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Show Opinion and Commentary 2 Vernal Express y.ecr-esaa Octet 23. 2002 JACK-STRAWS by JackWaili Online auction fraud VoidirV the I loh Ifcvisk! ot Consumer PfoksUni. as the o. xiiiv. downturn starts to settle Uil biH' j.ros the ci-cliUS Mull) VllH.th.all-. Ole tindjii,.' ik hit-h k 't wa)s I" slickh toliulv Kid'cls 4 .JI. the at!,. aJ,J tl.k'lllCt ha'.C hx.HC the pi.fc.Cs tV ha. i.- !,HJ!td to help L'ct tfU'ttl these "lKif!l tllllCS With 'he help ! "Ik "t the tcW thriving UIXIVOfs ol the Ititci'kt N ni the ..,'ilnn.' aiklxn. iiujiV tajiulics OlC lUi'i "M loV lull..' iKjJkVmkJ hohfHCs. ktlkk klkfcks clk'sHbies fjlhcilll;: deist 01 ki thcl htHlsC h.,1 ! ,v: : iik! iiiin n ... h ikeJcd cash t' .1 a, m.4c k.H.'.ull-.l t,ill l. the Wc'b hi hclf lii.Si h.ad I . ! i n v..i--.iiikI Jli4ccl HI ottklals Cvvt I" v .i. Willi. 'iial us s "I "oliik, ttaud I ,J 1,.1-C a klUK.ll "! ICsiyHIUlg cOllsUllkl tlvliL .:k! luliipili.' itkll, said llalkllk- (ilall! ..l.t.vi"! I l if, lr.isi..ji i, I t , .iinuhkT lioktnnt tiiilK auctions haVC .il.IVs IkCII tat! I CO.) pick .ll.x 1,4 v.alll aJtl.U s II(nl. vi'loulnc'ls go to ilk' wch a l.li vlWi hkI Kivci atkl ax Vopk- stall .king 1,1 K Ik i -uk! Ktki ckal. ihe ihaikes ol tl.ilki llktc.le J'JMi.,:ix.ill, " .codiiig li ( ii mi 1 il nul liau.l is ilk largest uU ,, vi,ii, uuki v'.ii'l'l.imlx ituiii'J by lle I tah Ikpaltiiklil il lunula . 1IVIniiII ill ( iMIsUltkl liti.li.'ii I iiiii.' itk -I v..it aikt thai ttcikl appeals Uli.ttuktl Jlt.il iii.iolit il ihosc complaints IIIV'il.i.- lnUiitil aikln'ii. In tlk Calls da V sot (ii. liiWliK-l a distant live MX XV. lis ac'o ctMlsMllk'ls vk , K kviv nl tlk' IK tcchtkilo gV alki Ov lolillIU K U' IIHuh IlluK' kautluus III ilk II imiiih,- Hiuluwx Nnw ikix v Aiiti ilk' vnhan niU'ial an. I as n 'I. vl pait ul mil liu1, 1 .lit kssikss anJ Hi.il Will 11 XI Ii IW l ausiil in hi lu Ik i, ul Ik Uv lulls Ax Ik ii Inkliki niiniii. in. was a ik w viiki'l Vi JU' vkiiv otwiikU ikiv.'IIn iUinl aliiKsl all) unliik' (Htlvtux' Ik ili.l iimH Iih'jhIi Ikluic luiiiliiilliiii' l all 1 1 1 U I ik t Hiivtijsx'. I nam saul In ilk' t'al l ilas ilk- vb llu- iiiiii.tnih sa I i-U" lit k'lls alkl tlllllilUlls ul iK'II.IIn Sua ll.lVs II IS ll4 UlklMIIIIKIII i4 tiMliplailils lu Ik 11 1 m uial lliousaikl ik'llals taii tnins. she sa)v uMisunitrx oxcrkn.4 obxwos sjyiis ul (Ja.i!tial IrauJ in their xejch for a "gond Ii is 4k- thinf u go mi l Ba aJkt bid in xomelhing that is up l4 aixtHHl Inxil J tk-orlx CsLabhsik'iJ StU-ci. StU-ci. she vi Bat m spxikl huiklrcds or LkkisaJkls, oi Jullaiv uvcrk4iiijj i.kai iLwgzr signs, just because sou think K will sum; 4 tc vkilLafs is unvuse." (iuiii sj s 4sv k his sinx xf fuuJ can be auctKas of ik.l iik-asi.U twins vikb as high-vnd digital cam-cias cam-cias t l plaxcis idvi recorders that are in Skhurt suppk in Ktail st.rn.-s Vain artists she sa)s, U1 post nuiikHHis aixti'Hi advcittsiiii; these items at remark- all k vk pikes I.hi. uik n than ik( the- seikr turns out k be oul-skk oul-skk the I mwd States, m wants tm k pa by Western tii.in " (Hani js " In tlkise tircumstanees, the alarm hviU hukl bejini linking in the back of your tiiiii.l u aie K ins.' ssaiinik.-d It uhi go through with ik 'k.ii C iiitsuiiwi liukaion. the t Bl, tBay or piob-ahl piob-ahl ai.,Hk els, will be- unable lo recover your iik ilk v I he k.nisiiiik-1 has in K- his or her ftr4 line of vk telisi- It s thai old Hied adaiie. if U Is Uk gtHkl to be Hue U pii4allx is a svam Collsuiik-l piiikvliull adiikdtes. (ilalll sa)S OUkl like lu see lnkiiki k.niipaiiies be much nkre aggrei-sue aggrei-sue in taking ik- lead 111 c! torts to proievl buyers from stains (Miik i. tympanies hae pxiliek's and proce-duies proce-duies in pl.ke legaiding euiisunwr protection, she sa liui she helieses iliex .ould Jo more lo halt auc-iiinis auc-iiinis thai hae ilw ek iik'nts ot many tf the nKre com- llllUI M. .1111 x "When siMiktMk' m Ki'tiiania. x ith no previous sell-in.' sell-in.' Iiisini is I'lleuii.' six ( anon digital eanwras that aie in sin. h ik'in.ukl thai the) aren't available even in a I. hit New V'lk ( u ptioio shop, it shouldn't take a hkkel svkinisi to lijuie out that ma) he that auction should he lulled "' slk- sas "Hut auction houses don't appeal lo waul lo lake ilk' lead in protecting the buyer, the) seem lo laihei lei the consumer try lo pick up the pieces allei llk base been wclimued. PUBLIC FORUM LETTERS TO THE EDITOR What is yoof otniwoii '' Itif I upress nvelcornes k;l tt'is horn its fH4fc!s (oih tirruivg any sutOi:t jerti-rt!n jerti-rt!n to ttK) Uint.th Basm Tliere an no lestnctKMis as lo cofitonts rf not liU ioos 01 vindictive ami ol MJdsorktttki kcKjth (to tyiK-wntU-n ik)ut)te spaced pair's) tftli'fs must W suUnith'd enclusively to tte Extxess aixl ii hi Alitor & lull name, signa tuio, prxxK) nuinUji and addmss Letters lor the fcok.' tktrpose ot fiptessnnj tlianks to individuals oc groups ill not t pnnlcd in tti luium tetters may tm maiknl Uitxl at 8l.i hti'KJ or lliiouyh e mail at editor vernal com I tie name or names of those submitting k'tteis must ap(xar on all published let lors All ktters aie suti."( I lo condensation Letters express the opinion ot the writer and are not necessarily nec-essarily the opinion ot the t upress Editor Helicopter impact I K II lIlliH Vxe in.iv no! Ii.oe vei i'ihkI aeslhelie visum kii hoi Ik' lias solik' llitlli's piked lli.ll ll.ive (Jli.il sigiull laike lo us. but mi. hi in it he .im ilk. ill) ,tv.iling I veil so Me .iiliinl ill it a tu n m lead aUml llie hell njii i U-iiig pl.u i d in limii ol ihe courthouse we weie IkH I'llltlllslaslk .ilmul lilt idea (like we lead about lh. delatls ol H Ik inr' hioiij.'lil lo eiu.il. il hi on, 'til Ii.k k iihiiM4tes nl shi ik ei) living. k isuu.il aii.l i in, 'in hi, il links dial w.ti It.ts inllieled Wc Ilk n li.nl a vctv ililii n nl jvispi'iliu' .ilx ml its iiniiitikiil pl.Ketik iil in Vi in.il Sow thai il is sci uiej. vxe aie iiiiHi'ssJ ik4 ihiK wild its pieseikc hul alsii the iinp.kl on how nun Ii iiHie il iii.ule us nsk'tl and appiciialc Iving itneiis ol the I ntled Stales ol Aiikiti d We aie piin.l lu have a nnlil.ii) heliiupui slain Miiil at our n mi l In him' as a token ol applet, tat ton In all Wk laiiM'l i III ii I I. ill and ilk' I S We appiiii.ile all Ilk liaid wmk and i Mull Ihi.iiic Ilall and olln Is have at , uinplishetl in the i lliHl lo keep cat Ii ol us jw ,ne ol ilk ; i.iiiiuik- .ni,l ileN we c.k Ii owe SI I VI and HI III Sll fill NSON Venial Only one person iVar I thlof. In ri I nxilovlej Senator He veil) I vans to seik her help in twinging alml nukh ikdkd ihanee lo ilk tiHTupt Disalnlii) iKleiniinaliiHi Serxkes Jivisi,hi ol the stale guvertiiik it whkh asxssis applkanls lor stale aid. Ihe Vnial Seiiuilv Administration etc . and usu.tllv denies applications and makes incorrect nted-ival nted-ival staieiikuts. even though the evidence before them isxleal. ll have ptoot ol this I iHtiing oui iIisaussioii Senator Kvans said, "I'm only one pci sou Whal can I do'-' Well, she ctmld have ptooi'd legislation lo try lo fix the problems, but she wouldn't She could have gotten together with some oilk-i legisl.tiois and lotiikd an investigative cotnnul-lee. cotnnul-lee. but slk- wouldn't Slk could have done some investigating hersell. but she wouldn't. If she feels she is ol no ellevl. in an) thing, because she is only one person, per-son, then why docs she want us lo re-elect her, and how can she expect us lo want to re eled her? When it conk's tune to vole in November. I could give her my vole, but I wouldn't I eikoui.iL'e all ihe voters lo try to find out what, if anvthing. then elected officials have done that has been positive lor ihem. their neighbors, their communities, then disiucl and out slate, instead of just re-electing someone out ol habit, or voting for someone they haven't done anv research on, yet somehow assume will do a good job KlfAI'l NMMilON ( itisher Initiative 1 Exp (ISSN 0892-1091 Pjdksrd vy W4rday tar J4 pe r srtaceasg m and I it ( rdr cwl at rtowng u wv ya and S 19 per ye out ol atakt w US by ts Varrot EisntM PiMiOng Co-npany b Noi Wna Imm Vamai Kfjh MO 79 Pe'ock potla-jt pd al Wamai uu tacn POSTMASTER Ssd aitteta ctvarsjea to VE f-ir.Ae f UPRESS PO Boa 1000 Varr uiat MOT Jack P) Maas . PuUofsai Saxan R WiCa Edaar and Co-Pjbasriar Vrraa Hamscc Faattxa Wmer P. Patrr Boakrjk Pjtc Noaca fet1 Hmmjkjn Advansng Jarcota Advaftasrtg Jo&tSrxm Ocuiation 4 DawAed Ad TaaMJ Rabnawi Advarban; and Layout Ptiona 4JsraSH FAX 435 7S690 atia wwm wama) cow a-ma aHor 9rm com Itf-ADUNhS . . . Morslay 12 isoon Dsiiay Artang Monday 5 pm Ciasd Adyenwng Monday 5 p m PabtcfaaaoM Monday 3pm I Vat I dilor. An initiative lo nutcase taxes and lees on low-level i.iilio.k live waste could prove disastrous for Utah farm-eis farm-eis and talk hers II an. tndustry-specitlc initiative is sikLcsslul. n w ill set the stage for other industries lo be i iiijeii-il. esvcially minoriiy ones like agriculture. In C.ilitoiiua and Oiegon. agricultural practices have ahead) Uen rcstticted by initiatives. Farm Bureau opuses governnk'tit by referendum, except as an absolute last resort I his new use of the ctlien initiative in Utah would case our icpuMic form of government lo deteriorate mio a puie democracy, where the voters decide every issue instead ol our elected lawmakers. Our republic toiin ol goveninkiii is the single most important pro-leilion pro-leilion lor a minority group like agriculture to avoid iailk.il. kpultsi driven ideas. The current effort is a diieci attempt lo bvpass our elected lawmakers and our republic form of governance. In fact, the legislature oviu.ill) increased the taxes and fees to Envirocare during dur-ing the JUKI legislative session; they just refused to iikreasi' them lo ilk1 extreme level Ulahns for Kadioactive Waste control wanted. Pesticide use in Utah, amendments to state water laws, or restrictions on agriculture production could all be laigeted by a cilien initiative system and an agriculturally agricul-turally uneducated, urban dominated populace would make the decisions. Environmental groups currently appealing HI M grazing permits illustrate just how much of a target agriculture has become. Proponents of this initiative failed to get enough of the required signatures under current law to put it on Ihe ballot But the court then ruled that the law governing govern-ing initiative petitions is unconstitutional, saying the law denies equal protection to large population counties. coun-ties. Farm Bureau says the opposite, that the law protects pro-tects smaller, rural counties from excessive dominance by urban voters. America was built on protection of minorities. Lawmakers will now craft a constitutionally-acceptable law, but this initiative must be defeated on Nov. 5. DIANE BATTY Uintah County Farm Bureau president Kindness Dear Editor, We wanted to thank everyone for all the acts of kindness kind-ness that you exwnded to us and our families after our Sept. 24 accident. Your many acts of kindness have touched us deeply and we are grateful for our family and friends. We also feel very fortunate to be part of such a wonderful community. com-munity. We are happy to be home. MEL and FAWN CURTIS FAMILY JONE and JAN MLNMCK FAMILY ! i I - I I I I Lii I Craig Stratton John Con ley Bill Kremin Charting the Course Rita Wetenkamp Brad McCellan Kam Pope Directions given for the future Every two years the Vernal Chamber of Commerce Government and Public Affairs Committee tries to get a feel for the direction of the community by hosting host-ing presentations from leaders in different fields. This year Nell Heeney, chairman of the committee, invited seven representatives rep-resentatives from various business sectors to speak at the Tuesday noon Chamber meeting. Categories were Oil and Gas, Craig Stratton and John Conley; Automotive, Bill Kremin; Hotel and Motel, Rita Wetenkamp; Saddles and Boots, Brad McClellan; Restaurants and Fast Foods Kam Pope; and Tribal Technology, Shanna M. Wopsock. Stratton said the oil industry is responsible for early 80 percent of Uintah County total economy. The industry is actually divided into two separate industries: operating companies com-panies and service companies. Stratton, who represents a service company, said that there are about 200 oil service companies in the Uintah Basin. "I would like to remind you that the tax base in Uintah County is about 80 percent dependent on the oil and gas industry," said Stratton. "Without the operating company, the service company would have to close up shop and go else where." "I don't believe it is a bad thing for the area to be so dependent on one industry," he said. "I believe it is just a matter of how you manage it." Stratton noted that over the past IS years the development of naturil resources in the Uintah Basin has shifted from mostly oil to mostly gas. Large service companies employ about 400 people and do most of their work in the Uintah Basin: Haliburton, 160 employees, 60 percent per-cent in Basin, 40 percent out; DowellSchlumberger, 120 employees, employ-ees, 60 percent in Basin, 40 percent out; BJ Services, 100 employee, 20 percent in Basin, 80 percent out. and Weatherford, 20 employees, 70 percent in Basin and 30 percent out. "I believe the Veritas Seismic Survey is very important to the future of oil and gas development," said John Conley. "We rely on your support of these project and if you don't participate you miss out on a chance." One of the reasons Conley gave for the shift to mostly gas production produc-tion is that since 1984 there have been no major oil Held discoveries. "What this industry needs from you is support for balanced land use planning," he said. Kremin said that there are three new car dealers and 8 used car dealers deal-ers in Uintah County. New car dealers deal-ers employ 66 residents and have a payroll of $2.5 million. Over the past S years cars sales taxes have increased 13.1 percent. New car sales tax last year was $106 million. Repair of vehicles generated $123 million in taxes over the past five years. In Uintah County there are 11,000 cars and 10,000 truck. "This is definitely a truck town," he said. "The new car industry in Vernal and Uintah County has been a very stable (pillar to the economy," Kremin said. "It has a combined 157 years of service in the county. Rita Wetenkamp said that despite 91 1 people are still traveling. "They are coming here to see the dinosaurs or float our rivers," she said. "I don't have a clue what will happen hap-pen in the future to tourism," she added. "There are so many things that contribute that I don't know." She said her occupancy since 91 1 is up. At first people came by car, but now people are flying again, she said. "Tourism has always been good to our community, and it will continue to be," she said. Major boosts to tourism will be the construction of the Cobble Rock Park and the new Utah Field House Shannon Wopsock of Natural History. Wetenkamp recommended rec-ommended that the old museum should be used for the Western Park museum rather than building another building next to the new state museum. "I think it would be too much in one place," she said. "If we had them separated, people would stay longer in the communi- y" McClellan said that the saddle business has deep roots in the community com-munity dating back to the early 1900s. McCkllan's business, McCol Saddles, produces 60 saddles sad-dles a month. They focus on a custom-type saddle. They employ 16 employees. They've increased production pro-duction 10 to IS percent yearly. "We look forward to a bright future," he said. "If you have a Vernal saddle, you can rest assured that it is the best saddle made anywhere." any-where." It takes about 40 hours to build a saddle which sells for $2,000 to $2,500. "Restaurants in Vernal have more competition than any other industry," indus-try," said Kam Pope, 7 11 Ranch Restaurant "There are approximately approximate-ly 58 eating establishment in Vernal." These include 17 sit down restaurants, restau-rants, 20 drive-ins, 13 convenience stores and S caters. "Almost every drive-in and restaurant are 50 percent understaffed under-staffed in Vernal," he said. "Restaurants are a good living, but if you are there because you want to get rich you're in the wrong business,' busi-ness,' he added. "They are there because they love restaurant work." Shannon M. Wopsock, with Uintah River Technology, said the Tribal business began in January 2001 with a state contract to update state computer records. The company compa-ny pay employee $9.17 an hour with benefits. They input 18, 000 to 25,000 records a week. It has 58 employees who live in Altamont, Duchesne, Roosevelt and Vernal. The company hopes to expand into a new building on the reservation. Let us work Dear Editor, As a subcontractor on the HORSE POINT 3D SEISMIC SEIS-MIC SURVEY I strongly urge you to fill out a comment com-ment and take it directly over to the BLM office here in Vernal. Our voices need to be heard if we want to continue con-tinue to develop oil and gas - a natural resource. Our livelihood cannot be taken for granted anymore. Seventy-seven percent of the tax revenue for Uintah County is generated by our work. Our 3D survey consists con-sists of 65 percent state of Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands. SITLA has given us the go ahead and has been very helpful in trying to persuade the BLM to move forward in a timely fashion. Wc are in urgent need to complete the survey before safety becomes a concern this winter. Late fall is also the time of least impact to the environment, (according to a BLM compliance report - after seismic the sod is normal nor-mal in appearance after the next spring's rain - a finding find-ing of no significant impact...) If we are the majority and want to fuel our local economy then we need to have our voices heard. Please fiU out the form and take it over to the BLM immediately as the public comment period closes Oct 24 - tomorrow. DAN SULLIVAN Vernal POOR |