Letters In the Know ;
WHAT I REALLY KNOW
minimizing governmental expenditures,
and state and local levels are a good
place to begin.
Thomas Ram y
Kelso, Wash.
About New Year’s
Resolutions
By Heidi Smith, Taos, N. M.
Joe E. Brown and Jack Lemmon in the
1959 comedy Some Like It Hot.
‘Nobody’s perfect’
Seriously? Seriously You do
a piece on movie exit lines [“ 50
Grand Exits,” Power of 50,
December], and you leave out
the greatest one of all? Joe E.
Brown’s “Well, nobody’s perfect,” from Some Like It Hot.
Deborah Gordon
Sacramento, Calif.
Political poles
The minority of Americans who are
active in political parties may enjoy
being polarized [“What’s Wrong With
Washington,” December], but I am
convinced that the majority of Americans—like me—believe the politicians at
the extremes are the problem.
St phani Br nt
Deerfield, Ill.
CLARIFICATION: An article in the November issue on benefits for veterans exposed
to atomic radiation should have included
the following information about filing for
benefits: Veterans who were among the
occupation military personnel at Nagasaki
and Hiroshima after World War II or were
prisoners of war in Japan may be entitled
to a monthly benefit if they contracted any
of 21 different cancers traced to radiation
exposure. Contact the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1-800-827-1000; press 2 for VA
benefits; then press 3 for disability benefits.
They don’t work. Except for sometimes.
Years ago, I looked forward to New Year’s Eve with
great anticipation and excitement in Berlin, Germany. At midnight we would watch fireworks and
toast the new year with a sip of champagne. Then
we would drop a small spoonful of molten lead into
a bowl of cold water, and the oddly shaped results
would tell us our fortune.
After the toast I proclaimed my resolutions: I
wanted to go on a trip around the world; I would
win a million dollars; a blond
Adonis would sweep me off
my feet, marry me and we
would live happily ever after.
None of it ever happened.
Of course, my resolutions
were actually wishes—
wishes you can’t act upon.
Over the years my resolutions changed subtly: Stick
to a running schedule; eat
meat only every other day;
play with Dylan, my grandson, every Wednesday.
All of the above “came
true.” It took a bit of doing.
But the New Year’s resolutions helped me focus. I
became a more confident runner. Eating less meat
actually made me feel better, and that made the
resolution easy to keep.
Playing with Dylan was the best resolution of all. I
never missed our weekly “dates.” I picked him up after school, and we went home and started cooking
dinner together. I watched him grow up.
New Year’s resolutions can work. Wishes? Maybe,
maybe not. But I am enjoying the “happily ever after”
part, the one I wished for with my husband, Trent—
who, years ago, had black wavy hair.
‘Economic mess’
Just read your December issue, and it
is one of the best ever. Particularly outstanding was Peter Goldmark’s essay,
“Let’s Fix Our Economic Mess” [Opin-ion]. This is a simple approach that
all people supposedly representing us
should get behind immediately. In fact,
it should be required reading.
We need to keep repeating this message and hold their feet to the fire.
Thank you, Peter Goldmark!
Thomas Parmart r
Clarkdale, Ariz.
Happily ever
after: the
author with her
husband, Trent,
in 1974.
We appreciate hearing from you. Write to: Bulletin Editor, Dept. RF, 601 E St. N W, Washington,
DC 20049; or email to: Bulletin@aarp.org. Please
include your address and phone number.
; Sudoku
Puzzle Answer (from page 11)
Peter Goldmark proposes to keep more
people on the payroll of state and local
governments.
Government at all levels has become
too fat during the past few years of inflated growth. At all levels it is too large
and needs to be reduced.
We have to address all avenues of
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For a
greater
mental
workout,
go to games
. aarp.org or
happy-neuron
.com. Play an
interactive
Sudoku at
games.aarp
.org.
; YOUR TURN! Tell us what you really know
about Billy Graham. Email your essay of up to 400 words
to whatiknow@aarp.org. Or mail it to “What I Really Know,”
AARP Bulletin, 601 E St. N W, Washington, DC 20049. Please
include your name and a phone number or email address.
