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Show 4 THE MAGNA TIMES, WEST VALLEY NEWS ILoQQoiro ?s fifoo Edliitioir MAGNA TIMES Soond elms postage paid at Magna, Utah 64044 USPS 325-58- 0 Laughing at Life is a hit 8980 West 2700 8outh Magna, Utah 84044 Editor, Just wanted to let all of you know that I love reading the Magna Times. My fave is "Laughing at Life". The first one I read was about free public school. I have never laughed so hard. I was just learning about our free public, school J. HOWARD 8TAHLE Publisher BONNIE STAHLE DEBBI OLSON Editor Advertising Manager KOLBY REBER Production Manager Graphic Layout Designer 8. DARCIE PACKARD Graphic Layout Designer PERI KINDER Staff Writer DEAN LEDBETTER Staff Writer DALE SIMONS Sports Columnist TYLER WATTS Staff Writerlntern CARLOS ESTRADA GREQ 8CHULZ Correspondent Editor, (801)280-865- 8 FAX (801) 230-568- 8 magwestxmleeion.com tm news. Tax cuts passed earlier this year ranked as the good news. Cutting tax rates on personal income, capital gains and dividends were solid steps that enhance incentives for working, investing and risk taking. The economy clearly has benefited, as real economic growth has accelerated The Magna Tmes a bonified newspaper Member of the Utah Praam Association M LaygCuDimg DJffe dramatically. Count fout T&lesslhfs As you are the the November Thanksgiving are sweeps over. (No more sappy from gorge-fe- we st all participated in during the last couple made-for-T- 10. you remembered to give thanks for the blessings in your life. And I don't mean being thankful that crazy Aunt Edna didnt get loaded at dinner and start reciting family secrets to the postman. I mean real blessings. I've made a list that you can steal from if you are stuck, or if you are just in an ungrateful ipOOd, , d, g t ; j,. - J'm grateful i live-- in Kearns (I couldn't afford to buy J- Christmas gifts and live in Holladay.) 2. Im grateful my husband's getting me a cool Christmas present. (Right?) 3. Im grateful that MSN Broadband found it in their hearts to send me my DSL modem. (Actually, this is just wishful thinking. The brain surgeons at MSN have "escalated the situation and determined that there is a problem," I should Internet have service by Goundhogs Day. If Im lucky.) 4. Im grateful that Adam Sandler hasnt made a holiday movie this year. 5. Im grateful for cold pizza for breakfast. 6. Im grateful for pie. All kinds of pie. 7. I'm grateful for Rolaids. 8. Im grateful "Return of the King is coming out in less than a month. EVJaioir V movies.) of days. I hope No, The bad news comes on the spending side of the fiscal equation. The Congressional Budget Office published its Monthly Budget Review on Friday, Nov. 7, featuring the complete budget numbers for FY 2003. The spending increases are breathtaking and deeply worrisome. Total outlays in FY2003 jumped by 7.3 percent versus FY2002. TTiats more than three times the rate of inflation. But it was all defense spending, right? Well, defense outlays did go up by 17.1 percenL Factor out defense, however, and I'm 9. grateful recovering Im grateful Eminem hasnt recorded a Christmas album. 11. Im grateful my husband will put Christmas lights on the house this weekend. 12. Im grateful for emergency rooms. 13. I'm grateful for Christmas candy. 14. Im grateful my dentist uses laughing gas- ;j&ratefuLmy Jcids.doa,t want any.presents thi& yeati they want me to spend a week in Hawaii instead. (They just dont know it yet.) rt 16. Im grateful there is a within five miles of my home in every direction. (Now, if only there were parking spaces.) 17. Im grateful for people who sing Christmas songs in public with no shame. (I just wish my children were thankful for the same thing.) 18. Im grateful I havent heard anything about Ben Affleck and all month. 19. I'm grateful for good friends who bring me chocolate. 20. Im grateful that MSN Broadband does not control my finances, public education or health care, because I would be broke, stupid and dead. Im sure there are a few things that I have forgotten, but all the pie has gone to my head and Im not thinking clearly. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. to spending still rose by 5.3 percent. That was more than twice the inflation rate. The story, though, does not stop there. Net interest on public debt actually declined in FY2003. If we factor out defense spending and net interest, we arrive at how much is spent on government programs. How much did that increase? The answer is 7. percent The bottom line is that spending on government in FY2003 increased by better than three times the rate of inflanon-defen- se 1 non-defen- se pro-git- tion. The federal government is in the midst of an irresponsible spending binge. Outlays increased by 7.9 percent in FY2002 and by 7.3 percent in FY2003. Heres a sobering comparison: During the Clinton budget years, the average increase in total outlays was Heidi Jeffries Magna (Editors Note: laughing at Life is published twice a month in the Magna Times, West Valley News and Kearns Post. It is written writer Peri Kinder) f 3.6 percent with the biggest jump coming in FY2000 at 5,1 percent U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback has taken a step in the right the direction proposing by the on Commission Accountability (R-K- and Review of Federal Agencies Act This legislation would set up a workable and transparent process for reviewing and eliminating government programs and entities that have become outdated or outlived their usefulness. The massive spending increases of the past two years siphon resources away from more productive enterprises in the private sector and raise the specter of tax increases down the road. Spending must be restrained. Raymond J. Keating Chief Economist - Small Business Committee Sun-iva- l Letters Welcome Readers are encouraged to share opinions by sending letters to the Editor, Magna TimesWest Valley News, 8980 W. 2700 S. 5 Magna, Ut. 84044, letters can also be sent via fax to at magwest xmission.com . or 250-568- QMalh) "One mans tax correction is another mans pork.' That, was the. theme of a recent,, report on ihe cable channel CNBC-tha- t spotlighted provisions of the American Jobs Creation Act, currently making its way through Congress. Certainly, there is some truth to the notion that tax favors for important home-stat- e industries are sometimes inserted into broader legislation under the guise of "tax fairness" or "correcting a loophole" in the This has had a devastating effect on our domestic archery business, especially in Utah, which is one of the nation's largest producers of " , Wal-Ma- J-- law. But CNBC was far off the mark when it criticized one bit of "pork that is unquestionably aimed at correcting fundamental unfairness in our tax code and keeping up to 500 jobs in Utah. Arrows manufactured in Utah and other states are subject to a 12.4 percent federal excise tax, while arrows imported from China and other countries are exempt That means American arrows face a substantial competitive disadvantage before they even reach the shelves of the local sporting goods store. The excise tax was originally created in 1937 to help fund the Federal so-call- ed - core services. This one tough because I see our core services as more than public safety. It also includes many significant human services and a number of quality of life programs in recreation and park development. My fourth and final major goal in this budget is to share the sacrifices fairly. When we examine the total tax burden of Utahns as a percentage of their personal income, we rank tenth in the nation as the most taxed. This is even more concerning when we consider that in 1996 we were 15th and in 1993 we were 17th. This trend is in the wrong direction. And while we may be able to improve our revenue picture by adjusting our tax rate upwards, we shouldn't do it This is not just because I want to keep a promise, but also because it is the worst possible time for an increase. Locally, our business conditions index improved markedly in August and September and is at its highest level in more than seven years. The sunlight appears to be Nancy Workman Salt Lake County Mayor believe the only way to achieve prosperity is the old fashioned way. We keep faith in the private sector and let the marketplace drive the recovery. Lets leave the money in the hands of those who earn it We need to promote economic development Encourage job creation. Eliminate waste. Consider that over the past couple of years we have already made a lot of tough decisions. We have held the line on spending. Weive lived under a hiring freeze. We have consolidated departments. We have streamlined services. We have been conservative in our outlook. We have refinanced debt Despite all of this, we have still managed to increase our output. Our Health Department has vaccinated hundreds against small pox, screened for SARS and implemented water fluoridation. Public I Pittman-Robertso- oversight After the loophole was created, arrow and arrow shaft imports increased from less than $1 million in 1997 to more than $12 million in 2002. By avoiding the excise tax, foreign arrow manufacturers have d of displaced more than our domestic production, and they are continuing to gobble up the market share of domestic one-thir- gram. The library still serves Murray's population despite losing revenue from annexation. And our youth programs are bigger than ever. Our cooperative efforts over the past few years have made us competitive today. Just like the average consumer, our spending is limited to our revenue. The largest expense of any county government is employees: personnel services. Our workforce is the backbone of our government. Our workforce is our greatest asset. In order to protect our employees, and to compensate them, I have made a decision about the hiring freeze. I am adopting a hard hiring freeze policy effective Jan. 1, 2004. The freeze will affect all vacancies that occur where the position is not funded by outside grants or contracts. Our projections indicate that this reduction by attrition will assist us in maintaining expenses while still allowing critical vacancies to be filled after due consideration. In addition, I am requesting agencies to reduce travel and capital acquisition. Many agencies d i off-sho- re - Mmfcy fo&odlgjeti (f a archery products. American manufacturers have cut production, eliminated shifts, laid off long-teremployees, and are beginning to relocation plans. develop Some media critics apparently believe Congress should have more important things to worry about than the financial viability of American arrow manufacturers and their employees about 500 of whom live in Utah. Yet if Congress fails to act soon, we could lose the entire archery industry in America simply because we were unable to correct a tax law oversight. Correcting this mistake in the tax law is not "protectionism" for domestic manufacturers, nor is it catering to a "special interest. Rather, it means protecting jobs in Utah and around the nation. Small manufacturers and retail dealers throughout this country deserve a level playing field between imports and domestic arrow production. m Aid in Wildlife Restoration as the know Program (popularly n Act), through which hunters pay for activities that protect the habitat of their game, as well as hunter training programs. Unfortunately, a 1997 tax law simplification inadvertently created a loophole: it failed to assess the excise tax on arrows made by foreign manufacturers. Since then, overseas arrow makers have been quick to take advantage of this 2(Q)GM is - also love reading about whats going on in Magna (even though I miss the small town it use to be.) Keep up the great work all of you I are doing, cuz I love it. Jobs Me om tax ffaoraess - iraoti pork 5(D)(0) proposes We are almost at the end of another year and the beginning of a new budget year for Salt Lake County Government I presented a flat budget to the in Council County early November. The third flat budget since I took office three years ago. The final spending plan to be adopted by the County Council takes affect Jan. 1, 2004. When I say "flat budget, I mean a spending plan that features no growth in programs and not much in the way of revenue or expense increases. Truly flat These are difficult times that require difficult choices. We have learned in Salt Lake County that to govern is to choose Within my budget the choices are guided by four specific goals: First, no tax increase. I believe taxpayers have already paid their fair share. My second goal, control spending to preserve necessary fund balances for Salt Lake Countys Triple A credit rating and to protect our citizens. Our fund balances need to be there to serve our community in a time of emer- - time. I am now hooked on laughing at life. non-defen- se Well, the books were recently closed on the fiscal year 2003 federal budget For those of us worried about taxes and the size of government there was good news and bad Magna Times 8080 W. 2700 So. Magna, UT 84044 or because my oldest entered junior high, so the article came just in Good news, bad news in government budget Shop Foreman Pressman Copyright, Magna TlmesWest Valley News S. All rights reserved. Reproduction, reuse, or transmittal of all matter herein la prohibited without prior written permission by the publisher or editor. The Magna Times and West Valley News are published each Thursday Subscription $29 per year $30 per year out of state Postmaster: Send change of address to: November 27, 2003 KEARNS POST it ikt 1 iC-- v Vt 1 .( ed in this budget. It is a symbol of the cooperative effort of every independent elected executive official, my financial staff and my personal belief in the proper role of government The 2004 Salt Lake County budget amounts to $726 million. It pays for the Adult Detention Complex, County Fire services, the Sheriff's Office, recreation programs and facilities. Senior Citizen centers, prosecution of offenders, cultural facilities, convention facilities, Public Health, the vast County Library System, elections, and hundreds of other programs in the Countyis dozens of divisions and agencies. This budget does not undertake many "new" initiatives. It is simple. It is flat. It does not impose a tax increase. As one great sage said: "You can do anything you want, you just cant do everything you want This budget proposal allows Salt Lake County to continue providing its basic and critical services without a tax increase. While it certainly wonit solve all the problems, I hope you agree with me that it ' - 41 5 1 t ' |