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Show i I M ' " 1 1 THE PARK RECORD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1998 EDITORIAL A-15 oints. ViewD Snyderville gets greater representation The state's mandate to keep precinct sizes at no more than 1,000 voters each is intended to do more than keep the lines short at the polls each fall. Keeping the precincts small also allows for greater participation in the election process. And this year, county residents have a perfect opportunity to prove that theory. Summit County Clerk Kent Jones is currently in the process of splitting up several precincts in the Snyderville area which have outgrown the state limit. When he is done, 10 new precincts will have been created just in time for June's county primaries. pri-maries. If the residents in those precincts are at all politically polit-ically motivated, they will be able to parlay the new redisricting into greater representation at the county level something residents in the unincorporated unincor-porated areas of Snyderville have been wanting for a long time. Under the new system, the total number of voters vot-ers may be the same but Snyderville residents may have a greater say in who the general electorate will have to choose from. Here is how it works. This spring the county Democratic and Republican LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Unfair personal Support for attacks Gabriel parties will be combing the countryside for strong candidates for two seats on the county commission and for the seven elected county department head positions. As part of that search, they will turn to their precinct chairmen and vice chairmen to drum up interest in either running for office or in serving as delegates to the county convention. Under the new apportionment, Snyderville residents will be eligible to send almost twice as many delegates to the county convention as in years past. During each party's county convention, various candidates will slug it out in an effort to gain enough delegate votes to bypass a primary. This year, the new Snyderville delegation could have enough votes to control that decision that is, if enough residents bother to turn out for their neighborhood neigh-borhood caucuses. For the last several county elections, Snyderville has been like a sleeping giant. Representatives from the east side of the county have tiptoed around the giant, hoping it wouldn't wake up in time to vote. And, for the most part, they have been able to maintain their dominance over county coun-ty politics. This year, though, that may change. AH our dinner guess qe towed anyway, so we tVwcjWV -Tnis would be YYore convene irtf ! JOHN KILBOURNPlflK RECORD Unselfish gesture Editor: I have been out of town the last couple of weeks in training for MD-80 school. I left right after Melissa O'Brien came over to do the profile on my wife, Eva Tobie. She was hesitant to do it but thought it might help some of the programs she is working on. Imagine my surprise to come home yesterday to read seething letters from the PTO in The Park Record. For two falls in a row we never saw Eva and when we did, she was on the phone collecting volunteers for the Fall Fun Festival. Then she practically lived at school to decorate for the Books and Beyond program. She is always doing a clay project for the kids in their classroom. (There are 22 animal clay whistles drying in the family room!) I can't believe the PTO would turn on their own member like that! I have heard about many meetings where she would be told that "we aren't doing that this year" or some other nonsense. non-sense. But she would keep going back saying, say-ing, "the kids deserve this program." We even have a kiln (in my side of the garage) that she paid for and offered it's use to the i . .- . . . . . J J - WIUIl rtIC WC UUIIJg Willi 4ZAHJ WUllll Ul wrapping paper bought to support the PTO fundraiser? Can;t you publish a quarterly quar-terly financial statement and have mail-in ballots for working dads and moms. What gives? I know Eva is a very strong advocate for the arts and I should thank the PTO for their part in her moving on to state and national issues. She loves her new job at the Kimball and doesn't stop raving about all the great art education ideas to implement. imple-ment. She is many wonderful things in my book and self-serving is about as opposite as you can get. She put in her third 12-hour day (as a single Mom) mostly on volunteer issues when she read your letters. Thanks, Mr. Maddox, for acknowledging my wife's efforts. She is the best mom in the whole world and we love her! Jason Tobie Christina Tobie Kathleen Tobie Editor: On behalf of Gabriel Titus, I would like to thank all of you for your generous donations dona-tions and support for my marathon run in Honolulu on Dec. 14, 1997. There were over 26,000 people who participated in the race, and 2,700 of them were members of the Leukemia Society of America's "Team in Training." I'm proud to say, as a group we raised over $7 million for research in finding a cure for leukemia. I would especially like to thank the following: fol-lowing: Lisa White and Tony Titus; The Park City Community Church; Shepherd of the Mountains Evangelical Lutheran Church; Parley's Park Elementary School Teachers; the employees at Delta Air Lines; my neighbors in North Shore; Park City TV Channel 8; and finally, Dave Fields and Scott Sine from The Park Record. Thanks again, Paul J. Smith Supermarket hazards Editor: Yet another story about shopping carts.' This one is too good to let go by. I was out at Smith's the other day and saw, well let's say a "person" to avoid a big gender flap, loading groceries into the trunk of the car. I had a funny feeling about this one, so I stopped to watch. The person finished loading the bags, then got in and drove away, leaving the cart at the end of the parking space. Now, get this! The person was parked in the slot immediately adjacent to the corral for carts. I mean right next to it. Not five feet if it was an inch! But Noooooo, he leaves the cart there to block the space. What, I wonder, goes through these folks' little minds? Perhaps it's really part of the Utah State Constitution, and I am misguided mis-guided to think it is rude to leave the cart wherever you want. Alas. With best regards, David G. Sutliff Editor: We would like to thank The Prudential Coleman Real Estate and all of the company com-pany agents for the very generous contributions contri-butions that were made to many charitable organizations during the holidays, in lieu of a Christmas party. For those of you who may not know. The Prudential agents made individual charitable donations and the company matched the funds up to $10,000. Over $21,000 was ultimately donated to various charitable organizations. organiza-tions. Keep up the good work Prudential! Daily Bread Food Pantry was fortunate to be one of the recipients of these donations dona-tions and we are very grateful for the Prudential's generosity and kindness. The pantry provides non-perishable food and some toiletries to many who need assistance assis-tance in our area. Daily Bread is operated by volunteers and is funded by the generous gener-ous donations of people in our community. Thanks again. Prudential. May God bless you. Daily Bread, Linda Hurd, Jean Paulsen and John Zimmerman Get out of jail free, this time Editor: The Summit County Sheriff's Office, Jail Staff and Justice Court wish to thank Summit County businesses and residents for their support and patronage last Friday and Saturday. Many people took time out of their busy schedule to tour our new facility. Lots of questions were asked and the public response toward our answers was very positive. Thanks for helping make our Open House a huge success. Sgt. Tracy Sargent Summit County Jail Commander Sundance Film Festival seems out of character char-acter for him. This festival is a haven to many other free-thinkers like him people peo-ple who sacrifice all of their assets in the name of creating something new, something some-thing of substance, something to entertain and enlighten the rest of us. Tom, in Jan. 24's Record, clearly admits that he attended no shows this year. He also lets us know that he heard of no "must see" events at Sundance this year. He thinks that the Kurt and Courtney controversy contro-versy is the biggest story out of Sundance. As his closing remark, he expects to see, in next year's line-up, a film about Mr. Clinton's current controversy titled. The Bimbo Wore Black. In previous articles, Tom has told us that his impression of the content of the Festival was that it was basically basi-cally "teen gay angst" and other warped subjects. For a man who didn't see this year's festival, fes-tival, and apparently had no intention of doing so (any film he wanted to see, he could have seen, had he taken advantage of the excellent locals-only ticket-sales day) he certainly has determined that he has a lot to say. People who wrote and directed Slam, Smoke Signals, Pi, Gimmick and Mystery School, among many notable others none of which were even vaguely about "teen gay angst," and ..most of which were immediately., snapped up by either major movie distributors or are already playing on Broadway would perhaps have more pertinent and informed things to say. In fact, they did! It's a pity that Tom wasn't listening. Phidias Cinaglia Wolves get a bad rap Uninformed criticism GUEST EDITORIAL USDA's New Year's resolutions Editor: Tom Clyde is a fine man. A freethinker, free-thinker, who nonetheless manages to have a stable life, family and job. A good example exam-ple of what we strive for in the Park City area. His continued lambasting of the Editor: The Utah Farm Bureau executive vice-president vice-president sure got his facts wrong about wolves, whatever the merits of his views about Secretary Babbitt. C. Booth Wallentine said (Park Record, Jan. 15): "Those who say wolves don't attack humans either don't know the record or choose to ignore it. Over 70 children were killed by wolves in one recent year in India." At Utah State University, I study risks to humans from predators. The scientific literature is clear on the absence of risk to humans from wild wolves. The late Dr. Douglas Pimlott, a world-renowned world-renowned wolf specialist at the University of Toronto, reviewed every available pub- by DAN GLICKMAN U.S. Agriculture Secretary January is named after the Greek god Janus, who had the ability to look forward and backward at the same time. As we start a new year, it seems a useful exercise to look back on the accomplishment of U.S. agriculture in 1997, and ahead to the challenges chal-lenges of 1998. With a strong U.S. economy and robust world demand for agricultural goods, farm incomes and exports held at near-record levels in 1997. At the same time, USD A and American agriculture made historic progress on a number of critical fronts: Our nation took a giant step toward a sustainable future with the debut of a revitalized revi-talized Conservation Reserve Program. The program pays farmers to protect America's most environmentally .sensitive land preventing soil erosion, preserving wildlife habitat and protecting our rivers and streams. Our challenge in 1998 will be to strike the right balance between the needs of a competitive agriculture today and a growing world tomorrow. In 1997, this administration carried on its effort to ensure that our nation continues contin-ues to have the safest food in the world. Now, enhanced inspections help keep unsafe food out of our country; scientific advances better prevent food-borne illness; and, an ambitious food safety education campaign arms consumers with knowledge they can use to handle food safely. Later this month, America's new meat and poultry poul-try inspection system will begin to take effect. Government and industry must work together in 1998 to ensure a successful success-ful debut for these new inspections, one that gives Americans an even higher standard stan-dard of food safety, and greater peace of mind. As the nation's anti-hunger department, USDA in 1997 was proud to see record numbers of new moms and their babies participating in the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC), and getting the nutrition and medical care they need for healthy lives. USDA also built on its role as the federal leader on food recovery, getting more agencies to donate excess food to the hungry, and providing seed money to support sup-port grass-roots, anti-hunger work. In 1998, government must continue to aggressively lead the war on hunger, here in America and around the world. Last year also marked the dawn of a new era for civil rights at USDA. Every employee employ-ee must now treat every customer and coworker co-worker fairly and equitably, with dignity and respect. USDA's farm loan and foreclosure foreclo-sure policies now go the extra mile to ensure that no one loses their land to discrimination. dis-crimination. We have an Office of Outreach to improve USDA's record in underserved communities. And, President Clinton's next budget will significantly increase funding for farm ownership and operating loans to assist small and beginning begin-ning farmers of all backgrounds. We must build on this record in 1998, and help America's small and minority farm heritage thrive. From a more sustainable agriculture, to safer food, to a stronger anti-hunger effort, to a core commitment to civil rights and to small farms, USDA gave the American people some significant gifts in 1997. As we look to the year ahead, it is clear that we have our work cut out for us. With the world economy uncertain and prices coming down, we must carefully examine the safety net to ensure that farmers are adequately protected. We should also continue con-tinue expanding agriculture's customer base around the world. If we are smart about our choices, we can turn risks into opportunities, and build up America's proud agricultural legacy. If we do, the past will indeed be prologue, and American agriculture's future will be as vibrant as ever. GUEST EDITORIAL Guns, owners and bigots by SARAH THOMPSON, M.D., staff of Independence Institute, Golden, Colo. The Salt Lake Tribune recently reported report-ed that Rob Bishop, Chairman of the Utah Republican Party and lobbyist for the Utah Shooting Sports Council, stated that school officials and business owners who wish to exclude residents carrying licensed weapons are "bigots in the mold of former southern governors who denied blacks entry into state schools." The editors of the Salt Lake Tribune responded that Bishop;s analogy is a "silly comparison." They further alleged that "the presence of guns in inappropriate public places can reduce safety of the surroundings" sur-roundings" and that Bishop was battling statistics, not prejudice. The Tribune is wrong on all points. Rob Bishop is exactly on target when he states that gun owners are contending with prejudice, prej-udice, bigotry and ignorance. The Tribune shows its ignorance by claiming that Bishop is battling statistics when those statistics actually support his position. Scholarly research shows that concealed carry decreases violent crime, and the presence of guns increases the safety of the surroundings. Since Utah's concealed carry law was passed in 1995, violent crime in Utah has decreased. This result is entirely predictable, according to the most comprehensive study of concealed carry, conducted by the University of Chicago's John Lott. Professor Lott found that in the years following fol-lowing enactment of concealed carry, violent vio-lent crime falls six to eight percent. Everyone, including gun carriers, benefits bene-fits from concealed carry. Because criminals crimi-nals are unable to tell which persons are carrying firearms, they are less willing to attack any given person. The presence of people carrying firearms thus protects the general public, the children, and even the anti-gun bigots. Persons who accept the responsibility for the defense of themselves, them-selves, their families, and even total strangers, should be honored, not shunned. Only criminals have anything to fear from an armed populace. Utah's handgun carry permit holders are extremely law-abiding. The record since the 1995 handgun carry law went into effect shows that handgun permit holders are good citizens, who pose no threat to anyone other than violent predators. preda-tors. Unfounded claims that law-abiding gun owners threaten the safety of society are similar to Hitler's unfounded claims that Jews carried diseases and threatened the public health. These malicious claims form a damning indictment of Gov. Leavitt and other government officials who seek to prohibit the exercise of constitutional rights in public places. The opinions expressed in our guest editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the Park Record. lished report of alleged wolf attacks in North America. He found no instance in which a healthy wolf attacked a human. In one case, a wolf suspected of being rabid, chased and attacked some men on a railroad rail-road track in northern Ontario. As to India, I cannot see what relevance attacks there have to the American West? However, in Alberta, Canada, where 1 worked as a wildlife biologist, wild wolves are still common and are managed successfully suc-cessfully throughout ranch and farm country. coun-try. If the issue is concern about human injury from canines, domestic dogs injure and kill people in the United States in the thousands each year. Statistics on injury to humans from domestic wolf-dog hybrids are not relevant to the behavior of wild wolves and seem to be cited to engender irrational fear and hatred of wolves. Such misinformation seems to me unhelpful and misleading to the public debate about wolf reintroduction. Barrie Gilbert Logan, Utah Got something on your mind? The Park Record welcomes letters to the editor on any subject. We ask that the letters adhere to the following guidelines:They should include the address and telephone number of author. No letter will be published under an assumed name. They must not contain con-tain libelous material. Writers are limited limit-ed to one letter every 28 days. Letters must not be longer than 350 words (guest editorials, 550 words) and should if possible, be typed. We reserve the right to edit letters if they are too long or if they contain statements state-ments we consider unnecessarily offensive offen-sive or obscene. The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER Andy Bernhard Editor Nan Chalat-Noaker Staff writers Kirsta H. Bleyle Bruce Lewis Dave Fields Melissa O'Brien Jay Hamburger Stephanie Howell Contributing writers Tom Clyde Rick Brough Jack Fuell Teri Orr Office manager Rachelle Eickhoff Classifieds manager Elaine Lindsey Classifieds Parti Christensen Subscription manager Jed Crittenden Advertising director Tracy Harden Advertising sales Donna Berger Mary Hall Sharon Paterson Bush Sid Pawar Carrie Davis Anna Hamlen Tami Searing Editorial production Kat James Photographer Scott Sine Production director Melisa Hyde Production jason osburn Amy Lucas Yvonne Ruth Scott Aste Jen Huckle Matthew Sullivan Trisha Hipskind Will Walsh Carrie Thompson Michele Chantrill Circulation Karen Yetter Gretchen Campbell CartoonistIllustrator Tim Peterson John Kilbourn The Park Record (USPS .178-7.10) (ISSN 0745-9483) 0745-9483) is published twice weekly by diversified Suburban Newspapers. 1670 Bonanza Dr.. Park Cily, Utah. Periodicals Postage paid at Park City. Utah. POSTMASTER: Send address channes to The Park Record. 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