Newspaper Page Text
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*-THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 1993
Perry viewpoint
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The Houston Home Journal
OFFICIAL ORGAN, CITY OF PERRY AND HOUSTON
COUNTY, GEORGIA, SINCE 1870
PUBLISHED EACH WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY MORNING
807 CARROLL ST., P.O. DRAWER M, PERRY, GA. 31069
TELEPHONE: (912) 987-1823
The Houston Home Journal (USPS 252-780) is published semi weekly for
$lB per year by the Houston Home Journal, Inc., 807 Carroll St., Perry, Ga.
31069. Second Class Postage paid at Perry, Ga. POSTMASTER: Send
address change to The Houston Home Journal, P.O. Drawer M, Perry, Ga.
31069.
ROY H. PARK, President & Chairman ol the Board, Park Newspapers
JAMES B. KERCE
Editor & General Manager
BRIGETTE HAMILTON TERESA HAWK
Managing Editor Advertising Manager
l
Not so fast!
A snowballing theory in Congress is that a hefty hike in
gasoline taxes will enable the Clinton Administration to un
dertake many new, costly programs and reduce the na
tional deficit at the same time.
Gasoline prices in this country are lower than in
European countries and Japan, but in those countries
drivers have long been accustomed to smaller cars which
obtain higher gas mileage.
Also, drivers in those smaller countries, on average,
don’t drive anywhere near the distances American drivers
do. So there are logical reasons for lower gasoline prices
in the U.S.
Nevertheless, the expectation in Washington now is that
federal taxes will be raised. The question is how much.
Some advocate a sharply higher tax. Ross Perot spoke
of an added 50 cents per gallon, which would mean an al
most 50 percent increase at the pump. Some Clinton sup
porters say the tax hike should be even higher.
Average per gallon prices are now about $1.35. In many
states one can buy unleaded for sl.lO or less, however,
and only super is as much as $1.35. A tax hike of 40 cents
a gallon, which is being talked about, would raise SSO
billion, perhaps more.
1 hat huge source of new income dazzles many. But it
would be premature to raise taxes that much. It would dis
courage members from making the real, hard decisions on
needed economies, and waste. It would encourage too
much new spending.
I he appropriate solution in the already improving econ
omy would be to make added gasoline taxes only part of
the answer, along with stringent savings, defense spend
ing cuts, a curb on entitlement growth and other reforms.
Roosevelt
The only president elected to four terms, Franklin
Roosevelt, was born at Hyde Park, N.Y., Jan. 30, 1882.
Ilis unquestioned contribution to the nation was restor
ing confidence and hope in bringing the country out of its
worst depression.
Many in their 70s can testify they avoided losing their
homes, or were able to educate their children, only because
of the pump-priming and emergency measures of the first
Roosevelt Administration.
No one can convince them they were not badly needed,
that the ends didn't justify the means.
When Roosevelt was secretly attacking U-boats and
pushing Japan into a corner, most Americans were
unaware of the whole story. But the United States emerged
from the Second World War the most powerful country in
the world, and Axis aggression was thoroughly crushed.
Our American heritage
What some forget about America these days is that this
nation was originally founded by individuals with strong
religious faith but also with a similar determination to al
low freedom of worship.
The predominating early American heritage then was
one of religious faith and freedom combined with hard
work. These Americaps had enough initiative to emigrate
to a new country to escape discrimination and persecution.
That spirit has lasted to this day in many parts of
America. The heritage was not without blemishes. The
Puritan influence in New England was narrow-minded
and itself at times persecutive.
Overall, the heritage built the greatest industrial nation in
the world and the world's leading democratic society.
In more recent decades increasing stress has been laid
on individual license to do almost anything, on permis
siveness, not on old-time moral standards, and the hard
work ethic.
Where to draw the line morally is today the constraint
business of the courts and public officials. It's a difficult
task. Militant rights groups and individuals demand more
and more license. The majority, or put another way, the
general welfare, must sometimes, nevertheless prevail over
extremist individual freedom demands.
It boils down to what Justice Oliver W. Holmes said
about freedom of speech and behavior, which he regularly
championed. The justice warned, however, that no one has
a "right" to yell fire in a crowded theater.
Likewise, no one has a right to endanger others or risk
giving another AIDS, for example, because his behavior
must, in the interest of the general welfare, be proscribed.
In this and in other cases individual rights must some
times be limited to protect others-though this is often hard
for self-centered, free and radical thinkers to understand.
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Perry Scrapbook
Hunt Rooming House, a Perry landmark of 60 years, was destroyed in a fire during
the first week of 1963. According to reports, the blaze had a good start when the
alarm sounded and firemen couldn't control it.
STREET TALK: What do you think Hillary Clinton's role should be
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Alonzo Lane
"I think that she should
be a housewife.”
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Sheila Kaigler
"Hillary's role as First
Lady should be to educate
and change the way men
think; females should act
and appear in this world."
Examples that English is really a crazy language
Richard Lcdcrer presents some
humorous uses of the most widely
used language in the world in his
delightful book, Crazy English,.
English is the most widely spo
ken language in history, used in
some way by at least one out of ev
ery seven human beings.
Half of the world’s books are
written in English, and the majority
of international telephone calls are
made in English.
It is the language of over sixty
percent of the world’s radio pro
grams. More than seventy percent
of international mail is written and
addressed in English, and eighty
percent of all computer text is
stored in English.
English has acquired the largest
vocabulary of all the world’s lan
guages, perhaps two million words,
says Ledcrcr.
Sit back and enjoy some exam
ples which demonstrate that
English is a crazy language.
The blackbird hen is brown,
blackboards can be blue or green,
and even if blackberries were really
black and blueberries really blue,
what are strawberries, cranberries,
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Virgil Newberry
"I think if she wants to
give him answers to
something let it be
between her and him, but
not for the public."
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James King
"She should be the basis
of the Clinton family.”
Shipley j
jBI Church pastor |
elderberries, huckleberries, raspber
ries, boysenberries, mulberries, and
gooseberries?
To add to the craziness, there is
no butter in buttermilk, no egg in
eggplant, no grape in grapefruit,
neither worms nor wood in worm
wood, neither pine nor apple in
pineapple, neither peas nor nuts in
peanuts, and no ham in a ham
burger.
To make matters worse, English
muffins weren't invented in
England, french fries in France, or
Danish pastries in Denmark.
In this nutty language we call
English, panda bears and koala
bears aren't bears (they're marsupi
als); a woodchuck is a groundhog,
which is not a hog; a homed toad is
a lizard; glowworms are fireflies.
Journal
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Sherry Snow
"She should give support
to her husband, but stay
home.”
Beverly Woodall
"I think Hillary Clinton
should be on the advisory
board."
but fireflies are not flics (they're
beetles); ladybugs and lightning
bugs arc also beetles; and a guinea
pig is neither a pig nor from
Guinea (it's a South American
rodent).
Hot dogs can be cold, darkrooms
can be lit, homework can be done
in school, nightmares can take
place in broad daylight, while
morning sickness and daydreaming
can take place at night, tomboys are
girls, and mid-wives can be men.
Is it any wonder that those
learning English can become con
fused? How can a slim chance and
a fat chance be the same? "What's
going on?" and "What’s coming
off?" are the same thing! Yet, a
wise man and a wise guy are oppo
sites!
Let's look at a number of famil
iar English words and phrases that
turn out to mean the opposite of or
something very different from what
we think they mean:
I could care less. I couldn't
care less is the clearer, more accu
rate version. Why do so many peo
ple delete the negative from this
statement?
1 M Amssa
Clemons!
Staff writer
Homosexuals
should be kept
out of military
Wc have been bombarded this
week with President Clinton's at
tempt to change the military’s pol
icy which prohibits homosexuals in
the military services of the United
States of America.
I've gotten where I don't want to
turn on the news in the evening
because 1 know the leading story
will be a report on the president's
latest attempts.
Maybe he's trying to become the
most haled president ever. I heard
this week his popularity rate is at
20 percent. They probably didn’t
take that poll in the South. It
would probably be lower if so. At
every civic club meeting I've at
tended this week the topic at the
lunch table has been concerning
this subject. Guess what the general
consensus is! If you miss this one,
go back to bed. Os course they're
against it.
Along with the discussion is the
question "Do you think Sam can
slop it?"ln case you've been on an
extended vacation, they're talking
about Sam Nunn. A lot of talk is
that he's going to try and stop it.
Wc all know he can’t come right
out and say "Bill, you'd better not
allow them in there because it's
against our morals." That's why I'd
hate to be a politician. You have to
please everybody all the time and
not say what you really mean. I'd
last maybe a week.
Do you think that's honest?
Keeping everybody happy that is.
Wouldn’t it be better if our repre
sentatives simply state how they
honestly feel and their people feel.
So what if someone doesn't like it.
Senator Nunn has said wc should
give very careful consideration to
the advice of our military comman
ders on thi,s subject. Ho agrees with
Gen. Colin Powell on the subject
who believes that hombsexual be
havior is inconsistent with main
taining good order and discipline.
Powell said it is difficult in a mili
tary setting where there is no pri
vacy, where you don't get a choice
of association, where you don't get
a choice of where you live, to in
troduce a group of individuals who
arc proud, brave, loyal, good
Americans, but who favor a homo
sexual lifestyle, and pul them in
with heterosexuals who would pre
fer not to have somebody of the
same sex find them sexually attrac
tive, put them in close proximity,
ask them to share the most private
facilities together, the bedroom, the
barracks, latrines, the showers.
Powell said he thinks it's a very
difficult problem to give the
military, lie said it would be
prejudicial to good order and
discipline to try to integrate that in
the current military structure...
I agree homosexuals shouldn't be
allowed in the military, but I don't
want to sugar coal it with any ex
cuses. 1 think the morale of our
military will dwindle. The bottom
line is that it's wrong. 1 can say
that. I'm not a politician.
1 really miss not seeing
you. Whenever people say this,
you should say, "All right, I'll
leave!" Here speakers throw in a
gratuitous negative, not, even
though I really miss seeing you is
what they want to say.
A non-stop flight. Never
get on one of those. You'll never
get down.
A near miss. A near miss is
really a collision. A close call is
actually a near hit.
My idea fell between the
cracks. If something fell between
the cracks, didn’t it land on the
planks or concrete? Shouldn’t that
be My idea fell into the cracks (or
between the boards )?
A hot-water heater. Why
heat hot water?
A hot cup of coffee. Who
cares if the cup is hot? Surely we
mean a cup of hot coffee.
They do things behind my
back. You want they should do
things in front of your back?
You just have to marvel at the
unique lunacy of the English lan
guage, in which your house can si-
Please see SHIPLEY, page 7A