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Show y 2 Vernal Express Wednesday, August 11, 1993 JACK-STRAWS by Jack Wallls Medical Savings Account Many have been led to believe that the rising costs of health care are a result of greedy doctors and pharmaceutical phar-maceutical companies gouging the defenseless public. pub-lic. They therefore are willing to give the government greater control over the system. National socialized medicine relies on the public's willingness to believe a severe crisis in America's health care delivery system and only a radical change will provide the fix. Socialized health care includes price controls, rationing ra-tioning and huge tax increases. Experiments with socialized so-cialized health care around the world have shown they have all failed. A closer look reveals the real cause of the skyrocketing skyrock-eting cost of health care in the United States. Up until the mid-60s, the percentage of our Gross Domestic Product consumed by health care expenditures remained re-mained relatively stable at around 5 percent. The government's role was limited to research and prevention activities. Then came the Great Society with Medicare and Medicaid being its health plan anchors. an-chors. Consumers had fewer out of pocket expenses for health care and as a result became less and less concerned con-cerned about costs. The resulting scenario of upwardly upward-ly spiraling costs combined with reduced service was completely predictable and is typical of all government govern-ment subsidized systems. When people think that they can access a service for which someone else is supposedly paying, demand de-mand and costs for that service will rise dramatically. Added paperwork, antitrust regulation and malpractice malprac-tice suits have all added to the costs of health care. Cutting costs without reducing services and quality of health care is the challenge facing our country to-day. A solution to part of the health care problem is a plan to allow individuals and employers to establish Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs). MSAs would be patterned after Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). Employers now pay, on average, nearly $4,500 annually per worker for employee em-ployee health plans. The employer could put up to $3,000 annually into each employee's personal MSA, which the employee would use himself to pay the first $3,000 of his medical costs. For about $1,500, the employer could purchase an insurance policy that would take care of medical expenses ex-penses above $3,000. Funds in the MSA would be allowed to grow tax-free, tax-free, and employees could withdraw them to pay medical expenses. If the employee spent less than $3,000 on medical care in a year, he could pocket the unspent MSA dollars. The advantages of MSAs would include the incentive incen-tive for individuals to pay routine medical bills from their own pockets and thereby introduce market forces as a cost containment factor. A September 1992 study from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy suggested that widespread application applica-tion of the MSA idea could shave as much as $200 billion off America's $900 billion annual health bill. Studies have shown that when more people contribute con-tribute to their own health care expenses usage of the system decreases without adverse affects on public health. A fair system of individual contribution and use of health care is the challenge facing our national leaders. lead-ers. Hopefully, a more assuring system can be worked out that will be a comfort to those in need and also to those who are not in need but may have future needs. PUBLIC FORUM LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Water entities meet Animal care to approve Study Dear Editor, We would like to thank the superintendent super-intendent of schools and the principals princi-pals for graciously allowing us to go into the elementary schools for the past two years to present programs to educate the children in the proper care and handling of animals. The subject for this year's program was "abandoned animals and their fate." We brought a representative from a humane organization on the Wasatch Front who presented an excellent program, that produced a very positive response from the kids and teachers alike. In just these two years we can see that the children are becoming more sensitive and responsible re-sponsible in their attitudes concerning concern-ing correct treatment of animals. The subject of this year's program was very timely, as we read the article arti-cle a couple of weeks ago in the Vernal Express, about the kittens being closed in a mailbox along with various other acts of cruelty that are happening in our area. It is our hope that by continuing these humane education programs, it will make a difference for the betterment of our community for people and animals alike. We commend all responsible pet owners in the community who spay and neuter their animals, for this is the best way to eliminate the problem prob-lem of unwanted or stray animals. If anyone does, however, encounter, a situation with stray or unwanted animals, an-imals, or if you see someone abandoning aban-doning an animal - please call animal ani-mal control at 789-4222, or take them yourself to the animal shelter at 650 North 85 East. PAT STEWART Animal Care Association VERNAL Express (ISSN 0892-1091) Published every Wednesday for $17.50 per year in shopping area and $28 per year out of shopping area within state and $31 per year out of state within USA by the Vernal Express Publishing Company, 54 North Vernal Avenue, Vernal. Utah 84078. Second class postage paid at Vernal, Utah 84078. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to VERNAL EXPRESS, P.O. Box 1000, Vernal Utah 84078. JackR. Wallis Publisher Steven R. Wallis Editor Melanie Morrison Staff Writer Kathleen Irving Staff Writer EricF. Pye.. Sports Writer Janet D. Wallis .Advertising Marcla Henry. Advertising Judy McCarley Circulation & Classified Ads Colleen Noble Legal Notices Phone 789-3511 FAX 789-8690 Member of Utah Press Association and National Newspaper Association Ares correspondent Trtdell Lorna McKee, 247-2350 Lapoint Marlene McClure, 247-2552 Whiterocks Virginia Ferguson, 353-4584 Manila Clara Robinson, 784-3436 Deadlines Monday 5 p.m. Display "Advertising Tuesday 11 a.m. Classified Advertising .Tuesday 11 a.m. Members of the four water entities enti-ties are meeting today with engineers engi-neers for the Central Utah Water Conservancy District to determine more cost effective ways to treat culinary water. The CUWCD board has approved $8,000 to study methods for leveling level-ing the flows through the CUWCD treatment facility at Doc's Beach. One solution to be looked at is the construction of Reach III which was proposed 10 years ago when the treatment facility was built. The three-quarter mile water line would connect the Central Utah treatment facility to the Chocolate Rock water wa-ter storage facility or to a line that would serve the Maeser and Ashley Valley areas. Boyd Workman, director of the Ashley Valley Water and Sewer Improvement District, said that Reach HI was never built because of pumping costs. Chocolate Rock is 90 feet above the CUP treatment facility. "I am not sure the line would benefit Ashley Valley," Workman said. Workman said this is supportive support-ive of a study to determine what can be done to even the flows at the CUP treatment facility. The Ashley Springs Treatment Plant operated by Ashley Valley Water and Sewer is nearing capacity which could require re-quire Maeser and Jensen to use water wa-ter from the CUP treatment facility. Reach HI would be a way to have more water available to Maeser and Ashley Valley. Workman said other methods of evening the flows at the treatment facility should be evaluated in the study . David Rasmussen, manager of the Uintah Water Conservancy District, said Reach III would be possible, especially if the CUP pays the cost of construction. Traditionally CUP participates 34 percent Another reason for leveling the flows through the CUWCD treatment treat-ment facility is large demand costs when water is pumped from Red Fleet Reservoir to the CUWCD treatment facility. Currently CUWCD is subsidizing the treatment cost from it's facility by 47 percent. In 1996 the subsidy will be removed and the ownership of the plant will likely be turned over to a local entity. During today's meeting, members of the Maeser Water District, Vernal City, and Ashley Valley will be asked if their district would like to be included in the study. THE VOICE OF BUSINESS THE AGONY OF LABOR STRIFE by Dr. Richard L. Lesher, President US. Chamber of Commerce WASHINGTON Any member of Congress con sidering a vote for the Striker Replacement Act now on the legislative agenda would do well to consider the recent experience of my hometown, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Pennsylva-nia, and the terrible labor conflict it has endured for the past three years. At issue is a strike by United Auto Workers Local 695 against T.B. Wood's Sons Company, a maker of electrical and mechanical power transmission products. My point is not to take sides or make accusations, but rather to underscore un-derscore the economic and social disruption dis-ruption that inevitably ensues in the wake of labor strife. The pain families endure when income is disrupted requires re-quires little explanation or elaboration. In almost all such instances, the victims are people with few resources to fall back upon, and strike benefits do not 'begin to make up the difference. Less well understood, but perhaps even more damaging to a community in the long run, is the personal bitterness that arises among neighbors, and sometimes some-times within families, when some workers work-ers break ranks with the strikers to return re-turn to the job. This issue should be of vital interest to every member of Congress because, in the final analysis, that is what the S triker Replacement Act is all about empowering unions to call more strikes. Indeed, the unions do not challenge this key point, but rather claim it as a major goal. In their view, the relative infrequency of labor strikes in recent years is a regrettable problem that demands de-mands a solution. The Striker Replacement Replace-ment Act which they charmingly call the Workplace Fairness Act is precisely pre-cisely that solution. Both management and labor agree that restricting the right of employers to hire permanent replacements replace-ments for workers engaging in economic strikes will usher in a new era of more frequent and aggressive strikes. It is an unfortunate fact of life that the economic issues so often pressed by labor unions are the very ones that deter a company's ability to improve its productivity, pro-ductivity, and thus do its part for our nation's competitiveness. The Chambersburg Cham-bersburg facility of T.B. Wood's Sons Company is a case in point When its workers walked off the job, the company was able to add new machinery, eliminate elimi-nate restrictive work rules and foster a more positive, cooperative work ethic. The company is now much more efficient effi-cient and productive than it was before the strike. But this is surely an unnecessarily cruel way to achieve efficiency. The striking workers are still on the picket lines, and the community remains divided. di-vided. The cost in human suffering is immense, and to some extent this anger and frustration is vented upon politicians. politi-cians. I suggest that all members of the Senate and House, in considering their votes on this bill, ponder the likely impact im-pact in their own states and districts, and the agony their own constituents will endure, if we should knowingly and with forethought usher in a new era of labor THIS SURE. ttr9 BEENl A WINDY ; . - don't tell me anything" ABOUT IT Participation Continued from page 1 June. Until then they feel the fees, which are similar to those being charged by other schools state-wide, are imperative. Uintah High School principal Ted Taylor has repeatedly stressed what he considers the extreme value extracurricular ex-tracurricular activities have in the social, emotional and educational development of students. "Those activities are the reason some kids stay in school, the reason some kids keep their grades up," Taylor said recently. Neither Taylor, district administrators, administra-tors, nor board members, showed any willingness to cut programs, but imposing the "pay for play" fees may prevent some students from participating in optional activities at all. Board president Dennis Judd said he foresees a situation where higher income students will continue involvement in-volvement because their parents can afford the charges, and lower income in-come students will play because their fees can be waived. "But," he said, "it's the middle income families fami-lies who will probably take it in the shorts." Board members asked administrators administra-tors to create a fee cap for families with more than one child participating participat-ing in activities and to detail all fees for their next meeting, Aug. 17. A second reading will be held then to discuss the fee schedule with probable proba-ble approval to follow. Parents should be aware that neither nei-ther payment of regular lab and education-related fees nor extracurricular extracurricu-lar participation fees is required at the time of school registration. Those fees are collected at the time participation begins. Fees due at registration, for freshman through SHOE AND Bootmaker guild president, Randy Merrell holds Dennis Rowley Award. President-elect Jay Paul will assist Merrell. Vernal bookmaker excels in craft Nineteen years ago few people believed a bootmaker could make it in Vernal Utah, remembers Lou-Ann Lou-Ann Merrell. Now not only is Randy Merrell able to make a living at bootmak-ing, bootmak-ing, he is known internationally as among the top in his craft. During the Second Annual Custom Boot and Shoemakers Guild Convention Aug. 4-7, Merrell was elected president of the guild. Jay Paul of Canada was elected president-elect. Merrell was the chief organizer and instigator insti-gator of the first ever Bootmakers Convention held last year at Merrell's shop in Dry Fork. Merrell was also the recipient of the Dennis Rowley Award for his demonstration of excellence in his craft. Merrell said he was particularly particu-larly honored to receive the award from one of his contemporaries from whom he learned a lot about bootmaking. Rowley was killed in a motorcycle accident Merrell was also labeled as having hav-ing the sharpest knife in North America as he won the knife sharpening competition at the convention. con-vention. As president and president-elect, Merrell and Paul said they would like to further the craft, promote excellence, public awareness and have a support network. The convention was at Parachute, Colo. seniors, include textbook rental and deposit and a blanket activity fee of $15 to $17. The School Board also approved UHS special travel requests for the 1993-94 school year. Students trips are planned for athletic, music, drama, dra-ma, debate and other class-related competitions and field trips. Uintah County Education Association (UCEA) president Scott Porter told the Board that a majority of UCEA members had unenthusiastically unenthusi-astically ratified their contract offer, including a 2.4 percent cost of living liv-ing increase, which leaves local teachers below state average salary levels. s i U YZJL mmsm QQ30Q3ED1 a (SDDS33 uB0Q7 A u mm lias U D 'J: ft -fi Prove it to yourself. r |