P»KeM

The Herald and The Lantern

Wednesday, October a, 1*M

'r,l(icl s tor

Changes Bring Upsetting View From Cottage by Arthur Murray Appel Thanks for my published letter (8 October 1900) and your professional editing In my last sentence, however. I meant that ' Christianity, or ethics, were once a saving leaven in home-community living and no longer exist " Make no mistake about it, we shall be taking repeated blows from a determined existentialist foe. In a struggle for tyjwtern Civilization and its stress upon defending an inviolate home, individual efforts are pupy: any lone protest is like the futile gestures of one slow wrestler caged in a ring with a dozen tormenting opponents l,ook out your cherished cottage windows and seehow suddenly (because of a manipulated zoning code change) these loathsome parodies of a home are beginning to shoulder your own out of existence. The^ multi-unit barracks are loathsome objects because of what they portend a foot-hold by contemptuously careless people purely hedonistic; the same kind of sheer animalism in the wrecked neighborhoods of a now hobgoblin Philadelphia (or its like); significant numbers of us, perhaps fled from IT WAS A HtJCiK reliqf to come to Sea Isle - even at great expense — alas, only to find the seeds of the same hucksterism and dfreeit here P It's sufficiently pompous by nature, if appointed to control the thought of an entire population on behalf of thl* etherealness of the "progress" they, have in mind, become postively Olympian! Materialistic necessities achieved are boasted of as something the homeowner is not sufficiently grateful for and so. to the offended official it’s like "come share my altar," as if he were offering Holy Communion to a dubious back slider. My own natural inclinations seem to have been stimulated and intensified by thlswar upon private homes, and where once I’ve been Something of a skeptic about human nature in general. I,am now crudely cynical about every aspect of this current "war" and the motives of .anyone who has the remotest connection with waging it. Arthur M. Appelf Is a 56th Street resident greatly concerned over the condominium trend. Another View On ‘Economical’ Government byRuthM.Kovacs An open letter to Sea Isle City's misinformed Citizens for Economical Government: Replying to your recent "Important Notice," mailed over the name of John Ott, treasurer — No, we cannot afford a 10:20 per cent increase in our taxes, but we were just subjected to an increase of 2tt.9 per cent this year, whether we canafford it or not! We have been subjected to increases for the past several years, and we couldn't afford tham either! , The latest increase was not. as the commissioners implied, the fault of the.county tax rate. Sea Isle City’s local purpose tax rate actually increased 16.2 per cent, and the commissioners neglected to also mention the reevaluatldn that took place in 1978, which reassessment went into effect with our 1979 taxes, further expanding dollar income! AS TO A "SUBSTANTIAE decrease in services" — what services'’ Trash collection? We have always had, and will always need, trash collection. Police protection? It leaves much to be desired. (Can you imagine the police being called this summer to quell a group of 20-25 young men - a typical "group rental" •ituation which should not be permitted in the first place — drinking, using abusive language, playing loud music, throwing objects — and two policewomen were sent to respond to the call?) Have you considered that perhaps an experienced manager, even though he may command a salary of $30,000, would save money, by reorganization and utilizing present employees and services more efficiently?. I’m

Advmrlltlng

Director

Omrrmll Kopp Publisher H—w HT-M1I lor N»w» or AdvprfUlnp tnformatl MAOtlNCS ~

William J.

ArfvartUIn# . ClaMlflml Advelltlwf

Presidential Candidates How They Stand: On Economic Policy

•"We must stopl inflation. It must| be propedy understood that inflation is not meretyl an economic problem. If long en-| durrd, i the confidence it government that i so vital smooth function-1 ing rf. Republic suchasoun If inflation pentsts. it will not represent a failing of the American people, but rather of their political leadership...Unless we get the American people saving and invesung again, unless we boost our technology through more research and development, and unless we upgrade the skills of our labor force, we will never put a halt to inflation." •"I have been very careful in saying that what I’m going ^to do is bnng Federal spending under control first... I'm going to wait until I see that the inflation rate is going down, before I even begin to phase in the business tax cub that I've ulkedabout. ” •"Talk of a $20 to $30 billion tax cut may make good election-year rhetoric, but smh talk misses the point " •"How do you balance the budget, cut taxes, and increase Defense spending at the same time?" •"I. oppose an election-year tax cut... What I would propose...(are) cub in the Federal budget. I think we've got to have fiscal restraint." •"A sound economic policy must incorporate a commitment to full employment. .While the central focus of America's full employment policy must be on the creation and preservation of productive, private sector jobs, there will be a continuing need for creative and complementary federal employment programs to reach areas of unmet needi.' ’ A A *

•"There are no quick answers to inflation and above all no painless answers." •"The fundamental challenge to our economy in the I980's is to create full employment, stable prices, and real growth, with jobs that attack our declining productivity and energy dependence—the major causes of inflation and recession..." •"My Administration’s budget policy has been based on balanc- j ing tuporon. but C(Urra , competing goab: providing adequate Federal resources to meet our Nation'a needs, while restraining the growth of the Federal budget. •"It is sheer deception to promise the American people that we can have this enormously expensive and unfair tax cut. that we can dramatically increase defense expenditures even above and beyond the substantial levels I have reconfmended. and that we can sustain our programs in education, employment, health and other areas, and that we can exercise budget resuaint at thesame time. •'The most important step we can take to revitilize Amcncan industry is to provide incentives for greater private investment.” •"To help offset rising individual tax burdens in ways that do not rekindle inflation...) will ask Congress for... measures next year to deal with this problem.” •"We have got to keep inflation under control while we.. build permanent jobs for people in the private industry sector, not in make-work jobs that are very expensive to the American taxpayer...” •"|I)n the first three yean I was President... we increased the net number of jobs in this country by more than eight million.” * A A A

RONALD REAGAN

•"Government causes inflation, and therefore government is the , only one who can

cure it.”

•"I’ll attack inflation sensibly. First, I will tell our I monetary authoff- [ ties that they have I only one job—to I restore and maintain a sound dollar

at home and abroad.. .Second, I will ask Congress to act immediately in beginning the necessary reform of our tax system...Third, I will attack excessive federal spending...Finally, 1 believe we need to accept the fact that federal overregulating of the economy has exceeded the bounds of sensibility Where cosb exceed- benefiB. the regular on must

desist."

•"We must balance the budget. . (Tjhrough a comprehensive assault on waste and inefficiency, we can., tnm two percent out of the budget in fiscal year l98t and...we will be able to increase this gradually to seven percent of what otherwise would have been spent i& fwcalycar 1985." •"The answer to this depressing situation lies in immediate acuon by the , Congress to reinvigorate the economy. The answer lies in a tax cut...a genuine tax cut...ter be effective on January 1, 1981...it should take the form of an across-the>board. 10 percent cut in income tax rates on ipdividual. as well as an effective accelerated depreciatidn schedule to revive the flow of investment into American business..." •" (T]he only real long-term solution to unemployment is to stimulate economic growth, thereby creating enough private jobs for all those seeking work. Thu... can best be achieved by a comprehensive program cf tax rate reductions and deregulation of American industry. AAA

This issue profile Is part of a series titleO. "How They Stand." compiled by Common Causa from materials released by the frontrunning Presidential contenders and from statements reported by major news media since January 1.1900. Although space constraints limit the breadth and depth ol these profiles,we have attempted to present statements that are representative of the candidates' views on the Issues While Common Cause neither endorses nor opposes candidates, this pro|ect Is part of our election year effort to promote informed dlscusflon he frontrunning candidates' positions on significant Issues. A similar protect was conducted In 1976.

certain that among the large number of employes in City Hall, a capable assistant (if really needed) and secretary could be found, with no need to hire more help. AS FAR AS SALARIES for council men, I’m sure there are a number of honestly interested non-mercenaries in this town who would be willing to work for the best interests of Sea Isle City at a nominal salary, as many of oui preceding commissioners have done ... truly concerned citizens who would be willing to assume the task of getting Sea Isle City back on its feet, financially and otlferwise. And you have been misinformed regarding the present city budget. It is not $1,100,000. It is $2,079,000. The figure of $1,100,000 does not include water and sewer as part of the operating budget, but it is part of the total budget, and we are paying for it. Did you know that the City was in debt in the amount of $6,757,247.01, according to the 1979 state audit? And did you know that, as a result of that debt, Sea Isle City's borrowing power was ZERO, according to the same 1979 state audit? AND DO YOU KNOW why Cape May City has a tax rate that is more than double Sea Isle City’s? Because its ratables are $110,812,910, compared to Sea Isle City's $206,355,499. The higher tax rate is not due to its form of government, and the fact that the city may have had seven managers in seven years does not enter into the tax picture at all. As for Sea Isle City being an "economical" place to live, why then are so many people moving out of town? Why do some of the city employees live out of town? Why are so many of our young people moving away? Because they Just cannot afford to live here. No one expects something for nothing, but we would like to have something for something — for our ever-increasing tax dollars. AS FAR AS BEING “economical," the city does little to economize. With the high cost of fuel these days, why have the storm windows been off most of the windows in City Hall all last winter, and still not replaced for the coming winter? Why are city employes permitted to take city trucks home, even to off-shore locations? No, we are not foolish enough to think that promises will lower our tax rate, but certainly efficient, sound business management could! Sea Isle City has become "big business," and should be run and managed accordingly! If it takes a change in form of government to accomplish this, then this is the course that the wise and prudent should wish to follow. Ruth Kovacs is a resident of 84th Street.

What Happened To Once-Proud P.O. Motto? by Dr. W. Hamilton Aulenbach Though long a staunch supporter of the United States mail, I must now vigorously protest its handling of Parcel Post. Seldom is a package delivered undamaged by machinery, often not even identifiable. Recently I mailed a package of immediately needed clothing worth approximately $500. I reported it to the Eastern post office as missing 10 days after it was mailed with a casualness due to inflexible post office regulations. I was informed nothing could be done until 30 days had elapsed. Jhen a tracer could be instituted that would require two weeks to try to trace it. When I contacted the Western post office about 15 days later, I was similarly informed. I’m now firmly convinced the business of Parcel Post should be turned over to private enterprise, which gives increasing evidence of being able to do a more efficient and responsible job. For less money to the customer. Less money (nodeficit) to the taxpayers. W. Hamilton Aulenbach, D.D. of Claremont, Calif., 1* a summer resident of Stone Harbor. Victorian Tower’s Tenants Are Paying Their Share by Helm Schlavo The residents of Victorian Towers have been challenged on several occasions and there have been letters to the editor printed Indicating the Victorian Towers is getting a free ride from the City of Cape May. The truth is that Victorian Towers makes a payment in lieu of taxes which is based on a percentage of the income from rents received from its residents. The payment is substantial and goes 100 per cent to the local government — no school and no county share. Of course, the above information can be verified at the Cape May City Tax Office. I sincerely hope the record will now be straight and suggest that the originators of rumors go to the source before making unfounded statements. Helen Schiavo to president of the Victorian Towers Tenants' Association.