4 THE SUN
www.osceolasun.com
APRIL 8, 2015
Let me give you one of my cards Did you have a good Easter? Get to spend some time with loved ones? I hope so. Easter is a holiday that is full of the promise of renewal. Coming in early spring, we are just beginning to see the rebirth and renewal of nature, a promise kept after a winter of any length or severity. The secular side of the holiday centers around the family, especially children. Hunting for Easter eggs and getting free candy was a very special treat for me growing up. After Halloween, Easter ranked high for free candy. As the fifth of six children, I enjoyed candy I could get. My Publisher motherany simplified the basket process by placing candy on plates at Tom Stangl our places around the dinner table. When I was young, I would often try to get up early to catch a glimpse of the Easter Bunny. I think some of you did as well. I always envisioned him as a tall white rabbit, much like the title character of the 1950 Jimmy Stewart movie, “Harvey.” Remember the scene where Stewart’s character, Elwood P. Dowd, brought home the portrait he commissioned of himself with Harvey, the six foot tall invisible rabbit? Harvey is a pooka, and is actually six foot three. That’s how I saw him in my mind’s eye. “Harvey,” based on a play of the same name, was a wonderful movie. Funny without being mean or crude, touching and containing just a bit of fantasy. Stewart was nominated for an Academy award for his performance, and the play won a Pulitzer Prize. Jesse White, the original Maytag repairman on TV, played an orderly named White in the insane asylum in the film. After hearing that Stewart was seeing a pooka, he looks the term up in the encyclo: “P O O K A - Pooka - from old Celtic mythology - a fairy spirit in animal form - always very large. The pooka appears here and there - now and then to this one and that one - a benign but mischievous creature - very fond of rumpots, crackpots, and how are you, Mr. Wilson?” “How are you, Mr. Wilson?” Who in the encyclopedia wants to know?” I still laugh every time I see that scene. He even shakes the book. There’s a scene in the movie where Stewart, who everyone thinks is a drunk or a crackpot, is explaining his philosophy of life. “Years ago my mother used to say to me, she’d say, “In this world, Elwood, you must be” - she always called me Elwood - “In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.” Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me,” he said. Faced with giving Dowd a treatment that would make him “normal” but not the same man, his sister decides that she has made a terrible mistake and stops the procedure. It is a sweet, sweet movie, and I think maybe we would all be better off if we adopted a similar philosophy of life. We are far too quick to anger, far too quick to judge, far to quick to criticize what we don’t understand. The power of kindness is its simplicity. Some may view it as weakness when, in fact, it is the greatest strength of all. Let’s all try to be more pleasant. It certainly can’t hurt anything. As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@theameryfreepress. com, telephone 715-268-8101 or write me at P.O. Box 424, Amery, WI, 54001. Thanks for reading; I’ll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR N iis a greatt ti Now time tto donate to Interfaith Caregivers! Interfaith Caregivers of Polk County loves their contributors any time of the year, but they love them twice as much right now. A generous couple is providing a $12,000 challenge match for any contributions made to Interfaith Caregivers of Polk County during the upcoming GiveBIG St.Croix Valley fundraiser for local non-profit organizations. That means that your contribution will be doubled!! Interfaith Caregivers of Polk
County has been serving the elderly and people living with disabilities since 1995. Last year our 190 volunteers served 599 people by providing transportation to medical facilities, grocery stores, banks, etc., friendly visits, yard cleanup, respite care, business help, light housekeeping and fix-its. We are not affiliated with any specific religion but work closely with local churches. All services are provided to clients at no cost. Last year this local event raised over $150,000 for local charities, and their goal this year is to raise $250,000 to benefit the many
non-profit organizations serving communities in our area. You can make your contribution one of two ways: You can write a check to Interfaith Caregivers (write giveBIG on the memo line of your check) and mail it to PO Box 426, Balsam Lake WI, 54810. The check needs to arrive in the Interfaith office by April 28 to count in the fundraiser. OR, you can give on-line anytime between now and April 28 by going to givescv.razoo. com/story/interfaithpolk. Your tax-deductible gift will be used to SEE LETTERS, PAGE 5
STATE CAPITOL NEWSLETTER
Seniors
R
epublican leaders in the Wisconsin Assembly have rejected Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to force some elderly out of the popular SeniorCare prescription drug assistance plan. It’s not the first time GOP legislators have rebuffed Walker’s proposals for SeniorCare Matt Pommer at budget time. Assembly leaders
suggested there may be some cost increases to help ease the red ink lurking in state budgeting. But no one will be forced into other drug programs, according to the GOP legislative leaders. The action came even before the Joint Finance Committee began taking formal votes on the biennial state budget. It’s a testament to the political power of the elderly. Senior citizens tend to be conservative and they vote in higher percentages than other age groups. The quick reaction is political-
ly relevant because of the focus in U.S. Congress on health issues. The controversy over Obamacare is just part of what is unfolding in Washington. The Wisconsin announcement came the same week that the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate were passing a non-binding Republican budget. But the federal “budget” is different than the ones that are passed by the Wisconsin Legislature. In SEE POMMER, PAGE 6
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Tom Stangl, Publisher Suzanne Lindgren, Editor Carrie Larson, Production Manager Eric Buelow, Graphic Design Teresa Holmdahl, Advertising Barb Wetzel, Office Assistant Michele Merritt, Distribution Manager