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Show n Page 2 Orem-Geneva Times Wednesday, November 2, 1994 Editorial PBl'II 1 n f! n. n mil ooo OH They have not officially filed for candidacy. They have not debated. They have not posted campaign signs, distributed fliers, or run ads on television and radio. They did not work any of the county's summer parade routes. They haven't been profiled in the newspapers or tracked in the polls. They haven't responded to voter information surveys. But if the past is any indication, indica-tion, they will retain a considerable consider-able measure of influence this Election Day, Tuesday, November Novem-ber 8, 1994. "They" are apathy and cynicism. Don't let them win at the ballot box this year. They win when enough voters allow them to stand in the way of studying the issues and the candidates can-didates and showing up to cast informed votes. It's true that their appeal can be substantial. Voters faced with a barrage of conflicting claims, charges and counter charges, seemingly unending advertisements, advertise-ments, and unsatisfying answers to the problems facing society today can take the easy way out and withdraw into a shell of apathy. Some cynics go so far as to consider apathy an integral part of the system. "All politics," said the American journalist James Reston, "are based on the indifference indif-ference of the majority." And American sociologist David Riesman said, "The media, fa r from being a conspiracy to dull the political sense of the people, could be viewed as a conspiracy to disguise the extent of political indifference." in-difference." So cynicism becomes another tempting outlet for frustration with a system that doesn't seem to be solving problems, and may even be creating new ones. The relief found in cynical humor can be comforting as well as pain- numbing. Renowned cynics have been able to articulate absolute "zingers" statements that hit their targets and hit them hard, and politics has always been a favorite target. For example, the German statesman Otto Von Bismarck once said, "People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war, or before an election." elec-tion." And while they form an enticing entic-ing path of least resistance, cynicism and apathy interfere with our ability to hold candidates can-didates accountable for their campaigns andor past service. If campaign-weary citizens could write ah open letter to 1994's political candidates local, state, and national we would say, "Dear Candidate: We know that in reality you are not quite as perfect as you would have us believe, and that your opponent is not quite as malevolent as you might want us to think. Not knowing all your motives as well as you do, we will assume that you are seeking this office to help the citizenry as well as (let's be honest here) to make a name for yourself, to some degree. If you are elected, remember us and do your best to help us. If you truly do that, we cannot expect more. Sincerely, Your constituents" Let's be courageous and involved in-volved enough this year to excise the apathy and cynicism out of the message that really counts our voting participation as citizens and show up at the voting booths November 8th to choose those who will be representing repre-senting us and spending our tax dollars during their designated terms. Home and School: Vital Links By LILY ESKELSEN President, Utah Education Association A J 7 The Eleventh Commandment is Never Give Up On A Kid. I was taught that. I've recited it. I know it by heart like a catechism, but you see, I was so tired. I was discouraged. dis-couraged. And he was pushing. So I almost gave up. I've never quite come to terms with the awkward reality of feeling feel-ing exhilarated, competent, and successful with other people's children and deflated, inept, and clumsy with the children who live down the hall. In my classroom I am the prima ballerina dancing an orchestrated choreography of manipulative charm. At home, I resemble more the jerky stops and starts of a ten-year-old trying to drive a stick shift, and my temper smells vaguely of burnt clutch. But even so. I've always known not to give up. I've always known that kids were often caught in an endless loop of repeating old mistakes and ending en-ding up where they began and needing to hear the lessons over and over. I've repeated the right answers again. And again. Then, when talking to the counselor about my child's grades and attitude and work ethic and discipline, something drained. It didn't snap. It didn't crack like the straw on the camel's back. Someone just pulled the plug, and it drained out before I could stop it. I was listening to the bored and flippant response to yet another question: "I don't see why that matters. I really don't care." And the counselor said, "But I care. Your mother and father care. We're trying to help you." I said, more to myself than tc them, "I don't know how much longer I can make myself care. I don't know how much longer I can reach out without feeling someone some-one reaching back. At least trying. Sometimes I think we'd all be happier if I just gave up trying to help." The counselor understood how I felt, but he wasn't going to let me get away with it. 'You can't let your mother give up on you, kiddo. Tell her you don't want her to give up on you. Tell her." He hesitated. He looked embarrassed. em-barrassed. But with a little more coaxing, he said, "Don't give up on me, Mom." He whispered it with his chin on his chest. I know he was just repeating the words he was told. But it plugged up the drain and made me cry. Raising kids is such hard work. It's lonely work. You tear your hair out and grow thicker skin and sprout grey hair. But our kids will never make it without us. We're not allowed to give up. So take a deep breath. Grit your teeth. And never give up. Never give up. Never give up. Utah Term Limits Head Seeks Orem Kiwanis Club Support Who can you trust to pass responsible term limits-130,000 citizens or a few politicians and lobbyists?" asked Bart Grant, Director of Utah Term Limits, of members of the Orem Kiwanis Club at its weekly meeting held Wednesday at Utah Valley State College. Grant asked for an affirmative vote on Initiative A in the upcoming up-coming election. It calls for limits on U.S. Congressmen, U.S. Senators, State-Wide elected officials, State Senators and Legislators, and all County offices. He said the history of term limits dates back to the time our nation was founded. "The Pennsylvania Constitution, as well as the bills of rights accompanying six state constitutions adopted from 1776 to 1780 include term limits for their representatives," Grant stated. "In 1777 the Continental Congress the direct predecessor of today's Congress allowed delegates tc serve a maximum of three years. The primary motivation was to ensure that legislators reflected the make-up and outlook of the citizenry they claimed to represent." "There is a good historical and legal background for term limitations," Grant said. "The founders of our country believed in the rotation principle, resulting in a large turn-over in the early days of our country." Grant stated, "Today, 90 percent of the incumbents are re-elected to Congress!" Declaring that term limits is an idea whose time has come, Grant stated that 16 other states have enacted term limits and this year seven other states have term limits on their ballots. Grant also explained that Initiative A also requires all elections in the state to be decided, by a majority vote. If no candidate receives a majority vote for an office, the two candidates receiving the most votes will face each other in a run-off election. No candidate should take office without the support of a clear majority of the voters, he declared. "The accusation that Merrill Cook included the runoff provision in Initiative A to get himself elected is not true," Grant stated. "Merrill was one of the original sponsors of this initiative, but the suggestion for a runoff election came from others who could see the necessity of having a clear winner at the end of each election cycle." "How the run-off election affects Merrill Cook is irrelevant, as long as we start electing our leaders by majority vote," Grant concluded. The Orem Kiwanis Club meeting was conducted by President Arthur Newell. MiOUFiD mSmmimm immm mi MS MiiiiaHIiiVii ii ut ititi nTIitMti.wiimiiiiintijifcti Halloween Humbug Do I detect in the November winds a collective gentle sigh of relief that Halloween is over? Maybe it's just me. Halloween is probably about my 365th favorite day of the year right after the Ides of March, Pearl Harbor Har-bor Day, and the advent of Daylight Savings Time. "Bah, humbug!" has a broad sphere of application at our house. I am just not one of those creative crea-tive moms who enjoys sewing intricate intri-cate costumes or decorating the house inside and out with pumpkins, scarecrows, ribbons, and cornstalks. I admire those who do sew and decorate. I enjoy driving around town and seeing the fun yard and porch scenes added to the beautiful golds, reds, oranges, and browns of the autumn landscape. Artistic and imaginative costumes delight me. However, I just can't bring myself to personally invest a lot of time, effort, and expense in Halloween. This has created a gap between my children and me a generation gap of sorts. I stand on my side of the chasm, thrilled when I find an extra quarter on the floor or an unexpected dollar in my purse. They stand on their side of the abyss and exclaim, "But Mom, the mask only costs fifty dollars!" I stand on my side with a pathological aversion to smeary pumpkin innards. They stand ready not only to carve jack o' lanterns, but also prepared to enter a brave new world where they can "be" something different clown, princess, frog, angel, Indiana Jones just for one night. I stand, wanting to protect my year-long (actually, life-long) investment in-vestment in their teeth. They stand ready to run with their friends and glide as if'on a rainbow from house to house, collecting candy treasures until they have acquired a personal pot of gold. Then there is the patent unfair ness of how middle-aged and children's bodies assimilate Halloween Hal-loween candy: e.g., two pieces Halloween candy five lbs. body fat for middle-ager; five lbs. candy zero body fat for 7-year-old. I have gained weight just by thinking think-ing about Halloween candy, so in order to survive, I have to choose treats for trick-or-treaters that are hard on my dental work and are consequently less appealing Hto me. This also enhances the , candy's chances of surviving long enough to be given out on Halloween. Hal-loween. The holiday does become a matter mat-ter of survival. I have survived the years when my oldest sons were no longer allowed to go trick-or-treat-ing and stayed home to spot "over-the-hill" trick-or-treaters (defined as anyone their age who was going). The boys tried to "reward" them with foil-wrapped rocks or horse chestnuts. I did my best to eliminate the dispensing of these "treats" motivated as much by fear of possible retaliations as by a desire for quality control. I have survived years when cos-tumes cos-tumes I've made have self-destructed. self-destructed. A daughter once went as a bag of jelly beans. Her outfit was made by taking jelly bean-sized bean-sized balloons, flirting with hyperventilation hyper-ventilation to blow them up, filling a plastic dry cleaning bag with them, and labeling it "Chelle's Jelly Beans". The bag was then worn around the victim's ... er, reveller's neck. The jelly bean bag tore on the trick-or-treating trip, leaving a Hansel and Gretelesque trail of balloons throughout the neighborhood. neighbor-hood. I have survived years when we haven't bought enough candy and years when we've bought too much. I've survived years when flashlights flash-lights and candles have given out and years when malicious pumpkin kickers have not. And I've survived this year, to humbug again. Bring on Christmas. Sub-For-Santa Office now open for applications and volunteers Applications and volunteer sponsors can apply for United Way of Utah County Sub-for-Santa program began Oct. 24. "Sub-for-Santa is designed to help children, who without assistance assis-tance would not receive any presents for Christmas," Shari Valeti, coordinator of Sub-for-Santa, said. "The program matches families in need with volunteer who would like to help a family for Christmas." This year Sub-for-Santa is offering of-fering a new service to families needing assistance during the holidays. For the first time, applicants ap-plicants will attend "Make It-Take It-Take It" workshops in conjunction conjunc-tion with signing up for Sub-for-Santa. Make It-Take It will help participants par-ticipants become self-sufficient by helping them make small gifts and holiday decorations. Those crafts can be given to family members mem-bers or friends for Christmas. There is no charge for the items that will be made during the 20-' minute workshops. " Workshops will be offered on Nov.5,12,19 and Dec.3 and 10. Sponsor's names, addresses and phone numbers are kept confidential. con-fidential. Families interested in applying for Sub-for-Santa assistance, assis-tance, and individuals, families, businesses, clubs and groups that , would like to sponsor a family should call Sub-for-Santa. Monday Mon-day through Friday, at 375-2999 between 9 a.m. and 5 D.m. Volunteers needed to help with museum exhibit for children If you're into origami or you've always wanted to stage a Neah's Ark puppet show for kids, here's your chance! The Museum of Church History His-tory and Art in downtown Salt Lake City is looking for volunteers . who enjoy working with children to help out with a new exhibit. Museum educator Jenny Lund says the interactive exhibit is called "Jesus Once Was a Little Child, a Little Child Like Me". She says "it is designed especially for children, but needs lots of adult energy and assistance to be successful." Lund and her associates are looking for "people who like to work with children." "The volunteers will help the children participate in the enactment enact-ment of the Nativity story, will teach skills like weaving, origami (the art of Japanese paper folding), fold-ing), and netting, and will also put on a Noah's Ark puppet show," she said. The exhibit encourages children to follow the Savior, Jesus Christ, Lund says. It does that by teaching them about his childhood. There are many wonderful teaching moments in this exhibit," ex-hibit," she says. "We only need more teachers." The museum will provide training to help the new volunteers. volun-teers. Those who volunteer will serve one four-hour shift a week. Shifts are available weekdays,, evenings, Saturdays, and Sun-, days. The exhibit will run' through October 15 of next year. Those interested in applying should phone (801) 240-4615 for, more information. Interviews will be conducted during the month of November. The museum is situated at 45 No. West Temple Street, across the street west of historic Temple Sauare. II n S 1 r1 1 it v -1 I N S I DEI BY BRENT SUMNER I'm waiting I If Dixie Thompson upsets Bill Orton will she forget the Little Guy? After leaving messages on her recorder, Dixie will not talk to the little guy (referring to Orem-Geneva Orem-Geneva Times staff). Look for Orton to defeat Thompson soundly sound-ly and keep in touch with local people. Congratulations Dave Houle! The Mountain View Bruins continue to dominate the state cross country competition. The girls and boys won the state meet last week and the boys' team is ranked third nationally. Head Coach Dave Houle deserves a tip of the hat. State Finals Coming? Paul Clark's Golden Tiger Football Team will get to the semi-finals before they get any tough competition. Coach Clark should be congratulated on putting put-ting together a team that had little lit-tle varsity playing time last year and have no blue chip athletes. The Tigers are just well coached and play together as a solid unit Good Luck Paul. Watkins Banquet The ProvoOrem Chamber off Commerce will hold its annual Senator Arthur V. Watkins Banquet Ban-quet November 17 at the UVSC Ballroom. This is one of the special spe-cial nights that the Chamber of Commerce honors local citizens. Call the Chamber for your reservations reser-vations at 379-2555. Pet Peeeeve of the Week As a small business owner I get a chance to do all sorts of tasks including taking a deposit (when times are good) to the drive up window of my bank. Always being in a hurry, it never fails I get behind the person who needs to : borrow a pen from the teller and fill out their deposit and have the teller add it up while I patiently wait. Didn't someone say time is ; money? 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