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COLUMNS: LENOXVILLE: Monday night a great rumbling and roaring was heard in our little hamlet, which proved to be the burning of Hankinson’s new, well-equipped sawmill, recently erected on Wm. Barber’s farm. The mill was a total loss, there being no insurance. SOUTH GIBSON: Mr. and Mrs. Henry Pickering were surprised at noon last Friday when an auto unloaded the following at their door: Oliver Payne, of Orlando, Fla.; Jasper Burdick and children, of Wilkesbarre, and Warren Tappan, of Carbondale. The three men are cousins to Mr. Pickering. FOREST LAKE: The Ladies’ Aid will meet at Creamery hall Aug. 10. All the men are invited to come and help shingle the church [horse] sheds. ALSO, the cottages are all occupied, making the lake a merry place. ALSO, the large Stone family gathering was held at Bradshaw’s cottage on Saturday. RUSH: Dr. Arthur G. Gary and wife, with two friends, of Walker, Iowa, and Dr. and Mrs. Byron H. McKeeby and two sons, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, started in their touring cars July 24 for a trip to Pennsylvania. They arrived at Hallstead July 30, and the following day Dr. Gary came to the home of his father, A. D. Gary. WEST BRIDGEWATER: One of Wm. Dayton’s mules became frightened and ran away Sunday evening, making things rather lively for awhile. The mule was captured by Joe Shelp, Fred Tyler and Mr. Whalen and son, near Joe Shelp’s barn. LAWSVILLE: The funeral of Albert P. Bailey was held from the Baptist church, at Stanfordville, Monday last. He was born in the house in which he died, and had been a resident of the place for nearly 70 years. The funeral was largely attended with burial in Bailey cemetery. HARFORD: Dr. Brundage, one of the oldest residents of Harford, after undergoing a successful operation on his eyes, can again be found fishing at Tyler Lake. This is quite remarkable for a man 90 years old. BROOKLYN: Mrs. N. E. Packard has the agency for Mrs. Price’s canning compound. MONTROSE: Everything in readiness for the Bible Conference, which opens on Aug. 18, and promises to be the best and most largely attended in the history of the Association. LANESBORO: Mrs. Minnie Lee was indicted by the grand jury this week, for the murder of her husband and the trial of this case will partake of features never brought before the courts of this county. There are always highly sensational matters coming up in a poisoning case, and a big legal fight will probably evolve. The defendant, it is said, is a sensitive and refined appearing woman, and very stoutly protests her innocence, and another feature is that the dead man’s relatives are very strongly in sympathy with the woman. JACKSON: B. E. Leonard had a narrow escape from being killed last Tuesday. He was driving a mowing machine, with a wagon hitched behind, [going] down Urbane Payne’s hill, when the neck-yoke on the machine came loose from the pole and the team ran down the steep hill. When Mr. Leonard saw that he could not stop the team he jumped off and in doing so lost his footing and the machine ran over his leg injuring it quite badly, but no bones were broken. The team ran down the hill and struck a tree which stopped them. The only damage to the rig was a broken harness. HOP BOTTOM: D. W. Wright was in town Monday and Tuesday, calling upon his many friends and admirers here. Mr. Wright is a prominent candidate for the nomination for sheriff, on the Republican side of the house, and his many friends feel sanguine that he will make a big showing at the primary election. The fact of Mr. Wright’s being a Republican is the worst thing that can be said of him. MIDDLETOWN TWP.: The case of Edith Jones against her husband, George H. Jones, came up in Court again on Tuesday last before Judge Searle, of Honesdale, specially presiding. This case was tried and bitterly contested in the court here and an order made in June 1910, which compelled Mr. Jones to pay his wife $20 per month for one year. This Mr. Jones did and at the end of the year his attorneys, G. P. Little and J. M. Kelly, made application for a re-hearing of the case, which was granted, and the case was heard last Tuesday, when Judge Searle rendered his decision in favor of Mr. Jones and revoked the entire $20 order, so that Mr. Jones is not now obliged to pay his wife any sum whatever. W. D. B. Ainey represented Mrs. Jones. FLYNN: John Merrimac met with a severe accident by having his auto try to climb a rail fence. KINGSLEY: F. O. Miller has moved to Harford where he will take possession of the U. B. Lott store Sept. 1. His many friends here wish him success. SUSQUEHANNA: The station agents of the Jefferson division of the Erie will receive an increase of 6% in their salaries beginning Aug. 1. The increase will amount to $3 to $5 per month in each case. FOREST CITY: Via wireless comes the report that G. A. Thorpe, who went to Clifton Springs, NY, in his auto last Thursday, covered the first 113 miles in six and one half hours. V. J. Jones, of Herrick, accompanied him. UNIONDALE: It was a sore disappointment to Art Howell when he learned that his pacing mare, Miss Dixie, was lame. She had made two fast heats in the try-out Friday and was being made ready for the third when she was discovered in a lame condition and it was with great difficulty that she reached the stable. Horsemen have been loud in her praise. She was being tracked for the fall races. NEWS BRIEF: Some men grow old before they know it, and some women grow old before they let anybody know it. From the Desk of the D.A.
What does that mean? The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. You hear it time and time again as if the “rich” have done something wrong by actually increasing their wealth. What do people expect the “rich” to do? Would people really be happy if the rich got poorer? What motivates people to make such absurd statements? It seems obvious to any person with a basic understanding of economics that the more money you are able to invest and save, the more your money will work for you. It does not require any fancy college degrees to get this simple concept. It is also pretty simple to understand that you get more return on an investment of $1,000 than you do on $100. It is logical to conclude then that wealthy people will increase their wealth by the simple virtue of having more money to invest - and the wealth will continue to accumulate. There are only two things that can stop the “rich” from increasing their wealth. First, the “rich” can do something stupid with their money. This could range from bad investments to squandering it on booze, drugs or some other unproductive vice that consumes and destroys their wealth. We have all seen the stories about the rich and famous who have somehow ended up destitute and we shake our heads in astonishment. There are actually television shows out there about lottery winners who ended up blowing millions of dollars in winnings with little or nothing to show for it. These are the “rich” who did not get “richer.” The only other way that the “rich” do not get “richer” is through government intervention to take their wealth away from them through taxation. If we truly want the “rich” to stop getting “richer,” the only solution would be to create tax policies that confiscate their wealth. For this to work, the tax policies would literally have to take away all of the money that the “rich” make through the investment and use of their wealth. By confiscating all of their investment return every year, the government would assure that the “rich” did not get “richer.” The absurdity of such a confiscatory tax policy is apparent on its face - and no rational person from either political party would ever suggest that it makes any economic sense. So why do we continue to hear the refrain that the “rich” keep getting “richer?” The implied suggestion in that statement is that there is something wrong with people accumulating wealth over the course of their lifetimes. It is a dangerous refrain which has only one true purpose - to incite envy and hatred toward folks who have managed to accumulate wealth. Intuitively, we all understand that the “rich” should get “richer.” Why then do we fall prey to politicians who deride the “rich” and suggest that getting “richer” is unjust? It is puzzling. Of course, you might say that you have no problem with the “rich” getting “richer,” but you want to make sure that they do not get “too much richer.” What measuring stick do we utilize to make that determination? How much of their wealth each year should the government take away to assure that there is some level of magical class fairness? We all know that the “rich” already pay the vast majority of all of the federal income taxes collected while nearly half of the population pays no income tax whatsoever. It is difficult to comprehend folks complaining about the “rich” not doing their fair share when so many people contribute nothing at all. I concede that I do not know what a fair income tax rate should be for the “rich.” Perhaps, the current rate is not high enough or, then again, it may be too high. I am not even sure when one becomes one of the “rich.” How much money does it take to join this elite and evil band of moneygrubbers? Politicians seem to shy away from specifically identifying the “rich” - though the latest magical (and arbitrary) number appears to be any person who makes over $250,000 per year. I suspect that most of us in Susquehanna County will never be what politicians call the “rich” so we should be safe in accumulating some wealth without being accused of wrongdoing by some politician shamefully seeking votes. In the end, my only beef is with the class warfare that politicians use to demonize those who have been financially successful. There is nothing admirable about the “rich” who squander their wealth - yet politicians then suggest that it should be a goal to make sure that the “rich” are not getting “richer.” Success should be celebrated - not demonized - and no one should ever encourage and cultivate envy, jealousy or hatred for any reason, let alone for political reasons. Please submit any questions, concerns, or comments to Susquehanna County District Attorney’s Office, P.O. Box 218, Montrose, Pennsylvania 18801 or at our website www.SusquehannaCounty-DA.org or discuss this and all articles at http://dadesk.blogspot.com/. The Healthy Geezer
Playing an instrument seems to improve your health in a variety of ways. I play the saxophone almost every day and can confirm that playing music definitely relieves stress. And stress can be bad for your mental and physical health. There's a lot of evidence that playing music is good for you. According to a study published by the American Psychological Association, playing an instrument as a child keeps the mind sharper as we age. The study, done at the University of Kansas Medical Center, recruited 70 healthy adults age 60 to 83 who were divided into groups based on their levels of musical experience. The musicians performed better on several cognitive tests than individuals who had never studied an instrument or learned how to read music. The brain functions measured by the tests tend to decline with age. “Musical activity throughout life may serve as a challenging cognitive exercise, making your brain fitter and more capable of accommodating the challenges of aging,” said lead researcher Brenda Hanna-Pladdy, PhD. “Since studying an instrument requires years of practice and learning, it may create alternate connections in the brain that could compensate for cognitive declines as we get older.” There are benefits to starting an instrument in your later years, too. "Music-making is linked to a number of health benefits for older adults," said Dr. Suzanne Hanser, chair of the music therapy department at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. "Research shows that making music can lower blood pressure, decrease heart rate, reduce stress, and lessen anxiety and depression. There is also increasing evidence that making music enhances the immunological response, which enables us to fight viruses." Hanser said that anyone, regardless of age or ability, can make music and benefit from it. "People are not only living longer these days, they want to remain healthy and active for as long as possible," said Antoinette Follett, editor-in-chief of “Making Music” magazine. “Plus, there is an increasing focus in the medical community on the need to keep the brain as healthy as the body. This focus is as much about making the empty nest and retirement years fun and worthwhile as it is about preventing debilitating dementias such as Alzheimer's disease. Music making has the potential to do both." In one study, participants between the ages of 45 and 65 underwent tests to measure their auditory memory and ability to recognize speech among noise. Eighteen people in the group were active musicians. The remaining people in the group were non-musicians. For the musicians, it was easier pick out a specific sound from competing noise. Therapists have been using music to promote memory and a sense of self in the treatment of older adults with dementia. “Music therapy has many faces,” says Kimmo Lehtonen, PhD, a clinical music therapist in Finland. “Music has a close relationship with unconscious emotions, which are activated by musical movement. To me, music represents a microcosmos which has a close relationship to our inner feelings. These feelings are so strong, they’re meaningful even if patients cannot remember who they are.” John Carpente, founder and executive director of the Rebecca Center for Music Therapy in New York, believes music empowers people to emerge from the isolation imposed by Alzheimer's disease and dementia. “Undoubtedly, it’s one of the most engaging and emotionally powerful stimuli,” says Carpente. “Listening to music can have strong effects on people's moods, thinking, and even their physiology.” If you have a question, please write to fred@healthygeezer.com. Library Chitchat No Chitchat This Week Rock Doc No Rock Doc This Week EARTH TALK No EarthTalk This Week Barnes-Kasson Corner No Barnes-Kasson Corner This Week
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I have grown weary of hearing politicians accusing the “rich” of getting “richer.”
Q. I'm 66 and I'm thinking of taking up a musical instrument. I hear that this will be good for my health. Is this true?