The Galveston Daily News from Galveston, Texas • Page 8

it Hitchcock council step in right direction frequently complain of tlic "distance" between lliein and ci'ty hall. City officials, they say, are often indifferent' to pressing problems and spend too much time at meetings discussing anything but the "real" issues. It is easy, we think, to criticize city government when one has made no attempt to become involved oneself. Apparently some Hitchcock residents agree. Instead of attacking city hall from the safety of their own homes, they have formed the Hitchcock Community Council, an organization of about 35 people committed to taking local problems one at a time and formulating short-range, cost-effective solutions.

The council has been around since October, but established legitimacy for itself last week, when it met with city and school board officials to pinpoint Hitchcock's weaknesses, When it came time to suggest improvement projects, everyone tried to speak at once. Finally, priority was given lo city and school property beautification, school safely and a joint city-school district newsletter. There is every indication that the council will continue lo attract members, many of whom have never held public office. They are willing to argue amongst themselves for the benefit of the community and defend their opinions. And they are, of those in city government, willing lo compromise.

Donald 1 Reactor accident to reshape policy With millions of wurils already devoted lo UieThrce Mile Island crisis, the final ones may he a long time in coming. These mii.sl await determination (if the precise cause or causes of Hie reactor malfunction and derisions as lo how it is going lo reshape the rnli. 1 tif nuclear energy future, they surely will. Hut the very absence nf such crucial answers at this point raises a question: What if tliis brush with catastrophe hull occurred not in central Pennsylvania, United Slates nf America. l)tit in a closed society We may never have an answer unless the result of similar incident should tie catastrophe.

Hut we can be fairly certain Unit it would mil he as Three Mile Island heen. or have similar public consequences. If there is a real complaint about information concerning Three Mile Island, it is not in a shortage but an overabundance of details. The public has been inundated with fact, often variously interpreted, and speculation. Anil if there has been confusion, much of il may be traced In tlie complexity of the nuclear generating process itself plus the numerous levels tif not always fully coordinated authority stale, federal, scientific wilh anil issuim; statements on the situation.

Three Mile Island lias been no coverup. What it will be is open to some debate. Proponents of nuclear power see it as vindication. Safely procedures worked, justifying their faith in the practicality of the nuclear process. Opponents also see it as vindication, a near miss with disaster that should be taken as a warning that from the standpoint of safely unclear power is inherently unreliable.

It is neither at the moment. What it is will be determined after tile incident in all its complexity and the lessons learned from it have been thoroughly aired a word with a grim double meaning in this context. And in our open society they surely will tie. noted Quick, and no fair using fingers: What do 2,243,000, 1,122,000, 1 405,000 and 218,990,000 add up to? Don't bother spending any more time on the answer. It's not a mega-number but a statistical profile of a people Americans.

The first figure is the number of marriages recorded throughout the country in 1978 and it works out to 10.3 per 1,000 population. That is the highest since 1974, indicating that the decline in the marriage rate of recent years may be in the process of being reversed. The second figure is the number of divorces for the same year. Again in terms of 1,000 population, that is a rate of 5.1, virtually unchanged from the year before and indicating that the long-term rise in the divorce rate may be leveling off. The two sets of statistics arc recorded in the latest edition of "Mirths, Marriages, Divorces and Deaths" issued by the National Center for Health Statistics.

Taken they suggest that even in an era of freer lifestyles, there's still a lot lo be said for wedlock mid a lot being done about it. I3irths during 1978 numbered 3,329,000, about the same as for 1977, giving hope that the population isn't as explosive as recently feared. But we're still a long way from the zero- gruwth society advocated by some population since the year's live births I deaths by 1,405,000. The difference, plus imriif, brought the official U.S. population to as of on.

1, 1979, a new high. It figures. 8- A Monday Morning, April 'M, 1979 Viewpoints Commentary, Editorials Jack Anderson Time for Carter to face Viet Vets' WASHINGTON "The Deerhunter" and "Coming Home," two movies about the shattering effect of the Vietnam war on the men who fought it and survived, wnlked off with most of the Oscars recently at the Academy Awards gala. But for the 3.1 million Vietnam veterans themselves, the painful realities don't end in the movie theater. And the recognition they just won from Hollywood has not spread to the public at large.

Americans who were not directly affected by the decade-long frustration of Vietnam want to forget the war. There are too many other matters, like dollar- a-gallon gasoline and inflation, lo preoccupy the public's attention. This seems to be the case with President Carter as well. He promised during his campaign that he would give the Vietnam veterans a better deal. But aside from some success in reducing unemployment in their ranks, Carter has yet to persuade the vets that he's willing to fulfill his U.S.

P.S. 213-100 FOUNDED IN 1842 TEXAS' OLDEST NEWSPAPER Dedcaled to the Growth end Progress of Gafveston and Calve scon County MANAGEMENT TEAM LESDAUGHTRY Editor and Pubfcher ANN BORDELON Managing Editor WCHAROFOGALEY City Editor WADE J. PARKER Business Manager MARSHALL DURHAM Advertising Droctor RONALDB. SCHUITZ Retai Advertising Manager DAVIDLYONS Classified Advertising Manager BLLYTUMA Orcdetion Manager ROBERT LEYVA Mai Room Foreman DALE THOMPSON Production Manager BN.LCOCHRANE Composing Room Foreman CECIL DILL Press Room Foreman Published every morning by Gafveston Newspapers. 8522 Teichman P.O.

Box 628, Gatveston, Texas 77553. Second Class Postage Paid at GaK-eston, Texas. United Press International is entitled exclusively to tfie use or repubfcation of al the local news of spontaneous origin printed i. this newspaper. SUBSCRIPTION RATES BY CARRIER, S4.50 per month.

BY MAIL, $54.00 per year in U.S., S108 Outside U.S. Readers are encouraged to submit their statements or opinions on local matters for puWication on this page. Letters to the edtor, also are envoys welcome. PHONE commitments to them. Their needs are unquestioned: Tens of thousands can't find a decent job; one in four is battling booze or drugs; are in prison; nearly 40 percent are divorced or separated, and about as many need psychological counseling if they are ever to lead normal lives again, according to experts.

The suicide rate among Vietnam veterans is an alarming 23 percent above that of the general population. Their desperation sometimes makes the headlines. One decorated combat hero, Stephen Gregory, walked into a bank in 1977 and held customers hostage in a last-ditch plea for help. The intervention of Rep. David Bonior, D- and the understanding of a sympathetic judge got Gregory the professional attention he needed.

But thousands of other Stephen Gregorys don't know where to turn. Washington spokesmen for the Vietnam veterans, many of whom worked to elect Jimmy Carter, are bitter about what they re- gard as a series of broken promises by the president on jobs, veterans' preference, medical care and educational benefits. "This has become an anti-Vict- nam-veterans Administration," one lobbyist disgustedly told our associate Jack Mitchell. Veterans Administration boss Max Cleland, himself a triple-amputee Vietnam vet, denies this. "The budget-cutting hasn't affected Vietnam veterans," he maintains, noting that in a time of increased pressure for austerity in government, the White House has pushed for additional funds for education, alcohol treatment programs and psychological counseling services.

Cleland also pt out that a new federal coordinating committee has been set up in the White House specifically to deal with improvement in services to Vietnam veterans. But veterans'-organizations insiders complain that their influence in the Carter administration, nevertheless, has sunk to a new low. The vets' clout on Capitol Hill is a little stronger, thanks largely to a group of 19 congressmen who have formed a caucus called Vietnam Veterans in Congress to push for better treatment for the veterans of the most thankless and misunderstood war in the nation's history. Largely due to their efforts, Congress passed legislation giving a tax credit to employers who hire Vietnam veterans. They have also been instrumental in pushing for a $10 million appropriation to provide psychological counseling for veterans.

Still, those who fought in Southeast Asia have discovered that the indifference and indecisiveness that prolonged their suffering in the field have followed them home. In many ways, readjustment to civilian life has proven to be a tougher ordeal than actual combat was. Footnote: Memorial Day May 28 is the start of Vietnam Veterans Week. Maybe it will help focus attention on the most neglected minority of the 1970s, and remind the American public that the veterans' problems aren't just a Hollywood movie, but real life. Good Deal? The life insurance industry continues to push "whole life" policies even though its own experts acknowledged long ago that such policies are a bad deal for the insured's beneficiaries in a time of steadily rising inflation.

The Trend Report, a little-known report prepared by industry economists for the American Council on Life Insurance in 1974 predicted with fair accuracy the inflation that grips the country today, ft explained candidly why whole-life insurance policies are a poor investment, and warned: "Our business is on a self- destruct course if it continues its present emphasis on individual, whole-life products." The reason, suggests the book "The Life Insurance Conspiracy," an upcoming expose, is that the public may eventually realize that it's being bilked and may refuse to keep buying whole-life policies. The trouble with whole- plight life insurance is that the cash value a policy builds up over the years doesn't come close to keeping up with inflation. Your savings accrue at a rate of only about 3 and a half percent. A better investment, the industry acknowledges, might be to buy cheaper "term" insurance, which provides only protection but no cash value, and invest the savings at a yield that will keep pace with inflation. The Trend Report of 1974 notes that companies providing a whole portfolio of term-type policies "appear to be in a better position to weather the inflationary storms" than those that continue to stress whole- life policies.

Why do the companies promote whole-life policies? Simple: The agent's commission depends on the size of the premium usually between 55 and 70 percent of the first year's premium. And whole-life policies' premiums are higher. Copyright. 1979 United Feature Syndicate. Inc.

Jim AyJward Fast food shown to be much maligned Fast-food isn't always fast anymore you can stand in those lines forever while they box burgers in the back and salt fries in the front but fast-food may be reasonably good food. Don't tell the kids. If they think it's good for them, they may not cat it. Dr. Howard Applcdorf, who knows about nutrition (even his name sounds nutritious), says that fast- food IS good to eat.

Appledorf, professor of nutrition at the University of Florida, says that a burger, fries and a milk shake have about as much vitamin and mineral content as a steak, salad, baked potato and glass of milk. (He doesn't mean a little old burger all by itself he means one of those huge triple-delights with chopped lettuce and tomato and that "secret" dressing that Hellman's now sells in a bottle.) Appledorf admits that a Big Mac isn't a life-sustaining food but, he says, neither is a radish. DON'T JOG IN NEW ZEALAND Jogging is pointless, wastes time and can be dangerous. This is the gospel according to Dr. M.E..I.

Heard, who lists jogging's ill effects in the New Zealand Medical Journal. He says the potential hazards include leg- joint problems and heat stroke, and says that competitive jogging can really be dangerous. The doctor suggests that walking or cycling to work is better for you than a morning jog. Tell that to your joints and go back to sleep. HOW THE BIG APPLE OPERATES It costs more today to have an operation.

The cost of surgery is still on the rise. However, how much you pay depends on where you are. In New York City, you pay more. In Minneapolis, Atlanta or San Francisco, you pay much less. The Health Insurance Institute says that having a hysterectomy in New York City will cost you $1,127.

In Atlanta it's just $677. An Looking Backward By SALLY REEDY 25 YEARS AGO April Anita Reyder was installed as president of the Pilot Club at Galveston at a dinner meeting at the Jean Lafitte Hotel, by Mrs. Pauline Bogatto of the La Marque Club. Other leaders placed in office were Mrs. John Zuvanich, Miss Emily Torbert, Miss Anna Kelly, Mrs.

Arthur Henck, Mrs. C.J. Hauser, Mrs. Ria J. FlauU, Mrs.

Charles Voorhees and Miss Paula Kirkley. "We hauled away 38 truckloads of seaweed from the beach between 8th and 9th street yesterday," reported County Commissioner Irwin P. Dantin. "In some places it is 12 to 14 inches deep." James E. Langston, a standout guard for the Texas City Stingarees, has been awarded a football scholarship to Texas College.

More than 125 competitors are expected to participate in the Municipal Women's Golf Association Invitational Tournament. Mrs. Sol Druss is the director. Mrs. T.E.

Duguy is hospitality chairman and Mrs. Raymond Walker is in charge of door prizes. Miss Olivia Lou Finerty, daughter of Or. and Mrs. John C.

Finerty, 115 Trout Drive, was among those honored at a special Honors Day program at the Texas State College of Women. The American Legion Auxiliary of Texas City has named the ushers for their annual Spring May Fete. They will be Misses Lynn Jennings, Rene Fay Guiles, Elaine Burton, Loretta Ayers, Sally Jones, Betty Voorhees, Darlene Weathers, Annett Clement, Betty Pearl King and Judy Rust. Super Valu Stores are having a dollar day sale. You may purchase 6 No.

300 cans of peach halves for 16 cans of 8 oz. tomatoe sauce for $1 and cut up, pan-ready fryers are 43 cents per pound. Miss Joanne Harrell, Pi Beta Phi of Texas City, has been listed on the honor roll at the University of Texas. Convention headquarters for the Lions Club District 2-S-2 is the Buccaneer Hotel. Delegates from the local club will be headed by John Browning.

Others are Sam Holland, Hubert Clark, T.T. Bradley, F. Sunseri, H. Schocke, Anthony Cuchia, E. Delaney, E.

Legg and M. Mihovil. Jack Sparks is in charge of the fish fry. 50 YEARS AGO April 30, 1929-The financial condition of the Galveston schools is such that unless we are given relief, the schools will be compelled to close down for lack of funds. Mr.

and Mrs. Charles M. Day and daughter. Miss Marguerite Day, and son, Charles departed yesterday on a three month tour to Colorado and California. Moving of the Interurban Queen Cigar and News Stand from the present location in the 500 block on 2lst street to the northeast corner of 21st and Avenue will begin tomorrow.

Claude Ward is in charge of the church participation in National Music Week. Mrs. Edgar Emilianni will be in charge of the program Tuesday evening. Frank Herrie is chairman for Thursday and Mrs. W.T.

Smith of Friendswood will be in charge Friday. You can enjoy the speed, style and comfort of a Champion Studebaker for $860. Harry A. Black of Galveston was named a director of the Chamber of Commerce of the United Slates. Following the resignation of three officers received at the City Federation of Women's Clubs yesterday morning, there was a discussion of the disbanding of the organization.

Officers who resigned were: Mrs. Dan McBride president: Mrs. A.W. Mac Cullum, recording secretary; and Mrs. Ray Rolan, corresponding secretary.

Mrs. L.R. Gwin, treasurer, presided. The clubrooms will probably be returned over to the Little Theatre. Col.

Charles A. Lindbergh observed yesterday that America has more private flying fields than Europe but not one American city has an airport to compare with those aboard. Write Us! Readers are encouraged to write the Galveston Daily news concerning any topic, preferably of a local" nature. Letters should not exceed 300 words in length. Opinions, letters which respond to an issue in an enlightening way, should not exceed 500 words and must be signed.

Address letters to P.O. Box 628, Galveston, 77553. appendectomy in New York will cost $694, but in Minneapolis you'll pay just $359. SOMEBODY LOVES ME I WONDER WHO You could be addicted to love. While that sounds like a song title, it happens to be the truth from Princeton therapist Dr.

Beverlv Phillips. She says that people who expect their loved ones to be everything to them can often be disappointed by their dependency. Dr. Phillips says that many married people who find their mates to be less than they expected often look for someone else, under the assumption that there's someone, somewhere, who can fulfill all their needs and dreams. She says that's a myth that many of us grow up believing.

And Dr. Phillips says that many people crave love so much that it becomes a kind of addiction. THINGS NO ONE EVER TELIS YOU but I will: That famous Mr. Watson, the very first man spoken to on the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell, is the almost-unknown inventor of the telephone booth. Maybe that's why Bell called him.

He said, "I have a phone, but no booth!" Oscar Wilde was wild about green. He dipped white flowers in green ink and wore them on his suit long before the green carnation of St. Patrick's Day. Seventy-three percent of all the people in New York City live upstairs. Makes it more interesting in a blackout.

The sea urchin likes to walk on the tips of its teeth. If you're dealing from a full deck and use the term "Trump!" you're really saying "Triumph!" Cornmeal, which is usually yellow or white, may also be red, black or blue. Have some red cornbread. One kind of kangaroo, the burrowing boodie, lives almost totally underground. Which makes hopping hopeless.

MAKES SENSE TO ME The Department of Health, Education and Welfare had a problem recently. They found they were spending too much money on private consultants. They wanted to solve that problem. To do that they hired a consultant. They asked the consultant to tell them just how many consultants they were hiring.

According to the General Accounting Office, the consultant on consultants still hasn't figured out how many consultants HEW has. I bet Peter Piper would know. A VERY LARGE COMPLAINT Police in Ogden, Utah, say that they recently received a complaint about a robbery from a woman who was attending a Weight Watchers meeting. While she was there, she told the officers, somebody broke into her car and got away with $6 worth of chocolate chips and caramels. I'mU'il Syndicate, Inc -LURIE'S OPINION.