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Show Money talks Are we as Utahns caring and compassionate in addressing the needs of the poor? The answer is yes if words are taken at face value. But if the actions of our elected officials are a reliable indicator, the answer could be one most Utahns would rather not hear. Wt J ix i j f - - Mark Eddington Staff Writer Gov. Norm Bangerter and the State Legislature have earmarked over a million dollars and placed the state's reputation and economic fortune at considerable risk to defend de-fend the nation's most restrictive abortion law, which was passed earlier this year. They also are spending taxpayer dollars to join Rhode Island in pushing a test case before the Supreme Court which would allow school prayer, an effort which many citizens define as yet another in a long list of violations in the separation separa-tion of church and state. While the rights of the religious provided they subscribe to the Judeo-Christian Judeo-Christian view and the unborn are at the forefront of government concern con-cern and have the full backing of the state's considerable financial resources, our elected officials have once again shown a callous disregard for the rights of the living. Despite appeals by care providers for the poor to be allowed to make their case for a $9.7 million appropriation ap-propriation to prevent program cutbacks cut-backs and help poor families keep pace with inflation, Gov. Bangerter insisted on restricting the agenda at the recent special session of the State Legislature to only the most pressing issues held over from the regular legislative session. I guess the plight of the homeless and hungry does not qualify as a pressing issue. Bangerter and the legislature are equally nonplussed, I suppose, about the findings of a recent re-cent report which stated many of Utah's school children are malnourished and go to bed hungry every night. The fact that a typical $402 monthly welfare grant is inadequate for a family of three, does not keep pace with inflation, and does little to enable a family to climb the economic ladder to self-sufficiency must not be a pressing issue either. I presume the attendant child abuse, crime and unemployment arising from inadequate funding of human services is also a matter of blissful unconcern. Bangerter and our legislators would undoubtedly assure us they care very deeply for the needs of the indigent and less fortunate. There just isn't enough money to go around, was the latest and all too familiar excuse the governor used in refusing to hear any appeals to reopen the budget process, in a budget totalling several billions of dollars, it is just too much to expect our government officials to somehow find another $9.7 million to help the poor. Yet, somehow the state found the meager wherewithal to find $550,000 for a building construction construc-tion feasibility study, a controversial controver-sial $10 million loan to McDonnell Douglas to prevent it from making good on its threat to leave the state, and fine tune an abortion law which many experts consider ill-advised and will cost the state untold millions to defend in court. My point is not that the state shouldn't spend money on some of these issues. If our elected officials want to run hither and yon like latter-day Don Quixotes tilting at legal windmills such as abortion and school prayer, then so be it. At leastif nothing else--it will provide pro-vide grist for the humor mills of national political cartoonists and radio talk show hosts. But our elected officials shouldnt tell citizens how deeply they truly care for the downtrodden and the indigent, but just don't have the resources to do anything for them and expect anyone to believe them. Perhaps Bangerter and our legislators would do well to remember re-member that an investment in human resources is every bit if not more important as constructing buildings and roads when it comes to investing in Utah's future. Politicians are fond of mouthing such platitudes as "people are our greatest resource." Well now is the time for them to put taxpayer money where their mouth is. It may be politically correct and astute to express concern for the poor, but the old saying "money talks" still applies. |