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Show Opinion and Commentary 2 Vernal Express Wednesday, April 3 , 1996 JACK-STRAWS by Jack Wallis Raising Park Fees This Easter weekend is not a good time to consider raising fees at national parks and monuments, but this is what Congress is doing. A visit to a national park, Utah has five, may be boosted to $20 for a family of four instead of the present pre-sent $5 fee. Also senior citizens will pay the regular fee and 16 and younger will pay the regular fee and those 12 or younger would get in at half-price under the new proposal. The U.S. Park Service receives slightly more than $1 billion from Congress for operating the more than 350 national parks and monuments and collects about $80 million in fees from visitors. According to Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, chief architect archi-tect of the bill to increase fees, "We're trying to put some money into the hands of the Park Service." He said the current fees subsidize park visitors, most of whom would prefer to pay their own way. Congress for years has struggled with proposals to boost entry and user fees at national parks, which face mounting repair backlogs at a time of scarce federal money. A current bill is being supported mostly by Republicans. Some Democratic critics say the bill goes too far and will prevent millions of elderly and poor families from enjoying the beauty of some of America's greatest natural and historical treasures. In an attempt to blunt criticism, supporters agreed to take out of the bill provisions that would have imposed fees on the disabled and the blind, and decided decid-ed against charging visitors for using bathroom facilities. facili-ties. Besides charging senior and younger visitors the new bill would establish fees on a per-person basis, instead of by carloads. Caps on fees would be eliminated, elimi-nated, so in some parks fees could soar. Also, for the first time, charge fees to go into visitor centers, and increase fees for camping and other services would be included. Presently, most fees are capped at $3 per person and $5 per carload at parks and monuments where fees are charged. But an entry fee of $10 per carload is charged at Yosemite National Park and the Grand Canyon. Another viewpoint in raising the entry fees is that people are more likely to understand the irreplaceable value of these sites if they have to pay a little extra to enter. Perhaps, they won't be as inclined to destroy or to spread trash. Park Service Rangers may not have to spend so much time controlling crime within parks. Rather than a one-price-fits-all fee, a more reasonable reason-able fee schedule based on size and amount of resource and amount of development should determine deter-mine the amount of fee charged. Flexible fees for the time of the year. Off-season periods should have lower fees than popular over-crowded times. Where it is not practical at low visitor times, fees should not be charged. If extra and higher fees are charged there must be some provision that insures that these fees go directly toward park maintenance. Under the current system, much of the money generated from entry fees disappears disap-pears into the federal treasury, never to be seen again by the parks. There is a critical balance that needs to be kept in mind between, the need to preserve and maintain our national parks and monuments and the fairness of access to the poor and elderly as well as the general public. After all, what good is gained if no one can afford to visit a national treasure. Conversely, who wants to visit a site that is no longer worth seeing because of neglect? PUBLIC FORUM LETTERS TO THE EDITOR What is your opinion? The Express welcomes letters let-ters from its readers concerning any subject pertinent perti-nent to the Uintah Basin. There are no restrictions as to contents, if not libelous or vindictive and of reasonable length (two typewritten double spaced pages). Letters must be submitted exclusively to the Express and bear the writer's full name, signature, phone number and address. Letters may be mailed, faxed at 789-8690 or through e-mail at editoreas-ilink.com. editoreas-ilink.com. The name or names of those submitting letters must appear on all published letters. All letters let-ters are subject to condensation. Letters express the opinion of the writer and are not necessarily the opinion of the Express Editor. Welfare Dear Editor, I'm a single mother of two on welfare. I've been on welfare for the last two years and I think it's about time that the government is trying to change the system. Food stamps arc one form of welfare aid. The stamps allow people to buy food. It is illegal to buy alcohol, cigarettes, or anything else but food with food stamps. However. I know of people who trade their food stamps (that should be feeding their children) for money to satisfy sat-isfy their own selfish needs. Cash benefits also can be used for satisfying selfish needs instead of paying the gas bill to keep their children warm or paying the electric elec-tric bill so they have electricity. Recently, all recipients of welfare have been issued a card, much like a credit card, that prevents illegal use of food stamps and issues no change with a purchase. This is good because stamps are not wasted by purchasing f gum. candy, etc. to get change for cigarctics and alcohol. alco-hol. Unfortunately, the card docs not limit what the cash benefits can be used for. So there are still ways that people can abuse not only the system but their own children. I currently receive financial aid. food stamps and Medicaid; but I'm not one who abuses the system. Since I have been on welfare, I have gone back to high school, and I am currently working toward my diploma. I There aw two side of reforming welfare. One is to 'provide for children; the other is to stop the abuvc of children by the bpumj of welfare, I One way the government is trying to provide for children chil-dren is by propming a bill that Males that people should 'only be on welfare for a total of two yean with no : Express (ISSN 0892-1091) ') t v M d w4 r wnm fMt MUM Y M a ;Me V V p-tp fSWna Cr? W Vm V. U" t9- . t ; im , , .. , 4 i k n fv . ...Amttr t jms ! Vt -m. . 0mm ,, ,,,,.,...,. . , mmmm., tW , tFyi .,. . .. , , m ww r 'mm exceptions. The bill would give benefits to children currently cur-rently on the program; but if a mother conceives while on the program, she would not receive any money for that child. The problem I see happening is that this would result in an increase of abortions because the mother would have no means of supporting the child or because she became pregnant just for more money and now would not receive it. To avoid an increase in the number of abortions, another bill was proposed that said if the mother gave her unborn baby up for adoption, she would receive $2,000 in return. This certainly reduces the possibility of an increase in abortions but what about women getting get-ting pregnant on purpose just for the money? One case worker commented that Utah would then be in the baby selling business. These two bills have their faults. However, two years on welfare would give single mom's like me a chance to become self-sufficient. My personal situation gives me an opportunity to go to school and also spend time with my children. This situation will change because of people who abuse the welfare system. Wouldn't it be better to give me a chance to finish my education and be a productive member of the community communi-ty rather than being on welfare for the rest of my life, like so many others before me? If I can graduate from high school and maybe even college and get a good paying job rather than trying to support my children on a minimum wage job or two or three, I can spend time with my children teaching them to be productive members of society instead of raising children who will create another cost to society through rehabilitation centers and juvenile court. My point is that my children will always come first and right now welfare gives me the opportunity to stay home with my children and teach them morals and family fam-ily values while getting an education. MICHELE STL'BBS Vemal Diabetes class Dear Editor. I recently aiicnded a diabetes class at Ashley Valley Medical Center taught by Joann Durbin R.N. from the Diabetes Treatment Center. The class was very well done, and both Joann and Joyce Buhler R.D. did an excellent job getting information across in terms people could understand. The land of the free? And the home of the brave . YUP HIS TA1LUSHT IS OUT ALLRI&HTA. Wfitoeat cgiaaraunfee omdeired Last week a Utah commissioner of the Department of Agriculture signed an emergency order to impose a quarantine on the movement move-ment of grains and other possible hot materials into Utah from areas affected by the fungus, karnal bunt. The Utah quarantine is adopted from a federal quarantine by reference refer-ence which was signed by the U.S Department of Agriculture Secretary U.S. Dan Glickman. The . areas under quarantine include the state of Arizona and certain areas of New Mexico and Texas. Karnal bunt is a fungal disease of wheat, durum wheat and triticale which was detected in durum seed grown in Arizona earlier'' this month. . , Commissioner Cary G.'Peterson is calling for a statewide survey of wheat and wheat seed products in Utah to detect the presence of the Karnal bunt fungus. The UDA and the USDA APHIS are requesting the Utah wheat farmers farm-ers and wheat seed dealers check their inventory immediately for wheat or wheat seed purchased from Arizona suppliers during the past several months. Infected durum wheat varieties are Reva: lot I or 2 and Durex lot 1. Report the discovery of such wheat to the Utah Department of Aericulture at (801) 538-7123. The USDA pledges to reimburse farmer dealers for any losses. The action is prompted by a USDA quarantine placed on Arizona, as well as four counties in New Mexico and two counties in Texas. ' U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Dan Glickman declared the discovery of karnal bunt fungus as "extra-ordinary emergency" after the fungus was detected March 8 in two durum wheat seed lots in Arizona. Since then the fungus has been detected in New Mexico and Texas. The UDS's roll in their effort is to work with other states and federal agencies agen-cies so Utah can be reasonably certain cer-tain that remains free from karnal Recruitment bunt fungus. The infected grain does not enter the state. Karnal bunt adversely affects the color, odor and payability of flour and other foodstuffs made from wheat. It does not present a risk to human health. To date karnal bunt has been confined con-fined to four varieties of durum wheat Reva, Occotillo, Durex and Kronos. Durum wheat, a specialty spe-cialty wheat crop, comprises only 4.7 percent of the total wheat produced pro-duced in the United States in 1995-1996. begins for service The United States Department of Agriculture has begun recruiting for the AmeriCorps National Service Project that the Department will run in Vernal starting in mid May. AmeriCorps is President Clinton's national service initiative that allows diverse groups of young people to earn college or vocational school scholarships while performing perform-ing critical service to meet human, environmental, public safety and educational needs. Participants in the program will work for approximately approxi-mately six months earning a stipend of at least S4.000 and then receive an educational award worth $2,300. The 14 participants in the Ashley National Forest program will restore historic sites, improve tim- sites ber stands, make recreation accessible, rehabilitate campgrounds, camp-grounds, install interpretive signs and improve trout habitat. Any citizen from the Uintah Basin, age 17 or older, with a high school diploma or working toward a GED is eligible to apply for the program. However, it is anticipated that most participants will be between 18 and 25 years of age. There is no maximum or minimum family ineome required to apply. To apply for the program or obtain more information, call Ladecn Schillinger at Job Service at 801-789-1211. Applications will be accepted until the close of business on April II, 1996. I am glad we have additional resources in our community com-munity to help people with diabetes understand and deal with this complex disease. I look forward to working work-ing with Joann and Joyce to further diabetes education in our area. LYNNE CAGON, BSN Diabetes Educator. Umtah Basin Public Health VJH of the Vernal Jr. High School for the friendship that was extended to our daughter while she attended school there. The faculty was helpful and the students were friendly. friend-ly. She enjoyed her new clashes and it was fun making new friends. It was extremely nice that a pcrsonts) returned her lost "Walkman." RUBY and CLYDE NASH Vernal Dear Editor We would like to commend the students and faculty .iftvm 'w&m 4S CNr- am4 . .. . ....... TMJ 1 tMM'mt Sm?mt ... !? Voice of Business Score another U.S. Chamber victory by Dr. Richard L. Lesher President U.S. Chamber of Commerce WASHINGTON - "It ain't bragging," Muhammcd Ali said in one of his more memorable quips, "if you can do it." On the first day of February, the U.S. Chamber scored a major legal victory for business which reinforces our position as the country's most effective advocate of buMWM interests. On that date, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the U.S. Chamber"! thallenge to President Clinton's Executive Order 12934 barring the federal government from contracting with corporations corpora-tions that hire permanent replacements for striking worker. Originally iued on March 8. 1993, and put into effect by the U.S. Department of Labor in June, that order a a blatant attempt by the Clinton administra tion to upt a generation of established labor law, in open defiame of tmgreional w ill, in order to score pnJitka) points with labor unions. The right to hire permanent replacements during economic strikes was established in the National LM Relations Act in 1935 and urquentty upheld by the Supreme Court in the case of NLRB v. Mackay Radio and Telegraph Company. (The right pertains only to economic strikes and docs not cover situations where workers are striking over alleged unfair work practices or violations of labor law ) The unions had sought repeatedly to have the law changed over the yean without success, President Clinton's Executive Order as a blatant effort to circumvent Congress and the Courts in order to strengthen the hand of labor unions, which provide substantial polili cal support to the Clinton administration. If allowed to stand, the order would have helped provoke a new era of labor unrest which the new regime at the Al L-CIO is eagerly committed to, with potentially devastating effects on our economy, The stakes in this dispute are significant. Strikes in the United States have declined dramatically since the 1970s, Overall work stoppages in the I9H are about one-fourth the rate of the 1970s and one half the rate of the I9WH, But eliminating the right of employers to hire permanent replacements for striking einpkees would give unions a free hand to disrupt the wtk place at will. Of course. Clinton's Executive Order m4 rM apply W everyone, but its reach v4 have been ttm-siderable. ttm-siderable. In 1994. federal procurement exceeded MDO billion and omMitwted 6 3 percent of the jrrm domestic product. As of 1993. approsimately Jfi mil linn workers, or 22 percent of the wk farce., were employed by federal contractors and subcontractors, In its decision, the three judge panel of the appeals court concluded that "the Executive Order is regulatory regulato-ry in nature and is pre empted by the National Labor Relations Act hich guarantees the right to hire permanent per-manent replacements,' This is a significant ruling because it is one of the first opinioni clearly to delineate the powtf of the p,tidcnl vi-a-vi Congress and his power to regulate through esetutive orders. The U.S. Chamber's successful suit was filed hy our affiliate, the National Chamber Litigation center whkh is the only public service legal organisation committed to repreoeming hvines interests in the courts. Preiden Clinton has directed the Gepartmefll of JuMke to appeal the ca either to the entire appeals court or to the U S. Supreme Court. Wberesvr the case is heard, we will be there repre senting business. Haley Barbour, chairman of th Republican National Committee, said recently that dues paying members of the U S Chamber of Comment gel their money's worth. This cae offers sterling example of why that h trwe. |