| OCR Text |
Show D2 The Salt Lake Tribune COMMENTARY Sunday, May 28, 1995 Retro 1950s Are Now Large So Classic Bike Keturns MIKE ROYKO CHICAGO TRIBUNE SERVICE Yes, he said, it was a perfectly restored Schwinn,probably built in the late 1940s It had thefat tires, wide handlebar,kickstand, foot brake, chain guard, no gear shift and the classic coil spring that absorbed bumps. Not the kind of bike some European road racer would use, But from the 1930s through the ‘50s, it was this country’s fa- vorite. Every kid in my neighborhood dreamed of having the top model. But only Norb had one. Norb, who was tall and broad-shouldered for his age. Norb, whose smooth swing drovea softball deeper than anyone’s. Norb, who dated the prettiest girl. Norb, who didn’t study but charmedtheteachersinto passing grades. Norb, who would inherit his father’s construction company. Norb, with the perfect teeth, deep tan and that naturalblond cowlick. As Slats Grobnik oncesaid: ‘How could one kid be so rotten?” And there it was, the bike of my boyhood dreams. The shop ownersaid he hadfoundit at a garage sale. It was almost new and hadn’t been used for years. Whatwashis price? He shook his head. He wouldn’t part withit for any price. It was in the window as an eye-catcherso he could sell more of the sleek racing models and ruggedoffroad bikes that young people favor. That was at least 15 years ago, and I recall telling the shop ownerthatit would be smart of Schwinn to bring back that classic. He disagreed. “People today want the lightweight bikes with the gear shifts. Or the mountain bikes. The old-time bikes wouldn'tsell.”” Now,it turns out that I was way ahead of the times in my marketinginstincts. been the young and the older consumer. Oneof our No. 1 markets is in Florida. All of the beach communities, where you've got the snowbirdsandretirees. “The other big market is on college campuses all over the country, The college kids call them ‘bar bikes.’ They ride ‘em to the bar andback.” Cache Mundy, bike marketing manager for Schwinn, said: “It started big on both coasts. Now,it’s huge in Texas, the South, and Chicago is one of our biggest markets. Surfersin California are hooking up a trailer, strapping on their surfboards and heading for the beach. “Thething about the Cruiseris thatit’s so forgiving. It has the feel and rideof the origina] — ultra laid-back, mellow.It cornerslike a dream. It’s notatall like those mountain bikes which are so performance-oriented and require all that work.” “We're lucky,” Hess said. “We just happenedtohit the retro timingright on. People aretired of not being able to program their VCRs. Low-techis in. Look at consumer electronics. They're moving back, trying to simplify. The key nowadaysis simple, easy, non-threatening.” Simple, easy, low-tech, laid-back. That's me. I am retro personified. It appears that I have been retro all mylife, even before anyone used the word. And, in a few days,I’ll pick up my new, old, retro Schwinn. Just like Norb. Almost. It’s a bit late for the cowlick. wereall elected without any gimmicks or S -WASHINGTON — In 1788, during the debate over the Constitution, Robert Livingston of New York opposedterm limits for members of Congress with this question; “Shall we then drive experienceinto Obscurity?” Last week, the Supreme Court gaveits answer, and it was no. Bya 5-to-4 vote, the justices rejected all state laws imposing term limits on fed€ralofficials and left proponentsoflimits with only one option, a constitutional amendment. That has already beentried this year — it lost by 61 votes in the House — andthereis little prospect for réviving the amendment anytime soon We welcomethe court's decision, The Core purpose of the term-limits movement — to devalue experience and deride professionalism in politics — jeopardizes the health of democracy itself. As Rep Henry Hyde, the conservative, Republiegn chairman of the judiciary committee, Said during floor debate last March: “I ill not concede to the angry, pessimistic populism that drives this movement, because it is just dead wrong." ~ Still, the term-limits and the “angry populism” it reflects should not be ignored. The Democratic majorities in Congress, particularly in the House, had gotten far too insulated and isolated. -Too manyold barons strutted around the Capitolas if thetitle “Mr. Chairman” jas the equivalentof a life peerage in the use of Lords. Too many ignored the ‘demands for a leaner government and ower taxes. Too many had formed alli@fices with lobbyists and special interests { distorted their priorities and dimined their ability to serve the public interest “You don't have to agree with everyThing in the Republican Contract With ‘America — and wecertainly don't — to say that Congress needed fresh faces and fresh ideas. Democracy only works well m the majority remembers what it like to be in the minority, and fears in the minority again. Democrats ‘Bad lost both the memory and thefear. "Phe irony, of course, is that the very of thé new Congress demonites why arbitrary term limits are not . In the House today, 118 Republi- more than half the total, have Jess than three years, and they 4 is dag eaeAes bike with 1994 technology. Butit's more retro-tech. No gears, no titanium, no chain lines “You don’t have to worry about your heart rate, how many calories you're burning, whether you're experiencing anything aerobic or not. You don’t have to be concernedwith your miles per hour. This bike doesn’t careif you're in shape. It’s a single speed with a big, comfy saddle andbig,fattires. “What's really been great in terms of salesis that our two largest markets have Term Limits Are Bad Answer For Real Political Problem UNITED FEATURES bis Saagetas from the original blueprint. It’s a 1950s CHICAGO — Thegleaming bike was in the window of a shop in a small Wisconsin city. One look and I wasinside talking to the owner. COKIE ROBERTS STEVEN ROBERTS eT This year, Schwinn broughtout the old model, andit is having amazingsales. Skip Hess, vice president of the bike division, said: “We'll have our 100th anniversary in October, so we decided to introduce the Cruiser Classic to set the tone. “We began shipping the basic model and five others in January, and since then, they've been red-hot. The Cruiser Classic is outselling everything. “It's retro and 1950s, and the 1950s are hotright now. Wetried to reproduce the original. It was retooled and designed restrictions mucking up the Constitution. Many of these newcomers have imposed term limits on themselves, and evenrefuseto bring their families to the capital. Those decisions don't do much for family values, but they do reflect their disdain for lifetime careers in Washington, andthe result has been interesting. These young lawmakers show a greater willingness than their elders to make unpopular budget-cutting votes — in part because theydon’t worry aboutbuilding a base or raising moneyfor the long haul. But just because some newcomers makeuseful contributions does not mean that the whole Congress should be new. Just because some old-timers have become ossified does not meanthatall experienceis irrelevant. If we respect professionalism in every other areaoflife, why should it suddenly become a bad wordin politics? As Hydeputit so vividly: “When that dentist bends over with the drill whirring, do you not hope he has donethat work for a few years?” Without a doubt, Congress is very adept at soiling its own reputation. The latest ethics report on Sen. Bob Packwood, complete with detailed descriptions of his odd sexual habits, tarnishes the entire institution. Butit's also true that supporters of term limits have cynically, and destructively, trashed Congress for their own partisan purposes. They have deliberately undermined the very idea of a professional politician because — until the last election — most incumbents were Democrats, and the Republicans would benefit from an anti-Washington, anti-incumbent wave, Hyde admits as much: “Our negative igning, our mudslinging, our name-calling has madeangerthe national recreation.’ Anothergreat ironyis that the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, Sen. Bob Dole,is running on a platform of experienced leadership — exactly the quality the term-limits movementdespises. Even under the most generous term-limits proposal, Dole would have been forced out of Congress more than 10 years ago. Hyde would have been gone more than eightyears. There would be no oneleft on Capitol Hill to speak for the World War Il generation, the one Dole says has “one last mission” to complete. The term-limits movement deserves credit for identifying a real problem, and its activists insist they will press forward with a constitutional amendment. But they offer the wrong answer Livingston was right 207 years ago, and he is right today: Experience should not de driven into obscurity. The old advice still works; Let the people decide who should govern. Henry Hydesays, “I just cannot be an accessory to the dumbing downof democracy.” Neither can we. 4 THE PUBLIC FORUM Letters from The Tribune's readers NRA Offenses Thereis, after all, a statesmanin the Republican Party. Ex-president George Bush resigned from the National Rifle Association. But he did not doit for the right reasons. His reason: Their inflammatory language and his personal acquaintance with a couple of those ‘“‘jackbooted” federalagents. That language certainly contributed to the present hate atmosphere. But let us add some morecogent reasons that were there long before recent hate talk: 1) Making available to computer bulletin boards, hence to the Internet, directions for making bombs. Doesn’t anybody wonder about that coincidence? Atleast Sen. Robert Dole chastised the NRA for that, but he did not resign his membership. 2) Lobbying to permit machine guns to be freely sold. 3) Lobbying to permit assault weapons to be sold and arrangingit so thatlegislation enabled minortinkering to take assault weaponsoff the forbiddenlist but which tinkering could easily be repaired to make an assault weaponagain. 4) From the 1970s to the present, the NRA hasbeen lobbying against proposed explosives to contain tiny, durable, markedparticles that would identify the source and manufacturerof an explosive and/orits components even after an explosion. Tell me why the NRA would oppose suchlegislation, other than for the basest of motives. STEWARTC. HARVEY Salt Lake City a Disabilities Not Defining After reading Jennifer Skordas’s article, “A Special Way to Learn of God,” I felt the need to respond to a few of the author's remarks. Although I am sure that Skordas meant no offense, your staff should be awareof a national movementto stop the news media’s labeling of individuals with disabilities as “severely disabled children” or “disabled students.” Referring to individuals with disabilities as “the disabled” is akin to referring to persons dealing with cancer as “the cancerous.’’ We need to focus ourattention on the fact that an individual with a disability is a person,first and foremost, and the disabling condition is second. Terms such as “people with disabilities” or “children whoare disabled" are much more positive ways of describing people who experiencedifficulties in their lives. JAMIE M. ZAYACH Case Manager/Support Coordinator Division of Services For People with Disabilities Salt Lake City oO Strange Response I cannot think of when I have felt more insulted, and by the person whois supposed to be representing me in Congress I called Rep. Jim Hansen's office May 18 after reading The Salt Lake Tribune article, “Schools May Lose $3 Million.” I called to voice my objection to his voting for the bill to rescind spending money already appropriated in 1994. A bill which would take this money away from education and give it to, among other things, “debtrelief in the country of Jordan.” WhenI called his Ogdenoffice, I was put on hold. No problem. But then the woman who answered only said, “You don't know why he voted for it?” Then she hung up without saying another word, I did not have a chanceto identify myself, let alone get any sort of answer. ‘This is all on the first time | have ever called a government official for any reason. If that is his office's idea of communicating with constituents, maybe it is time we find a representative with a staff more capable of explaining our representative’s positions. THOMASA, JUDGE Layton Where to Write @ When submitting letters to the Public Forum,please includeyourfull name,signature, address and daytime telephone numbers. Information other than your name and the city in which youlive are kept confidential. @ Keepit short. Concise letters developinga single theme are morelikely to be published. @ Please type and double space. @ Letters are condensed and edited. @ Becauseof the volumeofmail received, not all submissions are pub- lished. @ Mail to Public Forum, TheSalt LakeTribune,P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110, W@W Our fax number is (801) 2372022. Abandon Extremist NRA I am in agreement with The Salt Lake Tribune's recent editorial comments on the resignation of George Bush from the National Rifle Association. It was the kind of high-mindedaction thatthe former president should have performed more often while he wasin office. The NRA has becomethebully-boy of American politics. It has taken an extremeposition on weapons use andit has refused to work with other Americanstowards a safer and sanercountry. I believe that most of the 3.5 million members of the NRA are decent American citizens wholove their country and whorealize that their government, even with its imperfections,is the freest in the world. They do not agree thattheir federal employees are “jack-booted thugs.” President Bush has shown the way. I call on other NRA members to follow his lead and resign their membershipin the organization. Only then will the Thomas Washingtons and Wayne LaPierresrealize that they do not represent mainstream America but rather an extreme right-wing faction of gun nuts, militia members and survivalists. W.G. KLEMM Salt Lake City Oo It Was Our Year Watching the final Jazz gamethis year in the last few minutes of the game,I felt the horror and desperation that I'm sure every Jazz fan felt. This just could not happento this team . . this is our year. After feeling the blues and wondering what happened,I cameto the realization that this really was our yearafterall. This team accomplished a great deal that would leave any team in the country green with envy: Stockton with the new NBAassist record and another year with 1,000-plus assists; Karl Malone and Tom Chambers both achieving milestonealltimescoring totals that most players only dream about; a near NBA record of consecutive wins on the road, and 60 wins. It was not our team whose members whined aboutinjuries and were sidelined because of such things as “anemia” or a “stiff neck.” No, not our team! We have true winners with desire to achieve great things without moaning or groaning. We have character. We maynot have scored as many points when the buzzer sounded, but we still won respect — respect of the reigning world champions who, after the game, remarked that either team could have gone all the way Allin all, each and every player should be proud ofthis team. They played their hearts out. It is said that good things in life don’t comeeasy, and I truly believe that they will have their turn. And because of their struggle, it will be even better for them whenthey get there. To each and every one person in the entire Jazz organization, it was a job well done and I am proud to be a fan of such a classy group of people. I am looking forward to next year, Jazz! MARY JANE JONES Springville WhyIs That? The Salt Lake Tribune’s thoughtful editorial, ‘Some Hillside Protection,” May 8, could have expanded to include many otherinstances of the dubious motivations behind the actions of all three Salt Lake County commissioners. Ask the business ownersand residents along Highland Drive south of 7200 South about the unwillingness of the county to makedecisionsuntil their highdensity sand pile developmenthad created chaos for commuters and residents. Ask the citizen group who provedthe inequities of the famous Holladay tax-doubling and weretold by the county, ‘Sue us if you don’tlike it.” Ask the residents around the “Horiuchiville Family Center” on Fort Union Boulevard why the commissioners approved a project above the loud and unanimousobjectionsof the residents, and the developergets millions of our tax dollars to build it! Ask the residents around Big Cottonwood Canyon whose property will be devalued and spoiled by the Boyerhillside housing project why the county commissioners ignored all input from planners, safety experts, legal ordinances, water officials, residents and citizens to approve the destruction of that area, Unfortunately, when a disaster occurs, none of these commissioners nor the Boyer Company will be held personally accountable; taxpayers will pay. These commissioners are at the beck and call of any developer who wants to build anywhere. As Andy Rooney would say, “Whyis that?” Why are so many areas trying to escape from Salt Lake County? We must demandthat public servants representthe public rather thanthe politician/developers like Kem Gardner and his Boyer Company. The poweris in the vote. Vote ‘em out! W.C. HOBBS Salt LakeCity Oo Father as Victim It seems to methat there are two kinds of divorced fathers. No father enjoys paying child support and being separated from his children. Thefirst kind nevertheless concludesthat(a) a natural bond exists between mother and child that no mancan ever duplicate or compete with, (b) his earning power is almost always muchgreater and (c) he realizes that his time spent with his children is precious and focuses on quality, not quantity. Somefathers nevergetthis. The other kind refuses to take at least partial responsibility for the dissolution of the marriage and plays victim. He viewslife as a game to be won. He plays for keeps and uses the system to his advantage, not caring who gets hurt. If heis from a culture that promotes an inflated male ego and believes his male superiority enables him to havetotal proprietary rights over the female, things get ugly fast. The courts now are jammed with disgruntled divorced fathers. When there is no legitimate reason to remove a child from its mother, a custody battle is the ugliest thing on earth. Having to prove that he is the better parent, degrading questions must be answered and the insults and allegations comefast and furious,all allowed within the system, When the game is over and money and time are wasted, the emotional damageto the innocentis intense. The lawyers are the only winners, The biggest losers are the children. DENNIS KOSTECKI Holladay Qo Utah Advertising Authority Utah Transit Authority buses painted over to be potato chip bags and sports cars such as those shown in Salt Lake Tribune May 13 are proof indeed thatit is possible to make a silk purse into a sow's ear. GRANT N. MILDENHALL American Fork 4 |
