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Show & C entary pinion mm Page 2 Orem-Geneva Times Wednesday, March 20, 1991 Editorial Pre-need funeral plans Problems relating to the ment plans are addressed in House Bill 345 which State Representative Norm Nielsen introduced in the recent session of the Utah State Legislature. The bill was enacted by a unanimous vote of the Legislature and is designed to repeal other laws governing pre-need funeral arrangements and to re-enact new laws governing them. The problems were presented to Rep. Nielsen by Orem funeral director Thomas Sanderson of Sundberg Olpin Mortuary Mor-tuary who pointed out that inadequate regulations were in place to protect the public against questionable business practices prac-tices relating to pre-need funeral arrangements. Assembling an interested group, including funeral directors, direc-tors, insurance agents and directors of State agencies, Rep. Nielsen reviewed the proposal to draft a bill and received input from all interested parties. The major problem addressed was the purchase by individuals in-dividuals of pre-need funeral plans from unregulated agents whose plans may, or may not, provide the funeral services they promised. In some instances people have bought pre-need funeral plans from agents who assured them that a particular mortuary would provide the needed funeral services when the time came. NO ARRANGEMENTS MADE And when the death of the beneficiary occurred, the relatives would contact the specified mortuary, only to find that the pre-need funeral plan company had made no arrangements, arran-gements, whatsoever, with the mortuary to provide the services. In some instances the benefit amount certain plans paid to the estate of the deceased bore little relationship to the actual cost of the funeral. In this day of multi-billion dollar insurance companies, it seems incredible that something so basic as a pre-need funeral plan could be subject to not only manipulation, but By Clyde E. Weeks What ever happened to Baby Doe? It's a heart-rending story of a mother, somewhere in Orem, who, for reasons known only to herself, left her new-born baby on a doorstep one spring and vanished into the night. The little girl, known as Baby Doe, was given kind and loving care by people in a foster home under the direction of the Juvenile Court. Day after day passed, while little Baby Doe grew-oblivious to the fact that no mother or father ever served her physical needs, fondled her, or listened lis-tened to her cry in the night. Other hands changed her diapers, prepared her formula, rocked her to sleep and gave her love. And somewhere, some place a mother cried herself to sleep, wondering if she had made the right decision in giving away her baby. And the father? Maybe he knew and maybe he didn't. Perhaps Per-haps he never will. BABY DOE ABANDONED On May 15, 1966, Baby Doe was abandoned in Orem by a person per-son or persons unknown, for reasons which will never be discovered. dis-covered. An unwanted child? Yes, unwanted, un-wanted, perhaps, by her natural parents, but desperately desired by others who would open up their hearts and make her their own. Little Baby Doe needed a good home. Maybe John Doe and Jane Doe, her father and mother, felt they were not in a position to give her one. And so, a hearing was held in the Juvenile Court. At that time an adjudication would be made which included the termination of all parental rights. Maybe it would be best for Baby Doe if her natural parents do not appear. Perhaps it would be best if she is placed in a home where she is desperately wanted--a home where foster parents will give her unqualified love. NO ONE APPEARED No one appeared at the court hearing, and in the best interests of the baby, parental rights were terminated, and Baby Doe was made available for adoption. It is a tragic story that had a Orem-Qeneva Times USPS 411-700 Published each Wednesday for $10.00 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 OremGeneva Times, P.O. Box 65, Orem, Utah 84059 sale of pre-need funeral arrange gpreeiS happy ending. After the Court action ac-tion was taken, the records were sealed and no one may ever know the answer to the question, "What ever happened to Baby Doe'? The secret will be locked in the hearts of her parents who will be just as real as any parents ever are... HER 25TH BIRTHDAY Trading the name Baby Doe for a new one given by her adoptive parents, the little girl thrived and grew into a beautiful young lady, enjoying all the advantages of living Under Timpanogos Green. With her 25th birthdayjust around the corner, chances are that this young lady is happily married, now, with children of her own. But what happens when an adopted child sees in the newspaper a classified ad such as this one: HAPPY BIRTHDAY On Dec. 26, 1972, a friend of your mother called me with word of your birth. I have thought of you often, but didn't want to disturb you or your adoptive parents during your minority. If you would like to make contact, please register with ISRR, Box 2312, Carson City NV 89702. Signed, Your biological father." GROWING DILEMMA It is a dilemma which has faced a growing number of adopted children. On the one hand, allowing biological parents to make contact with them, and on the other hand, to actively seek out one's biological parents. One such story in the news last week told of a young woman working in a cafe who told her older friend working with her in the cafe that she was searching for her natural mother. When she showed the older woman a photo of her natural mother, the woman pulled out a photo of her baby. The two women, working side by side, discovered that they were, in fact, mother and daughter. BLESSING OR CURSE The reconciliation of adoptive children with their biological parents can be a blessing to both parties, and it can also be a curse, in the opinion of many people who have actually had that experience. ex-perience. This is only one of .the challenges facing people in bodi categories living Under Timpanogos Tim-panogos Green. to outright fraudulent misrepresentation. Honest, hard-working people, desiring to pre-arrange their funerals certainly deserve to have their interests protected so that the funeral expense funds will be there when the time of need arrives. ADVANCE FUNERAL PLANS Typically, there are two methods of making advance funeral arrangements, as far as the cost is concerned: 1. Purchase a life insurance policy payable to a mortuary in an amount sufficient to pay the costs of the funeral, whenever it may occur. Such insurance can be obtained through any insurance company upon the applicant's passing pass-ing of a physical exam. The premiums on such a policy can be paid either in a lump sum or on a periodic basis until such time as it is paid up. 2. Payment of a lump sum to a mortuary or a trust agent who will hold the money until the time of the funeral. This plan pre-supposes that the advance funeral payment will actually be deposited in an interest-bearing trust fund which will be kept intact until such time as the funeral is held. Customarily, to encourage such pre-need funeral arrangements, arran-gements, a cash discount is offered. However, the fulfillment of the beneficiary's plans depend entirely on the security and financial integrity of the provider when the need arises. LEGISLATION JUSTIFIED There have been enough instances reported where a family's funeral needs were not met by pre-need firms to justify legislation in Utah to protect the public. And so, Section 58-58-1, Utah Code Annotated 1953, is now known as the "Pre-need Funeral Arrangement Act. Under the act a "Pre-need funeral arrangement or contract" means any written or oral contract or agreement sold in advance of the death of the beneficiary under which a person agrees with a buyer to provide at the death of the beneficiary Letters to the Editor Property tax increase is uncertain Dear Editor, Attention Property Owners. This is the year that property owners are being targeted for property tax increases. The Legislature has already passed a law increasing your property tax by 1.3 to satisfy the AMAX litigation. Big businesses were jealous of the 20 home owners valuation exemption and sued for equal treatment. " One of the 1986 Tax Initiatives asked for a property tax cap. In order to get re-elected. Governor Bangerter promised a property tax freeze on home owners. So much for campaign promises. The Legislature also passed a law authorizing a 1 Restaurant and Cafeteria food tax, to finance the Salt Palace renovation. Other counties are also authorized to impose im-pose this tax for similar building projects. The higher education Regents have submitted a request to build a Special Events Center on the UVCC campus, and the Legislature Legisla-ture is expected to approve $10 million mil-lion next year to build this facility. They approved $50,000 this year for architectural plans to be submitted sub-mitted for approval next year. The Utah County Commission passed a resolution submitted by a Citizens Committee, most of who also serve on the County Olympics Committee, for a Special Bond Election for $7.7 million on Tuesday Tues-day April 9th. This additional tax money is intended to enlarge the proposed Special Events Center to also become a Concert and Convention Conven-tion Center. This so called Citizens Committee Commit-tee states that the BYU Marriott Center is too large, and that BYU will not allow certain Concerts on their premises. If there is a question ques-tion of propriety then I wonder if we want them in our community at all. The Marriott Center can be blocked off to handle any size function, func-tion, and BYU has other smaller facilities available. We also have four public High Schools in close proximity, and also the UVCC campus and the new Special Events Center to be built, which can handle various sizes of concerts or conventions. The Governor is expected to sign the new Restaurant tax law, which will be effective July 1st, and the Utah County Commission has indicated that they will hold public hearings, to adopt this new tax. You can expect the restaurant and cafeteria owners, and possibly the Travel Council to oppose- implementation. im-plementation. We also will not know until about July 1st, whether or not Utah will host the 1998 Media Review Anyone who has a hard time choosing a video for home viewing will appreciate the Media Review Guide, provided by the media Review Re-view Commission of Orem and Provo. The Guide is available at the front desk in most local video stores. "Just ask to see it," says Deb-. bie Eyre, chairman. 'The guide ; will inform the customer what a : particular video is about and, per- ' addressed in new law Winter Olympics. I pleaded with the Utah County Commission to set the Bond election elec-tion back to the regular November election ballot when we would have more complete information, but this was rejected. The explanation was that the architectural plans needed to be prepared for presentation presen-tation to next years Legislature to appropriate the funds for the Special Spe-cial Events Center. I submit that two sets of drawings could be prepared for either contingency. I do not necessarily oppose the expanded convention center complex, com-plex, but I have serous reservations about the method of financing the project. I oppose Special Elections as a deliberate attempt by elected officials offi-cials to deceive and slip a tax increase in-crease by the taxpayers. In order to put an issue on the November ballot, bal-lot, regulations require a three month period to educate the public. However, for a special election, our elected officials only need to give a 30 day notice'. The web has been spun and the trap set against the property owners. There are several things which needs to happen before April 9th, to get my vote for the Bond, and I hope that the County Commissioners Com-missioners are true to their word. 1. The Governor needs to have signed the law authorizing the 1 Sales Tax on Restaurant and Cafeteria food. 2. The County Commissioners must have held the hearings, and adopted the new food tax in this county. 3. The County Commissioners must stipulate that the new tax revenue will be used to pay the principal and interest on the Bond. 4. The County Commissioners should absolve the taxpayers of any property tax increase as a result of this Bond Election. Commissioner Beck advised me that the Commission could put out a Revenue Bond without voter approval, similar to the manner that they built the new State and County buildings after rejection by the voters. If the above items have not happened by April 9th, and the voters turn down the Bond, I hope that they do not take it upon themselves them-selves to override the voice of the people. Voters of Utah County you need to be alert, and get out to vote on Tuesday April 9th. If these above items do not occur and the bond is passed, your property tax will be increased for the next 10 years. Talk to your neighbors, and get out and vote. Bob Wright Orem v ; Guide makes haps, why it received the rating which it has." The Media Review Commission Commis-sion objectively reviews videos for the following categories: Movie type, Profanity, Nudity, Sex, Violence, Vio-lence, and Drugs and Alcohol. The descriptions of quantity in each category are: None, Very. Little, Some, and Abundant. , Each category is treated individu any merchandise, goods, services, real property, or personal property, including caskets, other primary containers, cremation or transportation containers, outer burial containers, con-tainers, vaults, grave liners, funeral clothing and accessories, acces-sories, monuments, grave markers, cremation urns, embalming em-balming services, and funeral directing services as are typically typi-cally provided with the final disposition of a dead human body. NEW LICENSING BOARD The new law created a Pre-need Funeral Arrangement Licensing Board, consisting of three licensed funeral directors, direc-tors, one licensed pre-need sales agent, and one member from the general public. Both pre-need sales agents and providers must be licensed in order to operate. Contracts and agreements must be approved as to form and content by the State of Utah. Most importantly, an applicant for licensure as a pre-need pre-need funeral arrangement provider must provide evidence of appropriate licensure with the State Insurance Department Depart-ment if the applicant intends to engage in the sale of any pre-need funeral arrangements funded in whole or in part by an insurance policy or product to be sold by the provider or his sales agent. PROTECTIVE DETAILS Considerable detail is included in the new act which will guarantee that estate of the beneficiary will receive the promised payments with which to fund the funeral. H.B. 345 may not be a perfect bill, but it contains some long-needed provisions that will protect purchasers of pre-need pre-need funeral arrangements. The fact that it passed both the House and the Senate without a single dissenting vote clearly shows that it is not controversial. It is simply a Bill whose time has come. Pollution solution Dear Editor, I have just been reading the article on the solution to pollution (31391 page 2 of the Orem Geneva Times). I found out a lot of things I didn't know before-I know it is true because it was studied out by two BYU professors. First, single people are second rate, they don't have jobs and their time isn't valuable. valu-able. I guess all their fathers must be rich and pay their debts for them. On the other hand, for the married ones everything is just the opposite. The reason I came to this conclusion is because they want to enact an automobile restrictive policy which would virtually prohibit all single students from bringing automobilies to school. The proposal states that it would give each BYU student a pass on Utah Transit Authority buses. Why not the professors also? The proposal also states that all high school students would have to ride bikes, walk or take the bus to school. Why not the teachers also? Now I have a math problem for you. I have a daughter in high school who works after school. Her job is about a mile from the school, but about three and half miles from Helping your child Succeed in school by Lily Eskelsen, president Utah Education Association When my 3rd grader, Jared was assigned a science report, he chose to write about the space shuttle. We looked through the encyclopedia. I read a paragraph, and then Jared put it in his own words. We read the next paragraph para-graph together, and then he rephrased it. He read the next paragraph by himself and restated res-tated it. He decided what was important im-portant to include and what to leave out. We were coming along fine, but he seemed to be getting a little discouraged with the slow process of reading the book. We switched gears. I asked him to write a list of questions about the shuttle that he'd always wanted to know. He thought for a few seconds, "How high up is space?" "Why do all those parts fall off?" "What happens hap-pens to them? We wrote a lengthy list, and I told him he should call The Answer Man. "Who?" I wrote a long distance number on his paper. I told him to ask for The Answer Man. "Say who you are, and tell him you're doing a report, and hell help you. Thatfs choosing simpler ally. The Commission hopes that the service they provide for viewers view-ers is helpful. Citizens are invited to call the hot line at 224-7030 for a recording of latest movies in the OremProvo area, or 224-7033 for. live information on videos or movies, mov-ies, weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5p.m. The Media Review Guide is needs more study home. If she drives her car to school then to work and home the distance is a total of eight miles. But if her mother has to go pick her up from school, take her to the job and then go home, only to return and pick her up after work, the total is fifteen miles. Now which creates the most pollution, burns the most gas and wastes the most time? It doesn't sound like the professors have done their homework does it? If you want to cut down on pollution, cut down on the number num-ber of UTA buses. On the average run up Orem Main Street I can haul more passengers in a volkswagon then ride the UTA bus. Can anyone tell me what happened hap-pened to the hydrogen motor that was developed in Provo, up at the old channel 11 station? I haven't heard anything about it in twenty years. They told me that exhaust off of it was purer than the air entered the motor. When I see what we have done scientifically, it seems to me that we should be able to come up with a better solution to our problems. A concerned citizen, Jim Fillingim what he's there for. Dad and I will pay for any charges." A sense of awe came over his face. This was mysterious. This was exotic. This was something that cost money, and it wasn't coming out of his allowance. He smiled and dialed. The line was busy for quite a while. "A lot of people call The Answer Man," I explained. He finally got through. "This is J ared. May I speak to The Answer Man?" Grandma Ruthie asked, "Is this Jared? Do you want to talk to Grandpa?" "MOM! Grandpa Quinn's The Answer Man!" And he was. They chatted while Jared took notes. It may cost 75 cents for the long distance charge. Jared had a resource much more valuable than our set of encyclopedia. He had Grandpa, a retired engineer who had helped test the space shuttle rockets. If you have an Answer Man or an Answer Lady in your family, use them. Benefit from the. Value them. Books are wonderful tools, but my son has The Answer Man's phone number on his bookmark. book-mark. available in the following video stores in Orem and Provo: Blockbuster Block-buster Video, GoodTime Video, Smith's Food Eng. Sounds Easy. Provo only: Video Station, Galaxy TV Rentals & Video, Top Hat Video, Munchies Movies. Gift of Video, Orem only. 4 |