St. Lucie News Tribune from Fort Pierce, Florida • 61

I I News Tribune Sunday September 18 1988 F5 Sometimes they pledge a lesion to the flag Dick Schmidt Got a minute? The Bush campaign has homed in on problem with the Pledge of Allegiance with a vengeance evening up the score for the Dukakis hits on service with the National Guard during the Viet Nam War Kind of makes me wonder what all the fuss is about I mean we're not talking about a card-carrying Communist here We're talking about a- Governor who thinks the Pledge should not be mandatory' I happen to agreebut even that the issue-The issue really is just what is the Pledge of Allegiance and what does uttering' it before the start of any function really prove? So we sing The Star Spangled Baiiner before sporting events Does that mean sports fans are more patriotic than opera fans? If I recite the wonder why anyone would feel children living in a free country should have to be forced to recite it But aha! a third direction We can wonder why Bush feels this should be a campaign issue (what an insult to your intelligence as a voter to imply that so stupid rest your whole future on such an issue) just as we wonder why Dukakis feels National Guard service should disqualify him as a viable candidate (should Bush die in office) for the Presidency What I propose is they both get off this nonsense and get down to the real issues hear Bush explain precisely what he intends to do to continue the prosperity this nation is now enjoying since it's a fair assumption that Reagan who will not be in office is responsible not Bush Pledge of Allegiance before launching my boat on a fishing trip does that make me a better American? Somehow I think so face it many people think about the words anyway and most grade school children the faintest idea what they mean Come to think of it there are probably a lot of adults who have never given much thought to the words either they simply ssy them by rote So just for the heck of it let's see what this short pledge does say and mean I pledge (promise) allegiance (loyalty) to the flag (a piece of doth or bunting used as a symbol and especially a national emblem of the United States of America (a group of small states organised into a larger state for the common good hear him tell what he intends to do to encourage the Soviets to abandon some of their more warlike ways Let's hear just how Dukakis feels about national defense Just a couple of months ago he ridiculed the Strategic Defense Initiative now he says he thinks more research should be funded Let's hear why we should believe he won't do to the citizens of the nation what he did to the citizens of his home state promise no tax increases but get them anyway But most important of all hear not how well each candidate can recite the Pledge of Allegiance but how each will fulfill its most important promise: liberty and justice for all Dick Schmidt Is a News Tribune columnist who lives in Port St Lucie them but withholding rights unto themselves) and to the Republic (a form of government) for which it stands (which it represents) one nation under God (there is no comma after "nation" no pause) indivisible (not able to be divided) with liberty (freedom) and justice (fair treatment under the law) for all everyone So try that from the top I promise to be loyal to the I Older executives I -a II have their work cut out for Community College in Gainesville the other day three teen-age students milling nearby snickered The man turned suddenly Whenthe gray-haired older man a knapsack draped from his shoulder and a book in his hand marched to the library circulation desk at Santa fe miMi Bill Maxwell Against the grain Two Cosmonauts spaced out Lewis Grizzard glaring at the students They attractive well-dressed and embarrassed walked away After the man checked out the book I followed him outside stopped build in the voices hate it when this said Lyakhov Said Momand we should say we do not pray in Soviet said Lyakhov was in Catholic Church in United States" said Momand know prayer Bow head and repeat after me the 17 Under the cried Lyakhov engine asked Mission Control said Lyakhov Fortunately Lyakhov was able to get the reentry engine started again and he and Momand were able to land safely-back in the Soviet Union Neither ever participated in a Soviet space program again however Lyakhov joined the Bolshoi Ballet and Momand defected to the United States won the Florida lottery and bought Eastern Airlines Lewis Grizzard is a syndicated columnist who writes tor the Atlanta Constitution Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Lyakhov turned the switch on the engine that would soon propel him and his comrade in space Abdul Ahad Momand back to Earth Lyakhov and Momand were on a routine mission in their Soyuz T-5 capsule traveling approximately 234 miles above the surface be long now com-radeqntil be back in Soviet Union as said Lyakhov get new hats and said a smiling Momand Thh engine purred for approximately a minute and then suddenly shut down said Lyakhov is this asked Momand: "You have accident in "Worse said Lyakhov: engine it has should we not certain Hand me Lyakhov worked frantically but the engine remained silent "What does this asked Momand becoming a bit nervous engine starts again it means explained Lyakhov if it asked Momand explained Lyakhov will run out of air and food and no new hats and shoes said Momand "This is some deep doo-dinski too much pure greed Nobody cares about people anymore About the years we gave to our companies Profit at any cost is the new religion and the whole country is suffering because of it These greedy bastards are sending all of us older folks straight to financial hell They even give me a gold watch They didn't even show me the door I had to find it Under the US Age Discrimination Act schemes such as those against John and others have been illegal for 21 years But since 1981 according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 27000 workers filed age-discrimination claims each year a figure more than double the number of similar claims filed each year before 1981 So blessed by Ronald apotheosis of the business person much of corporate America is waging a dirty unconscionable war against older professionals Nationwide patterns of age discrimination particularly involving forced retirement are amply documented Fortunately because juries consist mostly of employees rather than employers and because many inept company bosses leave fetid paper trails scores of age-discrimination victims are garnering million-dollar settlements Reports show that corporate giants such as Dresser Industries Pan American World Airways and European American Bank paid mega-bucks for their alleged wrongdoing Others such as Xerox and Jor Lyakhov still unable to restart the engine called to Mission Control back in the Soviet Union "Mission Control" he began in his best Chuck Yeager voice is T-5 and got a little ol' trouble up here Probably nothing to worry about but just thought let you know" is the nature of your trouble?" asked Mission Control won't said Mission Control will soon run out of air and food and die Have you checked a 10-4 Mission Control Also checked spark plugs and fan check carburetor" carburetor" Lyakhov said to Momand who raised the hood of the space craft and looked at the engine said Momand said Lyakhov not to said Mission Control still the engine would not start and Mission Control could hear the uneasiness begin to symbol of this nation and to the form of government that symbol represents which is one countiy under God made up of many local groups which cannot be divided and which gives freedom and fair treatment to everyone Apparently we can go two ways from here In one direction we can wonder just why any American would possibly have a problem with having school children recite such a pledge In the other we can him introduced myself as an instructor and writer and I apologized for the students' behavior I liked his face its symmetrical wrinkles solid chin and square jaws Wisdom and integrity shone in his clear blue eyes John (he and I agreed not to use his real name because of ongoing litigation) a 57-year-old executive recently was forced to "voluntarily retire" from the department store chain he had been with for about 17 years He and 25 other professionals older than 50 filed a class action suit against their former employer He said he was taking courses at the college keep from dwelling on the hurt of being thrown to the After 1 spoke with John I did some researh and learned that he and his 25 colleagues unique They represent thousands of older professionals in corporate America who have been fired or discriminated against in other ways because of their age In case his boss told him to either accept early retirement thereby relinquishing some of his pension and benefits or hang on and risk losing everything when the company reorganizes for the 1990s goes the American corporate dream for me My young boss forced me to accept the lesser of two evils that what they call a dilemma?" John said mean going to hire a 57-year-old executive been issued final walking papers? The whole damned thing stinks When they made me quit I was better at my job and more loyal to the company than ever Did that matter? No But going to fight the bastards know what it is called the bottom line Profit I and folks like me have been around a long time and the company thinks my salary is costing them Laminated First got to clean up after last week's column op former Circuit Clerk Roger Poitras and St Lucie French-Canadian connection think an old gaffer like me would be more careful but in interviewing Janine Poitras widow I some things Also 1 did something that a sign on State Sen Dempsey desk warns against: "Assume It help the 32-year veteran Panama City legislator keep his seat in the Sept 6 primary but still good advice I goofed in several places in telling about the Archambault and Forget families who were the vanguard of the French-Canadians who moved to this area in the early part of the century Conrad Forget and his wife the former Armande Archambault (I identified her by her mother's name Anna) had five children not four I left out Theresa Durocher who lives in a Montreal suburb half the year and Fort Pierce the other half and I misspelled the name of another sister Pierrette Lagace I wanted to straighten this out not only for the sake of accuracy but because told a copy of the column is being laminated lor Pete's sake to hang in the new county ad i I How they voted dan Marsh are embroiled in class action suits Even so experts say many corporations have instructed their attorneys to devise ways of ousting older executives In some circles this process is called corporate A spokesman for the American Association of Retired Persons said he agreed with John that age traditionally valued as a sign of experience wisdom and loyalty has become a liability in business age is something that overtakes the AARP representative said blow-dried youngster who fires today's 50-plus professional will himself be 50 one day Who will protect him? The way things are going he stands a good chance of getting a taste of his own medicine think we must redefine the rights of older workers We must also reassess the value we place on loyalty and experience Why is age suddenly an automatic liability? If a person has been with his company 20 years and continues to do an exemplary job he deserves to be kept on and at good salary if that's what he wants But I am afraid that our worship of youth and the merger and takeover frenzy will make matters worse before they get better Older executives certainly have their work cut out for Bill Maxwell is a News Tribune columnist you thought the hot weather would subside Wrong We're having what I refer to as September weather when it threatens to rain or does rain every day The actual temperatures may not be quite as high as they were in August but bet sweating more and enjoying it less That's the humidity folks and September is full of it Hang in there One day in October notice a slight change The temperature may not be much lower but the air will be drier and you'll know that fall is here And then comes winter when Florida is glorious Knowing that several months of blue skies drier air and cool evenings are on the way is the only thing that makes September bearable That and air conditioning Bob Enns is the News Tribune's tutorial page editor for the first time Willism McChesney no: Hugh Kelly no: Tom Hooper no Shirley Conti yes: Frank Alexander absent To approve a 1988-1989 property tax rate of $218 per $1000 of taxable property value McChesney yes Kelly yes Hooper yes Conti yes Alexander absent To approve a 1988-1989 general fund budget that includes $87 million in revenues and $79 million in expenditures St Lucie County The following issues were among those voted on by theSL Lucie uouniy Cuuimission at its Tuesday Sept meeting: To proclaim Sept 13 1988 Lucie Mets in St Lucie County for winning the Florida State Baseball League Championship on Sept 11 HavertTenn yes: Jim Minix yes: Jsck Krieger yes: Judy Culpepper yes Dele Trefelner yes McChesney yes Kelly yes Hooper yes Conti yes Alexander absent Fort Pierce The following issues were voted on at the Sept 12 special meeting of the Fort Pierce City Commission: To adopt on first reading the tax rate of $468 per $1000 of taxable property value Bob Bluestone yes Bob Burdge no Darrell Drummond yes: Gloria Grimyser absent William Dannahower absent To adopt on first reading the $146-million budget for 1988-89 Bluestona yes Burdge no Drummond yea Grimyser absent Dannahower absent School Board The following issue was voted on Sept 15 at a special meeting of the St Lucie County School Board: To approve a $1123 million budget that includes an overall tax increase ol 128 percent Tom Coes yes Samuel Gaines yes Mary Goodenow yes Judy Miller yes Susan Minchi no To grant conceptual approval to a plan to protect public drinking water wells from pollution i Fenn Minix yes Krieger yes Culpepper yes Trefelner yes To table the question of whether or not to reappoint Mabel Fawsett and Pat Ferrick to the St Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Fenn yes Minix yes Krieger yea Culpepper yes Trefelner yes rt i To proclaim Sept 17 Prisoner of War Recognition Fenn'yes Minix yes Krieger yes Culpepper yea Trefelner yes IMN1 To proclaim the week of Sept 19 "Florida Industry Annreciation Week" mimii Fenn' Ves Minix yes Krieger yes Culpep-per yes Trefelner yes ir Port St Lucie The'following issues were among those voted on by the Port St Lucie City Council at its Tuesday Sept IS meeting: To approve a request to close Trenton Lane from Port St Lucie Boulevard to Crescent Avenue 1 ministration building dedicated to Roger Poitras' memory been doing columns for a lot of years and I don't think one has ever been laminated before Lampooned and lambasted but never laminated Speaking of making errors I'll let you in on a dark little secret One of the finest colum- -nists the News Tribune ever had the late great Tom Cope intentionally slipped errors into his pieces That way have material for future columns straightening out the boo-boos I can assure you my errors are not intentional CUM GRANUM SAL: On account of because I was born and raised here I'm qualified to have opinions about the weather and glad to share them with newcomers to the area and it seems like most everyone these days is a newcomer When August came to an end -U ikaonmm)' mi I.