T-y VI WWW IMMTT WTMMfM mv editorial Faced with the crime problem, Tulare has hope for better way protest salary negotiations with that countys government. There is no indication when they will return to work. In short, this professed concern about the crime rate is not as widespread as it could be, and some of the solutions to the crime problem are themselves questionable. Taking that last category There is good cause to celebrate the nations 205th birthday with genuine enthusiasm tomorrow. Our treasured freedoms, created by the men who drafted the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, are still in service, though admittedly bent out of shape on occasion.
While bands, rockets and good cheer are the order of the day, it is also appropriate to reflect on some of strange and paradoxical doings this weeks that are having an impact on the state of the union. For example: Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed three anti-crime bills Wednesday, which, represented a small portion of the mountain of anti-crime bills that are growing in the Legislature.
There is little doubt that crime in the streets is a primary subject of public concern. Curtis Sliwa, the leader of the Guardian Angels, the controversial law and order group based in New York, held a press conference in Northern California this week to announce that his group is opening a chapter that will operate on the streets on San Francisco. All but 60 of the 848 sworn employees of the San Diego County Sheriffs Office staged a walkout Wednesday to Fair ladies at the fair the public to be responsible when they put a salary dispute above the safety of the public, as the deputy sheriffs are doing in San Diego County. The officers had asked for a 25 percent pay raise, and the county had offered them a 21.04 percent raise. So they walked out.
The action in San Diego is inexcusable, especially in view of a court order that had been issued forbidding the walkout. Law enforcement officers have an even greater responsibility to uphold the lav' than the man on the street does, since policemen take an oath to do just that. Aside from setting the worst possible example, such actions kill the kind of spirit of mutual concern that is needed if law enforcement and the public are to join hands and deal with the problem. The Guardian Angel approach is wrong (aside from the practical problems caused by ill-trained citizens trying to do a professionals job) because they choose to ignore local law enforcement. Speaking in San Francisco about the negative attitude of the police department there, Sliwa said, If they dont like this kind of involvement, the hell with them.
The best approach is a cooperative effort, which requires first and foremost a police administration that is not only willing to work with the public but wants to do so. Tulare is indeed fortunate in this regard. In the past few months since Roger Hill was appointed police chief, he has repeatedly demonstrated that working with the community in a positive manner is more than the subject of a service club speech for him. When Hill became chief, he said that the police departments working relationship with the community was his primary concern. We have heard that before, but it has often proven to be so much hot air.
Hill is the pleasant exception. We expect in the next few months he will develop some definite programs to put that cooperative spirit into action and give residents of Tulare the chance to uphold their half of the partnership. When that happens, Tulare residents will have the chance to fight crime in the streets the way it should be done, working with law enforcement as a team for the mutual good. Dooley, rural Tulare; Alta Green Gist, Tulare; Catherine Hitchco*ck Hayes, deceased; Atha Cochran Woodward, deceased; Mary Cartmill, Tulare; and an unidentified lass. Photo from the Alta Gist collection, courtesy of the Tulare City Historical Society.
The Tulare Fair -was a good reason for an afternoon's outing in 1909, and these six young beauties left Tulare High School one afternoon to do just that. Traveling to the fair east of town, they topped off the day by having a group picture taken of themselves. Pictured left to right are Mabel Beckwith Mary Staying in tune McGrory with Washington Advance-Register Opinion Friday, July 3,1981 Tulare, California Paqe14 solutions first, we are not suprised that Sliwas Guardian Angels have been treated as heroes in the New York area or that they were the subject of a romanticized television movie recently. People love instant answers to complicated problems, and vigilante action is one of the oldest instant answers in existence. While communities can benefit when people take an active interest in their own crime problems, it is best to leave the street patrols to qualified police officers.
However, law enforcement officers are not encouraging all you urban cowboys Taxis after first June day to the end of last May, the cabs have gone 109,948 total miles (expected to be 120,000 once the past month is considered) averaging out to 10,000 miles a month. Of DARTS 39,018 passengers, 26 percent or 10,144 have been elderly, .8 percent, or 312, have been handicapped. DART has also had its problems. Shortly after beginning service, the air conditioning went out on all three cars, they displayed a remarkable capacity to burn oil and were subject to most of the knocks and rattles that new cars have. Customers have also complained they have had to wait too long to be picked up by the cabs.
City Councilwoman Ila Harmon recently asked for a complete review of the system, which Racadio plans to present at an upcoming council session. "Were looking at some changes the hours served, whether or not we need to add another taxi," said Racadio. The city runs three taxis during peak periods the first and third weeks of the month. "The cabs tend to be really busy at 7om Britton It general attlgnmenl reporter for The Ad-rencn-Pegliter. Hit ipeclelty It city government faced with an unnatural mother, you could tell.
When I persisted, he looked even more agitated. I have a very good hearing," he said firmly. He whipped a little book out of his pocket. "You see, it is written right here, Mr. "There is no Mr.
Grog," I said. We stared at each other in wild surmise for a full minute, and then I had an inspiration. "Grog," I said, is, in a way, half my name." I wrote down "McGrory." He was not entirely convinced, but he made a respectable recovery. "That's an Irish name, he said, and I was relieved that we had found something to agree on. I made him a cup of tea he explained that in World War on hot days, German soldiers were given nothing but hot tea and he went back to plinking.
When his nerves were somewhat restored, he ventured back into dangerous territory. "It is a mystery to me how I got here," he began. Then seeing the gathering storm of denial and consternation on my face, he added hastily, "But I no longer care." Reagan's advice for Tom Brisson it would have to be tuned. He brought a crew of four husky men, who wrestled the piano into place. Considering the heat of the day and the strenuousness of their effort, would they appreciate a glass of beer? The colonel whispered to me that they were in an alcohol abuse program.
It's the kind of mistake I often make. The piano tuner was engaged by Liz, my helper-keeper, who found him in the Yellow Pages and reported a certain communications problem. He appeared, with a bag and a heavy accent, and turned out to be as critical and demanding as anyone who has ever crossed by threshold. The light was poor. The strings were dusty.
He needed a blanket placed in the back because the "sound would not be lovely, the instrument is too near the closet. I ventured, about two hours into the operation, to bring up the subject of the bill. The piano tuner said, "Your son will pay." My son? "Yes, I know that, I send the bill to him, he pays." "I dont have a son," I said. "That was a secretary with a deep voice." The piano tuner's pale blue eyes were flooded with reproach. He was There's a lot of controversy these days about at what moment life begins.
Equally Intriguing to me is at what moment does it end. I've seen some people expire at the age of 22. Their heart continues to beat. The vital signs are intact. They function on a daily basis.
But for all purposes they're gone." There is no curiosity. There is no anger. They have lost the ability to question anything. They are unimpressed. They are not amused.
They stand rigid against new ideas and changes. The wonderful excitement and zest for discovering what each day brings has been put to rest. How do you know when you're gone? You'll know. When you sit through a rerun of a television show you hated in the first place and are too lazy to get up and turn the dial. When you refer to yourself in the past tense.
WASHINGTON They have taken the Salvation Army piano out of the front hall, which is a good thing because it was jammed up against the closet, and the ironing board and the vacuum cleaner were immured like Aida and Radames, and I couldn't play it anyway. Why did I borrow a piano I obviously don't have room for? It's a good question, and the answer is to be found in my history as a hostess, if I may borrow a title, too. I am always astonished when I read in the social columns of scenes at parties, where a guest stalks out because of a clash over the MX missile. No one ever speaks of the MX in my living room, and Ive never heard the budget-reconciliation process even mentioned. The reason: My guests are far too busy criticizing the appointments to get around to current events.
I have never exactly understood why the people I know feel not only free, but actually constrained to remark on the inadequacy of the arrangements. The range is terrific, from "Why is it too dark in here?" and "Why dont Gert and Liz sing Sonny Boy?" to Are you sure you've got enough salad? to Did you ever think of getting a house in Georgetown?" A change of administration makes not the slightest difference, there is a continuity in the drumfire. An adventurous person from the Reagan White House noted in the same paragraph that my apartment was small and that I should have a piano. I began to work on the manageable aspect of his suggestion. I thought at once of the Salvation Army, not just because of its record of helping people who cannot cope but because of Col.
Ernest Miller, a local officer who is one of the most resourceful people I have ever encountered. His organization, you remember, was one of four charities which received a million dollars apiece from the Energy Department as the Carter administration was leaving office. The Reagan administration actually thought of trying to get the money back until, that is, the colonel appeared on national television in full uniform, getting a receipt from an unemployed roofer whose electric bill of 825.88 had been paid from the oil company fines. I remarked to him that there had been a touch of the theater in his performance, and he told me that he and his wife had studied opera for nine years. He was receptive to my plea.
Yes, he said, the Adult Rehabilitation Center piano might be available. He could arrange for its delivery, but Mtry McGrory It Pulitzer Prize-winning columnltt for fht Wtthlngton tor, and her column It nationally tyndlcated. doing well one year the hours of 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
to 3 p.m. But it's not the time of day as much as the time of the month." Taxis now go as far as the city's urban boundary on Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The cabs originally went home at 6:30 p.m. to avoid the bar traffic. Still, life has been exciting for the drivers, who have picked up people ranging from drunks to others with serious medical problems. The cabs have had two minor accidents in the past year. "There 've been two fender-benders, but no injuries in cither one.
One was in a parking lot we backed into tbem. The other was on the road, when someone ran into us," Racadio said. "But in 120,000 miles, thats only two small accidents." DART has so far cost 8130,000, 8104,000 of which has been paid by the state, the remaining 826,000 by the city through passenger fares. DART cab fare is still 75 cents to go anywhere in the city area, or 60 cents if a passenger buys a book of ten DART tickets for 86. Racadio said he is trying to work out an agreement with Tulare County officials to reimburse the city of Tulare for county passengers.
"The county would like us to move out toward the south and east," he said. Dial-A-Kide-Tulare, the citys government-funded transportation system, seems to have become a success after one year of operation, according to Sam Racadio, assistant city manager. The yellow DART cabs began running Monday, June 23, 1980. The system was set up by Tom Devereux, Tulares former assistant city manager, with Transportation Development Act money. On that first day, DART had 47 passengers who paid 75 cents to go one way anywhere in the city area in one of two cabs making the rounds.
There was a third, but it was held in reserve. That was a year ago. it exceeded our expectations in the numbers of riders weve averaged 153 people a day Monday through Friday, and 100 riders on Saturdays," said Racadio, who oversees the system's operation. Altogether, thats about 39,018 passengers. Racadio predicted that number will go up to 42,500 when Junes figures are added into the total.
That averages out to close to two rides for every person in the city of Tulare for the past year. Ry August of last year, a third taxi was put on the street, and, not long after that, a DART van equipped to carry handicapped passengers was added. A few other statistics: From that At wits end by Erma Bombeck When you wear raggy night clothes to bed and shrug, Whose gonna see me." When you say to the motel owner, "I'm checking out" and he says, "Im not surprised." Well, if my kids are reading, take note. I'm not ready yet to divide the jewelry. I think.
Ive got a few good years left. I want to be like 92-year-old Virgil Conner, who recently earned his doctorate in history at Florida State University. I want to be like 73-year-old Veallon Hixson, who ran her first marathon last year in Phoenix. I want to be like Arthur Godfrey, who once said to me on the air, "When I'm 70, I want to be named in a paternity suit." When Im 80, I want to be saying things like, "Well, I never heard THAT before." Or, I'll ask mother. Shell remember." Or, "So, lets buy it.
We could get a 20-year mortgage on it." I i di ta.
