18. 1J85 Tnurso'ay. April s 'pinion THE HHALl. Fro. . I uj - Page S3 The Herald, its readers, syndicated columnists and cartoonists discuss vital issues The Herald Comments jf For the last year or so, Congress has been authorizing more money for the Central Utah water project than federal builders have been willing to spend on it. That has left the project with some extra money, and in this year of continuing budget pressure, "Vn hungry! dinner?" How about II fast-forwardi- tempting for Congress to cut back on its support for the CUP. But nc hopefully it won't. While the federal government has long since finished other parts of I eeaoacK the Colorado River Special Games Truly Special I want to send my plaudits with and working with. Each member of the staff worked effortlessly, proficiently and many long hours. WELL DONE! Helen Ritchie 4221 Chaucer Lane Columbus, Ohio The athletes are indeed "Special." They were the "Stars." Families Suffering Editor, Herald: Recently one of the captions in your paper caught my eye. It said, "Non-LD- S Family Suffers Bias," and was followed by a letter from Judy Alispach. I was touched by its contents. Not only did I believe what she wrote, but I empathized with her and felt shame for the attitude that is all too prevelant in this area. I am not a Provo native; I was the wife of an Air Force officer for 30 years and have lived and traveled in much of the world. Always our family was in the minority concerning our religious preference, and could never claim immunity from the questions and surprise of others when 'they learned of our religious persuasion. But while we may not have always been understood, we were ' never ridiculed nor ostracized to the point that our children felt discomfort or alienation from those around us just because we were not part of the popular local -- 'congregation. And it seemed Jim Murphy's way. He and his staff did an excellent job and should be very proud and receive many commendations. I also want to thank Sue Smith and Tom Taylor, whom I had the privilege of becoming acquainted that no matter where we lived, our best neighbors were always Catholic. We .loved them, and they us. Our .differences in religious preferences never deprived them or us from learning from each other and from socializing comfortably together. When we moved to Provo from Germany in 1972, my children thought it would be a wonderful thing to live in a Mormon community for the first time in their lives, assuming perhaps that with ' ' strength in numbers it would be much easier to live their religion. But just as so many parents here have made the obvious mistake of failing to teach their children that one does not need to have his name on LDS Church records in order to be counted a good person, we had unwittingly failed to teach our own that just being a Mormon in a Mormon town did not necessarily mean a person lived his religion. Our move here was the most devastating to our children of any move we had experienced. It was a great disappointment to them to learn that all was not well in Zion as they had assumed. Some of the smug and myopic remarks I've heard made in this community, both by older and younger people, since coming here have offended me beyond words. I have been forced to conclude that I would much rather have a faithful member of another faith as a friend to my child than one of my own faith who fails to keep the standards we profess in living the Golden Rule. Every member is a missionary for sure; but a missionary of what? I'm certain it was not an easy thing for Mrs. Alispach to speak out, but I hope her message will stir some apathetic and sanctimonious hearts into the realization that there are good people of all faiths along our beautiful Wasatch Front, and beyond it as well. Alberta L. O'Brien Editor, Herald: I must respond to lawyer Greg Warner's comments on the Dan Laffery murder trial. Warner deci- speaks of psychoanalyzing sions made by fellow jurors. My statements were not made as a result of psychoanalysis, but originated solely from the verbally expressed comments made by fellow jurors in the deliberation chamber. To me, Warner's comment that it worries him when average citizens "get up movements to it change the law" insinuates that "is not the place for regular citizens to question and seek to improve the law. I have always believed that laws in' our country should be decided on "by the people. To infer that only lawyers are capable of making changes in our legal system is wrong. Warner states that feeling and emotion should enter into decidfor a ing life or death penalty is: this to crime. My response Have you ever served as a juror on a first degree murder case? If you have, you would know that specific guidelines, or laws are given to each Juror whichsentispecifically identify that conor passion ment, sympathy, reachin used be jecture cannot ing a final decision. Spring's sun and gentle breezes are drying out the winter muds in Utah's granite mountains where the mighty Central Utah water project collects its water for thirsty Wasatch Front cities. But this spring there's no thaw in the granite halls of government where the project is firmly mired in some of the deepest, trickiest political muds in the state. The project got a boost last fall when Gov. Scott Matheson's water task force concluded that we still need CUP. But despite that badly needed endorsement, the 30 project has problems. River. If that fight is lost, the remaining features' of the project may not be economically viable. On another front, the Bureau of Reclamation is refusing to spend the money it has for the key Jordanelle Dam unless Utah voters agree to pay back huge cost overuns. And then there's the problem of too much water. Project sponsors h'.ve been hoping for a dry year before they ask for millions to ship more water into the Wasatch Front. They are understandably reluctant to try to convince voters there is a water shortage while they are sloshing around in more water than the Great Basin has seen in decades. Selling a water project during a flood is rather like trying to sell matches at a forest fire. Utahns are more interested in pumping water out of the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake than they are in putting more in. The federal government insists that Utah has to repay all costs, no matter how they were incurred. Utah water people argue that the incredible cost overruns were caused by miserly appro Law, fairness and justice should accompany jurors into the jury chamber and should be the basis upon which their final decision is made. Daniel L. Bolz 516 N, 700 E. Pavson 1 tain the kind of economic growth it is committed to. or whether we will have to place severe limits on future Despite some difficult problems, the CUP still along the construction Wasatch Front. enjoys wide support from state and local Late last year, the state's top water offi- of- ficials. Lately, with the Great Basin awash in unusual amounts of water, it would be easy to forget that we are the second driest state in the nation. cials gave CUP a ough review. The thorcon- clusion was that the project still makes sense for Utah, even though delays have dramatically increased the expected eventual price But weather cycles will eventually mean that the CUP will be the critical difference in whether Utah can sus of water. That price has local water users concerned, but for some of the state's most rapidly growing areas, there are no viable alternative sources of water. They need CUP. As lawmakers study the 1986 appropriation, they should understand that Utah would be serid by ously in funding. cutback any short-change- . It is true that all of the money provided last year has not been spent, but that does not mean CUP can or should be subjected to cuts for 1986. It should be fully funded. priations from Congress for the and the chief customer for the water, has been having second thoughts about the incredible cost of the project and the long delay in water deliveries. Utah project while California and Arizona got generous appropriations. In addition, the Utah project has been hit with costly extras undertaken by the federal government that were never envisioned as part of the CUP. Reclamation is Meanwhile, i These include environmental studies, stringent new dam safety n dollar studies and a delay caused when an experimental mole got jammed drilling a tunnel. Most costs for building the big water project must be paid back by city and industrial water users and the federal Bureau of Recla- -' mation is refusing to start work on the next major phase of the project until Utah agrees to pay for the overruns, no matter who is to blame for them. The cost of recreational facilities is being picked up by the federal government. Power users in cities like Provo, Heber City, Springville and Lehi subsidize irrigators with the fees they pay for the relatively cheap power they buy from government power multi-millio- Robert McDougall Managing Editor vide little of them. In some Lake and has even calling for or no benefit to many counties, including Salt Utah counties, there been serious talk of a vote to get out of the project altogether. Local water people are unhappy about the incredible costs of the water the project will eventually deliver. They complain about the long delays in the construction program, late deliveries of water, nature of the conthe open-ende- d projects. In addition, the feds are providing a hefty subsidy in interest rates for the project, but all other costs have to be repaid from water sales to cities and industries. Reclamation is insisting that Utah will have to hold an election to ask voters in 12 Central and Eastern Utah counties to approve the signing of a new open-ende- d repayment contract that includes past and future cost overruns. There has been considerable discussion among water officials in Utah about when and if that vote will be taken. tract the federal government wants them to sign and they are unhappy about what they believe has been an unresponsive attitude among the project's managers and planners. For the past few years, cities in Northern Utah County have been fighting a losing battle to stop the project from cutting through their cities with new giant open waterways. Provo City anff many other Central Utah residents have been paying two mills property tax for years for CUP while their local water officials have been telling them they will never need to buy a drop of CUP water. Salt Lake County, site of the state's thirstiest new subdivisions Utah water men have been trying to find ways around calling for a vote on the project. It is far from certain that Utah voters can be convinced they should continue to pay property taxes for a project that will pro- - playing a dangerous game of hard ball with its check book. No one knows what the feds will do if voters say no, and at least in this area, there is a good chance they will. What will they do, tear up hundreds of miles of aqueduct, dynamite the tunnels they have drilled and breach their dams? Jordanelle Reservoir is the last major link remaining in the. project. Without it, the promised benefits of CUP will never be fully realized. Utah water attorneys claim & vote is really not needed because Utah is already on the hook to repay the contract, but Reclamation is firm. It is demanding a vote. The Central Utah Water Conservancy District, the agency responsible for repayment, hasn't even set a date for that election. Meanwhile the Jordanelle Dam site sits abandoned between two stone cliffs on the road northwest of Heber City, growing weeds while the political fight continues. Millions have been spent studying and restudying that field to check its suitability as a dam foundation. If Jordanelle is not built, that field may go down in history as one of the most thoroughly stO-diweed patches in the nation and the whole CUP might end up delivering a trickle of water to Salt Lake instead of a solid ed stream. So while the muds of winter dry out in the Wasatch and Uintja Mountains, and construction starts for another season on the CUP, the giant project's future remains firmly mired in a pery political battleground. slip- All's Jake When Garn's in Space By DICK HARMON Herald City Editor Provo Obviously a degree of personal emotion will always enter into such cases. But it is my contention that to allow emotional ferv-e- r to override jury guidelines abrogates our law. Law is not emotion. Emotion is not law. Our law is man's best attempt to maintain fairness to' both criminal and victim. If and when our law ceases to provide fairness to both criminal and victim, that law must be changed. In reference to the additional guidelines I have suggested for jurors, something needs to be done so that when a juror refuses to reach or defend his decisions within the parameters of the jury instructions (which are law), the jury foreman should be allowed to petition the judge for an alternate juror to replace the juror in question. Once in the deliberation chambers, it is not fair to the, defendant, the victim, or society to give the jurors free reign in deciding whether or not to adhere to their instructions. year-ol- d Among them is a difficult political and legal fight with Provo City over water in the Provo 1647 W. 1100 N. Jury Shouldn't Be Emotional project has been given miserly amounts that have caused unnecessary, costly delays. Will Voters Favor CUP Funds? seat. had the privilege of being a volunteer. This was an incredible experience for me, one I'll not soon forget. I was able to get away from my "post" two afternoons, and with my niece, Jill Murphy, we watched the Opening Ceremonies and some of the athletes participate and receive medals. Non-LD- S project, the Utah took a back The "celebrities" Editor, Herald: In the recently held International Special Olympics Games at Park City and Salt Lake City, I it will be elays Cost Mill ions It's a wonderful thing to have a senator, especially one from Utah, take the ultimate junket U.S. where no Congressman has ever gone before. Public Opinion in his own state supports his trip. He got himself in shape by daily running and has spent countless weeks with NASA training and testing with other spacemen. Oh, a few scattered people thoughout the country have criticized Jake. But they are probably jealous. And it may have been a little problem that while he was in orbit and away from his Senate duties as chairman of the powerful Senate Banking Committee, fione of Utah's trouble-plaguenancial institutions, State Savings and Loan, was sold to a New Mexico outfit for a few pieces of silver. But generally speaking, it's wonderfully patriotic and truly American to have Jake in space, orbiting above the clouds, partaking of a billion dollar scientific experiment. this kind of experience, as Jake has said, is the opportunity of a lifetime. More of these kinds of experiences should be undertaken by members of Congress. For instance, it would be wonderful to have a congressman scrub up and join Dr. William DeVries on one of these artificial go d heart transplants. There have mat Andre Gromyko. After a long been five now. They are getting almost routine, commonplace and practically not top news. Of course, it might be asking too much to have a lawmaker handecked in surgical greens dle, pass, relay or in any way touch the Jarvick-ticker. But team doctors could find some place between the tile walls and equipment for a congressman. Like Jake, he wouldn't need a view. It would be the experience of a lifetime just to be there. Many of our congressmen travel all over the world in association with their callings as American statesmen. Rep. Thomas "Tip" O'Neill just got back from the Soviet Union where he met with that country's chief communist diplo meeting, Tip emerged from chambers and told reporters Gromyko was an extremely smart fellow. Of course many things were discussed between the two men and it would be inappropriate for Tip to unload jt on the press in Moscow. But it is wonderful that the Speaker of the House would go clear to the Kremlin and then tell us the Russians' chief mouthpiece is a man of mind. It's enlightening. All this time I thought Soviet leaders were either in a coma, close to one, or just recovering from a cold which caused one. And Congress should send a IR5AUD1T DIVISION i mmmm i mi r ni tl mi the out, out of Never mind that some of these white supremists are pack-- : submachine ing 9mm Mini-MAguns, and grenades; so do the South American guerillas congressmen are always flying off to interview. The politician could be an important part of the investigation. When more are arrested maybe following the manhunt for the alleged white supremacist fugitive police say killed a Missouri trooper the congressman should hold a press ; conference. He should explain that it is extremely embarrassing to our country to have renegade Aryans Neo-Naz- o. is C That's all he said. 7 representative to help flush rr i t . i ni ii i i l i inn Neo-Naz- is running around Idaho's potato patches chanting white power when the U.S. just told South' Africa it should abolish its laws prohibiting interracial marriage. Which it did. If we look closely enough, there are many wonderful programs for our senators and congressmen to be involved in besides all that boring action between the drab walls on Capitol Hill. People should not criticize Utah's senator for helping with the space shuttle experiments. . What other kind of human oil the face of the planet would be a more appropriate space lrb specimen than a United States Senai-tor'. 0KAN.IC0NFE55U BUT 1 FOUND IN THAT TYN HOW WAS PHONE 1 TO KNOW' W& TAWBlE IHEMNTY CENTS Especially for recording bowel sounds. I wager our. Washington politicians have more complex bowel sounds than anybody. It's so wonderful. So American.