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Show .Vernal Express, Public Forum Letters to the Editor ; What is your opinion? The Vernal Express welcomes letters from its readers concerning any ; subject pertinent to the Uintah Basin. There are no restrictions on contents, if not libelous, vindictive vin-dictive and in good taste. The letters need to be a reasonable length, two typewritten double spaced pages. Letters must be submitted exclusively to the Vernal Express and bear the writer's writ-er's full name, signature, phone number and address. Letters for the sole purpose of expressing express-ing thanks to individuals or groups will not be printed in the forum. Letters may be mailed to P.O. Box 1000, Vernal, Utah 84078, faxed at 789-8690 or through email at editorvernal.com. The name or names of the persons 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 necessar-ily the opinion of the Vernal Express Editor. V i ucab tci t vm )Q BIS BROTHER IS OUST CRAZY OVER HIS Knew used car NAW, HE'S MOSTLY .CRAZY UNDER IT; A1Q Wednesday, May 17, 2006 (NAW, HE'S MOSTLY) I VCRAZY UNDER IT Setting Utah priorities now By Jeff Bell The state's new budget year begins on July 1, and we, as legislator, leg-islator, have unfinished busi-'ness: busi-'ness: 1) sensible tax policy for funding education and 2) providing pro-viding dental and vision services servic-es for those most in need. While there are other important impor-tant gaps from incomplete work in the 2006 General Session of the Utah Legislature, we want to highlight two items. First, let's talk about sensible income tax policy. In all the hullabaloo hul-labaloo about tax changes by the 'Governor and our Republican colleagues in the Legislature, the most important piece of the equation is being left out: revenue rev-enue neutrality and the effect of their proposals on the Utah education system. All of the proposals would result in small (larger for higher-income taxpayers) tax-payers) reductions to taxpayers. The effect on revenues into the State education system would start at a minimum $70 million reduction to education funding, and the impact would grow over the years. It is time for the citizens of the State and Utah decision makers to make sensible tax changes that don't shortchange our children's future. We are ranked dead last in per pupil spending. Our classroom sizes are too big to give teachers the ability they deserve to do then-jobs. then-jobs. If we made the income tax changes revenue neutral, we tould reduce elementary school class sizes to 20, institute all-day kindergarten, and address class room sizes in middle schools and high schools. The recent Utah Foundation report, Paradox Lost, highlights the problem with Utah's commitment com-mitment to public education: we have a diminished funding effort relative to other states, including fast-growing states. ; Revenue neutrality in tax reform was a basic principle in Governor Walker's comprehensive compre-hensive tax reform proposals. Rather than squeeze a few dollars dol-lars per taxpayer in an almost Gas by comparison Continued from A1 last month, Salt Lake iCity's average price of $2.87 is the lowest for !the cities surveyed by AAA. ; All of the states in the Intermountain West experienced jumps in their average aver-age gas price but none experienced as great a jump as Utah's 57-cent increase. Idaho's price rose 51 cent to the current cur-rent average price for regular, self-serve of $2.89. Montana's price increased 33 cents to $2.76 a gallon. gal-lon. Wyoming's price rose 36 cents to $2.73. Colorado's motorists motor-ists only saw a 22-cent 22-cent increase since April. The current price in Colorado is $2.83. Arizona's price jumped 43 cents this past month to $3.09. Nevada's motorist are now paying an average of $3.21 a gallon. This is a 52-cent increase since AAA's April report. California's price increased 52 cents to $3.38. "The run-up we have all experienced at the pump has been nothing short of painful," pain-ful," said Fairclough. "There may be some relief after the switch over is completed and the typical drop OF lictional tax cut, let s nave a revenue neutral tax change that will give more opportunity to Utah children. Now, let's look at Medicaid Dental and Vision. As the Medicaid Interim Committee gets underway to study the Medicaid program in elaborate detail ... and while we have $70 million sitting on the table, the default position should be to restore the dental and vision services for one more year. The consequences of going without these critical dental services are well known: deteriorating health outcomes out-comes expensive systemic infections infec-tions increased risk for heart disease New data has come to light about the cost shifting and increased costs (to Medicaid and other payers) that result from lack of timely access to dental services. These data will confirm what we have long suspected: sus-pected: that it is best to pay for comprehensive dental services up front, before conditions become too expensive to treat. Medicaid is the only cost-effective way to pay for and deliver this care. Eliminating Medicaid coverage cover-age for vision care is counterproductive counter-productive because it impairs employment opportunities for low-income adults, reducing their ability to become economically econom-ically self-sufficient. Good or corrected vision is an essential element of most jobs, particularly particu-larly those in the fastest growing grow-ing sector of the Utah economy, the service sector. Most entry-level entry-level workers today must be able to read, drive, and use a computer or cash register, and soon. These issues clearly deserve their own Special Session before June 30 when the services servic-es will otherwise be stopped. At the very least the issue should be included on the top of the IT HAPPENED DM UTAH UTAH HOSTS ONE OF THE LARGE5T STATE POPULATIONS OF BALD EAGLES WITH INCREASING NUKBERSe THEM NESTING. in prices after the Memorial Day holiday. holi-day. Even though prices are high, AAA urges motorists to fill up before their gas tank register empty. Running on empty can harm vital and expensive expen-sive equipment in their vehicles." Tips for stretching every gasoline dollar include making sure tires are properly inflated, making sure vehicles are properly prop-erly maintained with clean fluids and filters replacing worn hoses next Special Session agenda. Each of us can relate to the pain and suffering that our fellow fel-low citizens suffer from a failure fail-ure to obtain dental and vision care. The failure to fund this basic need for our poorest citizens citi-zens is inhumane, especially when there is unspent money left unappropriated. There's no question: As time goes on and as our population ages, Medicaid cost growth is becoming ever more difficult to sustain; but this problem is certainly cer-tainly not unique to Medicaid. In fact, cost increases are far worse in the rest of the health care system. Until we deal with this, we should maintain main-tain our modest investment in Medicaid. After the first few meetings of the Medicaid Interim Study-it Study-it will be clear that Utah's Medicaid program is one of the leanest, best managed health care delivery systems and payers pay-ers in the country. Moreover, for the very low-income populations popula-tions who qualify for Medicaid coverage in Utah, there is simply sim-ply no other option fur health insurance. Medicaid must be recognized and affirmed for the role it plays filling critical gaps in the health care marketplace. Medicaid beneficiaries do not have anything close to the disposable income needed to pay for dental and vision services servic-es on their own. The Medicaid Interim Committee should also uncover many as yet untapped cost containment mechanisms, like the Preferred Drug List, bulk purchasing, and possible changes to our managed care arrangements. What we do with this information infor-mation is up to us, but we must not let politics interfere with our ability to objectively evaluate and select proven cost containment options. These and countless others will make it easier to maintain critical, medically necessary benefits like dental and vision services. B TG $CArCRO and belts, decreasing decreas-ing the loads vehicles vehi-cles carry can help gain fuel economy. Commuters may also consider carpooling and using mass transit as ways to save at the pump. Shurtleff asks for look into impact of alcohol advertising Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and 19 other state attorneys general are asking the Federal Trade Commission to take a hard look at how alcohol alco-hol advertising may promote underage drinking. The comments com-ments were sent after the FTC asked whether it should collect col-lect information from alcohol advertisers about marketing, sales and the alcohol industry's self-imposed regulatory codes. "We believe the current industry standard overexposes youth to alcohol advertising and think this is unacceptable," says Shurtleff. "If you're going to apply a standard in order to avoid overexposing youth to alcohol advertising, then that standard should have some real meaning." mean-ing." A new low By Bill O'reilly It is graduation time, and all over the country, colleges are lining up influential speakers to bid their graduates adieu. The liberal folks have been very busy fielding invitations. Sen. Hillary Clinton will speak at Adelphi University, Sen. Chuck Schumer at Buffalo State University, Sen. Barbara Boxer at Mills College and far-left actor Mike Farrell at Utica College. So far as I know, few are objecting to those people imparting their wisdom to the students. But a funny thing happened on the way to academic freedom. free-dom. Some liberal college people don't want it. If you veer away from liberal orthodoxy, you are not welcomed at commencement. commence-ment. The most egregious example of this is happening at The New School, a college in New York City. Former Democrat Sen. Bob Kerrey, the president of the New School, is under fire for inviting Sen. John McCain to speak at graduation. A bunch of students and faculty fac-ulty members are demanding that McCain's invitation be rescinded. In an open letter the dissenters said: "Sen. McCain's voting record and public pronouncements pro-nouncements are starkly at odds with the progressive social values for which this university SCfMMBX ISC0HW9 TO VeHtiAu LB4N 4 IX, cIMk SKleS 4 MP tiup. fnP Piiuf you knar. v H4S ina I I TOO, m . if - - iSTHm SOHBfHiHQ HArmiNQ m VfAL TH4T Wf. SHWIP luaaPB in 4 C4TW mrt OS rtttodcilyCgmSTewn The 20 attorneys general are all members of the National Association of Attorneys General Youth Access to Alcohol Committee. Shurtleff and Maine Attorney General Steve Rowe chair the bipartisan biparti-san committee, which is studying study-ing youth access to alcohol issues and working on ways to stop underage drinking. The most recent research has demonstrated dem-onstrated a link between exposure expo-sure to alcohol advertising and increased drinking behavior by underage drinkers. "Young people are starting start-ing to drink at an earlier age and drinking more aggressively aggres-sively than ever before," says Attorney General Steve Rowe. "We are troubled by this growing thirst for alcohol among young people. We for higher once stood, and which we want to see upheld." In other words, if you are not a progressive liberal, get the deuce away from the New School. Now how loopy is this? Sen. McCain has served his country heroically, as most sane people know. He is certainly no bomb-throwing bomb-throwing conservative. He is a patriot who may be the next president of the United States. But for some at the New School, he is not worthy to address them. Isn't tolerance supposed to be a liberal tenet? About 200 miles to the north, some loons at Boston College are doing the same thing to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Historically, BC is not known as a far-left place, yet more than 150 Boston College faculty members have signed a letter objecting to awarding Secretary Rice an honorary degree at graduation. The prevailing wisdom among these pedagogues is that Rice is a warmonger. When one BC professor put that forth on my TV program, I told him it was a shame 3,000 Americans would not be able to attend the college's graduation this year because they are dead. The man stumbled for words. Isn't it interesting how close many far-left individuals come to embracing fascism? The hallmark hall-mark of totalitarian right-wing OFVllWr PI0N&X P4YS? fT'S4Ui believe this thirst is driven by a culture of drinking created in part by alcohol industry marketing." mar-keting." He adds that children who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who begin drinking at 21. The attorneys general say the FTC shouM ask alcohol advertisers about the amount of money spent and where they spend it. For instance, advertisers advertis-ers should explain how much is spent on TV and radio ads compared com-pared to movie product placement place-ment or college and bar promotions. promo-tions. The alcohol industry currently cur-rently operates under a series of voluntary standards, all of which require that advertising be placed only when 70 percent or more of the audience is 21 or older. education regimes is to stifle all opposing points-of-view. No dissent is permitted. But the far left is the same way, and all their talk of diversity diver-sity and freedom of expression expres-sion is just so much BS at BC. Stifling opposing points of view at any American college is simply sim-ply unacceptable. For the record, both Condoleezza Rice and John McCain are great Americans who are trying to make their country a better, safer place. You may disagree with their policies and opinions, but their dedication is unassailable. The fanatics at Boston College and the New School have embarrassed their institutions. institu-tions. Ignorance is not supposed to be part of the University experience. Those schools and many others surely need to wise up. Veteran TV news anchor Bill O'Reilly is host of the Fox News show "The O'Reilly Factor' and author of the book "Who's Looking Out For You?" To find out more about Bill O'Reilly, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers writ-ers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com. This column col-umn originates on the Web site www.billoreilly.com. COPYRIGHT 2006 BillOReilly.com. ft |