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Show Vemai Express Wednesday, April 27, 1994 mmm byJackWallia (you (ttttukgJrm 3? m Endangered Species Act A report recently released by a property-rights group advocating market-driven reform of the Endangered Species Act, charged that the two-decade-old act has cost taxpayers millions without saving a single animal or plant. As Congress mulls over the law's reauthorization, the regulations should be replaced with incentives for private-property owners to protect the land, said a group of Congressional members supporting the report made public by the National Wilderness Institute. "The Endangered Species Act is out of control", said Robert Gordon, executive of the group who outlined out-lined the 60-page report compiled from Department of Interior documents on costs associated with enforcement enforce-ment of the law. The report has been attacked by environmental groups who say it ignores the good done by the law and who question the name of the conservative land-management land-management think tank and its motives. "They are trying to disguise their real agenda," said Michael Crook, a spokesman for the National Wilderness Federation. The report points out that landowners who discover an endangered species on their property have no incentive to report it, as it could mean litigation or loss of the use of the land. "Today, people are terrified that they are going to find an endangered species on their property and they certainly have no incentative to protect it," said Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., one of the four lawmakers who joined in the release of the report. Rep. Richard Armey, R-Texas, said a system of rewards or tax breaks for private land owners who nuture wildlife makes far more sense than a system that threatens them with fines for not protecting wildlife. The report notes that the few species that have been taken off the endangered list, including the peregrine falcon, were saved not by that law but by other measures, mea-sures, such as the ban of the pesticide DDT. In inflation-adjusted dollars, the cost of 306 recovery recov-ery plans implemented since the passage of the act has totaled more than $884 million, according to the report. Those costs, for such things as purchasing habitat, do not include such expenses as local government govern-ment costs to comply or lost tax revenues for businesses busi-nesses affected by the act, the report said. The most expensive recovery plan to date, an estimated esti-mated $88 million, has been for the Atlantic green turtle. tur-tle. The law has had negligible impact on the turtle's population, however, according to the report. 'YOU must 7 BEHAVE' ml iSr 1 M 73 'ARKESTTMKT NJAM toy J PUBLIC FORUM LETTERS TO THE EDITOR What is your opinion? The Express welcomes letters from its readers concerning any subject pertinent to the Uintah Basin. There are no restrictions as to contents, If not libelous or vindictive and of reasonable length. Letters must be submitted exclusively to the Express and bear the writer's full name, signature, phone number and address. The name or names of those submitting letters must appear on all published pub-lished letters. All letters are subject to condensation. Letters express the opinion of the writer and are not necessarily the opinion of the 13 years Dear Editor, Thirteen years in the Basin. What at trip! Was it worth it? You bet! Was there sorrow? Some. Was there joy? More than my bucket could hold. I ate dust, baked my brains and froze my toes at Pelican Lake. I got whiplash and a queasy stomach from watching the roller coaster ride of Uintah County politics. I saw the collapse of tome and the tenacity of others oth-ers in going through the narcotic euphoria of boom time and the cold turkey withdrawal of bust I saw bright kids sink and beaten-down kids soar in the life-dance we call schooling. But most of all, I saw me. I saw me timidly tiptoeing, staggeringly stumbling, bow-necked charging and amorously ambling through the best 1 3-year grow th period of my life. Uintah County has been good to me. Every time 1 offered something to it, I was given the chance to contribute and grow from that giving. It didn't make any difference whether it was with the irrigation pumper's committee or Farm Bureau or kids acting out or being abused or parents frantically searching frr better skills, t ended up with way mart than I ever gave, 1 got the time and the ckneness to build a losing, successful partnership wiihmy wife. tt was Here thai a tennis team was created when Jason was loo small and hadn't )ct ft. bod tut sit foot 13 thai would be needed for the basketball or football thai he at4 m much. This is where Tan) a. Rachel, and Hillary not only teamed id be lop swimmer but kerned the marc valuable skills of working through squahWe and fusses and the up and downs of keeping a lem together, This is where Susan, the kids, and I became family. This is whrtt I sond my ground tad rngsfed in the bottle of downing (he fiery brrsh pf roy old dragons from the part, This is when I was hie to to erry skill gned frm ri drenching. hUtfer breaking practical ttpctie&c and the Mrl pf oai ervfy and religious philosophy tod the ry M foild school &i etmm if fart v ff. tad parrots so OVy. in b r7pcrf i4ctn to mrel Ifcnf lwds pf learning M lfe, This has Snrtj a plt pf doevtuoa 4 dUWe, pf tHlk$ifg a4 prag thai' Wf4, pf t"!llifig w ta ppople pf trfrTH pmrptians, n&J lising ftty hrlf thrf a!) pf us Sr-fT! at tmanef & srf tha nay pe of Us U tfae Klkfe pf ffpe'! the fJ pf stwJrots of risk )M-h t too pv t w44 rtti Kiif, even i&MtMPia(wJ!t-, to find &e r-l iiKl?4f 4 Nl p'it UH?. ff t4 ? Yo tl A pf fh tM tJ pmttimiep wiOi Vo4t CWf 4 h 1Um t K sfwoa M fn tY I J ).. Al ttMl Phosphate mlno to recchro honors pf tM. (- 14 M mc4 M tMMrf Saimwj In4 W rmlir!tio prmpiem S 44 ftt 4 j-a s 4Mntif Mf fAm hv t J-Z-trn-Hltl 'Hii4 f rSWlWMI ffiN ShmMI ( SMI Th fsi f iiwiit ih SiiwHf h4 ft it tVytn J"?V nf asVrnt H w. TV Sm- trMH! nl ittft 'tar Ops frf 'TV eHr? I1 iit f w awf- I t" w. ftts fjr. - r?L 'Ttrr Sr" I Education response Dear Editor, In response to Marilyn Clayton's letter of April 20 there are a few statements state-ments that cry out for a response. There is a distinct difference between capital outlay (the budget used for building upgrades and vehicle purchases) purchas-es) and maintenance and operation (the budget used to pay teacher salaries and reduce class size). The district cannot take money from capital outlay and place it in maintenance and operation. The only way to place money in maintenance and operation is from the money received from the state for each child who attends our schools and a voted leeway which as Marilyn pointed out is now a mute issue. The school board does not have the authority to levy a two mill increase without a public vote. They can legally levy a one mill increase, but under state law this money can only be used for class size reduction. As for the contract with Honeywell to upgrade heating, lighting and security in our buildings, this was a wise decision and one that was not undertaken lightlyagain light-lyagain this was a guaranteed savings plan. If at the end of (he year the district does not show savings in its heating and light bills, Honeywell will write a check for the difference. The district took out a low interest loan to pay for the improvements. In theory, if the improvements had not been made it would have cost the district in the long run and not saved them money. Again it did not affect the maintenance and operation budget This was capital outlay, also, the light bulbs that were replaced were not thrown away but will be sold to the public at reduced cost "Trickle-down savings" sav-ings" if you will. As for her request to Tire the two assistant superintendents superinten-dents at the district office, I can't keep up with either of them, and they earn every dime they make. We are not lop heavy in this district. Marilyn asked the board to "Do what you have to pay your teachers decent wages." The board has done thaL They went to the public and asked for the money they needed and w-ere answered with a resounding "No." Marilyn, you have a right to be angry and defensive of the teachers who educate our children but your anger is misdirected at the School Board. All the voting citizen must uke responsibility for the decision they made on March 8. UNDA STRODE Vernal l!4 Ktlx-hHiloN) f-t $ t tUfc fV-4 Express tiM m m wmnm I' hss ; wm wtfH t4 4 mm h Pm utr-m f mi f-.iiii i"lW vm Sa-.i. JHtH ft t W3W ajM)(a a HBaP S)v w Applaud Education system concern Dear Editor, t am deeply (ooccraed ahoul put ediciiacu) system, la meal wks, t hast found (tat the community is vrry tmaware of the ttcclfcnt pmgfm pftftvd at Ashky Valky High School tl brfhers me to koow ihai pwpte don'i know ahoui or twckrsiMd 0 woadertut program. Hett faoa hoard ckxiuofts ti roe to worry thai this program may he lottL tl ws (Tied to help students hor&e prodwtist irtircas it tht Qommtutf, The pro-am oflm wide arsey of chokes to help smdeots trcfe (beiT Ml pceiil The Mfcsi4u) Hasis oo twh we opttsU sdrtiti' fWs ph sjlts svrlM aisd hirs them Mw sftefgiht, hcipc rh sn4ei to tsncome sejf dmv4 lie rF$uWity for and ptide mi IUwwIst. This tips to ptvpmt N I wpfJ Ms, ?Ui4rtu w wme with Msle of m amt wh prt, ty 4 i of onf4asl., 1 1 M f 6 oo tbiaot cM "ry Oms pf wa4 i M of its tW prf wlxi tre st IN 4cos mt i(p4 pffWssi m4 tuMnmuty jppts fvcet-4 -i f4a(4Kaof sMSns, t) (oahftse to 4ik$w tl f9y cji t(fiprti if t jii fs s4 ftwtli pw, CnOMfcjy itisvtltwttwM is irvw a4 nrrMiy. f( Im to rira i4 oHkf to M 5f 4 M li rkv&mi tjtrsAm Vwi Dear Editor, Some of my friends and I want to applaud Marilyn Clayton for her heroic voice and her position on the current crises in education and in our schools. My friend and I were talking and he said even a few people like Marilyn could take us out of the never-never land of current educational practice and thinking. My friend says we need to follow some modern day heroic parents who recently brought an injunction against the schools and closed them down until certain principles, goals and directions were put on line... My friend believes the ordinary people have lost control of their schools like they have of their government; minority rule has become the power structure. He says we need to watch what the gays are doing now in Colorado. It's scary how they are demanding equal time to teach their life style to our children. My friend says our course must be fixed on the educational standards and principles that founded our great nation. He says we must re-institute education edu-cation upon the strong moorings of the Fathers. Only excellent educational principles can create excellent results. James Burtchall recently said, ambitious but improvident leaders have suppressed our schools' Christian immune systems, and leadership predominantly pre-dominantly "of no faith or a hostile faith or an intimidated faith," a gorgon bead of reformer who continues to lead and insure the decline and death of the American way. My friend says real education has a divine mission and goals that are based upon the great educational truths and principles of Christian-Hebrew and Greek cultures: a divine perspective, and does not oscillate in response to all the political, social and educational trends and fashions of our limes. My friend quoted Abraham Lincoln: "...towering genius disdains a beaten beat-en path. It seeks regions hitherto unexplored. It sees no distinction in adding story to story, upon the monument of fame, erected to the memory of others, tl denies that it is glory enough to serve under any chiefs It thirsts and bums for distinction, tad if possible, it will have it, whether at the expense of emancipating slaves or enslaving freemen." (Don E. rxbrenbacher(l94)p.4) The genius dvat matters most, my friend says, Is safely enclosed in meek ness and if anchored in righteous purposes. Without this anchor and rudder, rud-der, our educational ship, Uke our natioft will he lost at sea and crash upon "These are times thai try men's touts and tall the herok in all of us into righteous action " My friend m sad t he lie he is nght JAY VAN WAGONER Vernal Hometown politics lately ft Warned M fatf ki, homnown, grans foots fpro pn jv t's-e tome to the touch M tta of ft art not t( fhry to ht t st ton to hrUrs Ik karff mjj of pewf4 pM 5erif! Uoj'4 Mess-few m office Un (tact to f mm Ut The p W 4 $y -t4 nsorf prafet! police 4r, tvtht t t.imvt TVy 4 hm s i to! of 4r4 4 M mw44 to t tteMWsf tM s4 Hnr4s4 f pn4psiikl. pm4tie fwryif , 4 tr of all hpy Md sJmrift wt sAi Ml ht yri ti IN W&mt pmqiK &m 4 pM tr i Wis XU pfsM flntvsl I Vs4 Mfewn. m4 Ml wsJ? i tsty opinion, M i prtal iwswmmws of pwtf4, f( sjKff Ms 4tmt h f Wy sa ti( iaifaf pK of tAt Vomica ejet p? 3 Tho volco of businoss rights an ift'qfpninlttvTNt ws'iwuw e a srtsHl fw wstiM't sio hw me4 tescs f t3w4L m4 Mm A,4s. 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