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Page 4A-THE KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Thursday, September 7, 1989
OUR VIEW
Lot Of Love
For 3 1/2 Years
It was a sad day for Wanda Kyle at the
People That Love Center Monday. She had to
close the center down because donations had
gone to almost zero over the past several
months and they could no longer afford to
help the thousands of needy people in the
area who have falien on hard times.
Mrs. Kyle and other volunteers at the
Center gave freely of their time--and money--
for 3 1/2 years to try to help needy people in
the area obtain food, clothing, medicine, pay
their bills, and have the other bare necessities
that most of us take for granted.
The PTL began in 1986 by a small band of
Christians who saw the need to take care of
their neighbors 12 months a year rather than
_ just at Christmas, when most of us think
about giving a little to help someone else.
Mrs. Kyle left the Love Center with debts
of about $1,000, which she said she will pay
herself rather than have the Love Center's
creditors take the loss.
Many, many people in the area helped the
Center during its brief period on Piedmont
Avenue. One anonymous doctor in town
treated persons referred by the Center at no
charge. Many businessmen who wished to re-
main anonymous often gave money to help
the Center tread water.
But, perhaps the most faithful contributor,
other than Mrs. Kyle and Pandora Burris,
who volunteered their time for the entire 3
1/2 year period, was a little old lady who
cashed her social security check each month
and came by the Love Center with a can of
food. A widow's mite never went further.
Mrs. Kyle, who had been spending money
out of her own pocket for months to keep the
Center open and its services going, decided
after learning last week that the Ministerial
Association is planning a similar crisis min-
istry in town that it was time for her to step
aside. The Love Center and the Crisis Center,
which is planned for the Community Center,
would be serving the same people and the
Crisis Center, backed by the Ministerial
Association, would be more able financially
and personnel-wise to take care! of the peo-
ple's needs.
Still, the closing of the Love Center was a
sad day. Mrs. Kyle, Mrs. Burris and several
others worked long hours at no pay to help
their fellow citizens, and often with little or
no thanks.
Kings Mountain owes a great debt of grati-
tude to the People That Love Center, its vol-
- unteers and contributors, and especially to
Wanda Kyle and Pandora Burris for the ser-
vices rendered since April of 1986.
We also owe it to each other to support the
Ministerial Association in its new endeavor
and hope that its program will not meet the
same end as the People That Love Center.
Perhaps with the involvement of all the
churches in the Ministerial Association, the
new Crisis Center will have a happier story to
tell.
Letter Policy
The Herald welcomes your letters to the editor
for publication in each week's paper. We ask that
you use the following guidelines when submitting
letters:
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the right to reject any letter for any reason. Under
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Mail all letters to Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box
769, Kings Mountain, N.C. 28086. i :
Established 1889
Published Thursday
at East King Street at Canterbury Road,
Kings Mountain, North Carolina 28086, by
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Photo by T.C. McKee
HARD AT WORK ON LABOR DAY - Kings Mountain barber Bill Bridges found the shade of this
huge water oak tree near his shop on Walnut Street to be the perfect place for some Labor Day rest on
Monday. Bridges read the newspaper as he cooled off under the shade. The water oak is believed to be the
biggest tree in Kings Mountain. Its circumference at the base is 20 feet.
Schools Off To Great Start
Our school year is off to a great start. I have really
been enjoying visiting each of our schools. The stu-
dents are working hard, and our employees are doing
their usual excellent job.
A big thank you is due our community for the fan-
tastic support given the Educational Foundation at our
Kick-Off Reception and Banquet. We had large turn-
outs at both events. I have heard a great deal of posi-
tive reaction in the community to the concept of the
Foundation. I think great things are ahead for our chil-
dren and teachers as a result of this effort.
We have much to accomplish this year. Many new
programs are in place. I will detail those for you in fu-
ture columns. Today I want to mention tow goals we
have for this year which are very important.
One goal is to improve student achievement in our
system. That sounds routine enough - such should al-
ways be a goal. This year we want to place special em-
phasis on the effort. Our Director of Instruction, Jane
King, has appointed a system-wide Task Force to lead
the effort. We hope to raise our test scores in many ar-
Superintendent’s
~ Viewpoint
BOB McRAE
eas. It would be unfair, however, to say only that. Test
scores are one indicator of how well a system is doing,
but there are many factors which influence those
scores. The school system has little control over some
of the most significant ones.
What we really want to do is assure ourselves and
our community that we are making a solid effort at
providing instruction to all children in a way that helps
them to reach their fullest potential. This work will de-
See McRae, 14-A
Dear Editor:
Thank you for your generous support of the recent
ISA National Softball Championship games. Your help
with publicity on the tournament contributed signifi-
cantly to its success.
As you know, Holy Angels will receive all proceeds
of the tournament. Some current needs for the children
are: a playground system specially designed for the
handicapped; supplies and equipment for the new ther-
apeutic and recreational horseback riding program; and
a commercial, handicapped-equipped bus for field
trips and other activities. Proceeds from the ISA games
will be used wisely to help make some of these dreams
a reality!
On behalf of the children at Holy Angels, we thank
you for your generous help.
Sincerely, Carl Champion
Regina Moody Art Shoemaker
Executive Director ISA Tournament
Holy Angels Director
Note To Notch Victims
Dear Fellow Notch Victim:
Robert Myers, Chairman of the Notch Study Panel
of the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI)
and a strong, longtime opponent of Notch reform, ad-
vocates use of the Social Security "replacement
PErcentage Rate," rather than "dollars," in dealing
with the Notch problem. Since Myers is not along in
his insistence on this point, as the enthusiastic support
of his colleagues will reveal, the time has come, in my
view, to address this subject openly and on an individ-
ual basis to establish if, in fact, "The replacement rate
for a worker with average earnings is about 42%," as
stated in the june 1987 issue of the Social Security
Administration's pamphlet "Issues And Answers."
Having recently calculated my own "replacement
rate" from the details given in the above Social
Security publication, together with my "lifetime earn-
ings history" acquired from our local Social Security
office, it has occurred to me that many of you may
wish to do the same thing out of curiosity and a pro-
found personal interest in your own affairs. If so, just
proceed as follows:
1. Obtain the following pamphlets from your local
Social Security office"
(a) A copy of the June 1987 issue of Social
Security's "Issues and Answers," on The Notch, and
(b) A copy of Social Security's "History of Social
Security,” Which provides "Effective Earnings Base"
information for the years 1937 through 1988.
2. Ask the Social Security people for a computer
printout of your "lifetime earnings history," a docu-
ment they gladly furnished in my case.
3. Us the following formula, which I derived from
the information given under "Replacement Rates" in
the pamphlet under 1(a) above. In words, this formula
states that your replacement rate equals your montlily: ;
Social Security benefit divided by twice your average:
monthly earnings for the total number of years you re-
ceived FICA earnings credit...this fraction, then, is
multiplied by 100 to give a "Replacement Percentage
Rate."
Stated mathematically, the formula under 3 above
becomes: % RR = Monthly Benefit (100) 2 Ave.
Monthly Earnings).
In my case, I calculated two replacement rates, one
of 35.1% for a "lifetime maximum earnings history”
dating from 1951 (the first year Social Security began
to credit my "earnings") through May of 1982 (my last
month worked), and another of 44.1% as a "Notch
Baby," dating from 1951 through 1979, the year in
which I reached 61 years of age, and after which, I,
presumably, received no credit for additional earning
recorded for some three years approximately there-
after.
The increase of 9 percentage points in my replace-
ment rate as a Notch victim arises from a reduction in
the denominator of the above formula due to the omis-
sion of earnings credited to my account after turning
61 years of age in 1979. A reduction in the denomina-
tor of this formula, of course, leads to an increase in
the calculated "replacement percentage rate."
It should also be pointed out that the factor 2 in the
denominator of the above formula arises from the fact
that both you and your employer contributed identical
amounts to your total monthly earnings.
Should any of you decide to tackle this sticky re-
placement rate problem, I'll be glad to help, if needed,
with some of the details after you have obtained the
Social Security information indicated under items 1
and 2 of this letter. I can be reached by phone by call-
ing 484-8834.
HAROLD LOVELESS
Ah, Miami! Unless You Just Have To Go There, Don't
I just got back from Miami. What a city—hot, hu-
mid, sweltering Miami. An ethnic melting pot, where
every other house has barred windows. Miami is a pul-
sating city, especially at night. Strangely, there are
very few notable restaurants in that city. They have
horse-racing, dog racing, jai alai, the Orange Bowl,
- and a huge drug market located on almost any corner.
Miami has a burgeoning crime rate and a police
force that defies description. I will not paint the entire
police department with the same brush. I will not paint
the entire police department with the same brush. I'm
sure there are many sharp, competent officers on the
force, but it does seem they are constantly in hot water
or getting negative publicity for one reason or another.
It might just be that they are outmanned by the crooks.
Certainly the drug dealers are better armed with their
Uzi's and AK-47's.
Over a span of two and a half years, 17 women died
mysteriously in Miami. All were young, black women,
most were prostitutes, all had traces of cocaine in their
systems and all were found naked from the waist down
in empty lots or abandoned buildings.
None of the bodies showed signs of violence—no
bruises or internal injuries, nor were there any needle
marks.
All the bodies were found in the northern half of the
country.
Admittedly, these are unusual cases. Authorities are
unable to determine the cause of death in any of them.
But never mind that mystery—no doubt that will be
cleared up eventually. My question is: how can a large
metropolitan police force, with all their equipment,
Jim
Heffner
knowledge and experience go so long without realiz-
ing they have a serial killer on their hands, as they've
recently decided?
The last time I was in Miami, back in July, a couple
of orientals were going around robbing restaurants.
The police had their descriptions and a make on the
car. The last night I was in town, another restaurant
was robbed. That same night a patrol car stopped an
automobile with a burned out tail light. The occupants
were two young vietnamese, and the car fit the de-
scription of that used by the robbers. Even though, the
young men were stopped less than two blocks from the
vietnamese, and the car fit the description of that used
by the robbers. Even though, the young men were
stopped less than two blocks from the victimized eat-
ing establishment, they were released.
Another policeman, the next day, put everything to-
gether and arrests were made.
My friend, Chuck Hildreth, was sitting in the Miami
airport the other day and overheard two ladies dis-
cussing their recent problems with crime. One of the
women allowed as how her house had been burglar-
ized twice in the last six months. "You're lucky,"
replied the other. "They've hit us three times in the last
month."
So when that guy on television says "come on
+ down," think about it first.
BIG BIRDS BIG BUCKS
In an out of town newspaper the other day I hap-
pened upon a story about farmers out west.
It seems due to sagging grain and pork markets,
about 300 of these men of the soil have changed over
to raising ostriches. That's right, ostriches. The meat of
these nine-foot, 300 pound African birds is edible and
the skin can be used as upholstery material.
A female ostrich lays about 35 to 100 eggs annually
for 40 of their 70 year life span, and they'll eat any-
thing. Most are raised on alfalfa pellets and grain with
a little lettuce and cabbage thrown in.
Ostrich meat, popular in Europe, is a red meat that
is one-third lower in fat and cholesterol than beef.
These unusual birds, which run up to 40 miles per
hour, aren't cheap. An adult mating pair cost between
$35,000 and $60,000, depending on their productivity.
Their eggs aren't easy to retrieve from the pan either.
They don't take to humans and it is said their kick can
kill a man.
How does Mcostrich sound?
At any rate it makes me was poetic:
The ostrich really makes me burn,
Its kick will knock you flat.
You cannot kick him in return,
And that's not tit for tat.