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Show I Wednesday, July 4, 1990 the Daily Herald, Provo, Utah A8 Lifestyle Summer fun gets high-tecg for Americans h: Victims have impact! on Capitol HI Editor's Note: They're the people who have lost jobs and homes, gone hungry and suffered illness, endured beatings or lived with disabilities. They've been scarred by foster care, harassed at the office or traumatized by illegal abortions. They're the people who testify before congressional hearings, the people who put a human face on cold statistics. ' ; By JILL LAWRENCE Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) Peggy Adams is an expert in raising children and pulling together ends that don't quite meet. Hunger is no stranger in her household. "I have seen my children's . bodies stop growing like they should, and I pray it's not their brains as well," Mrs. Adams said earlier this year at a Senate Budget Committee hearing on federal food and nutrition programs. It was an emotional moment. "These senators were glued to their chairs and listening to every word intently," Jeff Coleman, a senior income analyst for the committee, said later. "You could see on the spot that people were being affected. The questions they asked were very, very thoughtful." Capitol Hill hearings are often characterized by the relentless recitation of government statistics, the polite drone of think tank researchers, the familiar arguments of professional lobbyists. Even the most sensitive law - makers can become numbed. That's when it's time to bring on the victims. They're the people who have lost jobs and homes, gone hungry and suffered illness, endured beatings and lived with disabili- - real-wor- ld persuasive." Lichtman's group led the fight for a bill guaranteeing unpaid, leave for employees needed at home. Despite the prospect of a presi- - them personal," George Miller, says Rep. whose Se- lect Committee on Children, Youth and Families showcases victims of everything from domestic violence to gang warfare. Though some may relive their agonies and humiliations to no avail, the consensus is that any cause is strengthened by the testimony of an ordinary person with no ax to grind. Advocacy and research groups "certainly have a place and a role," says Judith Lichtman, president of the Women's Legal Defense Fund. "But very often veto, Congress - Part l ks said she was told no jobs were available. "It hurt," said Liberia Johnson. "My family needed the income." Dexter Manley, a linebacker for the Washington Redskins at the time, was asked last year to discuss his learning disability at a hearing. When he realized he could not read his prepared statement, he broke down and cried before a battery of television cameras. At hearings on a bill expanding federal child care programs, a become numbed. That's when it's time to bring on the victims. Though some may relive their agonies and humiliations to no avail, the consensus is that any cause is strengthened by the testimony of an ordinary person with no ax to grind. dential passed By TONY ROGERS tening, after all, and it's easier to Associated Press Writer get frozen yogurt in the mall aftpr BOSTON (AP) ; Many of the old the movie at the multiplex. scenes of summer kids with Summer still is movie time, espefireworks, families huddled in cars cially since "Jaws" and "Star at drive-i- n movies, the Good Humor Wars" showed Hollywood that man and his truck could be made from colosare fading from the American landscape. sal science fiction and adventure But while summer is different films. ; now, the lust for fun, be it in a Low-tec- h drive-in- s, though, video arcade on or a hang glider, is couldn't match the picture a&d ever strong. sound of cinemas in screening the "In the 1950s, the status of your new effects extravaganzas, vacation was determined by how and special slid into decline, says Belh far you could drive and still surCameron, who researches the vive," says Michael Marsden, a health of leisure industries fisqal for "of American Studies at Smith professor Barney in New York. Bowling Green State University in Theme parks, ever popular, are Ohio. "Now it's how much you can pack into it. People go away for being updated. Once Disney World in Florida faces comvacation and come back exhausted." petition from new Universal Studios Americans, jaded by a world Florida. The tour employs a multiwhere science fiction quickly be- media approach to create realistic comes fact, are starved for intense scenes that can frighten and thrill experiences that feed all their sen- audiences, unlike Disney's more J gentle approach. ses, Marsden says. "We just don't sit around on the to want shock 6ff the "They pants front porch anymore," he says. people," Cameron says. People ap"We're not interested in that. We're parently want to be shocked. interested in living life." Amusement parks and their daredAs society becomes more frenetevil rides continue to draw summer ic, summer might be the only time crowds. America, it seems, is unleft for families to be together. dergoing a roller coaster renaisBut dual-incofamilies have sance. less time to summer or winter "What's happening is rides in spend together, and households general and coesters in particular headed by single parents usually are getting bigger, faster, wilder lack the funds and time to take and yet safer than ever before," even brief summer breaks. says Paul Ruben, editor of Roller-coasteThe situation could worsen as magazine. recreation becomes more high-tec- h "I think everyone seeks advenand summer activities that once ture," Ruben says. "A great roller promoted togetherness disappear. coaster ride will make your heart Movies always have been an impound, your adrenalin pump. It will portant summer ritual in America. make you feel alive." Once, carloads of families and amoSome summer pleasures remain rous teen-agecongregated almost simple. That most hallowed of sumon humid mer pastimes, baseball, still fascireligiously at drive-in- s summer nights. nates Americans. Little boys and Now weeds grow over the drive-in- s girls still sign up for Little League, and moviegoers drive to chilly and their parents still play for cinemas in shopping malls, where Softball teams sponsored by local they can choose from a dozen or businesses. more blockbusters. Americans, Marsden observes, Fireworks the kind launched want to tie up their summer recreaonce tion with high-tec- h by Dad at a July 4th picnic gadgets. Fun exploded across the summer sky, that's too simple might not be so then were mostly extinguished by much fun, he says. The next high-tec- h stringent federal bans. Now kids summer thrills fire off explosions themselves, al- gadget may lie, literally, on the beit by computerized laser cannons horizon. on nearly lifelike video games. Para gliding, a cheaper and simEven the Good Humor Man and pler version of hang gliding, is his ice cream truck melted away sailing into this country from just Euwhen the vendors in spiffy white rope. uniforms were replaced by college For about $2,000, an enthusiast students in and jeans. can purchase a pack that contains "There used to be a nostalgia a sophisticated nylon with the trucks and the uniforms. that billows out into a parachute wing when They were by the filled with wind. Put simply, the Duro-cher, community," laments Alice user dons the pack, runs downhill head of Durocher Eterprises, and into the wind and becomes a Chicago-base- d ice cream distribuairborne. tion firm. "This," says Peter Zimmerli, Alas, in the health-consciopresident of the American Para 1990s, such a demise might have Gliding Association, "is going to be been inevitable. Ice cream is fat big." are more hardships Even the most sensitive lawmakers can ties. They've been scarred by foster care, harassed at the office and traumatized by illegal abortions. "They're very useful because they're real. They take all the studies and statistics and make thrill-seekin- bereaved couple haltingly . re- called the death of their child in unlicensed day care and a police officer told of finding two children, left alone by a mother desperate to hold onto her job, dead inside a dryer. recently bill after the three years of hearings and a parade of people forced out of their jobs by births, adoptions or job-lea- medical emergencies. One man testified that he was assigned to a night shift at a doughnut bakery although he had told his boss he had to drive his infant daughter to a Washington Senators heard unusually graphic testimony this year at a bill. hearing on an abortion-right- s One member of the audience fainted as witnesses described their illegal abortions hospital that night. She was scheduled for heart surgery the next day. "I am no hero," said David Wilt of York, Pa. "I am just a working man who was and self-induc- miscarriages. Aides who orchestrate these hearings say politicians find it difficult to be argumentative or ideological when a victim is sitting in front of them. If a woman says she thwarted the law and risked her health to get an illegal abortion, "that decision-making process is something said that's hard to second-guess- ," Kelly Signs, an aide to Sen. Howard Metzenbaum fired because he loved his kids." A woman from Charleston, S.C., claimed she was assured she could return to her job at a retail store after a doctor-ordere- d medical leave during a difficult pregnancy. But when she returned six weeks after having the baby, she r! ). rs Disabled children still denied benefits By JEFF BARKER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) Four months after the Supreme Court eased the rules on welfare benefits for disabled children, the government can't agree with the plaintiffs on who may be owed money or the best way to Find them. The dispute has delayed the process of trying to locate hundreds of thousands of poor children who the court said were wrongly denied Supplemental Security Income benefits. The decision gave the children the right to have their cases reviewed. Total back benefits are expected to reach from $1 billion to - $2 billion. But the government has not yet paid a dime. The Social Security Administration has been arguing with the children's attorneys over Horoscope For July i By Jovrr Jillsen Care is necessary in the placing of affections. If you feel a liUle low in energy' and unenUiusias- - tic about the duties in front of you, you can blame it on Neptune. Indulge family members . i little: children might have imaginery aches and pains, and a little extra tenderness and patience is the cure. Today's Binbday (July Si. Other people's - faith in your abilities helps you realize you can io more than you ever dreamed In some . rases, talents you were unaware of will be brought out by the needs or beliefs of your partner. Slick with trusted allies through the . end of the year. Yoir income increases in November. Travel nert February. You step into the career sp.4hfiht in April to ask for the . recognition you've been preparing for all along. Aries (March . l"i. l.eam from Libra when career frustrations mount due to confu-- . sion and mixed signals from management. For now the best move is no move. Adopt an air of confidence, instead, that saves face for all . involved. 30 1. It becomes clear to Taurus .April ! you Uut hating patience with those confused . souls around you will allow solutions to reveal themselves. Let your imagination provide a refreshing escape through daydreams. Gemini i May :i . A Utile trouble with women is to be expected, bat nothing you cant charm your way out of. Set aside bills until next Monday, if at all possible, and then double-chec- k the figures before writing checks. rawrr 'June y 2). The kindness of your partner is nourishing and fulfilling Efforts to give to those m need are appreciated. Your employer appreciates your sincerity. You feel the effectiveness of love as a force. iJu!v 2i. Kven the most routine duties require faith and a generosity of spirit You're not the center of attention, but that s to your advantage if you stjp and think about it. lam on: your time is coming 22 1. A balance between Virge ' Aug work and home interests is the trick. Providing emotional reassurance is not your strongest point but that is what's called for today. Just tell those you Meet "it's going to be OK." Libra 'Sept. 2.UM. 23l. Your confidence is not high, and you'd rather stay home with a good mystery novel. If necessary, you can put un such a convincing show of confidence that you fool yourself along with everyone else. Hi. Casual spending Scorpi (Oct. could easily get out of hand. Kuinors heard Imla' are just that. Find a way to work out oid room)' disagreements between you and jour mate. 21 1. You have the Sagittarius iNov. encrv edge, especially at work. That feeling of something going on behind your back dissipates as personal balance returns. Are you surprised he often )uu think of your tove? 19 1. If someone's O; rirora .Dec. ken. .nc a secret from you. let it be for now The secret w ill come out soon, w ith the help of a loving woman. Allow for quiet moments in Uie day. in unicr to restore your spiritual equilibrium. II i. A dream or Aquarius (Jan. intuition will guide you through the confusion of now A today. Sufficient rest is frxTid buoys your spirits with entertaining conversation risers 'Feb. IfrMan-- 20i. Friends and loved ones tu.sk ui your comforting aura. A long bath or swim u the best possible therapy for fatigue The love of those at home means more Uian you can say. jf many facets of the case, including vertently destroying case files from lawyers' fees and how many cases the 1980s and 1970s necessary for should be included. children to prove they deserve benChildren's lawyers estimate more efits. than 600,000 denials need to reBut SSA said system-wid- e comevaluated. The government says puter safeguards prevented that. "I about 280,000 children are affected. don't mean to tell you that some"Frankly, in over 20 years of where in the past there may not litigating similar cases, we cannot have been a file destroyed," Enoff recall a single case in which gov- said. "Sometimes a folder gets lost ernment counsel were more ob- or destroyed accidentally. But we structive or belligerent," Philadelhave developed a class action phia attorney Jonathan M. Stein tracking system." said in a June 18 letter to the More than 290,000 poor, disabled Justice Department. children receive SSI benefits, which "It's unfortunate," Deputy SSA vary from state to state and range Commissioner Louis Enoff said in from $386 to about $700 a month. an interview. "We wanted to make By a 2 vote on Feb. 20, the every effort to move quickly to Supreme Court voided a governreach every child that is potentially ment regulation that gave children eligible. I still would like to do seeking the benefits less protection that." than adults. The Department of Sen. John Heinz, said he Health and Human Seryices rule fears the government could be inad had applied a rigid list of disorders to children, while permitting adults to be judged individually on their ability to work. Stein, the children's attorney in the class-actio- n lawsuit, said the decision should force officials to reevaluate 600,000 denials going back to 1974, when the regulation was enacted. But the Social Security Administration says legal precedent requires that they only go back to 1983, when the case was originally filed on behalf of Brian Zebley, then 5, of Upland, Pa. Brian, who suffers from congenital brain damage, lost his SSI well-receiv- benefits when an administrative law judge concluded that his medi- 7-- cal conditions did not meet govern- ment requirements. There have been about, 280,000 denials since then that now should be reviewed, R-P- according to SSA. About burning the flag and the Fourth of July Dear Ann Landers: I find it increasingly difficult to make sense out of what is happening these days. A person can get arrested for throwing a couple of beer cans out of a car onto the highway. He or she can also get a hefty fine for spitting on the sidewalk or smoking in an elevator. But it's OK for performers to dance naked in a nightclub because they are "expressing themselves," and the right to express yourself is protected by the First Amendment Crazier still it is OK to burn the American flag. The United States Supreme Court says so because of that First Amendment thing again. Thousands of people have fought and died for that flag but if somebody wants to show disgust for our country and burn this symbol of freedom, he can do it and nobody can lay a glove on him. No Please explain this to me. Name in Knoxville Dear Knoxville: What you refer expressing their lack of respect, their anger or their disgust for this country. They are making a statement The law of this land says they have a right to make that statement The First Amendment gives that right I never worry about a government that allows people to say whatever they want It's when a government tries to shut people up that I get nervous. Thanks for giving me a chance to say this on the Fourth of July. who is in charge, and the kids are winning. If you don't get control and exercise parental authority soon Ann there is going to be hell to Pay. I urge you to get family counseling at once. Obviously whatever you are doing is not working. Vou all need professional help. Landers LA. TIMES & CREATORS SYNDICATE Special Gem: Ss! children in the accident You are quick to criticize parents. Why don't you give us some advice? I am willing to do anything to keep my children safe. And I'm sure millions of parents would be grateful for some help with this Not Kidding in Danbu-rproblem. Two of my children were involved in a serious accident with my husband. Both had unbuckled them- Dear Ann Landers: I am writing about your insensitivity to parents who do not restrain their children when in a car. Obviously you don't realize that children unbuckle the car seats and seat belts themselves. I have, on more than one occasion, stopped three times on one block to threaten, and yes, even spank my children. They then wait until I'm on the highway, where I can't stop, and unbuckle themselves again. selves. They learned nothing from that experience. We have tried reasoning, threatening, screaming and spanking and have even turned around and gone home. Once I tied the car-sestraps together but the child took off all her clothes and wriggled herself out. Our children range from 2 to 10 years of age. The is as bad as the younger ones. She was one of the y. Conn. at Dear Danbury: I see more here than just the problem of keeping the kids safely restrained in the car. 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