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Show Anraeinidl IMw, Kevose Lifter By John M. Wade Let me begin by expressing my approval of all eight propositions on the ballot. They are of different dif-ferent kinds. No. 2 would authorize the calling of a constitutional convention. No. 1 would make it possible for metropolitan areas to decide whether to adopt metropolitan government, something they can't now do. No. 3 deals with the terms of office of the state treasurer and the state auditor. Numbers Num-bers 4, 5, 6, and 7 deal with the state legislature. No. 8 would abolish the board of examiners, which is now constitutionally required. Number 1 does not establish metropolitan government. gov-ernment. It merely gives residents of counties with 75,000 or more people the right to decide whether they want it. An initiative petition would place the question on the ballot for them. They would elect a commission to design the new government. Finally, Fi-nally, they would adopt or reject the plan submitted. At present we have confusing, overlapping, duplicating, dupli-cating, expensive government in Salt Lake County, with 39 different units having powers to tax. Surely we can devise a more efficient and economical way without hurting smaller communities, especially if the plan included election of commissioners by districts. Convention Call Number 2 would authorize the calling of a constitutional con-stitutional convention.' If it passes, the legislature would establish the convention procedure and the people would elect the delegates. Whatever the convention con-vention recommended would be submitted to the people for action. h present constitution is too rigid and detailed, filled with items which should be left to statutory law, e.g., the Utah State Fair must always be held in Salt Lake City. It is complex, inefficient, and not suited to our increasingly urban conditions. To improve im-prove it by amendment is like trying to remodel an old house over a period of years without a master plan. Patches often only open up new holes. The cost in time and money of a unified and thorough approach to constitutional revision would be many times saved in money and efficient government. Musical Chairs Proposal No. 3 would allow the auditor and treasurer to succeed themselves in office. Under present law that is impossible, and they frequently alternate terms in a game of musical chairs. There :'s opportunity for collision when a man moves from treasurer to auditor, the first year he checks the books he kept as treasurer. This proposal is not a complete answer, just a step. Proposals 4 through 7 would allow interim legislative leg-islative committees; provide for annual sessions of the legislature; allow the legislature to call itself into session by two-thirds vote, thereby preventing blocking block-ing tactics by a stubborn governor; and increase legislative salaries. An annual session is needed if sound and efficient financial planning is to be done. The voters have been strangely short-sighted each time a proposal to increase legislators' salaries has been presented. As it stands, a legislator gets $500 per year plus very modest expense money. You have to be rich, rotten, or retired to serve on that without undue sacrifice. We don't want just the rich to make the laws; we don't want our men unduly subject to bribes ; we want men in the prime of life to be able to serve. If they vote themselves too much for the next term, the people could refuse to give them that term. Money spent for a good legislature is money well spent. Proposal No. 8 would abolish the Board of Examiners. Ex-aminers. At present the Governor, the Secretary of State, and the Attorney General must approve all bills, so impossible a task that it is a mere formality. If at any time it were taken seriously, the Governor could be overruled. Wouldn't it be far better to give the Governor power and then hold him responsible for the way he and his subordinates use it than to divide it up as is now done? Calling a convention for constitutional revision doesn't make the other seven proposals unnecessary. They can serve while we are getting a new constitution, consti-tution, if we finally do. We need a new constitution so that state and local government maybe vigorous enough to do the job. If we don't have it, the needs will still cry out to be met. Federal government will step in to meet them. That is -just what we don't want in Utah. Our state and local financial needs are so great that we cannot afford waste. The best way to avoid it is to have efficient government, with the checks and balances between the branches of government, not within them as it is now, particularly particu-larly in the Executive Branch. Giving all honor to the men who devised the Constitution does not mean leaving it changeless, but rather changing it to meet the needs of our time as well as we can. Surely we can trust the people and the leaders they will elect to a convention, and then the vote of the people again, to give us what we need. |