie gross national product (GNP) increased 6.8 percent. The 1984 increase in the GNP, which measures the market value of goods and services produced in the United States, was bigger than in any other year since 1951. Personal income also rose 6.8 percent. It was the biggest in­ crease in personal income since 1973. Inflation, as measured by increases in consumer prices, was four percent. Inflation in the three years ending Dec. 31,1964, was lower than any other three- year period since the late 1960s. Business productivity rose 3.6 percent, the biggest gain since 1971. The 1984 performance is particularly significant in view of pressures and strains on the American economy in recent years. They include disruptions in the international oil trade, double-digit inflation, a growing trade deficit, a distressed form economy, high interest rates, lingering unemployment and a monstrous federal budget deficit. . 1 It is sometimes too easy to overlook the contribution of the U.S. economy to American freedom. Strong military defenses alone aren't enough to prevent a nation from falling under foreign influence. A nation that wants control of its destiny also needs a strong economy that is able to grow, overcome setbacks and change as conditions warrant. The 1984 figures suggest that the United States has such an economy. Maintaining its strength and vitality is an essential part of the fight for freedom. (Reprinted with permission of the Omaha World-Herald). Reagan administration can't win with environmentalists Even with James Watt gone, the Reagan administration is in a no-win situation on en­ vironmental issues. No matter how hard this administration tries to clean up toxic waste dumps, end acid rain or solve other en­ vironmental problems, it cannot satisfy persistent critics such as the Sierra Club and the En­ vironmental Defense Fund. The president's fiscal 1986 budget calls for an eight percent spending increase for the En­ vironmental Protection Agency, including a 45 percent increase in the Superfund program for cleaning up toxic wastes. N e v e r t h e l e s s , e n ­ vironmentalists and other critics say the administration still is not spending enough money on Superfund. They also clain that the administration's plan to require states to pay 20 percent of cleanup costs is unfair and that a proposed tax oh the handlers of toxic wastes is not a dependable source of funding. This criticism is baloney, any way you slice it. The administration intends to triple the Superfund during the next five years and clean up 900 of the nation's worst toxic waste sites. EPA administrator Lee M. Thomas says that within 10 years the agency will have cleaned or stabilized all 2,000 waste sites now on its priority list. Besides being unfair, the opposition to the ad- ' ministration's proposals is SUPER NEW LOW PRICE! • Remote • Programmable • Electronic Tuning SPECIAL! Wlrmtots VMS $399 12 FREE Movie Rentals with Purchase VMS STitfO/WIRKlKSS ioM DKIUXE PORTABLE ^•VIDEO PACKAOfl 14 DOT Program • Hr VMS • 2fori Sale! & NEW 1985 MODELS Stimo MOADCASTl BLANK TAPE SALE CASl 40 LOT MH UH V.9* maxell TI20 • 6Hr VMS T120HG • 6H* VMS T120MG • 6Mi VMS $4« $4.«9 (BUY High 9rod*) DELUXE PORTABLE VIDEO PACKAGE TJ20 • 6Mr VMS L7SO • 5Mr BETA offf monvtocturtrt rttaN Scotch WIRELESS NEWI 3'/, lb. Camera <1299 TOP-OFTHEUNE DOC KINO PORTABLE VKP9QO AUTO FOCUS tow* loom IO lux fane on • SMtodt Cabt* t*ody • Dolby ItotK I Yr. On->cr**n Program NEWI SUM-LINE DESION Specialty Prlc»dl VKTMCl 1 MM4I Com* ••otfy t |y»n( Program Fun Function Vomoto Front lood FwtwwwoMi 12 f*il Mori* ffonfofi with Purchofl illogical. Otherwise, the same critics who clamor for more money to be spent on Superfund would not be discouraging the adoption of a new tax on han­ dlers of toxic waste, which is scheduled to raise about $600 million a year. The nay-sayers contend it won't raise that much, but offer no alternatives. What the environmentalists refuse to admit is that the ad­ ministration's p plan is a good one. It will increase the Superfund, distribute the money fairly and make giant strides toward cleaning up the nation's most dangerous toxic waste sites. What more could they realistically ask?" (Reprinted by permission of the San Diego Union.) .Ml m •IW Copter Newi Senrtce HEALTH WARNING ARE (c<m) RUININ6 MV HEALTH... # € lb. ********************* * * * * * * * * * * i Fund Raiser To Re-Elect McHenry Township Republican Candidates Sunday, March 10,1985 2 - 6 p.m. McHenry Moose Lodge Rte. 31 and Johnsburg Road FOR INFORMATION CALL: CAROL PERSCHKE OR 5114WESTWOODDR. 497-3540 ******************* TOM BIRMINGHAM 2208MILL LANE 385-0564 HEARING AID REPAIR & SALES - CENTER FREE HEARING TESTS WEDNESDAY 10 to 5 McHENRY HEARING AID CENTER 3937 W. MAIN McHENRY 815-385-7661 HOUSE CALLS FREE LOANERS/RENTALS SENIOR CITIZENS DISCOUNTS FREE BUY ONE 16" PIZZA AT REGULAR PRICE GET ONE 12" CHEESE PIZZA FREE - ALL EXTRA INGREDIENTS50<reach GIOVANNI'S 7815 HANCOCK DR. WONDER LAKE OPEN AT 4 PM-TAKE OUT ONLY OPEN BREAKFAST SAT AND SUN ONLY HAVE YOU CHECKED WITH US? fx YOU'LL BE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED! Our Service Charges For Personal & Business Checking Accounts Are The LOWEST! 'We're Here For You' ANO lOAN ASSOCIATION Mc HENRY SAVINGS l LOAV ASSOCIATION 1209 North Groon St root, McHenry 115-345-3000 10520 Main Stroot. Richmond II5-671-2041 10402 North Vino Stroot (Huntloy Contor on Routo 47) Huntloy 312*49-3333 SAVERS HOURS: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. Monday. Tuesday, and Thursday 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. Friday 9:00 am to 1.00 pm Satur day, McHenry Otfice Drive in windows open Wednesday 8 00 am to 2:00 pm. Richmond'Huntley Drive-up Open Wednesday 8 to 2 pm. DapMMs hHrrf SIM MO fey Ik* Mml Snlny • 1n> InurMKa Corp M \