| Show ©giiEn 2A OGDEN William Steif tatt&arb-Sxamin- Er UTAH SATURDAY Food AUG 15 1981 EDITORIAL safety Utah special session delayed The Utah Legislature was scheduled to meet Friday in special session to unravel a financial crisis in the state’s Medicaid program But it didn’t Less than a day before the gavel was to fall Democratic Gov Scott M Matheson — after consulting with leaders of the Republican majority in both houses — announced that the meeting of lawmakers wxmlld be delayed indefinitely In the long run the delay should be helpful to the state and to citizens directly involved in the medical assistance tips And until Uncle Sam’s house is in order there’s no way the Utah programs connected with the federal grants could be worked out Meantime the governor reports he has found enough funds to continue for a few weeks at least Medicaid assistance for psychiatric patients in nursing homes and for the “medically needy’’ recipients Other matters that were to ¥©ke ©f 9he people have been presented to the special session can also wait although a crisis is building in overcrowding at the Point of Sat on bench Honolulu programs although there is the Mountain state prison that As a visitor in Ogden and Salt going to be even more confu- must be solved soon Lake City for two weeks I’ve used sion than usual for a while On the penitentiary prob- your bus system daily The timing Had the legislators met Fri- lem the governor and his and connections were great The only problem I experienced day they really would not staff are hoping to move was waiting for the Route convicts Street have known just what to do young bus on the corner of about the state’s crisis be- to the present Youth Develop- Washington and 25th Street cause Uncle Sam’s own book- ment Center in Ogden placing I sat on the bus bench some 10 before the scheduled arkeeping is so horribly fouled the juveniles now there in minutes rival at 4:50 pm on Tuesday April other facilities up at the moment 11 A bus with the A legislative interim com- Street” arrived about sign It was only a few days ago that time that Congress finally passed mittee endorsed the change sidewalk the to close It stopped feet five some past the President Reagan’s budget this week although the Ogden which is 5:25 on About and tax cut bills and the chief City Council — after backing bench I was sitting when I was getting anxious executive signed them this the idea earlier — has revoked pm Street” bus aranother week Until their ramificatits approval pending receipt rived Ten minutes later I decided ions filter down through the of further details That too is to ask the driver of a Salt Lake bus if there was any federal fiscal apparatus and good because it would not be Street in the Congress approves the actual productive for the state or for changed schedule appropriations that are yet to the community if there was “there’s one right He be considered it’s impossible any feeling the YDC plan was behindreplied was another me” It for anyone to blueprint just being shoved down Ogdenites’ Street” bus that arrived near 5:55 what’s what throats pm to driver To nd “non-violen- t” “8-28- th “8-28- City-Ogde- th n nd “8-28- th Old canyon wall New mini-ca- r The picturesque rock wall There’s a sign of the times that lines the highway through illustrating growing internabeautiful Ogden Canyon has tional business cooperation in unfortunately about “had it” the joint venture announced Errant drivers have banged by General Motors of America the wall so frequently and and Suzuki and Isuzu Motors forcefully that it is breached of Japan for production of a in more than a dozen places new “S” mini-ca- r Precise details are veiled between The Oaks and the mouth of the canyon but it is understood the vehicle The “Green Thumb” crews will be smaller than the Chevof retired workmen who kept rolet Chevette The Japanese ask that I decided and angry frustration my surprise Street” she told me that the Street” bus became the Because the bus always stopped ahead of the bench I didn’t see the driver change the signs My question: Why doesn’t the “8-28- th “6-22- nd Utah Transportation Authority d Street” sign on have the BEFORE it arrives at Washington and 25th Street? Any person not knowing about this funny system will continue to miss the bus especially if they sit or stand behind the front of the bus when it stops and then the sign is changed “6-22n- our industry Note the recent quad- rupling of oil company profits and accompanying very meager dividend increases Note the recent record Bell System profits and their accompanying microscopic dividend increases Today’s record profits representing huge blocks of power are kept in the control of industry executives and away from stockholders through a device called “diversification” In other words instead of dispersing their profits to stockholders company executives use the money to buy out some other company Sohio’s purchase of Kennecott is one of many examples Money used to buy and well whole companies circulates only at the top of the economic pyramid dividends circulte through all levels The diversion of earnings is part of the condition John M Keynes envisioned when he said that at some point as a company grows its control is taken from owners by managers Reaganomics do nothing to restore benefits of ownership to owners — and there are many other examples of shortsightedness (interest rates tax loopholes military spending etc) that cannot be ad- dressed here I really hope it works but believe that unless more of the whole problem is treated it won’t Raymond Lashley result the rock wall overall sales strategy seriously doubt it I don’t see enough in the overall scheme that treats obvious critical ills in our has become more than a American Motors and hazard than a help Chrysler also are working on capitalistic system Our “law of supply and demand” The Utah Department of international joint ventures that high supply levels result in says anything goes Transportation short on theApparently in automobile world these andlowering prices Note the oil glut funds as it is should begin now to plan on replacing the old roekwork with a modern guard rail as a top priority safety measure gas high prices days in frantic efforts to bols- Note persistent the millions of new cars and ter sagging sales and increase the increasing new car prices vehicle efficiency and These are just two examples of what noted economist Dr called “administered and the rest of us call pricing” “price fixing” There are also manifestations of the shortage of the most important element of our capitalist system “price competition” Without price competition our capitalistic system doesn’t work Reaganomics do nothing to restore or assure price competition Our capitalistic system claims that owners sometimes called stockholders share the profits of Robert-Lekachma- Julian Bond Hard times for states No fewer than the 50 states have a 1981 reserve of less than 3 percent of their current general- fund spending More than half of these are close to deficits Only 10 states have surpluses of 10 percent trouble” These prophets of doom aren’t or more These fragile state economies defeated Democrats still smarting from their latest licking at the will have to compensate for the 25 hands of the new Republicrat ma- percent reductions in many federal jority in the US House of Repre- aid programs that have been mandated by Congress sentatives “Our surplus is $22 million” a The are instead state legislators Republicans and Democ- New Jersey legislator said “and rats alike who believe that Presi- we face $1 billion in federal aid dent Reagan and the Congress reductions in the next three years have placed them — in the words of We have not made provisions for one — “between a rock and a hard that” “There’s no way the economy is place” lawSix months ago many state going to reverse itself in time” makers happily anticipated the said a Florida state representative “I couldn’t sleep nights if I had shift in power from Washington to the state capitols The new presi- my job in one of the 40 states with dent’s “new federalism” promised less than a 10 percent surplus” remarked a state senator from reto reduce taxes and return governo Kansas ment to the people by placing pow- latively to home er closer — and others — These The men and women who sit also fearlegislators that the voters’ cost conunder the domes of the 50 state sciousness will be redirected tocapitols had looked forward to ward Albany and Sacramento and playing a major role in the dis- the other state capitals after tribution of federal funds within Washington has been squeezed dry their states They relished the nostate and local lawmakers Many tion of directing spending for health education and welfare with- are understandably worried at the prospect of being caught between out federal regulations those demanding cuts in state has Today the anticipation to match those just passspending soured The legislators who ed at the federal level and those gathered recently in Atlanta for the National Conference of State Legis- expecting state governments to latures are beginning to wonder continue highly valued education what will happen when they pro- health and social service pose raising taxes to replace the programs A Republican state senator from money that Congress and the presimust have spoken for many of Ohio dent have taken away n Reagan-Stockmathe Under the legislators when he said: “The theory federal tax cuts to individu- voters have to see some blood — als and corporations will stimulate state workers being laid off parks economic growth and produce an and schools and hospitals closed — increase in state and federal tax and even then it will be tough” The state lawmakers are hoping collections But many state offinot will cials fear this happen fast that the blood won’t be theirs (Newspaper Enterprise Assn) enough to prevent a fiscal crisis 27 of “The voters have to see some blood” “We anticipate difficult times ahead” “I think we’re all in some well-to-d- life-threateni- over-the-count- ng er Hard-cooke- Edward Wong it repaired for years have firms will manufacture the 'Doubt it' Syracuse been unable to handle this chassis and diesel engines About your Aug 6 editorial “Will volunteer cooperative assign- with GM providing bodies de- Reaganomics succeed?” Let me ment any longer sign pollution control and say I wholeheartedly hope so but I As a A few years ago the US Department of Agriculture polled 2200 homemakers and was stunned to find that 78 percent of them did not know basic rules of food safety Sixty-thre- e percent of them stored and prepared food routinely in their kitchens in ways food specialists consider dangerous Conservative estimates say that 10 million Americans get sick each year because of food poisoning These cases range from symptoms resembling influenza from spoiled mayonnaise at a summer picnic to botulism attacks from canned goods Most of this is attributed to food prepared at home For years the government’s maMass drugs home food safety crusade was 0gden jor in home canning Poorly prepared Occasionally when the question home-canne- d tomatoes green of whether or not to fluoridate our beans corn and for example peas drinking water arises and it is are a major source of botulism an implaced on a referendum into often fatal toxin mediately opponents spring Now the USDA is trying to do action although they fully know it about routine food safesomething would prevent caveties in chiland has ty published a number of dren’s teeth They use the excuse free pamphlets for the public The they do not want the population following comes from the mass drugged but want individual governmentadvice and other experts : choice so they can take their chilWooden counters kitchen and dren to the dentist for individual chopping blocks are breedsuperb treatment for ing grounds germs Yet our children are mass druggWith outages common in ed every day without one single summerpower of storms and because objection At least 50 percent of all overloads freezers and resoda pops contain caffeine Though may be shut off for it is listed on the labels one does frigerators hours or sometimes days A wellnot see any large warning that it laden freezer will keep food frozen may be detrimental especially to for two days Never refreeze ice children’s health and may even be cream USDA the because of habit forming From past experi- possiblesays contamination ence I know that the great Amerikey to detecting spoiled food can lunch for a great number of is The to smell it and not children includes French fries and look at surprisingly it Any unusual odor or color soda pop means the food should be thrown Also two drugs are allowed freeaway ly on the market and are contained But if the contents of a can or jar in a large number of out when it is opened do not drugs in spite of the fact spurt even get near it It could contain that both an Australian and an En- botulism For the same reason be glish study have show that as little wary of all dented cans and jars as two kilograms — 44 pounds — of with loose lids either drug may cause complete The timetable for keeping food renal (kidney) failure and may fresh is depressingly short given even have cumulative effect the cost of food and the lack of high Fluoridation is nothing more time most people have to shop than preventive dentistry if you can be kept for Eggs please and could save much in only two daysexample in if the dental bills especially for children they are hard cookedrefrigerator — six weeks VH Jensen RN if they are fresh in a carton and stored with the large side up But if frozen fresh eggs may be kept d three months eggs should not be frozen Cooked stews and casseroles will only last two or three days and cold cuts will last about a week Milk should be thrown out a week after the date stamped on the carton For every hour milk is out of the refrigerator it will stay fresh one less day Raw or cooked chicken should stay in the refrigerator two days at the most but it can be frozen if wrapped tightly for up to six months No meat sandwich should be out of the refrigerator more than two hous The USDA survey found many leftover foods especially those with gravy are cooked improperly before preserving There are a number of free food safety pamphlets the government offers Write for “Summertime Food Safety” from Food Safety and Inspection Service Informa- h tion Room USDA Washington DC 20250 Also you can get “Microwave Oven Safety” (Dept 553J) and “Food Safety” (Dept 653J) from Consumer Information Center Pueblo Colo 81009 2957-Sout- 1961 by NEA Inc "Of course it needs a little work ” (Newspaper Enterprise AssnO Jack Anderson Victims of disabilities and government WASHINGTON — This is the shocking story of two people who fell through a gaping hole in the Social Security system’s safety net with tragic consequences: Both ended up killing themselves in despair Evelyn Mattson and Howard Cluckey both happened to be residents of Phoenix Ariz Their paths never crossed in life but they were victims of the same bureaucratic horror story: They were severely disabled and their disability claims were disallowed by the government Despairing of an end to the nightmare both Mattson and Cluckey committed suicide Chronic dizziness forced Mattson to leave her job in a plastics factory less than two years before she would have been eligible for a pension Her doctors said she was too ill to work but Social Security denied her disability benefits She appealed but convinced the appeal would be turned down she took a lethal overdose of propoxyphene a painkiller Two days later ironically the appeals council ruled that she was eligible for benefits My reporters Indy Badhwar and Vivian Marino have seen Mattson’s suicide note It was addressed to her daughter Nancy with whom she had been living and was pinned to the bedroom door It read: “Nancy don’t come in Please do not open this door as I don’t know what you will find I I have a lovely can’t figure another way home here though had my Social Security come through I think I would have gone back with Dad as I feel rotten for leaving him alone when he needed someone most I have 1000 life policy John Hancock “Don’t feel bad for me I never wanted to get old and not be able to care for myself and I can see it coming I’m sure now I won’t get my disability “Pretend it was a heart attack” Cluckey was only 38 an epileptic with multiple tumors on his spinal cord A medical technician he worked until he could no longer stand the pain For two years he collected disability payments of $377 a month his wife got $150 a month from Social Security On this meager income they managed to support two young children both of whom had congenital heart ailments Suddenly Cluckey’s checks stopped coming in He had been taken off the disability list to the surprise of the Veterans Administration doctor who had been treating him Cluckey did not leave a suicide note when he took an overdose of doxopin an But a neighbor Sue Folmer told us: “Social Security said he was ready to go back to work and he couldn’t and that depressed anti-depressa- nt him” Phoenix attorney Richard Gibson who handled both cases believes Cluckey took his life either from sheer despair or so his wife and children would get survivor benefits “The government is disabling the disabled” Gibson fumed “Our system is killing people who have worked and paid for benefits” Social Security officials estimate that 3 percent of all checks go to survivors They do not keep statistics on the number of dependents who are receiving survivor benefits because of suicide WATCHDOG WATCH THYSELF — The General Accounting Office is the bane of crooked incompetent and profligate federal bureaucrats As the investigative arm of Congress its sleuths ferret out waste and fraud throughout tne government But last year a special task force including FBI agents found that the GAO had problems of its own While the watchdog was sniffing around other agencies someone was stealing things from the critter’s own backyard Security at the GAO building has been tightened as a result of the task force findings Access is now strictly limited And equipment is being bolted down LABORING UNDER A HANDICAP — The National Labor Relations Board charged with settling the most important disputes is in danger of becoming inoperative — if only temporarily There are two vacancies on the board and no present indication of when the vacancies will be filled One of the three serving members Howard Jenkins has been ailing and the other two John Fanning and Don Zimmerman may be taking some time off this summer The trouble is by law the board must have three members present to decide a case and some alarmed staffers believe that decisions have been made recently with less than that minimum LEGAL SKYJACKING — In a new twist on routine the British the government is picking the pockets of American airline companies by charging outlandish landing fees at London’s Heathrow Airport The fees can exceed $10000 per plane which compares with $3000 or $4000 at airports in other European capitals At a recent meeting of Civil Aeronautics Board and State and Transportation Department officials it was decided to seek relief at the highest levels through bilateral consultations and formal inquiries to the British government labor-manageme- nt five-memb- er hands-across-the-s- ea (Uriited Feature Syhndicate) |
