Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.issues From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: issues Thu, Apr 9 1992 Date: Thu, 9 Apr 92 05:44:24 EDT Message-ID: 04-09 0000 DECISIONLINE: Issues & Debate USA TODAY Update April 9, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network Here are some of the issues and topics being debated across the nation Thursday morning in USA TODAY: Voting; Arafat; Elderly. TODAY'S DEBATE - VOTING: USA TODAY'S OPINION: The good news in this week's political events: At last, voters are turning mean. The bad news: Far too many are proving it by becoming former voters - which invites a government that would serve only special interests with the clout to tailor the law to their liking. Here's how bad it is: In the New York primary Tuesday, 38% fewer voters showed up than in 1988. In Minnesota, 11% at most bothered to ballot. Granted, many voters are as enthusiastic about this year's crop of candidates as President Bush would be at finding "broccoli surprise" on his dinner plate. ... In contrast, people are flocking to vote on which Elvis Presley portrait goes on a stamp. After two days' voting, the Postal Service is running short of ballots. When voters do turn their attention from crooners to candidates, they're discarding and discouraging incumbents with a vigor unseen since 1978. Six House members and a senator already have lost primaries; 33 more - including several caught up in the House bank scandal - are retiring, perhaps before voters choose that option for them. ... So stay mean; it's working. But do it the smart way: Vote. OTHER VIEW: JEFF RIGGENBACH, a Houston writer and broadcaster: As long as Americans insist on voting, they're never going to have any real choices on election day. The Republicrats have saddled us with a network of laws that makes it virtually impossible for any candidate to run an effective campaign for public office unless he's either a Republican or a Democrat, which means an advocate of the status quo. There isn't a dime's worth of difference between the Republican and Democratic front-runners in this year's presidential race, for example. And there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that a Bill Clinton presidency would be any different in any important respect from four more years of George Bush. The electorate knows this. Pollsters report that at least one voter in three is dissatisfied with every presidential candidate in this year's race. And voters are staying away from the primaries in droves. If you share their disenchantment, do as they're doing. If you don't like the way politicians are botching things, all you need to do is remember a simple rule of thumb: Don't vote - it only encourages them. VOICES ACROSS THE NATION ON YASSER ARAFAT'S PLANE BEING MISSING: NASSAU, Bahamas, Sonja Knowles, 38, principal: I was concerned that there would be a breakdown and we would be back as we were before. I'm not speaking of "we" as the USA, because I'm not a citizen, but this affects the Bahamas as well. I was concerned that all that had been worked for would be lost. PITTSBURGH, Pa., Joe Butler, 42, sports scout: Any time anyone is found alive among tragedy, that is good news. He is a world leader, an important person who is key to the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians. Sometimes guys like Arafat can turn a corner and be positive and help out in world affairs. COPPELL, Texas, Frankie Greever, 60, librarian: I was skeptical at first and wondered what it was all about. Then, of course, I thought if the news were true, his death would have a tremendous impact on what we are trying to accomplish in the Middle East right now. LAS VEGAS, Nev., Lee Plotkin, 32, real estate agent: My initial reaction was that it couldn't happen to a nicer guy. I was hoping he was flying with Saddam and Gadhafi. I think the United States does have an obligation to assist in matters that do have international significance. WESTLAKE, Ohio, Jennifer Mrowca, 18, high school student: Arafat isn't the issue. The PLO is a terrorist group that's not trustworthy. Who knows what could happen if we take sides by helping them? The United States shouldn't be involved with terrorists in the Middle East. TOPIC - CARING FOR THE ELDERLY: DIANE PIKTIALIS, vice president of elder care services for Work:Family Directions, based in Boston, was interviewed by USA TODAY's Sharon Shahid. WHAT DOES THE AGING OF THE BABY BOOM MEAN FOR FAMILIES? Families are going to have more older relatives to care for, who are going to live to increasingly older ages and who will be frailer. Another thing is 80% of elderly care is provided by families and not by formal care providers. And as women enter the workforce in record numbers, adult daughters who used to be at home to provide that care are now going to be in the workforce. SO WHAT ARE FAMILIES GOING TO DO? Families have to do three things. They're going to have to balance working and elder care. They're going to have to look outside the family to use more formal services to help. And they're going to have to plan ahead more than they ever had before because those services are often in short supply and very expensive. WHAT ARE COMPANIES DOING TO DEAL WITH THE AGING POPULATION? Companies are doing quite a bit because elder care is causing many stresses that affect their employees. They're doing things like providing counseling. For companies, we provide families with information about what's available. We help find elder care no matter where their relatives live. We can also find a "Meals on Wheels" program, a companion program or a home health aide. Issues & Debate Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM