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Show Bangerter, Owens try to find things to argue about born in Pa&suitch. " I am opposed to Utah being known as the nuclear state and I will work to block placement ofthe repository here." Banserter said he will veto and vigorously oppose the movement of anything into the state that would be of the harmful to the health, safety or economic well-beiof Utah. people The Republican said he still needs to be convinced the Utah sites are better than other potential sites that are not located near national parks. The more I study the nuclear waste problem, the less I am convinced that deep site storage is the answer," Bangerter said. MI believe a better alternative would be to store the waste right next to where it is. produced." This temporary storage seems preferable to deep site storage, Bangerter said, because it may mean the waste by Marilyn Abildiiov Chronicle staff Democrat Wayne Owens and Republican Norm Essfcrter spend a fair amount of time repeating each other in the bid for Utah's governsjtip. It is not surprising then that political analysts have begun turning their full attention to Utah's tightly ng contested congressional race between Frances Farley and David Monson rather than the two gubernatorial candidates who agree on almost as many issues as they fight over. Such is the case as the final and critical week of the election unfolds. In an effort to separate the two main candidates seeking the state's highest office, the Chronicle asked both Bangerter and Owens to clarify their positions on key issues by responding to a questionnaire. The results indicate there are still very few issues that distinguish the candidates from one another. Nuclear waste: Owens said he opposes placing a nuclear waste repository near Canyonlands National Park in southern Utah under any circumstances. "I believe the fears of nuclear contamination will scare tourists away from southern Utah," said Owens, who was could be recycled. . "To improve the economic conditions of southern Utah, I would vigorously promote tourism as well as seek out businesses that could relocate in rural parts of the state," said Bangerter, Speaker of the Utah House of TV bill as Gov. Scott Matheson did during his i . adminstration because of First Amendment violations. But Bangerter, who voted for the law as a legislator, said he would not excercise his veto power in that particular situation. The decision to vote for the cable TV law was a decision Bangerter has said he wished he did not have to make. "That's the kind of law you wish you could just vote maybe to," he said during a Coffee and Politics lecture. Tax hikes: Both candidates have promised not to raise taxes during his first year in office. Bangerter has also said he will not suggest increases for his second year in office. "And I will work hard to see that tax increases can be ruled --out for the remainder of my term as well." i The Republican speaker notes Utah ranked 14th in the nation in state and local taxes per $1,000 of personal income and ninth in the nation in sales taxes as personal income. Proposotams may Initiative A under this statute than the Federal Communication Commission now requires of the network broadcasters. "Legitimate constitutional issues such as those in the First Amendment are not jeopardized by this statute." Initiative A is similar to the cable TV decency act passed by the state legislature in 1983. That law is presently winding its way through the court system. Passage of Initiative A will force a similar legal challenge, and opponents use that fact as a common sense argument against its ratification. Mark Carter, president of Utah Cable Television Operators Association said, "It seems exceedingly foolish to once again adopt a law which faces the exact legal problems faced by the earlier law. The cost of defending such laws is enormous." He also said the attorney general, the officer who must defend the law if passed, has admitted it will probably be held unconstitutional. Proponents strongly disagree. "This statute will not deprive anyone of freedom of choice to have filth. It will simply protect those who wish to choose a decent society," Harmer said. 1 uniform taxing Proposition would require state-wid- e, fees on motor vehicles, planes and boats. Under the current system, there are over 500 different tax rates for these itesas. "Some people who live across the street are paying different taxes on their automobiles," State Sen. Charles said. "I think it would be almost Bullen, criminal if the thing failed." Proponents claim that the present system actually encouuges people to break the law by registering their vehicles outside the state because of locally high tax rates. Opponents call t' tax plan a power grab by the legislature. They also say it is a rich man's bill because 1 R-Cac- he, ay even-number- available revenues. We have a clear enough picture of tax increases for the first revenues that I have ruled-otwo years of my adminstration." Owens has proposed the state replace the existing state portion of the property tax, which the Democrat calls the ut "most regressive and onerous of our taxes," with progressive and fair tax structures. But, he said, "I do not expect that I will seek any general tax increases while I am governor. Utah's economy is growing rapidly and if our economy development efforts continue to be successful, and we continue to increase the efficiency of the state workforce, I believe we can accommodate revenue needs through the existing tax - structure." ought to shoulder about a education through tuition. one-four- th said students of the total cost of "The estimated percentage of tuition that Utah students are paying currently is around 19 percent of the total cost of education," Bangerter said. "I don't suspect this figure will change significantly, although there may be some slight changes." Owens set the figure between 25 percent and 30 percent of the cost of higher education. coinisltoltyltioinial older vehicles would now be taxed at the same rate as newer models, which might hurt those who cannot afford new vehicles. Proposition 2 Proposition 2 would reform the way legislative sessions are run. budget Currently, the Utah legislature meets for 20-dsessions in general years, and 60-dsessions in years. The amendment would change the process to annual y general sessions, an increase of 10 days over a two-ye- ar period. There is nearly unanimous consent that the present budget sessions are system needs reforming. The outdated, too short and overburdened by matters. But there are opponents. Rep. Samuel Taylor, odd-number- John Harmer, chairman for the Citizen's Commission for Yes on Initiative A, said, "There would be no more stringent requirement made of the cable broadcaster Proposition flomce Democrat Wayne Owens is attempting to succeed Utah's current governor Scott Matheson in the State Capitol. "My commitment is to balance spending needs with Tuition increases: Each candidate ay ed ed 45-da- so-call-ed non-budget- ary D-S- alt Lake, said the extra 10 days are unnecessary: the legislature now has enough time to complete its business. Taylor supports the change in principle but argues sessions should only be 40 days. He also said the extra 10 days would cost the state of Utah an extra $130,000 every two years and asked, "Would it not be just as well without the extra and more costly 10 days?" But proponents say of all western states, only Wyoming's legislature meets for a shorter amount of time. They also say the increased cost is less than .00 1 percent of Utah's total budget and is a small price to pay for the cost of hurried legislation and unmet problems. Proposition 3 Perhaps the most controversial and difficult to understand of all the proposed changes is Proposition 3, which would revise a large part of Utah's judiciary system. Despite passing the legislature with almost 80 percent support, the amendment has faced withering Opposition ever since. In effect, the most controversial part of the, amendment would further insulate Utah's state judges from any direct popular control. The proposed change would allow the governor to fill vacancies in judgeships by appointing one of three applicants nominated by judicial nominating commissions, much like the present system. The appointment would then be subject to senate confirmation. After the judge is in office he would be subjected only to uncontested retention elections every six or 10 years. Voters would simply mark a "yes" or "no" while voting for the judge. "This would take from the people the inherent right to elect judges," State Sen. Verl Asay, Lake, said. This would also be a major change from the present system in which judges often face an opponent while and avoid senate confirmation. running for Critics of the current system believe judges are under too much political control. For example, judges now must actually campaign for office, which raises the possibilities of serious abuse. Sen. Karl Snow, said this means judges must raise money from contributions, and that this situation could easily result in conflicts of interest which could compromise the integrity of the judiciary. Opponents of the. amendment criticize it for giving unprecedented power to the judiciary. Right now, any judge may be removed by vote of both houses of the legislature, but this would be changed by the amendment. Asay said the present system gives the people some control through the legislature, while if Proposition 3 passes, "the judicial branch would account only to themselves for their action." Snow argues that Proposition 3 will merely provide for an independent judiciary. "Proposition 3 actually includes more protections for selecting and reviewing state judges than the U.S. Constitution does for federal judges," he said. R-S- alt re-elect- ion R-Ut- ah, two-thir- ds Proposition 4 The other measure which might affect taxes is Proposition 4, a complicated educational funding proposal. v The state funds education through two different sources: the State School Fund and the Uniform School Fund. The State School Fund is a trust from which only the interest may be used. Interest from the fund currently pays only 2 percent of the cost of public education. . Revenues from the Uniform School Fundare used immediately and provide for the majority of education funding. The proposed change would transfer some revenues from the Uniform School Fund to the interest-earnin- g State School Fund. The revenues would come from the sale of natural resources. non-renewa- . i i "No one person has all the answers and so you need to far-sight- ed bewildering array of constitutional changes which, if passed, could substantially alter the state's makeup. Appearing on the ballot with the constitutional amendments is Initiative A, the cable TV decency act. n as a leader makes then a and who listens, goes out and judgment builds a consensus to get people to support that decision. Leadership: Bangerter describes himself Legislature think I could offer Utah "I leadership," Owens said. ."The best example of that is my opposition to the nuclear waste repository while my opponent will not oppose it." Cable TV: Owens said he would have vetoed the cable As voters go to the polls Tuesday they will face a z Representatives. Owens in the past has criticized Bangerter's consensus-buildin- g abilities, saying die state needs ah who is not tied to the Republican-majori- ty leader independent by Darren Hawkins Chronicle staff 0 . get input from a number of sources," he said. Republican Norm Bangerter is trying to become Utah's first GOP governor after 20 years of Democratic rule. V ble Since the revenues would then be tied up in an continued on page three |
