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Show Pleacsn! Grove ReviewLindon New Utahl - Wednesday, March 1, 2000 Page 2 Opi NION BY Ik an j as Taking the mass out of mass transit The Utah Transit Authority is planning on dropping its one local north Utah County line. The move is designed to make the bus system run more efficiently. Route 807, they tell us, just doesn't attract enough riders to justify its existence. So it will cease to exist if the UTA follows through with its proposal. The problem here is that eliminating elimi-nating this particular route basically basical-ly violates all the promises made by UTA when bus service was offered to north Utah County in the first place. UTA should do all it can to preserve this route which is vital to many area residents. Route 807 meanders through much of north Utah County. In its meanderings, it makes stops at several sev-eral important north county locations loca-tions such as the Utah State Developmental Center, the Mt. Tim-panogos Tim-panogos Temple, the American Fork Hospital and Dan Peterson Elementary Elemen-tary School. Dan Peterson and the Developmental Develop-mental Center will be particularly hard hit by the change, since eliminating elimi-nating bus service will make life particularly tough for students and residents who have come to rely on the bus to take them to and from work. The irony here is that UTA sold bus service, and the subsequent sales tax increase to pay for the service, ser-vice, on the promise that this local service would be part of the package. pack-age. Now we are threatened with losing los-ing the service, but still paying the tax for it. Even worse is the fact that the part of our population which relies most on bus service, people with disabilities who cannot drive an automobile, are the ones who will be most affected. For these individuals, mass tran sit is more than a convenience, it is a necessity. UTA's concern here, of course, is ridership. There aren't enough numbers num-bers to justify maintaining the route, they say. Their answer is to eliminate the service, to the detriment detri-ment of those who most need it the disabled. Eliminating the route is one solution solu-tion to the lack of ridership problem, prob-lem, of course. Dropping the route will save UTA money. But it is a poor solution, a step backward for mass transit in Utah County . There are reasons most Utahns have not embraced mass transit, and inconvenience tops the list. The fact is that bus service on Route 807, and on other routes as well, is not conducive to building large ridership rid-ership numbers. There is too much time between buses, and often bus service is uncertain. As a result, if riders miss one bus, there are times when another doesn't come along for another hour. That's a long wait, and drivers aren't likely to give up their cars to stand at a bus stop not knowing for certain when the next bus will arrive. As a result, most of the people using local bus service, outside of commuters, are people who have no other way to get from place to place. The UTA opened up a world of opportunity and freedom for the local disabled population when it brought bus service to north Utah County. When Route 807 closes, it will eliminate this valuable transportation transporta-tion option, one upon which many people have come to rely. Surely there is a better answer, one that is much more in line with UTA's mission and the needs of North Utah County residents who rely on mass transit. It's hard to get excited about Utah primary election Is anyone aware that there will be a Presidential rimary election in ? Utah, Wyoming and Colorado on i March 10? Some other western states j were supposed to join in but most of them have changed their minds, or so I have heard. Since there seems to be a majority of Republicans in Utah, you would think that maybe Governor Bush and Senator McCain would want to duke it out here. In all the rhetoric we have heard about the other primaries, I have yet to hear about the Utah, Wyoming and Colorado one on the rational news. Maybe it has been there and I just missed it. In fact, I just learned that what was meant to be a big Western States Primary is now reduced to only Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. Other than California, most easterners east-erners have not heard much about the entire western part of the United States except when something terrible terri-ble happens. Many people back east feel that the US ends at Missouri where the frontier was in 1847. They think California is attached to Texas by a thread which keeps it from falling into the ocean. So, I don't suppose we will have too many candidates from either party, especially the Democrats, campaigning campaign-ing much out here for the Utah, Wyoming and Colorado Primary. At least we have not seen anybody yet. Perhaps most Utahns feel they are not missing much. Other than our own senators and representatives, we do not see a lot of the folks from Washington, D.C. politics. Many people peo-ple probably feel that that is a good thing. However, I can remember going to Salt Lake City and standing for a long time on North Temple to watch President Kennedy go by in a motorcade motor-cade not too long before before he was killed in Dallas. He stood up where the sun roof moved back in his black car and he waved and we waved. It was pretty neat. Then one time we were in Idaho Falls when President Johnson stopped by and we went to the airport air-port and were close enough to the fence that had been erected to protect the president from all us wild people, that I could have reached out and touched him. I didn't get to shake his hand, though, there were too many other hands stuck out there for him and he couldn't shake everyone's hand. It is interesting to watch the Secret Service agents that are with the presidents. pres-idents. Their eyes continually scan the crowd. They do not look at the president but they look at everyone else checking for suspicious characters charac-ters or those who might have a weapon. They are highly trained, I am sure, to know exactly what to look for. A few years ago we were in Washington, Wash-ington, D.C. visiting the sites near the White House when we saw a motorcade motor-cade with police escort and flags flying fly-ing on the front of big black cars coming com-ing from the White House. We couldn't could-n't tell who it was but it may have been the president or it could have been just a dignitary returning after a visit with the country's leader. We got excited there for a moment or two. Over the years there have been many presidents and other dignitaries digni-taries who have visited Utah but I guess I am just not politically motivated moti-vated enough to fight the crowds to go see them. Actually, I am not too excited excit-ed about going to see any candidates who might visit Utah prior to our "well-advertised" primary, if any come. The states in the west, other than California, do not have enough delegates dele-gates who get to go to the National Conventions for the candidates to get very interested in spending any of their valuable campaign funds. Sen. McCain might come since it could be just a stopover on his way to his home state of Arizona. Vice President Pres-ident Gore may have already been here looking for more space to make into a National Park or Monument. Democrats are apt to not want to waste their money in a state that usually votes basically Republican. Gov. Bush may feel it is not necessary neces-sary to campaign here for the same reason. Watch for this upcoming Primary and remember to get out and vote! Happy Meals are too hard to resist Whomever- invented the Happy Meal was a genius. But I don't know whether to thank that person or to hate them. We don't go to McDonalds that often, maybe once or twice a month. I usually throw most of the toys we get away the day after we get them and my kids have forgotten about them. But we do save all the Disney toys we get (and the Barbies and Hot Wheel's cars) and it is amazing how fast they accumulate. We have a whole box full of Happy Meal Disney toys and I must say it is one of our most cherished possessions. pos-sessions. Which is why I felt so guilty after reading an article in the latest Parents magazine entitled, "Are you Raising a Junk-Food Junkie?" The writer states, "Nearly one quarter of American children chil-dren are obese, and some 40 percent of 5- to 8-year olds are already at risk for heart disease, according to the Centers Cen-ters for Disease Control. Though lack of exercise is a contributing factor, poor eating habits take a large portion of the blame." But it's so hard to resist! Have you seen the latest series of Tarzan toys? The pieces all hook together in sort of a puzzle. Then when you push the button on Tarzan's part, he swings down his vine and sets off a chain reaction with all the other pieces. Of says the rest of the kids. He still rpmpmhpr ma fiT-o rr '" "appyy iuaj0n . Knrcrpr Kino con -l,i , course you have to complete the puzzle puz-zle and McDonalds only offers one part at a time. Talk about a great marketing plan ... some parents will come back week after week to complete com-plete the set. And don't even get me started on the whole Burger King Pokemon craze. There were 51 different toys. Every day for two and a half months my son asked if we could go to Burger King. He doesn't even like Burger King's burgers! And the sad thing was even if I would relent and go there one day, a few hours later he was begging for more. It was awful and I was so glad when it was finally over. The article in Parents also mentioned, men-tioned, "Such early-childhood enticements entice-ments alter the taste buds and produce pro-duce fat-addicted adults, thus ensuring ensur-ing an ever-growing market for the products. Fast-food chains trumpet the fact that they've served fatty food to billions of people. Are we supposed to be happy about that?" Just ask my husband, he usually wants to go to McDonalds as much as nrlnlts t.ViPrp wifhmif lr.'j. rUT-J uus as with kids. I think the key to remember v. muuciauuii. occasional f meal is not going to make uf!' kids unhealthy. I think parent to worry if they are driving t. 1U1 U11111CI cvcijr J.UgUl OP once a week itron; can jctin more The article also gives sorriest tions on ways to protect our rj) from becoming junkies. Probabf of the best suggestions was to i-fast i-fast food as a reward and not n-trip n-trip to Taco Bell your family's'' night out. My suggestion would be to ma uie lasi, iuuu lesucturancs remove- playlands because it's too temper me to just go there and sit down' while and let the kids play. They wouldn't remove the lands anymore than they woU giving out toys with their mealsj !iist 3 marketers are smart, real smart cost-My cost-My new resolve is to not got m eat as much next month and t" 0 5en'f more careful about what my kid; !ason (But of course not until after : . the Jane piece to our Tarzan ; '. mizzle.) A -in w worn - 0e jut 1 lilting tsthe 0 'God's Army' is window into missionary worlL Saturday I had the chance to attend r7S from unusual sources, since the V Lay a press preview of "God's Army," a full-length full-length feature film about Mormon missionaries. Needless to say, I was intrigued when the invitation arrived. I had heard about the film in a television news story which said the "buzz" about the film was very positive. I was also skeptical. I've been invited invit-ed to far too many plays and performances perfor-mances that were unofficially related to the church that were long on testimony testi-mony but short on talent. What I saw was a pleasant surprise. sur-prise. Here is a film about the experience experi-ence of Mormon missionaries that has the wisdom and guts to present these 19-year-old evangelists as real people. , The result is a completely satisfying satisfy-ing movie that gives more insight into the Mormon faith than one has a right to expect. The film was written, produced and directed by Salt Lake native Richard Dutcher, who also has a main role in the movie. Dutcher was sawy enough to play his movie straight on. There is no attempt to proselyte, to preach or to convert. The movie is not a thinly veiled attempt to explain the tenets of the LDS Church to the masses. Instead it is a straight forward look at the day-to-day lives of the young men and women who serve LDS missions. mis-sions. Dutcher makes no attempt to alter the Mormon vocabulary to suit the masses. Instead, he lets that peculiar pecu-liar vocabulary immerse the audience into the culture of Mormonism. The result is a movie that will leave an LDS audience applauding without offending the non-Mormon, who will definitely understand Mormons, if not Mormonism, at' the end of the 107 minutes it takes to watch "God's Army." Dutcher draws from his experience as a missionary in the Veracruz region of Southern Mexico, although he places his film in Los Angeles, where 1 Elder 'Allen (Matthew Brown)' has arrived to start his two-year mission. His companion is a 29-year-old missionary mis-sionary who takes a pretty strict view of mission rules and mission life. He finds himself living in an apartment with five other missionaries, of varying vary-ing race, color and testimony. Any returned missionary will immediately identify with the experience, and Dutcher does a great job of portraying it. Dutcher is no stranger to film mak- contributors to Mormon enter' i i i i . nave Deen, in nis terms, not in; ed in making movies. They've burned too many times." as a resun, vjoa s army was on a "modest budget and was in 18 days. It doesn't show. This: "can hold up with anything ol screens right now. Dutcher says he was aiming Mormon market when he made" Candic ;ard of Board fo Iducatioi it fo Son. Distric souths lid nor .faecifical Army," and in this respect, the tp right on target. "God's Army": duces us to real people placed ii situations. By dealing with realt and looking deep into the her Mormonism, God s Army' rest with a sense of honesty that e many other media projects' pre;-: for" the" LDS "market by IDS ar The result is powerful. ' You won't see lines at the fe for this film like there were fe opening of "The Phantom Met but the movie will be popular local audiences. "God's Army" is being billed a birth of Mormon cinema. I thou; was a pretty tall order when 1 that. But after seeing the film, I they just might be right. God s Army has a grand op ing. A BYU graduate with a filmrKl scheduled for March 8, with gi degree, Dutcher wrote, produced and directed the 1997 HBOCinemax romantic comedy "Girl Crazy" and did the same for "Eliza and I," a PBS filmed adaptation of a one-woman show on the life of Mormon pioneer leader Eliza R. Snow. He financed his independent film release at local theaters starte March 10. It is rated PG, but because the theme is geared t; an older audience. There are no tionable scenes, no foul languaj nudity. But the movie has intense scenes that may be ins priate for young children. Reader's Forum Thanks for bear support Editor: The Pleasant Grove High School Key Club would like to thank all the classes that participated in Operation Bear Hugs. Together, these classes collected several hundred teddy bears. We actually actual-ly ended up with many more teddy bears than the Family Support Center could handle, so some went to the following organizations for similar purposes in helping potentially traumatized children: chil-dren: American Fork Hospital, Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, Pleasant Grove Police Department, American Fork Police Department, and Orem Police Department. The class that collected the most teddy bears was Mrs. Smith's Esteem Team with nearly 250 teddy bears, so they will get the pizza party. Marie Bone's class came in second with 118. Good Job, and thanks again for your support! sup-port! Dwayne Donkersgoed UEA doesn't tell whole story Editor: The UEA has reiterated the often repeated false statement that teachers are purchasing pencils and paper for the children without reimbursement. The legislature has provided a $200 reimbursement reim-bursement last year and again this next year for purported out-of-pocket expenses, expens-es, which would also cover the cost for candy treats as bribes or reward for the children. Most all parents purchase pencils and notebooks for their children, which they carry in their backpacks. Each school district warehouse is loaded to the ceiling ceil-ing with boxes of paper and all other school supplies which the principal can requisition as needed. The UEA teachers union never included in their continual complaint about teacher salaries any mention of the additional career ladder yearly step increases or the tremendous benefit package program. The teachers in Utah have a better salary and benefit package than nearly all of our neighboring states. The UEA also never mentions the fact that the Utah citizens are one of the highest taxed states in the nation and that the percentage of our tax given toward education is one of the highest in the nation. Granted that we have more children per capita does not mean that our children are being neglected. However, Howev-er, it does show that Utah citizens are concerned about educating our children and that they are above average Another fact that the UEA never mentions is that the way our state lemmai M, Ci brk, PI ndnortl Bunding .peas. in SisanC. Medio TheSl constit Be gene; ion of t (item. le bigge pvernm lately h per tta 12 public Cover ipointe : to r fendidat Jtate B pmmitt Ireeto FbyA income tax is structured, the more dren we have the less we pay to ec them. For this very reason, each district has a fee schedule which f have to pay for their children to pate in many school and extra-cuff activities. The UEA also continues to cor about the need to reduce the pupil ratio or class size so the tfc can work one-on-one with the sw-In sw-In the past 10 years the average K-pupil K-pupil ratio has dropped from 30 students per class. With blackboards, television VCR's they are intended for group : ing. Now that computers have h vided for classroom use, teache'-come teache'-come closer to one-on-one instr" The technological ase is actually :: ing the need for textbooks in somfj of instruction. In the good old days when tc the 3 R's was paramount, the tax? did not have the expense for huge -ments of educational structures, offices and staff, fully equipped cafeterias, assembly halls and 8-facilities 8-facilities and programs. Now that' in the technological age, the eft for educational needs and finan? switched. Teachers now have ter facilities, working conditio benefits. ' . i Bobv P i I nun.nnt flmia Danau ' NewUtah! (ISSN No. 1521-6861) (U.S.P.S. No. 435-780) A member of Published weekly by TrFie T iVwtaliAews PLLaAVTT GKCV7 MVMW 59 West Main American Fork, Utah 84003 Telephone Numbers Advertising & Circulation 756-7669 News 756-5273 Publisher Brett Bezzant Managing Editor Marc Haddock City Editor Karli Poyfair Subscription price $24 per year Periodicals Postage Paid at American Fork, Utah POSTMASTER: send address change to 59 West Main, American Fork, Utah 84003 Deadlines Classified Advertising . . .Tuesday, noon Display Advertising . . . .Monday, 5 p.m. News Monday, 2 p.m. Missionaries Monday. 2 p.m. Weddings Monday. 2 p.m. Letters to the Editor . . .Monday, 10 a.m. Sports Monday, 10 a.m. Community Calendar . .Monday, 10 a.m. Obituaries Tuesday, 1 1 a.m. Wfi WP fnmo loHorc u . :: .JnZ: " r . u me euilor letters must include the author's name (pi"" D urwSo , te t 3 h?. nUmber' We reserve the nght to edit letters for punctuation, taste and pnnth ...... a - ..a..,. aie welcome on any topic. HQ WTO RFAru no twil yj Q clarit By Maii P.O. Box 7, American Fork, UT 84003 In Person 59 W. Main, American Fork By Fax 756-5274 By E-Mail editornewutah.com freeji "II th Call Ti 21: Pra Sern K Sine Praj For kit |