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Show DAILY HERALD A6 Editorial s Wednesday, February EDITORIAL 12007 BOARD Craig Dennis, President & Publisher Randy Wright, Executive Editor Donald W. Meyers, Editorial page editor Linda Shetton, Public adviser Jim Hunter, Public adviser Richard Davis, Public adviser 2aiHcrotfi IN OUR VIEW Don't cut food taxes aain " stopping somewhere in Orem which is not what voters expected when they approved the latest tax hike. Alternatively, the the process is a working county could decide not to fix cer. model of the chaos tain traffic problems, such as 400 South in Springville. The county theory. Any bill passed in this could do all the projects if it exenvironment is likely to have unintended consequences that could tends the life of the bonds to raise have been avoided with more enough money to cover the lost food tax, but that would require forethought. The latest example of this is Rep. paying an additional $80 million in interest payments on the loans. Merlynn T. Newbold's House Bill We are now getting a head282, which would trim the sales tax on food even further and hurt enti- ache. How about you? There's no denying ties that are supported that taxing essential food by sales taxes. Utah has already Confused? items is not the most desirable thing to do. But it's reduced the state's Join the also an undeniable truth portion of the sales that Utah's transportation tax on food by two crowd. system is in crisis and percentage points. needs to be fixed. Rail But this isn't enough Your head A s anyone who has followed the Utah Legislature knows, service to Provo, for exfor the South Jordan is spinning ample, was supposed to be Republican. She wants to remove the food tax because this achieved within a period. portion from all the HB 282 should be rejectother special taxes that is a really ed. The need to take care currently make up the bad bill. of transportation infra- total sales tax you pay for goods and services. structure outweighs the elimination of all sales taxThe special taxes in- es on food, and Newbold's elude such things as arts and parks taxes and transit concept throws a monkey wrench into the works. Cutting sales taxes. Those special taxes would not taxes on food may be politically be eliminated under Newbold's popular, but it won't get roads or rails built unless compensating bill only the portion allocated monies are found elsewhere. to food. But let's assume the LegislaConfused? Join the crowd. Your head is spinning because this is a ture unwisely plows ahead with Newbold's precipitous concept. really bad bill. One way to make up for lost Darrell Cook, executive director of Mountainland Association revenue might be to allow local of Governments, which has a lot entities to increase their special taxes. This would raise special to do with transportation plantaxes higher than voters origining, said that Newbold's bill would cut transit tax revenue nally approved for specific purposes, but the total would remain by 10 percent during the period the county would bond for in equilibrium. This bill is fraught with negatransportation projects. The special sales tax provides the money tive consequences. It unnecessarthat will pay off bonds. ily upsets the taxation apple cart. It would be better for the LegThis would put the county in a bind. It could mean not having islature to consider unintended commuter rail service extend consequences than for the people all the way to Provo, instead of Utah to experience them. 30-ye- MEDIA VOICES fees discourage citizenship Sty-hig- h offices. They're the ones who benefit, the theory goes. The immigration agency today is funded numbers are jarring. entirely by fees. In some cases, of $325 to apply for a card," the bill would government works. As one soar to S905 under a Bush adminexample, drug companies are istration proposal. Citizenship willing to pay the Food and Drug application fees, now $330, would Administration higher fees to get nearly double. quicker rulings on new products. On the local level, developers ofWith a national consensus ten are willing to pay higher fees to curb illegal immigration, the for quick decisions on permits. In government should be making it easier, not harder, to go the legal these businesses, delay is costly, route. It makes sense to ask imso speed is worth some extra expense. migrants to pay more for better But the fee rationale goes only service, but it's counterproductive to raise rates to a level that disso far, and the complex issue of immigration shows why. courages people from applying. Fortunately, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Expediting green card and is injecting some wisdom citizenship paperwork isn't just in into this plan. The chair of the the interest of the applicants. It's a House Judiciary subcommittee on goal of society. If we want to disimmigration is calling for a concourage illegal border crossings, gressional hearing to sort things legal residency has to be a realisout. tic goal. And if Congress finally The U.S. Citizenship and Immiagrees on an overdue program gration Services has an abysmal to give longtime, undocumented residents a path to citizenship, it performance record, with long waits for rulings and an attitude can't be only for the rich. Saving toward applicants that is less than up $300 for a green card is hard customer-friendlThe Bush adenough for a struggling parent. ministration says the fees would But close to $1,000? It might as bring in SI billion a year to update well be $1 million. Waves of immigrants have ensoftware, expand facilities and train workers. riched this country like no other. We'll believe the improvements In Silicon Valley, countless tech start-up- s when we see them. But we're and small businesses list more concerned about an underly- immigrants as their founders. An ing principle. orderly system of immigration is in everyone's interest. General taxes on the public If it's clear that the immigration once were the way we financed agency will make good use of government services. Today, noadditional money, then all taxpaybody wants to talk about higher ers should share the cost with taxes, so we rely more and more on fees paid by individuals or busi- applicants. Society will reap the nesses that deal with government benefits. From the San Jose Mercury News, Feb. 2, 2007 The Tut CMfc LETTERS Women's rights and lives are endangered by abortion ban My father taught my sisters and me that we should never feel inferior to .J-TT- men. I'm appalled. Banning abortion isn't taking away a woman's right to choose to terminate an unwanted pregnancy; women will always have a choice. This ban, instead, takes away a woman's right to choose to terminate an unwanted pregnancy safely, sending distraught women to back rooms to terminate pregnancies, and perhaps, even their lives. That is, if this law were to go into effect. When challenged as unconstitutional, these men will take upwards of $4 million in tax dollars from this woman (and others) to keep our rights locked up as if we are an inferior species. But I stand to say that I am not inferior to any man; I know of no woman who is inferior to a man. It's time that women showed the men in Utah's House that we can make our own decisions about our bodies; they can legislate vasectomies if they wish. I Anna Brozek, Salt Lake City finances college careers for illegal residents Utah Your Jan. 24 article, "Legislation humanized," was a blatant effort to defeat the passage of House Bill 224, which would repeal the law that gives illegal immigrants the right to tuition at our colleges. The unfairness of this law is obvious: U.S. citizens from other states are required to pay full tuition, while illegal immigrants who broke the law, are granted $3,515 per semester. The law should be repealed for this reason alone, but in addition, such benefits draw more illegal immigrants to Utah and our country. No one would criticize these students for trying to improve themselves, but let them do it in the country of their origin. We can no longer afford to dole out free education, housing and other welfare benefits for poor folks who,want to cross our southern border illegally. Furthermore, is it not biased for newspaper reporters to interview people who have come here legally or illegally and ask them for their opinions on laws affecting immigrants? Of course they are in favor of laws granting them benefits. That article was an example of "bleeding heart" reasoning when it comes to illegal immigration issues. I Vernon Moulton, been orphaned; many are all alone. Conversely, in the United States there is a disproportionately high number of hopeful adoptive parents compared to the number of children placed for adoption. In fact, according to IDS Family Services, there are many more couples hoping to adopt a child than there are children available. With so many couples seeking to adopt and so many orphans in developing countries who need good homes, doesn't international adoption seem like an obvious choice for Americans? We need to realize that it doesn't take celebrity status to internationally adopt. There are organizations in our area, such as A Child's Hope Foundation, located in Orem, that work with adoption agencies to help facilitate this type of adoption for "regular people. In this case, maybe we can all learn a lesson from these celebrities and consider the positive effect that adopting internationally life. Option VMfMM. IAPKS AHPtwmfJHCN. me SC OPTION tucusi.' IN pint SUtei IRAOH v m turn1 ANY whistle-blower- MALLARD FILLMORE r Someone tell me why legislators think that they have to pass new laws every year. Perhaps we'd be better off if they met every five years and erased some laws that we already have on the books. I'd bet that if legislators looked far enough back, they'd find a law that g of horses prohibited and carriages on Main Street. Raising the speed limit to 80 mph is stupid. Drivers are already going 80 mph; now, they'll go 90 mph. When I get onto the freeway, I set my cruise control on 65 mph and no one, I repeat, no one stays behind me. double-parkin- What's the hurry, anyway? I've run "tests" between Provo and 53rd South in Salt Lake City. By go- I Bill Levingston, Provo How to comment letters to dhlettersheraldextra.com Fax to 5 Mail to P.O. Box 717, 344-298- Provo, UT 84603. I Letters must include the author's full name, address and daytime phone number. I We prefer shorter letters, 100 to 200 words. Letters may be edited for length I Writers are encouraged to include their occupation and other personal informatioa I Because of the volume of let- ters, we cannot acknowledge unpublished letters. I Letters become the property of the Daily Herald. Bruce Tinsley rw snu, HUKKNfi ON that, mwwt tlfflZ TVUr tflHAT If5 WW Speeding means risking lives to save a mere five minutes scenery. er i r blows 50-5- 0 rtHU, tuoiosr f ing 10 miles over the speed limit, I saved an average of five minutes. At an average of $50 per speeding ticket, I Aaron Searle, and considering the minimum wage, it Springville would take between eight and 10 trips to pay for a speeding ticket. Slow down, save lives and enjoy the anonymity Your editorial Jan. 31, "Court should guard sources," persuasively argues the need to guarantee journalists a total privilege of confidentiality, the same privilege thut lawyers, physicians and clergy have. Thankfully, the Utah Supreme Court is receiving input from a legal advisory committee in the form of two options: Option A and Option B. Option A grants total confidentiality, except for a reporter's unpublished notes. Option B grants confidentiality only if a judge allows it. I take strong exception to your editorial position in favor of Option B. Why should a potential whistle-blowchance on a judge ruling Pleasant Grove take a in favor of safeguarding his anonymB does nothing to end the Anyone can be a celebrity to ity? Option a child adopted from abroad current dearth of If reporters must destroy their unpublished notes after a story breaks, Despite all of the controversy surit is far better that they do so in order rounding Madonna and Angelina ' to be able to promise a whistle-blowe- r Jolie's international adoptions, I'd like total anonymity. to commend them on their decisions. I Brent Richard Jacob, There are literally millions of children throughout the world who have Lindon sin. OKAY, ouesrwvsr B MAR might have on a child's and even fewer whistles D00NESBURY Garry Trudeau ONI BfrSSs MWi,,,,- - rv the men in Utah's House of Representatives think that they know better than us, and that they should make decisions for Utah's women. But Itti 'mom (Alt; --raiA; tr W1D on |