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Show I 1 Scotch Bottle Utah's Provincialism By RON SCOTT "You are now entering Salt Lake City, please set your watches back twenty-five years," is a tale told amoung travelers entering the De-seret De-seret State. But sad as it may seem the phrase holds much truth. Provincialism, even to a native Salt Laker is plainly evident. It begins be-gins with the attitudes of the people peo-ple who believe that there is the world, and then there is Salt Lake City. It begins with Salt Lakes suspicion su-spicion of the Federal Government. We are identified in one of the world almanacs as the only, major . U.S. city without a active' urban renewal program. "God will guide us rightly" is the phrase Salt Lakers use to excuse their inactiveness in political circles. cir-cles. Our city and county governments govern-ments suffer because of this prevailing pre-vailing attitude. It is assumed that believers are better citizens. But good citizens are no longer those that mind their own business and don't cause trouble. A good citizen minds the business of his city, state and county. Provincial Government Then there is the provincial city and county governments, both working on the same problems, both with the same departments, and both providing the same services. ser-vices. Merge you say, wonderful idea, but politically unworkable too many would be deprived of jobs. So instead of being on welfare rolls we pay for the needy by keeping them on the employee welfare rolls of the city and county. It seems to me, in business, when a position is out dated they do away with the position. But in urban ur-ban government the situation is different, dif-ferent, when the position is out dated, dat-ed, it still remains. County government govern-ment provides little or no services to city residents, yet city people continue to pay not only city taxes but taxes levied by the county gov- ernment. It is no wonder that they desire a move toward centralization. centraliza-tion. Opposed to Centralization For some reason, Salt Lakers are opposed to centralization, because it takes the government further a-way a-way from the people. But can government gov-ernment succeed when it is split into small warring factions? Can government provide services when it is limited extensively by lack of funds, and no access to more funds? Doles from the federal , ment are to be viewed whh'' e analysis, but this analysi s A proclude our participS J newal programs, that a needed by Salt Lake-J? , we don't need renewal bad as some east and We cities but why wait until ! pare equally with X CtC cities of the country? Pa: c Provincialism lsAlj As one letter to the Time Magazine so apu "Provincialism isn't dead ? 1 1 and hiding out in Salt LaUnk s The world does exist?.?' v Lake City, it's a reafone ' ffr Salt Lakers should be J; no longer can say it can'u 6 here -it can. We can n" V rely on God and tradUt J our problems, citizens forward for answers instl backward. Citizens are th 1 ! to the city's problems, c feen 1 the ones who can and rnZ ! S citizens are the only ones whosav us from the quicksand befo t ! are so deeply mired that only miracle will save Us. God just be pleased if we solved ourS ' problems for once -who knows' |