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Show I comment Wednesday, Sept. 28, 1988 - Page 2 r; f 4I Utahns will need a lot of information for initiative vote And theyH be making that decision without a clear picture of how much they will save, and how deep the cuts will go. Tonight at the Utah State Training School auditorium, two people who probably understand the different sides of this proposal as well as anyone will meet to debate the By the time Utahns go to the polls in November, they will no doubt be more confused about the proposed tax initiatives than other major political controversy in recent history. That's because neither the opponents or the proponents of the initiatives really know how they will affect Utah's tax picture. As a result, Utah voters are being barraged with a variety of figures which, when put together, make little or no sense to the average There are only two certainties about the tax initiative proposals: if they pass, taxes will go down and government services V three tax initiatives. be will thrown there around, accusations figures Sure, made and predictions of dire consequences if the initiatives pass, or if they fail, fj. i There will be scare tactics and accusations of scare no tactics, portrayals of public servants as accounts with their snouts in the public trough and portrayals of tax initiative supporters as greedy skinflints who don't care what happens to the children who will man-on-the-stre- et. will be cut. The voters will have to decide if the money they save in their annual tax bill is worth the inconvenience of reductions in road maintenance, education, social services and other government services. self-servi- Debate failed to prove anything important All the polls in Utah show that Bush won the first great debate but by a narrow margin. I was perturbed by both candidates. I kept waiting and watching for the death knell to clang for Bush or for Dukakis and neither of them made that bad of a mistake. I thought Bush didn't take it to Dukakis like he could have, and I thought Dukakis gave pretty speeches but forgot to answer the questions. Oh oh. Okay folks, don't be mad. Nuff said. I'd just like to ask one thing. What did that debate prove? Abso- lutely nothing! And what makes me even madder is the commentary that comes on immediately after the candidates are through. I don't need Tom Brokaw to tell me what I've just heard. And I don't need anyone to interpret what I've just heard. That's patronizing the vast American audience. That's telling us the broadcaster's point of view and we don't really need that, do we? I don't need anyone else's point of view. I'm gradually developing my own. And, I don't think Fm stupid. In fact, I think I'm pretty smart. So, please all you broadcasting companies, please eliminate the very biased interpretations after presidential debates They're an insult to our intelligence and we don't need them. We put up 42 quarts of peaches Thursday. It was fun but I couldn't help but remember a few years hack when, on a fine September morn, Mom, Dad and Aunt Becky would arrive on my doorstep. Mom and Aunt Becky would be wearing crisp house dresses with a clean, starched print front apron you better believe it By BETTY FOWLER over their cotton house dresses. They'd brought their favorite fruit pans, paring knives and then Daddy would stagger in carrying three or more bushels of peaches. Things would hum for a while, IH tell you. I washed bottles, counted and prepared lids, measured sugar for syrup and filled the steamer with water and put it on the stove to get hot. Mom and Aunt Becky didn't method hold with this of doing fruit, they preferred the "open kettle" concept. (I'll have to admit that nobody's fruit, especially pears, looked as beautiful as new-fangle- d my mom's did.) But those two ladies filled the bottles so fast they kept me running until we had 60 or 70 filled bottles lined up on the kitchen counter. Then they'd quietly gather up their pans, knives and empty bushel baskets and head back to American Fork. They'd caution me about getting the bottled fruit downstairs on the shelves before the kids could break the bottles or eat any of them before the snows came. Daddy would dutifully haul all the stuff back in the pickup and chauffeur them home again. Oh, how I appreciated those visits. Especially now. Canning season will never be the same. When I was a girl, Mom could cajole me into washing all the bottles. She'd say, "look at that Betty. She's the only one with dainty enough hand to get inside the bottle and make sure every crack and crevice is clean!" I swallowed her story just like when she told me I was the only one with a small enough hand to clean the ducks and geese that came our way during hunting season. And, as a result, during hunting and canning seasons, my hands always looked wrinkled and red from washing hundreds of bottles and cleaning lots of ducks. Mom had rigid rules she followed when bottling fruit. Every bottle had to be scrubbed and sterilized, no matter the care she gave them when she put the empty ones on the shelves. The timing was precise, and the peaches and pears had to be "the best." Mom and dad grew their own peaches and Aunt Becky always had fruit and veggies to share. There was rhubarb and asparagus in the spring and pears, peaches and new potatoes in the fall. There was always the debate as to whether lemon albertas or J.H. Hales were the best to bottle. The hales left the juice's rosy glow around the peaches. The albertas looked pale in comparison, but their taste was nectar for the gods. We'd saved all the over ripe peach slices and I'd received strict instructions to make peach preserves out of them. Those two ladies didn't waste a thing. I always balked on using my sugar to make peach preserves. It definitely wasn't a Fowler favorite. But if Mom and Aunt Becky insisted ... well ... I knew they'd go looking my shelves over for it when they visited next time, and I'd better have evidence that all their advice hadn't been in vain. Canning season can be a joy, but I know one guy who doesn't think so. He worries that his wife doesn't have the time to bottle all that fruit and tells her to buy canned peaches and pears. He thinks she has enough to do without messing up the kitchen with kettles, bottles and peelings. The smooth balance in their home was actually giving way to a bunch of fruit jars and huge amounts or ripening peaches and pears. This man feels threatened! But enter kindergarten next year if there is one. But tonight's meeting, and other debates about the tax initiatives, are valuable. Because somewhere in the middle of these diverse opinions lies the truth about the tax initiatives and how much damage will be done if they are approved. We urge everyone to attend tonight's meeting and listen with an open mind then decide if the $200 or $300 you might save next year is worth the cost Because the issue is complex, no one is going to be able to summarize it in a few neat statements between now and November. Any conscientious voter is going to have to educate him or herself about what the initiatives mean, and how much the quality of life in Utah is worth, and then make a personal - decision. Tonight's meeting is a good place to Words can provide tranquilizer for soul Once in a while I try to put a little wisdom into this column. It is good for my ego. Because in so many parts of the world our civilization seems out of joint, most of us are seeking ways to get rid of our tensions, worries and anxieties about the future. There is a mad rush to flee from our problems, to escape reality and to find in a bottle some ammunition to help us fight the daily battle of part.) But I hope this will give you an idea of what I hope to accomplish when I sit down in front of the computer and start putting each week's issue of the newspaper together. Here is my version of the newspaper's mission statement: The goal of the Newtah News Group is to provide informative and entertaining weekly newspa- - the editor's Druggists are filling prescriptions each day for millions of tranquilizer tablets and other relaxing drugs. They are designed to anesthetize our brains so that our troubles and worries will dissolve into thin air. At least that's what many people hope will happen. The newspapers, TV, radio and other methods of mass communication pour into our eyes and ears a daily barrage of negative, alarming predictions about economic, social problems and about the domestic and international political situations. What can we do about these Here is one tranquilizer: things? after the fruit traditions in her "When you come to the end of your family, she will never settle for less tie a knot and hang on." than a cellar full of shining bottles rope, The best thing about the future is lined up to open for winter meals. that it comes only one day at a time. I'm telling this guy that he Recently a preacher speaking at a might as well join up in the project. service club gave a new slant about She's not going to fail her mission. a sentence in the Lord's Prayer. He It's steeped in her life by this time. this prayer doesn't ask Ifs one of a family's greatest joys. observed, for a week, month or year's supply Mama in the kitchen, apron and of the staff of life. It merely all, with the fragrance of fruit perpetitions - Give us this day our meating the kitchen, and all the daily bread. This is a good rest of the house. tranquilizer to keep in mind. I'm going to send the guy a knife It reminds me of my father's with the instructions to "start favorite passage of scripture. We were poor, and once in awhile we kids would complain about our poor condition. One evening after hearing us complain, he called us together in our little front room. he read to us from the New The newspaper format must papers define the ch aracter of their Then Testament: be with readable communities. To do this, all of our "Consider the lillies of the field, type faces, good headline type and papers should retain a separate how grow. They toil not, character consistent with the com- neitherthey good layout. By maintaining a condo they spin, yet Solomon in sistent format, we make things munity it serves. The newspaper must remain easy to find for our readers. The newspaper must be credeconomically healthy. ible. We can do that by: We should promote a strong local business climate. We can do Following good journalistic practices in gathering and report- this by reporting on important business news, by informing our Editor: ing the news. We would like to express our Aggressively pursuing all of readers of new businesses, grand the news that affects our communi- openings, important business thanks to all the coaches and par ties. changes, etc. We should serve our advertisBeing objective in our reporting and following the basic tenets of ers by providing a medium that offers good market coverage at a journalism ethics. permitting individual eco- reasonable price. The fact that the Due to the open burnine regula nomic considerations to color how ad appears in a credible newspaper tion by the Bureau of Air Quality, we present the news either posishould be of value to advertisers, of Utah Department of State tively or negatively. We must at all since it enhances their advertiseHealth, no open burning of yard costs avoid the appearance of offerment. clean-u- p materials will be allowed. We should actively pursue ing our news columns for a price. Lehi Fire Chief Grant Smith the classified ads as a means to build public agencies. circulation, increase involvement Photographs are an important in the newspaper and generate part of our news product. Pictures income. should be of high technical quality We must continue to make our and should have strong composinewspaper available to our readers tion to tell more of the story. at treasonable price, while produc- We should You can do your holiday gift provide a forum for ing a product that might be considand serve as a ered priceless. shopping early by attending the public opinion, Utah County North Bazaar sponleader in that area by producing ' Next week 111 share some of the sored by the Association for Reweekly editorials that stimulate tarded Citizens Saturday, Oct. 1. interest in important local issues. ideas that other newspaper emg The annual We should take the lead in proevent ployees came up with about the will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Dan mission ofour newspapers - unless viding information about important community issues, going be- they can talk me out embarrassing Peterson School, 169 N. 1100 East, American Fork, according to Kay them by then. yond what might normally be considered standard news coverage (Hint to those involved: Yes, I Beck, bazaar chairperson. Homemade articles of all types when theissuecallsfor extraeffort. can be bought No, $5 is not and prices, holiday decorations, As stated above, weekly news enough.) yummy bakery items, and food items will be on sale, Ms. Beck said. column "user-friendly- ," - - Sept. The comments in opposition to the initiatives reflected many of my feelings and concerns. I too, feel that reckless cutting is not a cure for the economic problems of this state. It also seems to me, after reading through the initiatives, that they will benefit the rich, with more expensive homes and higher incomes, more than they will benefit the average struggling family. It By TOM GRIFFITHS B all his glory was not arrayed like unto one of these, and are ye not more than the lillies of the field." Father looked at each one of us, then asked, "Are you not more than the lillies of the field?" I must confess that this bit of scripture has been a guide to me during my life. There were problems that came up in my life that seemed insurmountable. When they did, I thought back to that little living room in Wales and the words, "Are ye not more than the lillies of the field?" This was a tranquilizer that helped me on many occasions. The basic philosophy of a happy life is well summed up in the beautiful poem written centuries ago in Sanskrit, the ancient classical language preserved in the Hindu sacred writings. It is titled, "Salutations to the Dawn." "Today is the very life of life. In its brief span lie all the realities of our existence. "The bliss of growth, the splendor of beauty, the glory of action! "Yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow is only a vision. "But today, well lived, makes every yesterday a vision of joy and every tomorrow a vision of hope. "Look ye well, therefore to this day - such is the Salutation to the Dawn." By MARC HADDOCK pers for American Fork, Pleasant Grove and Lehi newspapers which help define the character of these communities and which help the towns improve and grow. While advertising is crucial to the economic health of the newspaper and circulation growth is also vital, it is the editorial product which makes the newspaper valuable to its readers. A newspaper with no readers is of no use to advertisers and provides little work for the circulation department. Here are some thoughts on how our newspapers can reach these goals: We must make our news readable and interesting. seems to add up to a regressive tax rollback. I have yet to see any specific facts and figures from the proponents of the initiatives about where exactly fh "fat" is and how much should be cut from the different areas of government. The proponents keep saying that the rollback will not effect education or other programs in any drastic way. I would like some facts and figures to support that conclusion, instead of emotional manipulation. There have already been many cuts in the educational programs in only exception to the regulation wouldbe during themonth of April, when burning permits will be issued. The permits are required for any open burning. bazaar planned for this Saturday ARC -- - fund-raisin- -- recent years and efforts have been made to make it more efficient. Our junior high is on one such program to the "productivity" extent that my son is in several classes that are so big they don't have enough desks for all the students. I don't see much fat left there. Last week one of the proponents admitted on TV that they had probably made a - $100 million mistake in calculating the effect of the initiatives. Frankly, that doesn't give me any confidence in their economic leadership, but I'm afraid ents of soccer. We feel it has been a successful year. Thank you. The Soccer Committee No open burning Reckless cutting no cure for state economic troubles 14 issue. Sj Thanks to soccer parents Letter to the editor Editor: I am writing to applaud the editorial comment about the initiatives on the front page of your browsing living. Here are some ideas on mission of paper What, exactly, are we trying to do each week as we sit down to put together this collection of words and pictures which will come to your home as a newspaper? You probably never think much about it. Neither do we, because we're too busy doing it. Oh, there are some definite ideas behind our product, but we don't dwell on them, any more than most employees spend their working hours in meditation of a grander purpose than getting today's job done. But at our annual employee evaluations, affectionately referred to in the office as "the inquisition," the boss asked us to do just that develop a mission statement from our perspective. Here is my mission statement, more or less as it was presented to the publisher. Keep in mind, this statement is made from the editor's eye view with more attention paid to the editorial part of our product. (Of course, that's the most important start that process. Continued from front page as 1 voters we are not so shortsighted that we mortgage their educational opportunities Just to put a few extra dollars in our pockets today. I hope that initiative proponents will do their homework and address government waste responsibly on a case by case basis. -- Carilee Harper American Fork there's another drought year, he will have to start importing wheat from the midwest. "What we've had to do this year is reach out for wheat. There's a very good chance 111 have to import wheat if there's another bad year. I wish we had our railroad siding back. Nationally, there would only be a few months supply. After all r represent the ur state. I hope sponsors ask. Harvest that as a state we nave proven gullible to any scheme, however ill conceived it be, that will promise us quick cash. Our children economic future of Donations are welcome. Hourly drawings will be held for gift certificates and merchandise. The grand prize to be given will be a night at the St. George Holiday Inn (2nd night free), a mountain bike and a quilt. Proceeds from the bazaar go to the Peterson School, Respite Care, Timp Industries, Kids on the Move and Recreation for Adult Handicapped. "Help us do more for our kids," drought." However, the thing that Robinson really worries about is that if the years of surplus ana abundance, it's ironic that if there's another drought year, we would have to go outside our area and import wheat" One of the things both fanners have learned from past experience is that in good years you save for the lean years, so that you're not caught unprepared when a drought or other trouble hits. "It's discouraging, but well survive "Holbrook said. |