Show IMMdDffll Tuesday August 20 2002 A4 The Herald journal Regional view New law helps level playing field From The Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Supreme Court ruling down parts of the slate's striking govemmenial immunity law makes it easier to sue government entities for negligence hut only in limited circumstances This is an improvement It reduces a government advantage over the private sector creating a more level playing field- - The decision may even prompt lawmakers to an overdue examination of tort law and the need to control and limit sky-hig- h damage awards The court's ruling is limited to cities and towns that operate electrical systems This is because the case involves a lawsuit the widow of a farmer brought against Fairview City Her husband struck a city power line and was electrocuted while moving a piece of irrigation pipe Some like the city's lawyer say the ruling is a stepping shine that could erode the immunity cities and counties have tq operate any enterprise ranging from sewer and water systems to schools It is a real boon trial lawyers he for litigation-happ- y said It returns the state to a case-b30-fo- y- IN tmmutamnm WIHIS case analysis of governmental immunity — a scenario that favors lots of litigation Pferhaps some or all of this is true However a salient feature of the decision is its nudge toward greater equity between government and pri- vale sectors A power company and transmission system should adhere to the same standards as a private utility’s Just because a city owns it it should not enjoy immunity its private sector counterparts do not have Theoretically the ruling could also lead the Legislature to look more seriously into the whole area of tort law This would be a good thing Limiting damage awards deserves serious consideration not just occasional talk whenever a big case is ' ' reported in the news medra It will be up to the courts to decide whether the Fairview case has merit The widow will get her day in court which is her constitutional right The court's ruling simply allows this to happen Moreover it will send a sig- nal that lawmakers should look more deeply into both tort reform and the general benefit of dismantling governmental preferences that society’s wealth-creatin- g sector lacks city-own- 5677 or UTAH SENATE To calf your Utah senator at the Sen- -' 5 ate: (801) To write your senator at the Senate: 538-103- The Honorable John Doe Utah State Senator Room 319 State Capitol Salt Lake City UT 84114 Senate District 24 (Box Elder Cache counties) — Peter C Knudson City 1209 Michelle Drive Brigham City UT 64302 Home phone 0 Michael L Gleed 179 N Main Logan 84321 716-71Sheriff: Lynn Nelson 50 W 200 North Logan 84321 715-740-0 Treasurer Karen A Jeppessen 179 80 84321716-839- 4 723-203- 224-544- 524-593: 43 ness 0 US: Senate Washington DC 20510 Utah office: 8402 Fed- (202) : oral Building 125 S State St Salt 0 Lake City UT 84138 (801) 51 524-438- SEN Larry Craig Republican — 520 Hart Senate Office Building Washing- ATE-IDA- : ton DC 20510 Idaho office: 801 E Sherman Room 193 Pocatello ID 83201 (208) 236- 6817 Michael Crapo Republican— til 1 Russell Senate Office Building Wash' ington DC 20510 (202) 224-61Idaho office: 801 E Sherman Pocatel- -' 10 ID 83201 (208) 5 (202)224-275- 2 Utah 84114 House District 1 (Cache Box Elder and Tooele counties) — Rep Eli Ander- son 8790 W Highway 102 Tremontori UT 84337 Home 0 phone House District 3 (Cache County) 540 S 1600 Craig Buttars West Lewiston UT 84320 Home 5 phone House District 4 (Cache Rich coun435 E ties) — Lbraine Pace 900 North Logan UT 84321 Phone 4 Fax 753-501-3 House District 5 (Cache) — Brent Parker 2953 West 6900 South Mount Sterling UT Home phone 245-627-5 854-376- 258-501- 42 236-677- 753-615- US HOUSE-UTA-H — James V Hansen Republican ' Represents 1st Congressional District which includes Cache pounty Washington office: 2466 Rayburn Building US House of Representatives Wash-’ ington DC 20515 (202)225-045- 3 Utah office: 1017 Federal Buiidind 324 25th St Ogden UT 84401 (801)625- - him for the ' Sept 11 anniversary events Presumably it will be bad taste during such an emotional time to discuss anything other than the war on terrorism with Cheney The reason we worry when Cheney does a disappearing act is that he isn’t an ordinary vice president He brings the judgment brains and perspective that even President Bush’s staunchest allies realize are needed to bolster confidence in this administration Bush has many admirable qualities and the public continues to show trust in his leadership 11 But voters in post-Se- ' IDAHO To cad your Idaho senator at the Senate or your representative at the House: call and ask for the person by name America look upon the Bush administration as a' package deal with Cheney Defense Secretary ' Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell completing the picture 1ike Cheney out and there’s a huge hple to fill ’ ' : soothing temperate manner Now he’s off limits-A- ' For an administration striving to ' of the small investor Cheney’s potential involvement in the seamier side of corporate bookkeeping doesn’t lend confidence It has muted Cheney’s voice on economic matters at a time when the country is crying out for seasoned and experienced figures to guide the administration Bush’s economic summit in Waco Texas was more of an effort to look like he cares than an attempt to find a new policy or plan to settle the markets create jobs and restore the prosperity of the last decade ' administration desperate for convivial faces has thrust forward Commerce Secretary Don Evans an affable fellow but no Cheney when it comeS to gravitas Inside the White House the word is that Cheney has tried to slow down the rush to reform corporate practices fearing too many hastily contrived laws could stifle economic growth For the first time ever in this administration he was on the losing side He says he would be honored to run fra a second term but he can’t do that from an undisclosed location Prediction: The vice president will soon face the press and he will be quizzed about Halliburton His response will be that it is a matter fra regulators and he is not flee to comment The question is how he will respond when a skeptical press keeps pressing Political Correspondent Eleanor Clift contributed to this coluihn This column and other personal columns in the A y Producty ' !XwWamlng express opinions that do not align exactly with yourown if you disagree please respond with a letter to the editor or contact editor Charles McCollum about a possible guest com1 Ext 3020 mentary (Phdne: cmccdlum O hjnewscom) See information box at bottom of page for more details Cheney was once Bush’s man on Capitol Hill During last year’s tax fight he set up shop right off the Senate flora to better pressure senators to support Bush’s tax cut Now he is so disengaged from Bush’s domestic agenda that he hasn’t even lobbied Congress to take action on the administration’s energy bill which passed the House and Senate and has been 752-212- Yourview Logan Canyon construction helpful Totheeditor My name is Zane Petersen 1 am employed by Scenic Canyons Recre- ational Services Inc who manage the campgrounds in the Logan Ranger ’ District This includes Logan Canyon Black Smith Fork Cpnyon Box Elder Canyon and Smithfield Canyon Being employed by SCRS I : ' drive the Logan Canyon Highway on almost a daily basis Having to drive this highway I have realized the many unsafe conditions As I drive the canyon very regularly I come upon many accidents and lots of close calls The Logan Canyon Highway was constructed many years ago and does not meet present traffic needs It is narrow obsolete and dangerous There are no shouldersto pull off in case of emergency and very few passing lanes Due to these conditions and the poor judgement of drivers many dangerous situations responsible for the new construction from the upper Twin Bridge to the Franklin Basin turn off I would also like to thank the Logan g Canyon Coalition for finally the heck out of the way so this ' could happen This new' construe- - ' tion will make the highway safer and better to travel for all that drive the canyon I hope the construction will not stop with just this phase and that' it will continue until the entire highway is safe to drive get-tin- ’ occur" ’ t languishing in a conference committee fra months Whenever there was a crisis in the past Cheney would show up on the Sunday morning shows with his ' show it’s on the side pt ' UTAH HOUSE To call the Utah House of Representatives: (801) 538-- 1 029 To write a Utah representative: The Honorable John Doe State Representative State Capitol Salt Lake City Sen Orrin Hatch Republican — US 752-261- ' 3 224-52- 5 Senate District 25 (Cache Rich Summit counties) — Lyle W Hidyard 175 E 100 North Logan UT busi- 84321 Home phone 753-00- H Sen Robert Bennett Republican — US Senate Washington DC 4 Utah office: 20510 (202) 4225 Federal Building 125 S State St Sait Lake City UT 64138 (801) ' “saving” 334-195- 'Recorder USSENATE-UTA- ice presidents normally don’t get a lot of ink They’re supposed to be secondary figures History is replete with jokes about how little the vice presidency is worth Then why do we find it odd that Vice President Richard Cheney is rarely seen and heard? Unless you’re a Republican fatcat who’s attended one of Cheney’s fundraising soirees you haven’t seen much of him in recent "months A spokesperson for the vice presidenLsaid the White House is - 225-553- 716-712- Between his heart ailments and his Halliburton dealings Cheney has been greatly weakened Judging from his limited public availability it’s legitimate to conclude he is hiding from questions he doesn’t want to answer The vice president’s health challenges and may play a role in are well-knohis increased reticence More troublesome is Cheney's continuing refusal to turn over the names of the corporate executives and lobbyists he met with in formulating Bush’s energy policy The matter has turned into a showdown between Congress and the White ' House and is now left to the courts to resolve Then there's Halliburton die l&ias energy company he headed before joining the ticket in 2000 The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Halliburton for questionable accounting practices during Cheney’s tenure Vy 1 Washington DC 29515 (202) Idaho office: 304 N 8th Room 3 325 Boise ID 83702 (208) 716-836- NMain Logan By Jack Anderson and Douglas Cohn United Features Syndicate HOUSE4DAHO Mike Simpson Republican — Represents 2nd Congressional District which' includes Franklin County 1449 Longworth House Office Building 71 716-715- 2 asset? Is Cheney a liability or US CACHE COUNTY EXECUTIVE BRANCH Executive: Lynn Lemon 120 N 100 West Logan 84321 716-71Assessor Kathleen Howell 179 N Main Logan 84321716-710- 0 Attorney: Scott Wyatt 11 W 100 1 North Logan 84321 Auditor: Tamara Stones 179 N 3 Main Logan 84321 Clerk: JiN Zoiflnger 170 N Main Logan 64321 393-836- POP AWHILE ed Lawmakers Here is a list of addresses and phone numbers for some of Cache Valley’s representatives in government: OTWt WOODS 1UE ' ! ' I would like to thank our elected officials the Utah Department of Transportation and all others Mallard Filfmore Herald Journal - Zane Petersen Richmond 1 j :ISS Mars to In PotoNUy ttakaa or oflanalvo tottersIocMor bo pubMed however and bdtor reserves the (tghMoedtaltottenio conform tohatongthandstytomqulremantooftho V iNMpapar' i UttonohouM I Typewritten snd rtoUNs spaced - l v thicomnwwithatonimtortheirviewt' Periorial columns cartoons and totters from readers nltocMho opinions of their writers and creators Edltoriato under the headbn ‘Our SKRS 'ssstsssasi ' - CHAnUoOOliJIlMnHadlof ‘i ' 'V ’ i’ i ’ A ' No mom than 450 words In tongh Addressed and Muds daytime phono ”' v w Slgnod by the autar Individuate am Imbed to one pubfahadtottor wNhin any 3May period: Address Jetton to NMterOhlnowsuxxn Guest com- - SITldSortllorlSon?-“T-- - 1” ' s 'I v A i ' 4 fiutge 'iisntiiKnU Stmricm joist l (1S72-1S6- 1) w - v i : - - - - —V— 1:1--- - '! V - |