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Show Free Press Wednesday, September 17, 1997 - Page 2 Opinion UDOT and phone company drive the temperatures Primaries for all If the candidates for this year's municipal elections in some cities really want to make a difference, they should promise to do away with the convention method by which they were selected to run for office. It's a bold move, since it requires the candidate to repudiate the system that got them into the election in the first place. But with the rapid influx of new residents into our communities, cities that still use the convention format are limiting participation of those newcomers while still catering to the desires of special interest groups who use the city political convention to set the agenda for an entire community. The convention system may have been effective cities were small and most folks whom ran for office only at the urging of their neighbors at the convention. You didn't need a campaign speech to know where someone stood, because you knew the man or woman from everyday life. The system ensured that were kept off the ballot and good candidates would be making the decisions about what would happen over the next two years. But it's not effective any more. Since attendance at the conventions is so small in relation to the actual size of our growing communities, any special interest group with the know-hoand numbers can literally dominate a convention, and in turn take control of city government. ne'er-do-wel- ls That's why most cities in Utah have abandoned this archaic system, and adopted the open primary method as a way to make the election process available to all community residents. But a few communities Lehi, Pleasant Grove and Highland included have retained the convention on the pretense that not enough people will run unless they are coerced to do so at a meeting of their peers. Actually, the conventions are now doing exactly the opposite discouraging open participation in the election process by all the residents of a given community. Does anyone really think Lehi could not field enough candidates for mayor if the post were thrown open to everyone interested? One of Pleasant Grove's two parties could not field a single candidate for city council Monday evening. And yet there are plenty of men and women who would be running if candidates were allowed to file at will, rather than going through the caucus method. And Highland only has one political party meaning the convention is actually the election is over once - - the convention is held. These candidates should start working now to see that the convention system is abandoned and that the election process is opened up to the general population of the community. That kind of campaign promise, if kept, will benefit the local communities for years to come. w The proverbial cold day in Hades may have started to occur with all of the changes that are taking place in the world around us. This Sunday, a new area code goes into place around the state of Utah. Apparently there is so much demand for extra telephone lines for modems, fax machines, cell phones and pagers that the phone company had to take some drastic action. Around here that won't have too much of an effect since we will stay in the 801 area code, but if you have relatives in Logan, St. George or Ticaboo, you will have to start getting in the habit of dialing 435 as their area code. The phone company is going to give you a little leeway in this new change: you won't absolutely be required to use the 435 until next March. Until then, you will get a recording that will warn you about the change. Despite their intent to be pleasant, I would hate to have to listen to it, so I intend to start complying with the change now. There have been many changes in phone service over a relatively short period of time. In just the last few years, for example, area codes have not only been added all over the country, but the format has changed, too. Once upon a time, all area codes had a 0 or a 1 as the middle digit, an electronic feature of the phone company's equipment that recognized that a caller was making a long distance call. I think that was what enabled people to start making long distance calls by dialing direct instead of going through an operator. Today, the area code can be almost any three numbers, as evidenced by the new code coming into our state. Even newer equipment can recognize whatever numbers it is told to recognize as long close-kn- it adjust, since they've been one, ward, and perhaps many of them do not like the growth that is indicated by the division. But the new change could be exciting for the members of the two wards, just as the changes in the telephone service may actually provide us with new opportunities in the future. Have you seen the work that is taking place at the intersection of 850 East and distance calls. Unfortunately, we as humans aren't as adaptable, and I find it a little frustrating to deal with what I consider to be area codes. What makes this situation even more difficult is that the equipment also allows local phone companies to open up additional prefixes for local calls. I thought Hades would have started to freeze over if Lehi ever got an additional prefix, and now we have three of them. American Fork has three prefixes (don't forget 492) and Pleasant Grove has two (I don't know if III ever think of 796 as a Pleasant Grove number). Where it really gets confusing, though, is in Orem and Provo, with such bizarre prefixes as Orem's 802 exchange. I don't think I like that at all, because it makes me feel like I'm calling Vermont instead of Orem. Of course, the really good old days (in my telephoning experience) were quite a while ago when we could dial just an 8 instead of 768 to get a local number. For a long time, you could also cheat and dial a 2 instead of an 8, followed by the four numbers. Others before me may remember dialing just the four numbers without the exchange, and even before that there was the operator-assiste- d style service Main? l" You may have heard that Lehi is supposed to be getting two traffic lights, one at that intersection and one as cars exit the northbound freeway at Main Street. of The Utah Department Transportation may not have moved very fast on those had it not been for Lehi City providing the engineering for them And the way the work still seems to be crawling along, Hell may still freeze over before they are actually installed. On the other hand, if it is American Fork that wants a new light, BAM! one is . up in a flash. In fact, two have been erected in that city since our own city started petitioning for a light to make our Main Street safer. (I would complain about the one in Highland that went up before ours, but that one was sorely needed for safety's sake.) Now I hear that UDOT may disapprove the light that they formerly approved for the intersection of 500 East ' and Main Street, near the high school. Too bad traffic light approvals aren't like taxes once they're in place, they stay in place. If that were the case, we could simply change the location of the first approval to another one of our scary Z corners, such as 100 East State, 300 West State, or the frequently-congeste- d Center and Main. Unfortunately, we can definitely count on bad weather down below before that will ever happen, or at least until Cedar ' Fort gets its own stake. only. The weather in Hades took an even greater dip into the low numbers last Sunday when the Cedar Fort IDS ward was divided into two wards. I don't know how they felt about it, but I think it is quite monumental news. Perhaps it will be difficult for them to Eating anything nowadays can be dangerous to your health Eating can be dangerous to your health. The way it is going, it won't be long until we have warning labels pasted on our fruits and vegetables. The recent hamburger scare is a good example of the gamble we take every time we sit down to dine. Those who decide to give up meat, fish and poultry are just as much at risk eating peppers, cucumbers and berries. The deadly e coli bacteria can be found on almost everything on the table. The anxiety involved in eating can cause severe gastrointestinal disturbances. While the government can police the facilities, I can't imagine it can be very effective in preventing contaminated fruits and meat-packin- g vegetables from reaching the stores. The frozen strawberries from Mexico are a good example of the dangers that can be found in the supermarket freezer. Mexico is a country where the tourists are told not to drink the water. How, then, can we be expected to eat their fruits and vegetables? The berries were imported illegally, but wexan't expect to keep strawberries from crossing our border when illegal immigrants seem to come and go as they please. About 9,000 Americans die every year from food poisoning. Millions of people are sickened each year with milder cases. We all have a list of restaurants we will never go back to after spending a night on the fast track between the bed and the porceScientists are investigating lain convenience. Keeping tabs on all whether irradiating beef and vegetathe food coming into the country has bles might kill microgotten to be a horrendous task. We organisms. All my life I have been from warned about the dangers of radiaeven get raspberries Guatemala. Can we expect the gov- tion. Now they tell me it won't hurt ernment to test all the food being my food. Will I end up eating steak and berries that glow an the dark? imported? I don't think so. I love raw oysters and clams. Every Worse yet, will I end up glowing in time I binge out on them and get a the dark in the name of good health? gas bubble during the night, I wonder What will be the side effects of eating if I should head for the hospital emerirradiated food for 50 years? I will gency room. Nothing will do you in probably end up in a lead casket. e clam. The FDA faster than a Until such time as they find a way tells us to cook the oysters and clams, to weed out food unfit for human conbut it's just not the same. I don't want sumption, I suggest that the FDA to cook food that wasn't meant to be publish a chart that gives the odds on cooked. Will I have to cook a cucumbeing poisoned. It could do this by food type and frequency of ingestion. ber to be sure it's safe? disease-causin- ' ' g red-tid- j , A person who eats raspberries once a year may be at a 10,000 to one risk level. Of course, the odds would go down if you ate raspberries every week. I would feel much better swallowing an oyster if I knew the odds were a million to one in my favor. Reader's Forum Caucus system is it's the wrong headstone antiquated Editor: A month and a half ago, my family buried a girl, taken by ravenous canordeal. The cer, after an incredible other day I went to visit her grave. To my anger and utter shock, another child's headnight attended same. I I form think of that this Personally, picking stone had been placed on her grave site. am child of whose sure the the family grave the candidates to represent us is as antiquated does on headstone is as belong upset as just this the electoral as to the in college is regard we are, if not more so. national political process. What are my brother and sister-in-lato These meetings were probably suitable feel when they go to visit the grave of their back when you knew everybody in town and they placed in the cold their dogs, as well as their business, and you only child, towhom find another's name marks the only earth, were related to at least half of them. This is I will not place blame on any specific not to say that the candidates chosen are not spot? individual, but this kind of "mistake" is totalresponsible and qualified people, but many of ly unacceptable. What kind of irresponsible us attending knew nothing about some of the people run this city, where even a child can nominees and their ideology. If there was a not rest in peace? primary we would have a chance to learn Troy Smith more about the candidates, what they stand Pollution will spoil Olympics for and how they would represent the citizens of our community. I think that Lehi and Springville are the Editor: I've been reading lately about coordination only remaining holdouts in the county with this system. I have heard that efforts of the Olympic Committee. I'm curious Springville is in the process of changing to know how they're going to handle the noxtheirs and there was a rumble at the pageant ious air quality along the Wasatch Front. last night about putting pressure on the Perhaps they've convinced Geneva Steel, mayor and council to change ours. I sure hope the refineries and MagCorp to shut down for the duration of the Olympics. Probably not, so. There is one other way to accomplish this because then all of us would be spoiled with c air and want it all of the time. goal and that is an initiative petition, which Perhaps they've planned a campaign to is extremely lengthy and time consuming, but if the city officials don't react I hope some convince all of the visitors that, even though their eyes may itch, their nose burns, their concerned citizen will initiate this option. throat feels clenched, and their chest feels it's really quite normal and poses no tight, Dean Lott Editor: Have you ever attended a beauty contest where the contestants brought along their own judges? Well, I think those of us that attended Lehi's political caucuses Wednesday six-mon- th w out-date- d non-toxi- Published weekly by ISSN No. U.S.P.S. No. 8750-466- A '"ltd lhe 9 309-50- 0 member ol CiiX' NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION A ews "WialiT( Vi A nA"Avrr.A'i 59 West Main American Fork, Utah 84003 i Circulation Publisher Managing Editor City Editor Subscription 536-400- 0, People should be able to choose Editor: I read with disbelief a few issues ago the article bragging about how this community came together and pushed out Movie Buffs from the community. They boasted about their efforts to rid this small town of such filth. I have disagreed with them since the beginning but to no avail. I guess either I am really in the minority around here or no one else dares speak up. All that was accomplished by their actions was that a private business person who had the local franchise on Movie Buffs was put out of business and a job. Congratulations on doing that if that was your purpose. But we know that your real purpose was saving the poor lost souls of American Fork from the availability of such smut. I never rented or even went in to the adult section of the store until it was brought to my attention by the angry mob. I still never rent Classified Advertising Brett Bezzant Marc Haddock Russ Daly price $24" per year Second class postage paid at American Fork, Utah PoOmuttr (tnd addran dungt to 59 Wnt Main, Amarlcan Fork, Utah S4003 . . any of the movies but I browsed over some the titles. Definitely not children movies. But then, definitely not hard X movies either. These were cable versions that everyone can see on their cable or satellite system now. So why the big move to save all of us from something we fully have a choice to view or not to view? I don't want my choices limited by ed of someone else who might disagree with my views, as I would not want to limit theirs. But there seems to be a movement to do what God himself did not do. To not give anyone the freedom of choice to determine for themselves the difference between what is right and what is wrong. If God was willing to do this why, can't the chosen few in this country allow the same rights to individuals? One last thing. To the woman who started this whole thing, luckily I forgot her name. I have always wondered if your child became disoriented and wandered into the Adult Section by accident or if you sent them in there so you could have a reason to glimpse at what you could not watch. Just wondering. Maybe you should keep a better watch on your children when you are shopping, in case you have never read the media, children do get taken around here just like around the rest of the world. This is a very nice community and I have lived here for 45 years. I am not condoning pornography or the like, I am just asking that people be left their right to choice. Practice what you are taught and what you are supposed to believe in and you will have no problems. But let others make their own choices. Let's all get along and get this city back on its feet. Brent Deveraux We welcome letters to the editor. Deadlines Telephone Numbers Advertising News threat to human health. Nope, the rest of the world is not going to buy into that propaganda for a second. It's time to wake up and smell the ozone, folks. This is a beautiful place to live and we will have clean air when we demand an environmentally responsible government. If you're concerned about air quality in your area, call the Utah Division of Air and get the facts about Quality, industrial emissions. You may want to take a seat first. Also, take a look at the health alert report in Consumer Reports (August 97 issue), where Utah County and Geneva Steel get national recognition for hazardous air. Kimberly Gibbs .Tuesday, noon Monday, 5 p.m. Display Advertising News Monday, Missionaries Monday, 2 p.m. 2 p.m. Monday, 2 p m. Weddings Community Calendar . .Monday, 10 a.m. Letters to the Editor . . .Monday, 10 a m. Obituaries Tuesday. 11 a.m. All letters must include the author's name (printed AND signed) and a telephone number. We reserve the right to edit letters tor clarity, punctuation, taste and length. Letters are welcome on any topic. HOW TO REACH US By Mail P.O. Box 7, American Fork, UT 84003 In 59 W. Main, Person American Fork By Fax 756-527- 4 By newtahaol.com I |