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Show I 1 4 The Magna TimnAVeit Valley News, January 9, 2003 Editorial Letters to the Kennecotts two-fac- Editor, commend the action of Kennecott to give the proceeds from the Visitors Center to the organizations you listed in the Magna Times, Jan. 2, 2003. My problem is that Kennecotts owner, Rio Tinto Zinc, wants to make a good impression on the I standard es community, but refuses to negotiate a contract with the unions representing their employee's. 1 cannot understand this "two faces standard that they have forced Louie Cononelos and Kim Moulton to portray to their employee's and to the communities where they do business. Come on Louie and Kim, we all know what they are doing. Unions are needed now more than ever due to this type of management My goodness, "shades of the 1920s and 30's all over again. L Norman Darrel Magna Parties should unite after election Editor, The poem from your guest columnist frightened me (see Doug Pattons column, Dec. 26 edition). I realize that we live in a world of hate, but I feel that articles like this just keep it going. In my humble opinion after any New Year's regrets Contributor So the new year is here again. To some people, its the perto lose weight or start a new hobby. To others, its simply a good time to reorganize the filing system. Me, look at it more as a chance to step back and assess my life and pinpoint exactly where I went wrong. Here is my list of what I wouldve done differently if I had 2002 to live over again: Id leave all of the chocolate candy in the kids Halloween fect time homework?" Wed watch more live theater f than reality TV. I wouldnt show the kids any pictures of me prior to 1992. I'd have more meaningful conversations with my children, other than w hy, on opposite day, the statement, "Go wash your hands and come eat your dinner, 1 "does not really mean, "Go jump in the mud and spit at your sister. wouldnt get on the scale the day after Thanksgiving. I'd look in the toy box before reaching into it. Id talk to my children in the car instead of listening to the I bag. would help my fourth-gradwith her social studies project instead of trying to pass off a Legoland car wash as Mission San Diego. I would stay until the end of the PTA meeting instead of sneaking out early to go shoe I er seven-year-o- ld wouldn't insist that the cat be in the Christmas picture. I'd take the kids camping during their vacation instead of on a seen-hou- r car ride to a I wouldnt gloat so much Id get wet ht "I told you so less. I'd fake my age in the family photo album. I would find the time to take my family to the pumpkin patch at my hair all the way in die swimming pool. let my kids eat frozen Id instead of picking our pumpkin from the bin in the produce section at the grocery store. And finally: I'd learn how' to program the VCR. com dogs frozen. At least once. Id put the ornaments the kids made on the good side of the Christmas tree. Id put up more finger paintings on the refrigerator door and less schedules. I wouldnt cut my kids Debbie Farmer is a humorist and mother holding down the fort in California. Readers can reach her at her web site at bangs. I low-ris- six-eig- theme park. d flair e flair wouldn't wear leg jeans. Id enjoy our Christmas lights more instead of worrying about the electricity bill. Id buy my son a microscope for his birthday instead of a train thouset that comes in sand pieces and has directions in Portuguese. I'd say "I'm sorry more and sons baby shoes. seven-year-ol- e "leg jean's: 1 over beating a Candyland. low-ris- I shopping. wouldnt yell at my daughter not to yell at her brother. would keep all of my 1 wouldnt buy wouldnt have tried so hard ail pointing. You can find out about it the same way his comrades on the police force found out. Here is a copy of a Patrolman department-wid- e Tom Potter sent on Friday. I was confronted by , "Recently, someone at this department (who shall remain nameless) about the two American flag stickers I have affixed on each side of my patrol car. Quietly I stood, biting my tongue as I was grilled in a despicable tone, and questioned who had authorized "those stickers, citing they may be offensive to the public and they should be removed. At the conclusion of the conversation I got back into my patrol car and drove home. "(There) I sat quietly staring at a picture in my living room. The picture is of an American flag flying over the Arlington National Cemetery that honors thousands of fallen soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. Some of those buried there were my friends and some my relatives. "I began to pack a large olive-dra- b duffel bag on the floor beneath that picture with my Army uniforms. I reflected back on a phone call I received a few days before Christmas informing me I was again being activated to serve my country. radio. I e-m- Tom Potter goes to war tomorrow. For the second time. A fairly young man, hes already done his bit as a tank commander. And as a city cop. Hes saved lives and hes taken lives. And its always been in the line of duty. Which is pretty clear to him. He erdisted when he was 17, and has been in one type of uniform or another since. The United States Army, the Salt Lake City police, the Utah Army National Guard. And tomorrow he trades his cop clothes for his soldier clothes and he will be gone. One more mobilized trooper in a state where more than a quarter of the Guardsmen have been called to active duty. Which makes what happened last week all the more ironic. And disap- to get to the bottom of w ho spit in the chocolate milk first. I wouldn't have fallen so easifor the old line: "Homework? ly What makes you think I have By DEBBIE FARMER I An www.familydaze.com one is elected, they should cease to be one party or the other. If they are true representatives of their constituents, they should stand for the rights of all of them. If they dont then they are not true to the office to which they were elected. Politicians need to remember that after the elections, they should be for all people, not just part of the people. Whatever happened to ethics, honor and public service? Kodi Pruitt West Valley City from a patriotic cop I never will. "Rest at ease though, have removed "those" stickers from my it and 1 police car! Now they are proudly displayed on my Army duffel bag. "For all of you that love this country and to those of you that have served: Thank you. "T. Potter 2 K-1- Know ing in a few days I will be leaving my wife and family behind, despite the nearly 47 percent pay cut I will be taking, and with no idea how long I will be gone, I continued to pack that duffel bag. I have proudly served in the United States Army since I was 17 years old. This could be the second time I have served in combat, the second time I have left everyone I love and everything I have worked for behind, all along knowing I too may be laid to rest in that same garden of stone. "Please remember freedom isnt free! It has a price! Someone has to pay for it, and it isnt cheap. It costs some of us more than most people can possibly fathom. So the next time you see an AMERICAN FLAG and youre concerned that it may offend someone or that it offends you, just remember every night when you drive home to your family, and later perhaps go into your childrens bedroom and read them a story, try this, leave the fairy tales on their nightstand and read them a history book instead. Educate them about sacrifice, courage (and) Honor, and maybe they wont inherit your unfortunate ignorance. "Im not writing this to get your sympathy. I dont care what you believe in, whom you voted for, how you feel about the military, or what you think about me. But the next time you look at MY FLAG I demand you show some respect! For hundreds of years, thousands of families have lost their brothers, fathers, husbands and sons who died protecting it and all that it stands for. Imagine what this country would be like if they hadn't! For my entire adult life 1 have proudly served this great nation! I have never regretted , thomas.james.potterus.army.mil There hasn't been any comment from Chief Rick Dinse yet And Officer Potter wont identify the superior who ordered him to remove the flag stickers. He says he wants to make a point, not ruin some idiots career. Predictably, since Tom sent his flag stickers have proliferated on Salt Lake City cop cars. Thats what his fellow officers feel about the matter. But that's not enough. Its important to know what his department feels about the matter. The chief has the power to order the display of the American flag on every cruiser in his department and to order it. affixed tp; every ppiform. And he ought to. The department should be as patriotic as its officers. And the community will know it is when it sees flags on police cars and police uniforms. - by Bob Lonsberry 2003 Bob Lonsbeny is the morning talksltow host at KNRS 570 AM 5:30 a.m. -- 10 a.m. He writes a daily internet column at www.lonsbeny.com Letters Welcome Readers are encouraged to share opinions by sending letters to the Editor, Magna Times West Valley News, 8980 W. 2700 S. Magna, Ut. 84044, letters can also be sent via 5 fax to at or 250-568- ail magwestxmission.com Predictions of the 2003 Utah Legislative sessions Well, these are my predictions for w hat I see happening during this year's Legislative session. Los e them, hate them, use them to line the cat box, I do stand by them. ; This year has the potential for b changing the ways we look at things and to affirm our desires for a better future. Now' pick the prediction you $ hate tiie most, and work to make me wrong. ' There w ill be a substantial tax this year. increase i ; Dont expect this discussion to begin until the session is past the T $ halfway mark and most of it will if be passed in the eleventh hour of the session, and it wont be in any one given place. But, you will notice it every time you fill the 0 0 .; tank of your car, pay for your 0::f utilities (most specifically your water bill), visit a State Park, or "I register your kids in school. 0. They may try passing the big hitter increases (Income Tax and Property TaxJ off to the School :::l Districts and local governments by loosening the truth in taxation laws to allow bigger increases f f i V; iii , without a referendum. You will also see the re introduction of the state property tax levy that Gov. Leavitt got removed a few years ago. According to the Utah Taxpayers Association, we are already the Ninth Highest Taxed State in the Union - and Number One in the West guess we are take to shot a at the national going number one spot. My prediction is we w ill land somewhere around number 5 to number7 on the list after this year's session. The Legislature will pass a Tuition Tax Credit or Voucher -- publicly noted than any other year. I feel so good about this one that by the end of this session, I w ill not be surprised to see at least one republican bolt from the ranks to become a Democrat The media w ill consistently interview the wrong people about the issues. 1 Law. Now, if we lived in a State w;here 10 percent or more of our students attended private school, this law might make some sense note I said might. But in a State w here less than 3 percent of our school-age- d children attend private school, this whole program is going to be nothing but a pure money suck. Now, I have friends who would benefit greatly from this, but their kids were going to attend private schools anyway, regardless of the -- If there is one truth tp the media around here, it is they always interview the wrong people on Capitol Hill about a given piece of legislation. Weve already seen it during the December Special Session w hen the hacks were trolling for sound bites from the media darlings and not calling on the legislators who were in the inner circle making the decisions on the cuts. Since none of those clones obviously read their packets, and so you at home can follow along, if it has to do with Taxation or Appropriations, your local contacts are Sen.Ron Allen (D), and Rep. Kory Holdaway (R). If you dont like talking to them, maybe I can find you someone you will like talking to. My info will be listed at the bottom of self-evide- tax law s. Honestly, we can't afford the loss of revenue in the middle of a recession. Yes. said the "Rword. Maybe it would be wise to bring it up when we arent in a recession. O.K. I still wont like it even then, but at least it wont hurt as much if it passes. The current caucus situation is going to get a "Partisan Twist". There are going to be a lot of Centrist Republican Representatives and Senators who are going to be spending a lot of time outside the Republican Caucus wooing Democrats to side with their views. Not that this particular thing hasnt been going on forever, but youre going to see much more of it this year and it will be more 1 nt the article, and I would be glad to help. Just remember, the real answers will not be found by watching KUTV, KSL, or KTVX. Education Spending will receive a real cut this year. Not that this point is any leap of faith, but since 48 cents of every tax dollar we spend in this state goes to education, there is no w'ay the legislature will be able to not cut funding. Now they may "smoke and mirror" funds from the Legacy Highway Fund to give you the impression that they "capped" spending, but the reality is that income and property taxes for 4 will be coming in way off the mark, due to increased unemployment and decreasing home values. Look for a special session to make this cut in late May or June. 2003-200- Greg Schulz is a member of the Magna Area Council and Chairman of the ChamberWest Government Affairs Committee. Reach him at or email: 250-192- 2 greginslcyahoo. com |
