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Show Editorial Wednesday, September 6, 1989 Page 2 Orem-Geneva Times School newspapers should reflect student learning Students may object to the recent policy regulating student publications, but it is hoped they will accept the intent of the Alpine School District policy. It is not so much to curtail the eager and youthful expressions of the students, as to improve the quality and credibility of the publication. The policy also is to protect the school, district, and even the students themselves from the possibility of a lawsuit. One of the first rules a writer learns is to avoid liable. Innuendo, inferences, and editorialized copy have their place - but not usually in a student newspaper. Statements State-ments should be backed by facts, not opinion, and rumors do not qualify as Students are given the opportunity to practice these skills through the publication of student newspapers, journals and yearbooks. While the chance to put his or her own thoughts and words into print may be only for a semester or a vear, wh-t is written may be remembered remem-bered for a lifetime, particularly when it is about a person. This year let the students and their advisors strive for exciting creative publications that reflect the best that is in them, something that each writer and school can be proud of - even when the impetuous student has grown gray with wisdom. I1C WD. While a few obscenities sprinkled throughout a news article may seem "cool" to some kids, it is non-journalistic and immature. Let the budding journalist struggle with a dictionary or a thesaurus for just the "right" expression to make a point. One of the most satisfying things in life is to communicate com-municate in print. To see information come out clean and clear with crisp tight writing, or to see a thought or an idea expressed in a provocative, unusual or influential influen-tial way, is what journalism is all about. To inform - to influence. By Postmaster Clyde E. Weeks Postmark San Francisco Once each year postmasters from all over America gather together in a convention of the National Association of Postmasters of the United States. That is where I am this week, attending meetings in downtown San Francisco where the city's, largest hotel, Hilton Square-San Francisco, serves as convention headquarters. The Hilton is ideally located just steps from the heart of downtown, Union Square, cable cars and theatres. Its more than 1,900 guest rooms and suites provide pro-vide elegantly furnished deluxe accommodations. Its many amenities include: a fully equipped health club and heated outdoor swimming pool; five designated non-smoking floors throughout the hotel; the West Coast's largest (30,000 square feet) technologically advanced ballroom, with its own kitchen, bakery and state-of-the-art audio-visual capabilities. FULL SCHEDULE A full schedule of meetings and seminars are being held every day this week, featuring various Postal officials, Members of Congress, inspirational speakers and officers of NAPUS. Lest any should believe that the Postal Service pays any of the expenses of postmasters attending attend-ing either national or state conventions, con-ventions, quite the opposite is true. Postmasters pay all the costs of travel to conventions, as well as lodging and entertainment. entertain-ment. Nevertheless, postmasters feel the hundreds of dollars of expenses ex-penses are well worth the professional profes-sional associations and information informa-tion gained at their conventions. FIRST POSTMASTER GENERAL This month marks the 200th anniversary of the appointment of Samuel Osgood as America's first postmaster general tao serve under the U.S. Constitution. While Benjamin Franklin is rightfully considered to be our nation's first postmaster general, Osgood was the first to serve under a U.S. president, George Washington. Franklin served under the Continental Congress, previous to the ratification of the Constitution. We've truly come a long way in two hundred years, yet our charge remains the same: to deliver mail to every person across the nation. By an act approved in Congress Con-gress September 22, 1789, it was Chairman needed for 1990 Fair A volunteer chairman for the 1990 Fair in Utah County is needed. The Steering Committee for the fair met last Thursday to discuss the high priority of identifying iden-tifying an individual with the vision of an "old-fashioned" county coun-ty fair. This person will work under the direction of the Board of Trustees of a non-profit corporation. cor-poration. The Director will supervise volunteers for many events including: in-cluding: 4-H, Fine Arts, Home Arts, Livestock, Horse Show, Commercial Exhibition, Entertainment, Enter-tainment, etc. It is anticipated that the 1990 Fair in Utah County will use the facilities already in place in Orem-Geneva'Iimes -USPS 411-700 Published each Wednesday for $8.00 per year by the Orem-Geneva Orem-Geneva times, 546 South State Street, Orem, Utah 84058. Second class postage paid at Orem, Utah 84057. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Orem-Geneva Times, P.O. Box 65, Orem, Utah 84059. POST MARK o 1989 o provided that a postmaster general should be appointed. President George Washington turned to Osgood, whom he had met and known as a member of the Continental Congress and during the Revolutionary War. On September 26, 1789, Osgood Os-good assumed the office of Postmaster General. WHen he took office, there were 75 post offices of-fices in the 13 states, some 2,400 miles of post roads and a population popula-tion of three million. The entire annual cost of mail delivery in 1789 was $22,274. A CRUDE STATE The postal affairs of the country were in a very crude state and Osgood tackled the issues as best as he could, but Congress was very slow in making any provision for the extension or the expediting of the service. In January, Osgood submitted sub-mitted to the Secretary of the Treasury a report on the condition condi-tion of "the post." He noted that unless a more energetic system could be put in force, no considerable consider-able revenue could be expected. The principal revenue of the office at the time, according to Osgood's report, was derived from letters passing between seaport towns. Additionally, Osgood stated that the postages were unreasonably un-reasonably high and the regulations regula-tions for postmasters and "postriders not stringent enough. Osgood advised the letting of mail contracts for longer periods at prices set by the Postmaster General and that a charge be levied on delivery of newspapers, then carried free. MAJOR PROBLEMS In his first "Annual Report," Osgood pointed out two major problems with generating revenue: "Any person may receive, carry, and deliver Inland Letters and Dispatches; and is subject to no Penalty, if it is done without hire or reward. "All Masters of Ships and Vessels, Ves-sels, and passengers in them, may bring letters to the United States, and are not obliged to carry them to a Post Office, nor are they subjected to a penalty, if the Letters are brought without hire or reward." Although he resigned his office of-fice in 1791, when the federal government moved from New York to Philadelphia, many of Osgood's recommendations were carried forward by his successor, Timothy Pickering. Spanish Fork. The City of Spanish Fork has notified the citizen's fair committee that a new structure will soon be in Elace for additional enclosed ex-ibits ex-ibits and display space. Individuals In-dividuals from throughout Utah County have expressed a desire to keep the fair in Spanish Fork where livestock facilities are in place. " If you are interested in being Chairman of the 1990 Fair in Utah County, or if you know someone who would serve well in this capacity, please contact Jalayne at 370-8136, or send a note to Commissioner Sid Sandberg, 100 E. Center St. Suite 2300, Provo, UT 84606. w Utah Foundation asks: Utah economic program may need sharper focus Utah's extensive and ambitious program of economic development could be brought into sharper focus with a "one-stop" point of contact, according to Utah Foundation, Foun-dation, the private nonprofit research agency. According to their analysis, the numerous components com-ponents of Utah's program may get in each other's way and check the momentum of the over-all effort. The program, directed by the Department of Community Com-munity and Economic Development, is seeking to attract at-tract tourist and convention visitors to the state to bolster and expand existing Utah industries, and to build and attract new business enterprises to expand the state's economy. "Many economists believe that efforts to build or attract new industries should be based on careful analysis of the natural advantages and disadvantages of the region under consideration and then targeting industries that best fit the local situation," Foundation analysts note. "A recent study suggests that 'there is no such as an ideal business climate; characteristics that attract some firms are the same characteristics that deter others'." One facet of Utah's current program is using two of the state's existing assets research programs at Utah's institutions of higher learning and the state's educated and highly motivated labor force to develop new high tech industry. A number of successful businesses, busi-nesses, some with established international reputations, reputa-tions, have developed from research at Utah institutions. institu-tions. The current program, known as Centers for Excel Economic optimism rebounding After a six-month decline of confidence in Utah's economy, Utahns are expressing more op- ; timism about the state's economic future, according to the July Utah Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI) released today by the State Tax Commission. The CSI is conducted quarterly quarter-ly by the University of Utah Survey Sur-vey Research Center on a contractual contrac-tual basis for the Utah State Tax Commission, with assistance from the Utah Office of Planning and Budget. The Utah CSI peaked in January 1989 at 86.0, fell to 82.8 in May 1989 and then surged plightly to 83.4 in the July 1989 Survey. The CSI, patterned after a national survey, uses a baseline measurement of 100, which statistically represents the country's economic optimism in 1966. The July CSI reveals a slight increase in optimism among Utahns after a noticeable decline in the March and May 1989 surveys. sur-veys. Prior to the March drop, consumer confidence had been rising dramatically nationally and locally from the previous year. The latest resurgence in con- Listening strengthens marriages Listening is a skill that is basic to all relationships and can especially contribute to happier "marriages. That's the message of an article ar-ticle in the September issue of Ensign magazine. "We cannot understand anyone else or .hear what they have to say unless we are willing to set aside our own concerns, postpone trying to convey messages, mes-sages, be still, and listen," says Larry Langlois, a Pasadena, Calif., marriage and family counselor. coun-selor. In an article entitled "When Couples Don't Listen to Each Other," Langlois lists several barriers bar-riers to listening and then outlines out-lines listening techniques he has found effective in counseling married mar-ried couples. Barriers, he says, include being judgmental, confusing understanding un-derstanding with agreement, confusing listening with discussing, discuss-ing, confusing listening with problem solving, indulging the need to correct exaggerations or overstatements, and blocking out a message. The better listening skills we have," Langlois says, "the better equipped we are to develop heal-. thy, fulfilling relationships. fidence corresponds with responses respon-ses to a question that asked whether Utahns found their families worse off now than a year ago. Some 38.5 percent of those polled found their circumstances improved, another 35.3 percent said their situation remained the same and 25.2 percent said their lot had worsened. While most expected Utah's and the nation's economy to improve im-prove in the next 12 months, their hopes for the next five years in Letters to the Editor San Juan Commission says land swap wouldn't hurt tourism Editor: Joe Bauman , the environmental environmen-tal writer for the Deseret News, recently wrote an article entitled "Land Sway Plan Could Hurt Tourism." Contrary to Bauman's assertion, asser-tion, neither the governor, nor any member of the Board of State Lands, nor anyone else with authority and knowledge has proposed that "a state-owned marina would be constructed" at Lake Powell. He has the gall too accuse state officials of being irresponsible, irrespon-sible, to say that there should be no marinas or development on state lands for state school income in-come when "experts" in the Park Service have decided what is enough. Bauman further states, again quoting the Park Service, that the "capacity of Lake Powell" will have been reached with their "anticipated" "an-ticipated" doubling of present ' marina facilities at existing locations, loca-tions, whenever that occurs. He fails to point out the fact that the five marinas in Utah, including Dangling Rope, which is Arizona owned, do just over half of all business on Lake Powell, compared to the 'one marina located in Arizona on its 3 percent of Lake Powell, which does the other half. This doesn't even consider all the tourist business done in Page, Arizona by about 2.8 million of the 3.5 million Lake Powell visitors. He also didn't say that another large marina has been approved on Antelope Point on Arizona's 3 percent of the lake without voicing any concern about the "carrying capacity" of Lake Powell. He does not even acknowledge that all those visitors are under the smoke stacks of the Navajo lence, provides limited funds to the universities, which in turn make modest grants to research projects judged to have potential for significant economic development. Some additional "seed capital" may later be provided to industries getting started on the basis of these research projects. Such state-furnished capital must be matched on a four-to-one basis by capital from outside sources. Attraction of venture capital from private sources is a major factor in the state development program. Other aspects of the over-all economic development program include campaigns to open and expand domestic domes-tic and foreign markets to Utah-manufactured products and to obtain for Utah firms a larger share of federal contracts for goods and services, particularly goods and services consumed by federal installations located in Utah. Some encouraging results from the state's efforts have already been seen, the Foundation notes: in 1987 the tourist related "industry" brought an estimated $2 billion into the Utah economy; in 1985, Utah manufacturers manufac-turers sold an estimated $51 million worth of goods to Pacific-rim countries where Utah trade development offices have been set up; in 1988, $41 million in federal contracts went to Utah firms, compared to only $7.76 million in 1986. "There are many facets of the program that are relatively new and require reasonable time to get into full operation," the Foundation points out. "However, the time is fast approaching when we should be able to evaluate all parts of the program on the basis of concrete results rather than on projection and speculation." Utah and the United States were not as pes! " However, the July 1989 survey sur-vey exhibited a noticeable improvement im-provement from the May 1989 survey in respondents' attitudes about whether this was a good time to buy durable goods, such as cars or appliances. The percent of respondents replying that it was a "good" time to make such large purchases rose from 61.5 to 64.1 in the July Power Plant, which produces jobs, tax revenues and economic benefits that accrue to Arizona while they use and pollute Utah's 97 percent of Lake Powell. In addition Page and all its development, including power plant, hotels, motels, lodges, restaurants, res-taurants, shopping centers, gas stations, boat sales, repair, storage facilities and a good paved airport are all located as close or closer to Lake Powell than is Bangerter's land trade proposal, except those small portions por-tions which would actually be on the shoreline. New development in Page is planned, increasing the visitors using Lake Powell. The most galling part of this exploitation os a facility in Utah by Arizona, with the full support of the Park Service and Bauman and friends, is that the Navajo people gave up the land where Page is located only when Utah gave up land in San Juan County as compensation. . If that isn't bad enough, the federal government, under threat of condemnation in 1965 "stole" 10,000 acres of the surface of Utah School Trust Lands for the paltry amount of $12.50 per acre! Some of these lands are covered by Lake Powell, while some were in excellent development develop-ment locations. The feds didn't comply with the Enabling Law Trust and thereby are denying the schoolchildren school-children of this state the benefits they were guaranteed by that trust. What is even more galling is that Arizona kept their school section that was inside the recreation area. It borders Utah, is now privately owned, has a trailer village and some beautiful homes with a fantastic view of Utah's Lake Powell, but all the economic benefits are Arizona's. 1989 survey. Economists speculate this improvement im-provement may be caused by drops in the interest rate since May 1989. The statewide telephone survey sur-vey polled 403 Utahns about their current attitudes toward Utah and U.S. economies. The Utah CSI has an error rate of plus or minus 5 percent and is among the tools used by state economists to forecast future tax revenues. It is called Greenhaven. Contrary to some people's views, neither the Board of state Lands and Forestry nor the governor has any desire to "destroy" or impair the values of parks, monuments or recreation areas. We even believe that appropriate ap-propriate development can take place under direction and guidance of state and local government planning and zoning, just like Page and Greehaven in Arizona, be positive for the environment, en-vironment, and provide revenue for the schools. We also believe that the federal government has two responsibilities it has refused to meet: (1) To honor and fulfill its legal responsibility to live up to provisions of the School Trust in the Enabling Act: (2) to fairly compensate, by exchange, those lands that should not be developed. They have refused to do so in some cases for 25 years, even when legislation that created the park areas had that requirement spelled out in the law. Finally, we have a governor, administration and a board who are taking these trust responsibilities respon-sibilities seriously and who are sick and tired of seeing the educational educa-tional and economic interests of the schoolchildren of Utah trampled on by the National Park Service. I believe the majority of Utahns who know the facts and ' those who use Lake Powell, are fed up with inadequate facilities, poor services, and rip-off prices. They should support Bangerter's Lake Powell Land Trade Proposal. Very truly yours, , Calvin Black Chairman San Juan County Commission |