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Show inniiiuiniiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiI1,llinll,ll,!,lll,II,nnil,,lll,,Mm,ii LETTERS TO THE EDITOR DESERET NEWS SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH We Stand For The Constitution Of The United States As Having Been Divinely Inspired 10 A EDITORIAL PAGE WEDNESDAY, Try Sprinkler System to Welcome the Salt Lake City Commission has imposed a curfew for the city parks idea: A number of years ago I had this double families' It would be a nice charity for wealthy each to choose a park to install a buried snrinkler Bonneville Speed Trials tvx&zc StOOf fS V&VZD A PISOOUZAf6 AUGUST 27, 1969 So M3XD. or The Peace Dividend: A Shattered Illusion Americans need to pull their heads out of the sand and take a clear look at just how much the war in Vietnam is costing them. That much is clear from the shock and dismay expressed by many mayors this week on learning that after the conflict ends, $22.9 billion wont be available after all fpr domestic programs as expected. According to economic studies issued by the Nixon administration, the anticipated "peace dividend will be eaten up by population growth, inflation, and built-i- n increases in present defense and domestic programs. The report should help allay the fears of those who thought America would go into an economic tailspin should peace suddenly break out .But, unhappily, it also shatters the dreams of those who assault on tax cut, or an had hoped for a post-wa- r Americas domestic ills, or possibly even both. As disillusioning as this news is, many Americans should brace themselves for a more jolting message: Even after the war in Vietnam ends, the greatest costs of the conflict will be yet to come. Thats what Dr. James L. Clayton of the University of Utah, an expert on the economic costs of wars, told a congressional subcommittee on economy in government last June. What he said bears repeating, since the surprise and dismay being expressed over the evaporation of the "peace dividend makes it clear that many Americans didnt get the message the first time around. Based on Americas previous experience with war, Dr. Clayton declared, expenditures on veterans benefits over the next century will cost at least 50 per .cent more than the initial cost of the Vietnam war itself. Add to these costs the interest payments on debt incurred because of the Vietnam War, and the ultimate cost of that involvement will probably be around three times its initial cost. Nor do these direct monetary costs include such things as inflationary costs owing to the war, the loss of services and earnings by Americans killed in the war, or the drain it has exerted on Americas natural resources. As Dr. Clayton observes, War is not only hell, but fantastically expensive. That goes for all wars, not just those in which America happens to get embroiled. all-o- Do you know of any wrongdoing in the operations of Salt Lake County government? Or of any serious defects in the countys administrative machinery? Or of irregularities at any level of government in the county? If so, the time has come to speak up, now that a grand jury, has finally been impaneled after nine months of charges that have kept county government under and counter-charge-s cloud of suspicion. a While those charges have centered on county land purchases, the grand jury isnt necessarily restricted to this par- ticular subject The grand jurys proceedings are kept secret, along with the identities of witnesses appearing before it, so that anyone with a complaint will feel free to speak up. The Deseret News pledges itself to help safeguard the grand jurys operations. Another reason that grand jury proceedings are confidential is to protect the reputations of innocent parties from being smeared on the basis of incomplete or inaccurate evidence. To rumor-mongerin- g, that end, we urge the citizens of Utah to refrain from to discount any they may hear, and to avoid premature judgments upon any of the people, problems, and issues that may come under investigation by the grand jury. The Returnables bottle has become such a blot on the The landscape that, as the article on the next page reports, some conservationists are suggesting that they be heavily taxed. Thats one solution to the problem; a simpler one would be to bring back the returnable bottle. bottles are popular with retailers because more make money for them. By the same token, a carthey ton of nationally-advertisesoft drinks costs the consumer 8 to 14 cents more per carton than they would if sold in returnable bottles. In addition, sooner or later one has to buy extra garbage trucks to haul off bottles, or pay to have them a or off the buy new tire for ones car. Even highways, picked a tin can will rust eventually; bottles wont. bottles All things considered, the cost of throw-awa- y stems greater than the convenience. APPROVAL 7UF OOMMWPtfitT. CufttCO fi AT device for turning on system connected to a clock and off the water, say on at 12 midnight and off at about 3 a.m. Thus people enjoying the park daytimes and on the sidewalks would not be annoyed by the sprinfor the homes kling, nor would the water pressure and businesses suffer interference. In fact, water in the pressure would be at its best then. Anybody be chased out,. should after or at midnight t park would anyway, and this a late nighttime sprinkling SMir do. Of course the operating mechanism would be located where only authorized personnel could reach it. If an early time for curfew were wanted for awhile, the dock would be set. However, a 10 p.m. curfew time could still interfere with the pres- sure in many homes. Certainly a solid sprinkling in a park would chase people out of it Defense Needs Massive Surgery By ROSCOE and GEOFFREY DRUMMOND ut At Last-- A Grand Jury wmotT - er straight the military budget and has named a committee to study Defense Department pro- cant. Every day that goes by without massive surgery to carve out the gross incompetencies in defense procurement is eroding the nations respect for the military and is imperiling the security of the United States in a world where serion the ous war is in the air border, in the Middle East, in Eastern Europe. The Administration simply cant go about trying to cope with this Pentagon virus with a penknife and an eraser. And it cant expect the country or the Congress to smile benignly at it because the worst horrors of mismanagement took Sino-Sovi- place under other administrations. Richard Nixon didnt get us into Vietnam, but hes saddled with it and now it is his responsibility. Because the worst Pentagon blundering took place under Presidents Johnson and Kennedy, the Nixon Administration seems to think it can proceed with all deliberate slowness to do what needs to be done. It cant. ' cedures. R. Drummond But none of this is good enough, nor is it moving fast iind far enough, to restore the stern, practical discipline the Defense Department so urgently needs. G. Drummond Public patience is wearing thin. patience is wearing Congressional thin. Rightly so. And there is grave danger that since the only effective sanction Congress has to compel reform is to cut the defense budget deeply until adequate reform is forthcoming, it will do just that. And the end result would be to leave the United States militarily weak at a period of great uncertainty in the world. Secretary Laird believes that the $3 billion cut in current defense spending required by Congress is beginning to do How do we know enough is being done? Everybody would know it if it were. But now, one top Pentagon official is blurting out the truth. He is Dr. John S. Foster Jr., director of defense research and engineering. He knows the facts and is telling them: "Our past and present methods of acquiring weapons have lost us the confidence of the public and are threatening our countrys future security. Unless we change our practices drastically, our future ability to deter war and to fight can be seriously jeopardized.What needs to be done? No routine checkup will be adequate, says Dr. Foster. The need is for "major surgery. When are they going to wheel the patient into the operating room? Why not now? - just that Congress has been criticized for nitpicking at the defense budget, hacking off money indiscriminately without ever taking a total view of the nations defense commitment and its defense needs One recurrent proposal for speeding up the schooling process is teaching the child how to read, as early as 3 or 4 years of age. The recent revival of the "Montesorri method in this country is an example of this new climate of opinion. I think it is a poor proposal, on two counts pedogogically and emotionally. While there is no doubt that a child can be taught to read and quite well there is no evidence that this makes the slightest difference by the time the child has reached 7 or 8. pre-scho- ol pre-scho- An ordinary child who learns now to read in first grade soon overtakes the child who has learned to read in the nursery, and by second or third grade the differences have leveled out. I know of ty, parents tend to push their children too early and too fast, and this competitive pace can be permanently damaging to some personalities. A child who is not permitted to play when he is ver young will unconsciously resent it an wreak his revenge in one way or another during adolescence. Moreover, the renascent popularity of the Montesorri method is a kind of for the poor job the schools are cop-odoing at the higher levels. If we squeezed all the water out of our school systems, and were truly serious about giving children a good education (assuming that most communities know what a good education consists of), then we wouldnt have to accelerate the process by drilling in reading when they should be learning other things through play. no serious scientific study that contradicts this belief. My second objection is more important. I am convinced that the years up to 6 were designed by nature for play, and not for any formal structured learning. A young child learns in its own way, and must not be directed or pushed or cajoled into intellectual efforts before its physiology and nervous system are pre- J' pared to cope with them. ' some children mature Obviously, intellectually before others do. Of my five, only one could read before entering first grade, and she picked it up quite naturally by herself. She is no smarter than the others, simply quicker in that particular way. In our increasingly middle class socie d le Study U.S. Oil Policy If U.S. consumers could save $4 billion a year on oil and gasoline products and at the same time preserve domestic supplies, shouldnt such a plan deserve close study? That is how much money the Justice Department thinks would be saved by eliminating import quotas on foreign crude oil. The present quota system, says Assistant Attorney General Richard W. McLaren, is unfair to consumers and unnecessary to the economy and national security. McLaren, the governments chief, recommend ed the oil industry be governed solely by competitive considerations, including the entrance of foreign products. Oilmen argue that import quotas are essential to the preservation of the nation's oil reserves and to help keep foreign companies from controlling the nations oil supplies. But, as McLaren makes clear, an unrestricted importation policy woud allow the nation to draw from foreign sources while preserving domestic supplies. In addition, high petroleum costs resulting from limitations on crude oil imports affect not only the motoring public but force increases in the military budget and affect the entire economic structure. A review of the oil import question certainly is in order. anti-tru- st Blame Russ For The 'Moon Tilf CAPE COD Weatherwise,. this has been a disastrous summer for large parts of the world. Everyone has his own theory as to the cause of it, but no one has been able to scientifically whats p i npoint hap pened until now. Prof. Heinrich who Applebaum, is stationd at the Summer Endless at Observatory, Endless Summer, he had discovered Mass., revealed th the reason the weather had gone awry this year was because of the moon landings. They should not, said Prof. Applehave taken the rocks off the moon. Why not? I asked him. baum, its "Because, said the professor, made the moon unbalanced. You mean taking a few rocks off the moon could change its balance? Exactly. The moon was in perfect conjunction to the earth. Each rock was placed just so. and even disturbing one could have a magnetic effect, causing just bad weather. It's hard to beheve, I said. Don't believe me. Here are my mathematical calculations. Every rock removed from the moon is responsible for one lousy day of weather on earth. I studied the figures he showed me. My gosh, I said, "these figures prove youre right . I certainly enjoyed and approved of your editorial, Training and Morality Have a Place in , Schools, particularly these paragraphs: The increasing lawlessness, violence and campus disorders threatening the disruption of our society can be directly traced to the failure of our schools to instill character as a part of the educational process. How can the schools go about doing a better . job of inculcating in the young the traditional virtues of good citizenship, honesty, sobriety, kdustriousness, sense of duty, regard for the rights of others (this is so important), respect for duly) constituted authority, and the like? I advocate this every chance I get to talk These children could then go home from school and teach their parents who need it so badly, because they havent been taught these vaulable things, either. -- MRS. ALVIN L. WILKINSON 3010 W. 3100 South ' ' Let Children Learn Recently this column carried an appeal from Nicholas G. Smith, a member of the Salt Lake. Board of Education, for adult volunteers to lead Junior Great Books discussion groups in their own schools. Mr. Smith pointed out that school children benefit a great deal from the works of such writers as Mark Twain, Daniel DeFoe, Aesop, etc. I sincerely commend this effort We recently purchased a set of McGuffey Eclectic Readers for our children. These books teach far more than the ability to read. As the child learns , reading he also is given lessons in honesty, good T than By SYDNEY J. HARRIS le le Teach Parents , Too morals, patriotism, nature study, history, correct English, spelling, vocabulary, reasoning, etc. The printed word is supplied by such authorites as Au- -' dubon, The Bible, Cooper, Dickens and on through Russell, Shakespeare, Tennyson and Webster. Mr. Smith is right. Our younger generation does need help. If your schools are now offering more Let Children Have Their Childhood . JENKINS Ogden in order to determine its total defense requirements.. But it is no more intelligent and no more justified for the Nixon Administration to expend precious time just patching up Pentagon procurement It is true that Secretary Laird has talked of taking a more skeptical attitude enthustoward eager-beaviasts. The President has directed the Budget Bureau to look with suspicion at THE DRUMMONDS President Nixon WASHINGTON and Defense Secretary Melvin Laird are making a grievous mistake. They are assuming that, because the horrible and costly inefficiencies in Pentagon procurement occurred during previous administrations, they can take their own good time setting things They --D. Oh! Oh! Look! Look! Jump! Jump, consider yourself fortunate. If they are not, consider yourself responsible. ' t -S-UNNIE This Is Sport? I was appalled several nights ago when, on TV,, a member of the Utah Fish and Game Department was giving instructions to the bow and arrow hun-ters for killing deer. He stated, After hitting the deer, dont chase him. Let him lie for a few . hours until he gets stiff and then when you go in after him, he probably wont be able to run too far. Allowing a beautiful, harmless animal to suffer and literally bleed to death is no sport. It is simple cruelty and totally inhumane. A large number of bow and arrow hunters sim-ply wound the animal, and then it is left to suffer. A wounded animal no longer can defend itself against itr other natural enemies, and so, though" ' our reported kill may not be overwhelming, those deer which subsequently die are immeasurable. We wonder whats wrong with the world but a little introspection into this sport might give us some of the answers. -L- ART BUCHWALD But what can we do to bring the moon back to its original center of , gravity? "Of course, Im right, said AppleBut baum, erasing his blackboard. what worries me is not only the rocks that the astronauts took off the moon, but the garbage they left up there ih its place. Look, theres the laser machine, the bottom half of the lunar module, a television camera and heaven knows what else the astronauts threw out of their ship. "With all this stuff lying in the Sea of Tranquility, the weight of the moon has completely tilted, causing unseasonal tide swells and variable shifts in the magnetic forces that control the I have named this the Earth-Moo- n Garbage Effect. You're too modest professor, I said. It should be the Applebaum Earth-MooGarbage Effect. Thats up to the Academy of Science, the professor said. But did you know this before the astronauts went up? I asked. I suspected it, but I was counting on the Russians landing on another part of the moon to balance the part we landed on. They kept saying they were going to do it. Presuming they would have removed as many rocks and left as much junk on their part of the moon as we did, the tilt should have evened out. Then you would say the Soviets are really responsible for the bad weather because they failed to land on the moon at the same time we did? Right. I believe the Soviets have a lot of explaining to do. solar-system- The crew of Apollo 12 have to take the moon rocks back and put them in the exact places Armstrong and Aldrin took them from. Then they have to clean up the mess left by Apollo 11 and bring all the garbage back to earth. But professor, if the crew of Apollo 12 do all that, they wont have any time for their own experiments. Do you Tough, said Applebaum. want to have scientific moon achievements or a rotten winter? THOMPSON Richfield 180 INDA MEYER BraewickRoad Czech Demise In the summer of 1949 m'y wife and I were privileged to visit the capitol city of Prague in Czechoslovakia, then a thriving metropolis and exporter of the world s finest jcut crystalwares, svntneiic jewels, beaded jewelry, tools, leather goods, belts,' shoes, etc. She was one of the very few true republics but alas. Today Czechosloremaining in Europe vakia has now been taken over by Communist . Russia. i The American taxpayers donated $67,000,000 to build that d United Nat'ons building on Long Island, New York, for the express purpose of, giving all the nations of the world, both large and small, an opportunity to be heard. ; multi-storie- GUEST CARTOON . I ask, has the U.N. failed to live up to its ohligation to protect the small against the large? --C. LAMONT FELT 28 East 1st South n Yes-Ther- e's Music I would like to make a reply to Keith Moore's letter complaining about Salt Lake music. I resent the insults hes tossed at us concerning our music.' Ill grant him the fact that we do have some stations that play nothing but noise. Evidently, it looks as though he hasnt listened to KLUB 570 or KWIC radio. Even KSL isnt bad. Eut those two stations have music that cant be beat (especially AM or FM) with a commercial only after every three songs. If that doesnt suit him, something is wrong. Dont knock our music Generation Gap Oirlttlan Scltnet Monitor , before you know all the facts. --MRS. VERNA C. CHEYNEY 113 E. Canyon Road . . . . . |