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Show c r 2 Free Press - Wednesday, December 5, 1984 Page ) Editorial Promotions must lack consideration Just when you think all you need is a little frf I THE FBDPIE AGW J con- sideration, you find out that it is illegal. At least, that's what Lehi City learned from the Deseret News last week. Creating a true tempest in a teapot, the state's second largest daily newspaper informed Lehi residents that e their Christmas campaign, the is a lottery, and therefore is illegal. Such sensational copy caught the attention of the wire services, of course, and was soon being carried throughout the land - branding the county's northernmost city as the gambling mecca of Utah Valley. That's a false impression, because Lehi's Giftorama is just one more version of a popular ploy supported by local businessmen to encourage local consumers to stay inside the city limits to do their Christmas shopping. American Fork does it, for example. But whether or not the campaigns are one consideration. around factor all revolves legal It turns out that if you have to buy a chance to participate in the prize drawing that is the highlight of these campaigns, that's consideration. Even if to get the ticket, you merely purchase something you were going Gif-toram- a, shop-at-hom- shop-at-ho- to buy anyway. It means you are gambling - and breaking the law. If you can get the tickets forlree, then you're not gambling -- and you're not breaking the law: The American Fork Chamber of Commerce gets e around the problem by inserting in their "No words the purchase campaign advertising necessary." Several cities, like Lehi, make the tickets available at no charge. For example, Lehi banks don't require that patrons buy some money before they give them a ticket. But they don't advertise that fact. Other stores give the ticket to consumers after they make a purchase. And they have been told to give one to anyone who asks for it. So the question of consideration is debatable. But the fact that Lehi has been singled out by a major newspaper is unfortunate, since they were fingered out for a pecadillo that is common practice throughout the state. Every time a PTA or library raffles a quilt, or prizes are awarded at football games to individuals who purchased a program with the lucky number, individuals are treading into the same gray e territory as Lehi and other Utah towns with their shop-at-hom- well-meani- ng shop-at-hom- promotions. Perhaps it is time to clarify the state laws so that everyone knows what is proper in such promotions - so cities like Lehi will have some guidelines, and not have to learn that the promotion they have been carrying out in good faith for years is illegal if it is. That might give the rest of us some consideration, too. -- ' 1984 OLSEN COMMUNICATIONS Don't look for homemade Christmas By BETTY FOWLER The United Parcel, delivery man hustled into the office yesterday. He laid a package on the desk and asked me to sign his book. "I'll sure be glad when December's over. You know, some people like Christmas." I started to laugh. But, he was serious. I felt like that once on Saturday. Aubrey was visiting with me and I was enjoying her company until she picked up a granny square Christmas stocking that her mother had crocheted Thanksgiving night. The little one held it up and asked "Grandma, don't you make anything?" She ended her out question on a high note, dragging ' the"aaaaannnny." What would any grandma answer- - to a question like that? So I lied, 'Er, ah, yes." "What?" Aubrey persisted. "Well," I floundered desperately, "they're making sock long johns in Relief Society!" Evidenly that satisfied the impudent little girl. She gave me an indulgent grin and skipped away. There are some grandmas who By MARC HADDOCK Alpine School District's Board of Education will tour several schools the state including throughout Logan Junior High, and Canyon Rim Junior High in Orem. Another necessary step toward building a new junior high school in Lehi was taken in Tuesday's city council meeting when the council approved annexation of 21 acres northeast of the city. The site of the new school is located between 600 East and Cedar Hollow Road. Members of Lehi's Advisory Board with representatives from An architect will probably be approved in the Dec. 11 meeting of the Alpine Board of Education. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 1985. aren't "into" crafts, you know. Oh yes, I went through the glass grape stage. And I've made Kerr lid Christmas ornaments. And this nimble-fingere- d lady whipped out a pair of little blackboards once. (Her children loved them. Now their mom was just like all the other moms on the block.) Oh, how I envy those energetic ladies who can whip up one darling thing after another. Oh, what I would give to have the talents they ''have. I so admire the doll makers,' "'the eager-beave- r cabbage- - doll creators. And yet, there's a part of me that would like to bundle them all up and send them back to the North Pole with Santa Claus, along with their crafts! There's the doers and the ooooohers. And, I'm definitely an oooooher. It's tough on us ooooohers guess I should feel lucky. My kids don't know what they want for Christmas. They are true trend-bucker- The girls don't want Cabbage Patch dolls. They really don't want dolls of any size. My son has expressed no desire for a Gobot or a Transformer. Or even for a figure, and the other assortment of oddballs that have n cropped up to keep busy fighting bad buys. He doesn't want a battle cat, either. The words "Snake Mountain" have not passed through his lips. Although they have been bombarded with their share of Saturday the editor's column He-ma- n He-ma- morning propoganda by Capitalist toymakers in the best of Christmas Nakaaexplatas charges Recent allegations that Utah State approved Master Plan for services Training School staff members are to the handicapped. The move, according to Mr. Lavis, abusing residents are unfounded, rather than a according to officials at the in- was a "side-step- " stitution. demotion, and was made because of There is some patient-patien- t his previous experience in working abuse, and patient self abuse, ac- with community leaders in behalf of cording to Dr. Gary Nakao, Director the mentally handicapped. of Services to the Handicapped and Then controversy flared at the acting superintendent of the training Training School last week as the school. statewide media turned it's atThe stale's Division of the Han- tention on the institution. The catalyst was provided by Lyn dicapped is turning its atlcntion to solving these problems, Dr. Nakao Isabell, a member of the Board of m Services to the said. Handicapped and Dr. Nakao commended employees ' leader of the client treatment at the school for their dedication, committee at the school, who saying, "Wc generally have a safe resigned, saying she could not live environment (at the training school) with the knowledge that people at where there are about 900 dedicated the "Utah State Training School are employees who are doing the vest receiving inadequate care and that best job' they can." taxpayer money is being used to Dr. Nakao cited inadequate levels deceive the public." 6f staffing, programing and training .'. The resultant publicity, coupled as problems being looked at. with 'allegations of abuse at the 'Rumors of personnel changes at school by some parents and adthe training school surfaced with vocates, created a crisis of contalks at the Nov. 18 conference of the fidence at the state institution. Mrs. Isabel later said she "had no Mental Retardation Association of evidence that training school staff Utah held at the school. Superintendent members have abused residents, but Subsequently Leonard W, Lavis was reassigned procedures at the school have failed lolhe position of Community Con- to prevent 'individuals from being sultant Nov. 23 to. in the words of Dr. abused." Nakao, "maximize his services 1 . Df, Nakao, who is dividing his the state' and work with han- time between his Salt Lake office dicapped advocates and community and the training school, said the leaders to help implement the newly problem is created by understaffing . ' this time of the year. Everywhere I go people, smiling those secret little smiles, bring item after item from their hiding places. I grit my teeth and brag them up. What else can one do? But, inside I'm hurting. My best friend was making a toy soldier out of a round cereal box. Oh no! This grandma had just thrown one of those away! Oh, now not only was she guilty of being too klutzy to make crafts, but she was guilty of waste. Then her daughter rushed iri and asked if she'd saved all her empty toilet paper rolls. They were going to make favors for a holiday party. She just knew that mom would have several of them. Again, grandma felt like a total failure. I was to blame for a lot of the frustration. I'd tossed that skein of too. I've never been accused of being a masochist, but that darn granny square Christmas sock has haunted me every since I threw it on the cupboard shelf. I can't pass that sock without feeling a twinge of guilt. No, not a twinge. A great big grab of guilt. And now, to make matters worse, Aubrey will be visiting this weekend and I've got to come up with some sock long johns. All is not lost. I'll make them if it kills me. I don't know who or what they'll fit, but, wait a minute, I'll leave them on the mantle. Santa can take them back with him. They'll just fit one of his el ves : Grumpy . Yes, some people like Christmas. Hard sell doesn't sell for Yule season I City annexes property for new jr. high school you better believe it bright green yarn to Mary Ann and asked, "Can you do something with that? It's been kicking around here since the twins were in high school. I'll never use it." Mary Ann picked it up, found the crochet hook hidden in the yarn and within an hour had whipped up that dreadful granny square Christmas sock. I couldn't believe she'd do that to me, and on Thanksgiving night traditions, they have not been swayed. And as they resist all of this hype for toys that I find distasteful, I guess I should feel grateful. On one level, you could guess thev had learned, from You Know Who, how to turn down a sales pitch -especially the high pressure ones. It is my policy to never buy anything from anyone who tells me that if I don't buy it right now, I'll never get another chance. And it would seem, from outward appearance, that good old dad is passing along all that self restraint, and I should be proud. But that's not the way it works. "What do you want for Christmas?" I ask. "I don't know," comes back the answer four times from the four who are old enough to understand the question. Isn't that great? It looks like the perfect opportunity to convince the child that he or she really wants that present that's been stored away in the attic since we bought on sale last July. We've been sowing those seeds for a month now, and have yet to reap a the answer harvest. Instead, remains the same. What do you want for Christmas? "I don't know." - four times, ringing through the halls like the bells on Christmas day. You'd think they would learn the even when I tell lesson eventually them that they have to decide today, or they will get nothing! Still, they can't make up their mind. That's not level headed thinking pure indicisiveness. And it's not the kind of trait they could inherit from me. So I figure it's something they got from their mother. She can't ever make up her mind either. at the school. The training school to by the police investigated staff deals with individuals with determine how they occurred. severe behavioral problems and Dr. Nakao said past Training doesn't have School practices have focused on hyperactivity enough direct care staff to care for preventing staff abuse, "and we them. or haven't focused on Dr. Nakao pointed out although patient to patient abuse. Now we are normally one staff member is documenting all cases and have u responsible for approximately eight better view of what is taking plate." residents, when employees are ill, Norman Angus, director of the on vacation - or even on their lunch Division of the Department of Soc ial hour - other staff members must Services, squelched rumors that Mr. care for approximately 16 in- Lavis was reassigned because of the dividuals. abuse charges, saying "U'onurd has "Trying to supervise 16 menially probably done more" to stop inretarded persons, many of whom stitutional abuse than any other one have behavioral problems, is an person. immense challenge for our staff," he In a meeting with administrative stated. staff members on Thursday of last Staff members agree, saying week, Dr. Nakao emphasized his many times they are the abused as confidence in the work of the emresidents bile, kick, or do other ployees, and commended them for things - and they aren't allowed to their dedication. defend themselves. of He. explained the Division Dr. Nakao said staff members Services to the Handicapped is in the rarely abuse residents, and when process of restructuring and imthey do, it is immediately in- proving services at the training vestigated by the American Fork school with problems (at the school ) Police, who have an officer assigned being identified through studies and to the campus. investigations initiated by the DSII Randy Johnson, American Fork He said the problem of abuse is Police Chief, said about six staff receiving (he immediate attention of members of the 900 employed at the the new efforts at (he school. school have been prosecuted for A team of outside consultants and abuse during the past 18 months. staff members are being sent in to . Most of the alleged abuse is either develop and implement a plan for between patients or self abuse, Dr. improving all aspects of the services Nakao said. These reports are also at the school, he said. POSTAL EXAM The American Fork, Lehi self-abus- e will & Pleasant Grove Post Offices be accepting applications from the general public for the Rural Carrier Exam Dec. 3-The starting salary varies depending on the size of the route carried, and can go as high as $26,000 a year plus excellent benefits. When positions become available the Individuals with the highest scores are hired. You should not miss your chance to fill one of these . ., ... t nigniy aesiraoie ana competitive positions. 7. -- 1 1 1 1 4 STUDY GUIDE by POSTAL EXAM PREPARATION CENTER The study guide by P.E.P.C. was researched and written by the foremost authority in America on how to gain employment with the Postal Service. The author, Mr. McNally,1 has the following ' t ' qualifications: 1. Former postal employee. 2. Currently a Ph.D. candidate In education. 3. Averaged 96 on two of the strictly scored Rural Carrier Exams. . Mr. McNally, who averaged 100 on 7 out of 7 of the various Postal Exams stated, "The Rural Carrier Exam is by far the most difficult of the 5 exams commonly offered to the general public. For this reason proper preparation is essential to obtaining one'a maximum score." . PROPER PREPARATION PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE The Rural Carrier guide includes, 3 complete tests, tips to make testwise," words from actual exams and more... you may purchase a copy of the Rural Carrier Guide by mailing a money order (includes postage and handling) to High Scores Inc. P.O. Box 522, Long Beach, MS 39560. You $14.00 In |