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Show B Weddings C2 B Landers C3 8 The Daily Herald Thursday, October 26 1995 Pornography definitely has its victims It all started with pornography. At least, that's the way he saw it. His first response to the natural sexual curiosity of impending adolescence had been to steal glances at those "girlie" magazines at the drug store. Before long that wasn't enough of a thrill, and he started buying the magazines so he could study them, often stealing money from his mother's purse. Pretty soon he got bored with the "soft-core- " material he could obtain at magazine stands and convenience stores. So he started sending away for the "hard-core- " movies and black-and-whi- te ' Joseph ' I ''mrM Know " aJ m 4ff Value Speak magazines that were advertised in the magazines. "I can't believe how blatant I was about things," he recalled, shaking his head sadly. "I'd just order stuff, and if my parents ever asked about the packages when they arrived I'd explain them away with some lie. I got to be pretty good at lying." But didn't his parents ever catch on? "Oh, they found some magazines a couple of times." And? .J. "And nothing. The first time they just left them lying on top of my bed. And the second time my mom tore all the pictures out of the magazines and cut them into little pieces. I came home and found the magazines on my bed and a garbage can full of cut up pictures." What did they say? "Nothing. We never talked about it I guess they figured they'd made their point" "" They figured wrong. But then, so ' did everyone else who knew this young man. He was an excellent student, a star athlete and he made good money working a couple of part-tim- e jobs. He was even an active member of the youth group at his church. But sexually, he was out of control. As soon as he could get away with it he was frequenting adult movie houses and book stores. Then it was topless bars. Then it was massage parlors. And finally, the city's red-ligdistrict. And now he was sitting in front of his minister, far too young to look he have the weary, time-wor- n was wearing. Financially, he was devastated, having spent every and some he couldn't spare dime on supporting his habit. spare His marriage to his childhood sweetheart was crumbling because she couldn't keep up with his demands for physical intimacy and he couldn't meet her requirements for emotional intimacy. And now his doctor was telling him he had a sexually transmitted disease. What really drove him to his minister, however, was the pressure. He couldn't handle living with all of the lies, the constant fear of being seen or discovered, the hypocrisy. He wanted out of the maze into which pornography had subtly beguiled him. He wanted to start out fresh and new. Above all, he wanted to be the kind of person everyone thought he was. They talked about what it would take for him to free himself from the bondage of addiction. They talked about the total effort it would take physically, mentally, emoto mend tionally and spiritually his personal affairs and set things right with his wife. He left the minister's office committed to give it his best shot until they could meet again the next week. But during the week, the doctor's report came back: he was He told his wife everything. Overwhelmed, she and the children moved in with her parents and she filed for divorce. Meanwhile, the auditors at his work Found evidence of misappropriated funds, and he was fired. Within days he moved, and his minister never heard from him again. Neither has his family, and his children can't understand why they never see their Daddy. And some people still think of pornography as "victimless." Joseph Walker is a nationally-syndicate- d columnist who lives in American Fork. er ht 1 . m Ken Creer, a state director for the American Association of Retired Persons, poses with his 4mm . Daily Herald PhotosPatrick Medicare card in front of his home in Springville. Creer and some other elderly in J. Krohn Utah County oppose the cuts in Medicare, saying it will hurt those with fixed incomes. Utah County elderly fear Medicare cuts By SUSANNE WENDT The Daily Herald Assistant Lifestyle Editor The $270 billion in cuts the House and Senate hope to squeeze from Medicare in the next seven years won't just affect those 65 and older, says Ken Creer, a retired Springville resident and a state director of the American Association of Retired Persons. Such broad cuts will affect everybody, not just the nation's 35 million elderly, 150,000 of whom live in Utah. "Suppose a catastrophe happened to both of your parents, and both of them had to be on life support. That costs big bucks. What would you do? Who will pay?" Creer asked during an interview with The Daily Herald. If it weren't for Medicare, many of those costs would be shouldered by the children of the aging population, he says. Yet although the cuts will affect all, they will affect the elderly poor the most. "I'm not worried about myself; it isn't that you and I won't get by. I'm worried about so many people who have no husband, who live on Social Security, who have to pay for pills, the phone, and everything else. Something has to be said about these people," Creer said. Creer and other elderly Utahns fear the Medicare changes. They are afraid of losing their choice of physician and of paying higher and premiums. Norma Reich, a Provo senior citizen, says it's wrong to cut Medicare benefits and simultaneously approve a hefty tax cut for the rich. ever-growi- "I know there are other programs that need our taxes, especially the schools. But I think they're cutting in the wrong places. The poor people are going to get hurt. I think it will affect aU of us." Claire Johnson, another senior from Provo, says she's not too concerned about herself. She's more concerned with her elderly neighbors who live on fixed incomes. "Some of the little old ladies in my ward are on fixed incomes really fixed incomes that were fixed a long time ago. They live on just a meager salary and they can't pay anymore than they already do. They're getting older, and they need Medicare more than ever." Some national experts agree that the future of the nation's elderly especially women could be bleak. Figures indicate that women 65 and older had a median income of $8,499 in 1993, the earliest year in which figures are available. Men of the same age had a median income of $14,983. Many of the county's elderly and the people who represent them said the cuts would hurt the aging poor, who are often on fixed incomes and cannot absorb a higher monthly Medicare payment. Both legislative houses approved a bill earlier this month that Republicans say will save the Medicare program from going bust. If the bill becomes law, the cost of Part B coverage, which includes outpatient hospital care, emergency room, diagnostic tests, durable medical equipment and other related sen ices like physical and speech therapy, would raise from the current $46.10 a month to $87.20 by 2002. Part A coverage includes the cost of hospital stays, skilled nursing facilities, home health and hospice care. The elderly have paid into the coverage during their working lives through payroll taxes. Part B coverage is optional coverage for which retired people can choose to pay the premiums. Republicans say the new bill gives seniors more options, such as the choice of using HMOs. In return, the legislature promises expanded health benefits, such as prescription drug coverage, to those who will join an HMO. Yet many Utah seniors say the setbacks of the HMO system aren't worth the extra coverage. President Clinton threatens to veto the bill. If he does veto, the House and Senate must come up with a 23 majority to override the veto. Many groups, especially local and national leaders of the AARP, say $270 billion in cuts is "too much, too fast." "We think they're being too aggressive," Creer said. "We're not opposed to balancing the budget, but why can't they balance out of several government programs? It's a matter of try ing to reach the middle ground for everyone." Terry Lange is the director of reimbursement for Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. He serves as a liaison between Medicare and Medicaid and insurance companies, so he talks with dozens of Utah County senior citizens. He says the senior citizens express concern every year as the Part B costs increases. Last year, it went from $41 to $46.10 a month. If the (See MEDICARE. Page C2) What Utah County senior citizens say I rS ' - v - ':" i . . . s v. v k L . mm- - , , I - : , tv Li V ! HIV-positiv- e. Claire Johnson Provo "Some of the little old ladies in my ward are on fixed incomes really fixed incomes that were fixed a long time ago. They live on just a meager salary and they can't pay anymore than they already do. They're getting older, and they need Medicare more than ever." Lois Gagon Provo "I'm one of the bystanders who are just waiting to see the oicome of it all. But to me, the doctors seem to be more concerned about coming out on top." Clarence Craves Provo "The costs for Part B are already too high. I dropped my B coverage because I couldn't afford it. I believe in Medicare. It shouldn't be cut back so the rich can get a tax break." Norma Reich Provo "I know there are other programs that need our taxes, especially the schools. But I think they're cutting in the wrong places. The poor people are going to get hurt. I think it will affect all of us." |
