OCR Text |
Show T Page 4A South Edition 0 It I Lakeside Review Wednesday, January 25, 1984 1983 I appeared in City Court before Kenneth Wellington, Justice of the Peace, and pleaded innocent to the charges as stated in Citation 075. Due to my of being innocent, a trail date of December 8, 1983 was Letters to Editor Head Tax Could Be Realistic Review Editor: The most recent editorial in the Review concerning the diaper tax or head tax as a method of financing the Utah educational system presented a somewhat unrealistic picture of the situation as it actually exists. The basic assumption implied in the editorial was that the entire educational system would be financed solely by parents and guardians of school age children. This could not be further from the truth. What the proponents of the diaper tax want is a more equitable distribution of the cost of the extra burden placed on the system by the unusually high birth rate in Utah. This does not mean that only those households with children should pay the entire cost of the system, only that they contribute proportionally to the burden placed on the system by that household. The same system works with city water systems. Everyone pays a certain amount regardless of how little water is used. However those who use more than the set maximum must pay proportionally. With the sales tax, incidentally, is probably the least regressive and most fair tax that can be applied at any level. So why should not the school system work under the same principle? This is the crux of the question of the diaper tax. , There is no argument about society benefiting from the products of good schools. That all of society should pay the way is not to' be argued. But those who place the largest burden on the system should pay a share of the cost to alleviate that burden. dont pay for a license. Non drivers hunting dont pay for a drivers license. Non property owners dont directly pay property taxes. No one who is seriously concerned about the future of the educational system in Utah and who considers some form of head tax to help finance it would suggest that the entire cost of the system should be placed on one segment fo Utah society. What we want is fairness and equity, particularly in a state where there is such a great difference between the haves and the ed Non-hunte- rs have-not- s. Mark R. Craven Education Tax Increase A Bargin states. This seems expensive to some, but I maintain that Utah families are still getting a real Review Editor: Many voices are being heard these days regarding the improvement of our education system in the United States. One of the more prominent themes in Utah goes something like this: By all means, lower class sizes and pay good teachers the kind of salary that will keep all them in the profession-afte- r my four (or five, or seven, or more) kids deserve the best! But--- I cant afford a tax in- ignorance! crease! was sent to Mayor' Grant Secrist of West Bountiful. Yes, everyone loves a good deal including me, so I went bargain hunting. After a bit of personal research and a few simple calculations, I have decided that my family and I have been getting a terrific bargain for the past 25 years. We, like a great many other , Utahns, have chosen to have a large family. Our five grown children have spent well over 65 school years in the public education system, at a cost to the taxpayers of more .than $60,000. Our total school tax contribution (school portion of the property and sales taxes and all of our state income taxes) during those years has been roughly $30,000. Considering that I will proba- bly retire after seven more years, I am predicting that I will never be able to pay enough taxes back into the coffers so as to cancel my personal debt to the Utah public school system! As a parent, grandparent and .taxpayer, I want to publicly state that I support those tax increases necessary for the improvement of cfur education system. Even with the sizable increases proposed by the Governor, I believe we would still be getting a tremendous bargain! Will other heads of households with larger than average families please join me in letting the Utah State Legislature know that we can' afford these in- bargain. Hopefully, were willing to accept the responsibility to adequately fund our educational needs. To quote one of my favorite bumper stickers: If you think education is expensive, try Mary Ellen Leatham Sunset Man Likes His Ducks NOTE: The following letter Review Editor: I would like to take a few minutes of your time and express my gratitude and blessing for having such competence among our fine city offices. Special mention should go to Messrs Ralph Lees, Kenneth Wellington and Keith Stahle in the professional manner in which they handled my duck" case. ed Let me explain: On September 30, 1983, 1 was issued Citation 075 by Ralph Lees, City Animal Control Officer for Family Food Ducks Rl-1- 0 Zone Not Permitted. It further indicated that no action would be taken if the violation was corrected within 10 10-8- -2 days. - Since my ducks are pets and not used for family food production in any way, I decided to see if there were any lawsordinan-ce- s on the Citys books prohibiting this. I found nothing, so I decided to ignore the citation. ' On October 27, 1983, 1 was issued a summons to appear in West Bountiful City Court on November 4, 1983 to answer the complaint. On November 4, set. On December 8, 1983 1 appeared in City Court again before Kenneth Wellington. At this time an additional offense was placed against me - violating Section Fowls Within 50 Feet Of A House Used For Human Habitation. I then stated that I was innocent of charges as. stated in Citation 075 and that if the new charges were the ones I was accountable for, that I could comply with this requirement, as the rear of my house is 85 from the rear property line, allowing for a 35 fenced area at rear of yard to contain my ducks. The subject of keeping my ducks 50 feet from any house was dropped and never discussed again. Mr. Ralph Lees took the stand and I ask him the following questions to which he stated NO or NONE to all. Questions were (1) complaints from neighbors of noise, (2) complaints from neighbors of nuisance, (3) complaints from neighbors of ducks running loose (4) complaints from neighbors of health' hazard, (5) complaints from neighbors of my involvement in family food production and at die time of his (Mr. Lees) visual inspection of my property, did he note any evidence of a (6) nuisance, (7) family food production or (8) a health hazard to anyone. No evidence of any of the above, but found guilty and given 30 days to appeal or get rid of my ducks. Mr. Wellington would not even state to what I was guilty of when I requested clarification. After considerable deliberation' with myself, either to appeal or comply and get rid' of the ducks, I decided to appeal. On January 4, 1984, I served my Notice of Appeal with the City of West Bountiful. On January 17, 1984, I appeared in Davis County District Court for my arraignment on appeal. Since I did not file the appeal properly, as stated by the presiding judge, my appeal was dropped and the guilty verdict -- nity. However, (he Review is responsible for what is printed in the newspaper and will not publish letters which are 40 SAVING BABIES .. . TREATMENT BEFORE BIRTH April Murphys life was saved two months before she was born, the threshold of treatment before birth. Prenatal diagnosis showed that April inherited a rare enzyme disorder that had been fatal to her older sister Mrs. Murphy was given massive doses of a vitamin needed to activate the enzyme. The courage and hope of the Murphy family, and of the March of Dimes gcantees who developed the treatment, were rewarded when April was born. She was the FIRST CHILD successfully treated in her mother's womb for this inherited birth defect You can help make miracles happen. . at ' Support (TD March of Dimes BIR1H DEFECTS (IV.", 2V, 3V, or 4V A lev' lit to RtMtM 900 to Lee" lnglnl Qutoi Cor' 101 i of uito ofticft efH i to1! AOI 'I'Ofl to to of ineiromonleitif wt lieie o uttow it Fooorai Ooe spi Levolor and uris OFF Effec- i - 30 I Mini-blin- WMSl llfft Insulated 1 107 North Main 298-365- 3 Sandy 9383 South 700 East 562-020- 9 St. George 494 East Tabernacle 628-365- 8 s louvtra) 50OFF Verticals ANNUAL YIELD Bountiful WKP1 UP TO Levo!or When you purchase a 6 month Money Market Certificate of W FOUNDAttONBBBBB Custom Shutters vcfocl (ALUMINUM FABRIC)- LOAN Dodge OXFORD DDoSD THRIFT E. West Bountiful State of the Art Equipment RflABMET WESTERN KERITAGE tight. The little log you have will outburn wood, with the help of wood. Boy Scouts could even collect them, make logs out of them and sell them for their summer camping funds. Newspaper logs are heavier than wood, almost as hard as wood, and burn three times as long as wood. No water, no machinery, just a simple innovative, scientific procedure. Glannin A. Cloward Clearfield tl J OFF Interest. st Sincerely, John EACH WEDNESDAY 40 1.01 fuel-savin- mm O OFF 1 Dont throw those old Ogden telephone directories away! Its cold, and we all need heat. Those old books make excellent fire place fuel, so recycle them budget. into your Just roll them up tight and hold them that way with a heavy elastic band while you wrap' a piece of wire around the log and to plier-twi- SlMrRIlgS FOR ALL THE NEWS OF YOUR COMMUNITY expendi-ture-per-pu- $5,000 or more. Western Heritage offers .3 o0. tive annual yield Review Editor: Lakeside Review Four of my six grandchildren are now in the early grades of the Davis School District and I want them to experience the same quality education as their parents. school During the 1982-8- 3 year, Utahs current was $1,969, ranking second lowest of the 50 EFFECTIVE Give Heat - Letter Policy The Lakeside Review encourages letters to the editor as a way of allowing citizens to speak out on issues that involve tl e local commu- Directories f. creases? deemed to be libelous or in bad taste. All letters must be signed by the author and accompa nied by an address and phone number. Address all letters to Review Editor, Lakeside Review, 2146 N. Main, Layton, Utah 84041, or 145 N. Main, Bountiful, Utah 84010. Outdated upheld. The judge did inform me then that what I was found guilty of on December 8, 1983 was not the original violation of family food ducks, but violating Fowls Within Section 50 Feet Of A House Used For Human Habitation." On January 19, 1984, 1 gave my pet ducks to a friend that would give them a good home. But, I am not happy over the outcome. West Bountiful City had me get rid of my ducks when I could have complied with the law and keep them to the rear of my property. The ducks may be gone now, but their memory and case leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. They bothered no one and brought me countless hours of enjoyment. I cared for them better than- some do their own children. Now its time for me to complain about (1) dogs funning loose, (2) noisy animals, (3) noisy children, (4) streets needing repair, (5) sidewalks needing snow removed, etc. etc., etc, and I WILL. ds 40 OFF Woven Woods Roman Blinds OV MEN CO-EDUCATION- TOEEVML L- - WOMEN . AL Turkish Steamroom SunroomsLife Cycles Aerobics Dancerslze - Fine Window Coverings at Utah's Guaranteed Lowest Prices! Free Estimates and Delivery Samples by Mail or Shown in Your Home Professional Installation Available or "Brand Names (or Less 'Q SLC Whirlpool Pu Isa tor Whirlpool Desert Dry Sauna "Uncompromising Quality" ' Nutritional Consult Child Tending (Kaysville) Access to 2500 Clubs Special Guest Privileges Free Aerobics For New Members - 973-62479-30- DISCOUNT WINDOW COVERINGS Call for Information and Free Brochure l 'i'Ti 'ton "Kilo-l- o $rMjnr. f I, 1 (;TT.yrrnr.f :ri |