OCR Text |
Show The Paper That Dares To Take The Utah Independent November 27, 1975 8 Page SCHOOL LUNCH ACT ANOTHER BOTTOMLESS PIT T A MEWS U Utah Taxpayers Association PROPERTY TAXES WILL NEVER WIN a populatiry contest, June. Property taxes that are paid this month will have to tide the districts over until June 30, 1976. Go to the hearings and see how your money is spent, but remember, state law requires districts to levy 28 mills. Savings and cuts can come only in the capital outlay and debt service accounts. This inlocal tends erode to provision volvement. The legislature hits so complicated the school formula that it also now serves to discourage taxpayer involvement. It is the same with the salary portion of the school budgets, comprising 75 of the total. New salary schedules and increases are usually cut and dried before the budget is heard. Salaries have been negotiated and approved in secret closed-dohearings. No wonder taxpayers feel and unwanted at school budget hearings. Maybe this is w hy the Granite District, with a budget of over 579 million and with more than 60.000 students, has adopted its budget year after year with no taxpayers present just teachers, a few administrators, and the press. But the taxpayer can be heard. Attend school budget hearings scrutinize spending priorities. There will be nothing for pencils and paper if all funds go for salaries. Also watch fringe benefit costs. Be alert to legislation authorizing new local at least in November. This is when the tax collector puts the bite on. Tax notices never reach thousands of people, because the notices are sent to the mortgage holders. This adds greatly to the confusion. The tax for disliked is many reasons because we have to Cough up all of it at one time but mostly because it is little understood. Few taxpayers know how to figure or check this bill. Few know who spends, or who benefits from the tax. Little is known about how to fight back when you think you have been overtaxed. THE PROPERTY TAX IS NOT ALL BAD. for it provides money to run government that is closest to the people. 61 goes to the forty school districts; 13 goes to cities and towns; 20 goes to county government; and 6 to the dozens of small special taxing districts. THE PART OF THE TAX that is bad' news is that part which supports waste, inefficiency and or un-need- ed spending. profligate Taxpayers have an obligation to speak out against these abuses. Here is how to get involved. COUNTIES operate on a calendar year. This Novembers taxes will go for spending that was adopted last December. County budgets are regularly opened in mid-yeand millions of dollars of new spending added. These special openings escape taxpayer scrutiny. According to state law. special openings are for emergencies only, but in Salt Lake County they have become routine. What recourse does the taxpayer have? Get to know your commissioners. Go to the budget hearings and articulate your views. Tell them how you feel about programs, spending increases, and higher taxes. Budget hearings are usually special interest packed with groups spenders wanting a bigger slice and public employee unions demanding higher salaries. Increased labor costs in government are derived only from increased taxes or reduced services. property ar CITIES AND TOWNS operate on a fiscal year. This years taxes will go to fund budgets adopted five months ago. Hearing dates are published in local newspapers. Budgets must, by law. be available for public inspection. Be alert to hidden cash balances. Salt Lake City promised to cut property taxes by four mills if the legislature hiked the local option cent. Only sales tax by one mill was cut, yet the city maintained an estimated debt service slush fund of SI. 84 1,755, according one-four- th to the budget city auditor's enough to cut the entire 4 mills. SCHOOLS also operate on a fiscal year. Budget hearings are in tax levies, transportation and school building aid. SPECIAL DISTRICTS. These are in the dark ages of taxpayer involvement. They are often subject to little or no control either by the people or by elected public officials. BOARD OF EQUALIZATION HEARINGS. From May 31 to June 20. Rule of thumb: if taxes or spending are too high, complain at the budget hearing. If valuations are too high, or in error, complain to the County Board of Equalization. Compare valuations with those of earlier years and with your neighbors. You have grounds for a complaint if your assessment exceeds 20 of the fair market value of your property. IF YOU GET hot under the collar this year when you receive your tax notice (and we promise you Salt Lake County taxpayers w ill, due to the 25 increase in land values) remember that there is not a thing you can do about it at this late date. But next year is different! BE informed. Get involved with budgets and with the ballot box. too. THE BALLOT BOX is where it all starts. If you elect spenders, then you are voting for higher ofproperty taxes. Responsible ficials must be elected if we are to avoid the dilemma which faces New York City. NOTICE NOTICE Osborne Richard T. will like be speaking DECEMBER 16th AT 7:00 PM in the Board Room of the MIDVALE PUBLIC LIBRARY There is no admission charge. The public is invited to attend. The subject will be THE LUCIFEREAN ILLUMINATI CONSPIRACY from The Washington The Congress blundered once more last week, when both chambers voted to override the Presidents veto of the School Lunch and Child Nutrition Act. The veto should have been sustained. Both financially and philosophically, one more bottomless pit has just been dug. The vetoed bill (H.R. 4222) was bad enough in itself. The measure is still more ominous for what its enactment portends. Last weeks decisive vote surely will en-cour- sponsors of the Child and Family languishing Services Act to seek action on their bill. In the name of little children, we are about to be led over one more watershed toward the total welfare state. Under H.R. 4222, which now becomes law. the old familiar school-lunc- h program w'ill become bloated beyond recognition. The food act deals with programs, with feeding programs for mothers, and with summer feeding programs. The act will non-scho- ol make the school breakfast program permanent. Under this measure, children from families of four with incomes up to $9,770 will be eligible for subsidized meals. No one knows how much H.R. 4222 will cost. The best estimate is S2.7 billion in the present fiscal year, roughly SI. 2 billion above what the White House had recommended for such programs. Those who recall the startling program grow th of the food-stam- p will recognize a mushroom spore. The question ought to have been asked years ago. and it should have been asked last week: How in the name of the Founding Fathers did the federal government get into the breakfast business? Does the Constitution impose no limits upon the legislative powers of Congress? Has the general welfare a boundless clause become reservoir in which the Tenth Amendment drowns? That is what this liberal Congress seems to be saying. The vote to override was 397-1- 8 in the in the Senate. House, 79-1- 3 Dozens of members, usually thought to be conservative, voted to override. Politically speaking, they felt they could not do otherwise. The same sentiments that propelled H.R. 4222 to enactment will provide fuel for S. 626. the new act sponsored chiefly by Minnesotas Senator Walter Mondale. (A companion bill. H. R. 2966. sponsored chiefly by John Brademas of Indiana, is pending in the House.) Hearings on this dangerous measure were completed in July. The bill has been napping quietly in subcommittee ever since. Senator Mondale doubtless child If will wake it up. development sounds familiar, it is familiar. Four years ago Congress adopted such a program as Title V of the Economic Opportunity Act On December 10, of 1971. Nixon President imposed a resounding veto. It is useful to recall what Mr. Nixon said about the 1971 bill. Its is laudable intent, he said, overshadowed by fiscal irrechild-developme- nt sponsibility. administrative unworkahility. and family weakening implications. Mr. Nixon termed the bill a long leap into the dark for the United States government and the TEENAGER as far-reachi- ng behavior specialists would shape the infant clay. to Compared the bill is just-enact- Mondale-Bradema- s, himself. 4. Pick up everything he leaves around: books, shoes, lying clothes. Do everything for him so that he will be experienced in throwing all responsibility on others. 5. Quarrel with your spouse frequently in his presence. In this way he will not be shocked when the home is broken. 6. Give a child all the spending money he wants. Never let him earn his own. Why should he have things as tough as you had them? 7. Satisfy his every craving for food, drink, and comfort. Denial may lead to frustrations. 8. Take his part against neighbors, teachers, and policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child. 9. When he gets into trouble, apologize for yourself by saying: I never could do anything with him. 10. Prepare for plenty of headaches. You are sure to have them. Abigail Van Buren school-lunc- h ed chicken-fee- Begin at infancy to give the child everything he wants. In this way he will grow up to believe the world owes him a living. 2. When he picks up bad words laugh at him. This will make him think he is cute. 3. Never give him any spiritual training. Wait until he is twenty-on- e. then let him decide for 1. rearing." The same objections apply to the sleeping Senate bill. True, a token effort has been made to impaper over the most sinister plications of the 1971 proposal. The revised bill is replete with fulsome gestures toward a parent participation. Indeed, the sponsors would be pleased to see parents become partners with government in the raising of their children. A more presumptuous partnership" could not be devised. No one should be fooled by a paint job. The sleeping Mondale-Bradembill is the same bold, scheme advanced in 1971 for the essential Sovietization of the American family. For all its deceptive trimmings, this bill proposes to make the government the prime parent of millions of children. In the formative years of early childhood, under this massive program, the role of natural parents would become merely adA legion of teachers, visory. and Stand HOW TO RAISE A TROUBLED Seattle Times American people. To adopt the bill, he said, would commit the vast moral authority of the national government to the side of communal approaches to child- psychologists, A d. If child becomes law', the development cost swiftly will escalate into multiple billions. Longfellow once remarked on natures plan: The child should grow into the man. Keep an eye on the Mondale-Bradembaby: It will one day become a monster. James J. Kilpatrick Communism possesses a language which every people can understand-i- ts elements are hunger, envy and death. -- Heinrich Heine as The U .S.S .R. has been selling gold for the last two months on the bullion markets and there are reports it has also been selling directly to Arab countries. There are other reports that South Africa is selling a lot of gold directly to Arab countries for oil. ((South Africa has just about everything but oil underground.) Washington Observer Join the Family. ...The Shaklee Family! Were many things. First, were people working to develop new products that are helpful to your family, and in harmony with your environment. Then were thousands of coordinators, supervisors and distributors bringing these superb products to millions of American homes. The products themselves are biodegradable cleaners, food supplements, and wholesome beauty aids. Join our family! As a new Shaklee distributor you'll be helping your neighbors by bringing them our fine products. And you'll be helping your own family with a good potential for extra earnings. For information on how you can become a Shaklee distributor, call us . . Well call on you. the Shaklee Family SEWELL-LEWI- S co 57 East Oakland Avenue Salt Lake City, Utah 84115 (801)322-122- 9 |