Senior Scene

With a little better weather, everyone seems to be more cheerful and a bit more animated. The phone has been ringing off the hook with all kinds of questions. Understand, I am not complaining about this as any question I can answer, I will try to do, but there seem to be spells when I am called upon to answer questions that have never come my way before. These particular questions, however, were of a more cheerful type, and showed some effort on the askers' parts to try to solve their own problems.

There is no doubt that the older we get the less confident we feel that we can solve our own problems.

But it is good training if we try, and then seek some assurance that we are on the right track. And that is what most of these queries were. However, I am always there if you can't solve an issue or if you just need reassurance.

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Have you checked out your insurances recently? At least every three years or so do a little investigating by calling different companies and getting estimates on your various holdings. I was inspired to check on auto insurance by a memo in my bank statement. I was able to get the same coverage for $60, less than I was formerly paying. You know how high car insurance is in Hartford. See if you can't lower your obligations with your own efforts, a good driving record and low mileage. It is worth the effort.

Life insurance increases with age so lower premiums would be doubtful. However, home insurance and property casualty might be less of a burden as standards change. What holds most people back from trying to make a change in the cost of these is that they have known their insurance agent for an age. No harm done if he has been good to you. Just be gentle to him if you prove him wrong. Don't forget, also, that if you can get more that one insurance from the same company, or take the Senior driving class from AARP or AAA, you also can get a discount. Check it out, it costs you nothing but a phone call or three and a little time.

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Coming up over the next Saturday and Sunday at the Civic Center is a trade show called "Papermania." This is an antique show just made for seniors. A friend of mine who helps to put this show on tells me that he makes his best collections of music, posters and other things he deals in from seniors. They go to the show and ask him if he'd be interested in what has been piling up in their attics for years.

Big interest is any War correspondence, pictures of note, programs and posters of theater events. postcards, magazines, trading cards, autographs and much, much more

Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM, Sunday, 11 AM to 5 PM. For additional information call Paul Gipstein of Hillcrest Promotions, 529-7582 or 563-9975. Sunday's price for seniors is only $3, for all others the entrance fee is $6.

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In last week's column there was a typo in the phone number for the Court House Volunteer spot at their information desk. If you called last week try again on 566-8350 and ask for Roseanne Purtill who can tell you all about it.

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The dismaying story of President Clinton's recent problems is somewhat mystifying. Everyone has an opinion, and 70% of the American public seems to feel that it does not interfere with his running the country and that everyone should just forget about it. However, since the news media pushes it in our faces at every turn, it is somewhat difficult to do .

Those of us who have struggled through the Great Depression, and World War II have seen a world gone crazy. Whatever anyone wants to do, they do it and expect it to be OK with every one else. Our city streets are littered with trash because the litterers don't care. The building I have lived in for 38 years has had its lawn and gardens destroyed by both children and adults who seem to think that because they pay rent they also can make the halls, yards, front steps and grass a part of their living quarters. Cars and open-windowed apartments blare a bang-bang kind of noise that passes for music . We have torn down buildings with grace and charm and replaced them with glass boxes. All around us children are killing children, everyone who wants to go swimming at night cuts through fences to do it, heads of committees and others in top positions are absconding with cash, or not doing their job. It is a crazy world.

If the president doesn't set family values, if any of our leaders think it is alright to do what they want, if pastors, teachers, priests, or others responsible for the care of children molest them, who can we rely on to return us to a reasonably moral society, free of drugs and danger?

I don't have any solution for Mr. Clinton, the harm is done. We do need a leader with a moral outlook, not just for his party but for the country, for each state and each city. Is there any hope that we can get it?

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