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Olympic Oil Stains UMnspAicnt or solid coif >rs *r Willi liflSCt'd (ill Olympic Weather S< recr • Semi transparent or s<: 11s i e< >l< >r> i >ut the weather lor < x tr . i proiet i k >r h Lafe* Stains *i h ' •o ' i t i Lolols • hist drvirm. ic Floitsr Paint BACK ROADS JUNE 28& 29 'Traditional family' tax cuts outdated as Andy Hardy A couple of weeks ago, Pat Buchanan, the White House llnsputin, bragged that the Reagan administration's new tax plan would benefit the "traditional family," that is to say, one in which the wife stays home to mind the house and take care of the children His comments brought an immediate broadside from feminists, who said that while the traditional family was a good thing and deserving of support, there were other kinds of families in need df help that would be left worse off by the President's plan That response misses the point. What's so good about the traditional family? To the degree it still exists, which is small, it is as outdated as an Andy Hardy movie. It's supposed to be a great way to raise kids Ha! Most typically it effectively removes the father from parenting altogether. An ambitious man who seeks to be the sole, successful provider for his famMy doesn't have time to be a good father; he's got to be out there hustling. His appearances at home generally are marked by an apathy born of exhaustion. For the woman of a traditional marriage, the scenario is worse; much worse. In the early years of motherhood she spends her days talking either to children or to women who talk almost exclusively to children. The intellectual demands of her routine would not challenge a mushroom. I^et's face it, most tasks of the traditional housewife are mind- numbing; picking up socks, making beds, doing the laundry, vacuuming. Child rearing can be better than that, but it can be worse too. Women who seem to survive the ordeal best are those who lack all curiosity of the larger world or who manage to sup­ press their personal ambitions and become extensions of their husband's careers or children's lives. Imaginative women locked into traditional marriages seek to embellish their roles by becoming gourmet cooks or accomplished interior decorators or canny shoppers, but no matter how good they get at their jobs, the bottom line is this : They will be reward­ ed precisely in proportion to how successful their husbands become. In middle age, a "traditional" woman finds she has paid an enormous price in self-sacrifice. Her children no longer need her and, indeed, on visits home even treat her with a certain con­ descension. Her husband, established in his career, may decide he has "outgrown" her and take up with a woman who shares his In­ terests. She takes up tennis. She watches the soaps. Her husband asks, "Is this all there is?" She asks: "Is that all there was?" I know, I know, I'm ignoring things, intangibles; things like the effect of a full-time mother on the development of a child, like the crucial role of volunteer workers (almost all housewives) on a community. Well, the effect of a full-time mother Is by no means certain. A recent study done at the University of North Carolina indicates that "latch-key" children, those who care for themselves after school until their parents return from work, do about as well as those who go home to a parent. And as for "com­ munity service," if it's such important work, wfiy won't society pay to have it done? It Is extraordinarily difficult for a warm, caring, intelligent cou­ ple to have a successful traditional marriage. The man has to ig­ nore too much of his warmth, the woman too much of her in­ telligence. So what do we want with a tax code that encourages such an institution, one that strip-mines the personalities of its in­ habitants? We should be trying to stamp it out. And, indeed, for whatever reason, the traditional marriage is on the endangered species list. Last year husbands were the sole earners in only 22 percent of American families. That's only slightly more than the percentage of families maintained by a mother alone. In more than half of American families, both the husband and wife work. The modern American family does not need illusory tax breaks. It needs services: day-care centers, school lunch programs, recreation centers. But don't look for that from Ronald Reagan. What was good enough for Andy Hardy is good enough for him. Consider one prominent couple in that wealthiest of all income categories - Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Last year they received more than $440,000 in income - including $202,500 in wages, $115,000 in interest and $86,900 in dividends. Under the president's proposal* the Reagans' tax payment would be reduced by more than $28,000. That tax cut represents more than ftix per­ cent of their income, compared with less than one percent in benefits for most tax payers. That hardly represents "a long overdue commitment to help working, Americans and their families, and it sure isn't "a revolutionary first for fairness in our future." (Robert Walters is a columnist with the Newspaper Enterprise Association.) analysis illustrates that the president's proposals are in­ consistent with his claim of embracing a "special com­ mitment of fairness." For more than 97 percent of all families - those whose annual incomes are $100,000 or less - Reagan's plan would produce only nominal reductions in in­ come tax payments, ranging from $100 to $250 per year., The select group of families with yearly incomes of $100,000 to $200,000 would receive a substantially larger tax cut, averaging almost $700. Finally, there is the elite group of 441,000 families with annual Incomes of more than $200,000, Their income tax burden would be reduced by an average of more than $9,250, selection of premium quality paints, stains and preser­ vatives from Olympic, the company with the inside on outside protection. So drop in. We can help you make sure that do-it-yourself means A P cmy/MA. Before you start any paint or stain project, come in and talk to us. We're your Olympic Gold Seal Dealer. Which means we've got the experience and training to help you choose and use the > right paint and stain for your particular needs. We can also offer you the full Plaindealer HERALD (USPS 335-200) Established 1875 3812 West Elm Street Phone 815-385-0170 Circulation 385-0178 McHenry. Illinois 60050 Published Every Wednesday t Friday at McHenry, Illinois Second Class Postage f*AID at McHenry, Illinois by SHAW FREE PRESS NEWSPAPER GROUP POSTMASTER Send address changes to McHenry Plaindealer 3812 W. 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BEFORE 10:00 AM. WE WILL BRINfi ONE RIGHT OUT TO YOU! CALL 385-0178 385-0500 1309 N. PARK MCHENRY, ILL. ALL PREPAID PROGRAMS SALE ENDS JULY 1,19851 We havethe inside on outside protection 211 VIRGINIA, ROUTES 14& 176, CRYSTAL LAKE, ILLINOIS COMING JULY 20! CANDLELIGHT BOWL WIN •FREE GAMES! •DRINKS •MONEY COUPLES SIGN UP NOW BIG SCREEN T.V. INCLUDING SP0RTSVISI0N (REQUESTS) MONDAY NIGHT LADIES V2 PRICE DRINKS "STAY COOL THIS SUMMER ft BOWL" 6 p. m-11p.m. ANY BASEBALL TEAMS IN UNIFORM RECEIVE A DISCOUNT ON PITCHERS OF BEER! 3729 W. ELM ST. (Rte. 120) ACLU^WIU. MCHENRY, ILLINOIS thf Helpful Hiltlwife Min'X 815/388*3660 APPLY FOR A NEW ACE HARDWARE CREDIT CARD TODAY! CALL FOR INFORM A TION815455-6633 IVe 2 • I'l-AINDEALER'HERALD. FRIDAY. Jl NE 28.1985 Opinion/Politics