AA2 The Salt Lake Tribune OPINION Sunday, January 24, 1999 Bring Newspaper Complaints Here, But Not Pleas for Consumer Help ‘When a woman barely know sought WFAAeiesccom a READER ADVOCATE myhelp with problems sheis having getting a contractor to finish work in her home,I asked the Tribune business editor to determineif it merited a story. When a reader requested my assis- tance in getting a refund from a Utah- based online service, I gave the info to Tribune columnists Rolly and Wells. But, when a young man, incarcerated at the Utah State Prison, asked for my helpin getting him a new attorney for his SHINIKA SYKES parole hearing, I knew it was again time to explain my role as reader advocate. 1am not a consumer advocate.I cannot get your kitchentile refinished, a refund, or a new attorney. As reader advo- cate for The Salt Lake Tribune,| listen to readers’ concerns aboutthis newspaper.If those concerns havemerit, I urge editors and reporters to address those problems. In other words, I am the public’s representative within the newspaper. My job does not include advertising or delivery unless those functions are somehow connected to news coverage. If a reader's comment or complaint — whether telephoned, faxed, e-mailed or snail-mailed — is deemed to have merit, T look into it and respond.If the concern is of journalistic significance or has generated comments from a number of readers,I will discuss it in this column, whichis my weekly report to the readers. In this space,I tell readers whatI believe to be the “facts” along with my opinion, which is usually formed in the safe haven of hindsight. I also would be negligentif I failed to explain how The me operates and, when possible, why a controversial decision was made. lam a one-personoperation. I am provided a space, separate from the newsroom, with a telephone, computer and fax machine. I am accorded ample independence. I do my own research and I decide howI will respondto readers. This month marks the start of my fourth year as reader advocate. My goal has been, and continues to be, giving Tribune readers a voice in their newspa- per (whetherI agree with themor not). I also strive to provide a clear explanation peace Is this something King fought against? @ It showsthat the percentage of black people has decreasedin eight southern states, stayed the same in two andin- creased in one. Whatis the message?Isit better now because there are fewer blacks there? Or doesit means it is better because there are now more whites? @ Whatis the “blacks in trouble”figure? Is the “trouble” due to the number of single female heads of household? Does it imply that black kids without in this space before, when a graphic raises more questions than it answers, then it has served only to confuse read- tral points in context; for example, the southern states were the main battleground of the civil-rights struggle. An accompanying story would have helped readers to see (althoughthe arrow pointed only to Florida) that the 1967 Supreme Courtdecision also struck down laws against interracial marriages in Of course, there has been some disagreement about someissues discussed Other issues, such as the problemsassociated with poor, female-headed households, also might havegiven read- Nonetheless, from the thousands of phonecalls and letters I have fielded overthe past three years, I have learned that most Tribune readers, editors and reporters want the samething: the best Tribune possible. I respect that. a Speaking of concerns, reader Susan Reene lodged several rhetorical volleys Tribune's stories pertaining to the oil-rights struggle on Martin Luther ing Day. “Tam fuming ,” she wrote. “The graphic about ‘The America of Martin Kentucky and West Virginia. ers a better understandingif they were discussed in a newsstory, rather than the simply “then (1960) and “now (1999)” events put forth by the graphic. Keene wasnot alone in taking issue with The Tribune’s story, which told that the NAACP, under the leadership of then-president Roy Wilkins, opposed King’s efforts in the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott, sit-ins in segregated restaurants, and voter registration projects. Readers, puzzled by the inappropriate- nessof that story on the Martin Luther King holiday, likened it to runninga story debunking the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. Maybeit is due to the daily deadline pressures that reporters and editors work under that they sometimesforget Luther King and how it has changed that “timeliness” is important, too. Two states. So King did something for those people down there? This is the ‘America’ years ago, The Tribune offered up a front-page story that questioned the resuirection: That story ran on Easter Sun- from 1960s to 1999’ showsonly southern he changed? No racism anywhereelse? Humph!” Keene also was troubled by other points in the Knight-Ridder News Service graphic: WItis hardtotell, but was Florida the only state with laws against interracial Letters ue The Tribune’s readers Deplorable Acts tion has been successful. But some old and new problems still confront black Americans. I agree, the graphic was too complex to stand alone. It ought to have had an accompanyingstory to help put the cen- Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, in this column, but that comes with the THE PUBLIC FORUM ers, not inform i This was indeed the case last Monday, because the graphic in question, consisting of data from sources ranging from the U.S. Census Bureau to the Congressional Black Caucus, sought to show how thefight against southernracial segrega- of the paper's policies and procedures (whether I agree with them ornot). territory. Most editors and reporters are not comfortable with such scrutiny, nor do they enjoy havingtheir missteps aired in public. c NSHORT, MR. PRESIDENT; THE ONLY PLACE the DAYTON PEACE ACCORDS SEEM TO STILL BE HOLDING IS DAYTON. ” dadsare in moretrouble than white kids without dads? Keene’s concerns arevalid. I have said The Public Lands Foundation (PLF), the nationwide organization of predominantly retired BLM employees, once again shares in the pain and revulsion being experienced by the concerned public over the heartless slanghter of wild, free-roaming horses in Nevada (Tribune, Dec. 30). Not only have the killings been contrary to the law ofthe land, but the federal rangelands may nowwellbe in better health from abandant rainfall and moisture during the last twe winters, thus negating the still unwarranted argument that Nevada moustangs are competing with cows for ‘ass. For those of us who havebeenraised their actions with 46 otherstatesin their lawsuit against the tobacco industry. The tobacco user foots the bill and puts billions into state coffers where legislatures act like a bunch of vultures trying to get their share for pet projects. Thatextra tax money should go into a fundfor use by tobacco users who putit up in thefirst place. For as long as I can remember, we have had laws on the books against underage purchase and use of tobacco products and I am in my chasing the younger generation into drug use with the ridiculously high tax Poor Parental Material UtahDivision of Child and Family Ser- vices board Chairman Scott Clark be- evident from all quarters. Manyyearsago, as a novice rangerid- lieves gay Americans are‘‘handicapped”’ in their ability to raise children. His comments are yet another example of the terminal silliness and ignorant self-righteousness that a few people still display today. Almost every gay man and womanin Americawasraised by heterosexual parents. Twonational leadersof the anti-gay movement, Eagle Forum president Phyl- Wetoo sharein the revulsion that is now er for the Forest Service in New Mexico, I remembersomeofthe old Gila River cowhands speaking with awe about the gent whoearlier had supposedly tracked down and killed the last grizzly bear in the Mogollon Mountains. At that time, I too was impressed by the feat. Today, I'm saddenedbythetale. I only hope that we won't soon be hearingor reading of the last Nevada wild stud or marebeing found shot and sun-bloated in someremote, roadside ditch. STU CARLSON Utah PLF Representative Park City oO Growth Control The Reader Advocate’s phone number mail: reader.advocate@sltrib.com quotes seem to mean nothingto the federal government, the Utah Legislature, the attorney general and the governor by are an open sore and embarrassment. lay. is 237-2015. Write to the Reader Advocate, The Salt Lake Tribune, P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. E- “Land of the free.” ‘Liberty and justice for all.” “No new taxes.” These 80s. Now wehavetheconstant threat of everybody's use of harder drugs. Are we in cattle country, who have labored professionally for years to keep the public lands open to properly managed multipie-use or have kin and friends in the livestock industry, the cowardly killings Excessive Taxation Where to Write @ When submitting letters to the Public Forum,please include your full name,signature, address and daytime telephone numbers. Information other than your name andthecity in which youlive are kept confidential. W Keepit short. Concise letters developing a single themeare morelikely to be published. Please type and double space. W Letters are condensed and edited. M™ Because of the volume of mail received,notall submissions are published. Mail to Public Forum, The Salt Lake ‘Tribune, P.0. Box 867, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. I & Our fax numberis (801) 237-2316 lis Schafly and psychiatrist Charles Socarides, raised gay children. If Clark thinks being gay is such a bad thing, and if he really believes the children’s welfare is of primary importance, then the answer seems obvious. If heterosexual parents are responsible for almost all the gay men and womenliving today, then the safest environment for kids must be with gay parents, right? It’s onlylogical. SCOTT MILLER St. Louis, Mo, It may take a village to raise a child, but it didn’t take a village to produceit. It is for this reason that I am offended a There Are Legal Remedies to Deal With Dishonest Real Estate Agent Thinking back on the purchase of a new homecan give people nightmares — frozen assets while waiting for loan approval, negotiating the price, and the excitementof trying to move yearsof accumulated stuff. Unfortunately, in some cases the nightmares mayalso involve a less than scrupulousrealestate agent. While most buyers and sellers are very pleased with their agents, there are those situations where an agent's actions JEANHILL makesa material misrepresentation oris deceitful in a real estate transaction can be sued, and state law provides for a Real Estate Education, Research and Re- covery Fund to cover the damages suffered by the public whendealing with an unscrupulous agent. There are several requirements that must be met, however, before an injured party can recover from the fund. First, the injured party must file a court action based on the fraud, misrepresentation or deceit of the agent. Depending on the damages, this might be accomplished by filing a claim in small claims court, When anactionisfiled, the injured party must also send notice of the claim to the Division of Real Estate. The division can then decideifit wishes to intervenein the case If the court where the action wasfiled finds in favor of the injured party based on fraud, misrepresentation or deceit, and any appeals have also been in the injured party's favor, the injured party can then file a petition with the same court for an order instructing the division to make payment to the injured par. ty from the Real Estate Education, Re- search and Recovery Fund. \ ofus.” I am notone of our residents who are breeding like rabbits. Nor am I one of our state politicians so intimidated by the moral majority that I dare not speak out against uncontrolled population growth. Not only doI avoid contributing to the overpopulation problem here in Utah, but as childless adult, I also pay a disproportionate share of taxes to help educate and care for the abundance of youth in this state. Thave an additional “scenario” to suggest for Envision Utah. It is much more economical and doesn't require a committee or public opinion survey. It's seem questionable. For example, an agent who tries to place one price on the real estate agreement when the parties have agreed to a lower price may leave the buyer wondering what the agent is trying to accomplish. An agent who commits an act of fraud, rassed by Utah students’ test scores and that “the blame must be shared by each called birth control The Fundwill only pay uncollected actual damages. Any payments made by the agent will be deducted from the amount awarded. Extras, such as attorney’s fees or punitive damages, must come from the agent, not the Fund. Dam- agesarealso limited to a total of $10,000 When polygamywas no longer publicly tolerated, LDS Church leaders had a “revelation and denounced the practice. When discriminating against black people was nolongersocially acceptable, they had anotherrevelation. Perhapsit’s time for a “population growth” revelation. TRACI ROSVALL Salt Lake City for a single transaction. In order to recover money from the Fund, the injured party must show that oO she has taken all the steps required and obtained a final judgment for a specified amount. She also has to prove what NoSubstitute amountisstill owing at the time shepetitions for money from the Fund. Finally, she must show that she has madea reasonable attempt to find out what assets the agent owns andif those assets can be sold or otherwise used to pay the debt Once the injured party figures out whatassets the agent has, she mightfile for a sheriff's sale of property or for garnishment of wages. If these remedies proveuseless, then the injured party can petition the Fund. In other words,it is up to the injured party to try and get the money she is owed before she can ask for money from the Fund — andthe injury must be more than just the normal headaches associat- ed with a major purchase, I have been hearing fans suggesting that we boycott the remainder of the NBAgamesin protestof the abbreviated season, Why deprive ourselves of the thrill of seeing the great action of the salvaged season? Prices are the same, player's payis less and therewill be a lot erences for growth choices for Year 2020 with enthusiasm, but felt surprised to see Scenario D rated as third in air quality. It was a revelation to see some actual numbers on the back page of the supplement. If one uses the best (Scenario C) in air quality as a base, Scenario B (rated second)indicates an increaseof 44 percent for total emissions. Scenario D emissions represent an increase of 48 percent; Scenario A is an increaseof 6.4 percent, more than 13 timesthe increase in D In six of the nine categories, actual projections were given in addition to graphicsthat accurately representeddif. ferences in the numbers, In the category for air quality, inexplicably, the actual prvecticns were omitted and graphics the Jazz. They also ask what the fans should receive as compensation for our loss. Compensation will be hearing “Stockton to Malone,” “Another steal by Stockton," “‘Hornecek makes both free throws,” and “The Mailman delivers.” babe" do we need? You gotta love GAIL FOTHERINGHAM Murray of i rdltferesees were displayed. Why was air quality the only category that was given rankings? If rankings were deemed necessary, according to the projections in the supplement, C, B and D should have ranked the same. Air quality is an important issue and many folks are rightly becoming more interested, A great deal of thought, labor and money has gone into gathering the information for Envision Utah and presenting it to the populace for our consideration. It's a shamethat the air quality issue was presented in such an oversimplified and uninformative way on the questionnaire. KATHY VAN DAME Wasatch Clean Air Coalition Salt Lake City o find a replacement for the NBA. Yes, we care and there is no replacementfor the it, bal Jean Hill, a Salt Lake City teacher, is a member of the Utah State Bar. Confusing Data 1 looked forwardto “voting” my pref- more television coverage. Talk-show hosts ask if we even care that the lockout is over and if we will harder drugs, but I do knowthe younger generation has moneyandcanget drugs without an I.D. Are we encouraging a black market? In the 1930s, we could buy standardbrand cigarettes for 50 cents a carton or 5 cents a pack. They were for consump- tion outside the continentallimits of the U.S. and were available at “seastores’”” via the U.S. Navy. Now they are $3 a pack and more. That’s a disgusting in- creasein the tax. I am against underageuse of tobacco, but I do not think we are headed in the right direction to curb it. Use the laws you already have and stop adding to the tax burden weretired already have. WESLEY CHERRY Salina Oo Silly Bill If Utah were to pass an Engiish-only bill, would we have to change the name ofthestate, since the word “Utah” came when people such as Al Kuipers (Forum, Jan. 12)tell me that I should be embar- on tobacco? I don’t know the cost of Gold Price from a Native American word meaning “mountain dwellers”” Perhaps we could changeit to “enlibra,” Nope. ‘‘Enlibra” is a made-up Latin word, so that’s out. Plus it's supposed to mean “balance” andthereisn’t too muchthatis balanced around here. Maybe “Deseret” would work. Nope. Sorry. Not in the English dictionary, Instead of worrying about Englishonly, the Legislature should focus on the real problems facing Utah: Why is Utah's violent crime rate going up while it is going down just about everywhere else? Why does Utah allow guns to be brought to school? Why are more Utah high school students using heroin than in any other state? Why does Utah rank at or near the top of the country in Caucasian teen pregnancies? Why does Utah spend less money per student than any other state? Why are Utah's students doing worse every pear while the een system y is Utah the most paltnted state oe in ae try? Why doesn't anyone care? Amazingly, in a state whereare pride themselves on children, most these problems deal with children. % guess it’s OK for children to carry guns, commit violent crimes, shoot heroin, get pregnant, get a lousy education and get tanic.” At least they English! MATTHEW ADAMSON Salt Lake City oO Bombing Unnecessary The recent bombing of Iraq was probably not a good idea, In the first place it was not The United Nations held all the They could simply have said to Iraq, “We don't care how Being a longtime Utahn andSalt Lake City resident, I recently became overwhelmed with Olympicpride and spirit! I would like (9 win a gold medalin the 2002 Olympics and wanted to know how muchit will cost me so I can start saving ipa RON MOORE Salt Lake City , sanctions will Eventually they would have come around, Pind oh ranshela ha ition. Iraq is undou! Jooking fora thanse is teseioke DE LAMAR GIBBONS Blanding a ®