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Show Comments Free Press - Wednesday, September 25, 1996 - Page 2 Art for more Editorial If "art imitates life," then "The Scream" may be an appropriate response to the latest death knell for the arts in our commu- Many contribute to success of Temple Open House By all accounts, the Open House for the Mount Timpanogos Temple was a great success. In the course of the past six weeks, over 700,000 guests have passed through the doors of this magnificent building. Most of these visitors came from our north Utah County community as well as surrounding cities and towns. For many, the Open House was the impetus for a homecoming. But visitors also came from throughout the United States and all over the world. They found the Temple impressive and the Open House enjoyable. A lot of people are responsible for that. First is the Temple Committee, which planned this event within an inch of its life. Every eventuality was considered and dealt with before it ever arose. At the same time, this group remained flexible enough to shift and adjust with changing needs. The results of the countless hours in preparation paid off big time. Second are the local communities, which cooperated to create convenient traffic patterns to and from the temple site. Local police helped when needed and stepped out when they found they weren't needed any more. City and county governments stepped up needed road improvements so they could be completed in time for the open house. Our commu nity. nities will benefit from those road work for years to come. Third, thousands of local residents made the Open House a success through their service in myriad tasks. Each day hundreds of volunteers helped the temple visitors park, greeted them, helped direct them through the building and responded to their needs. At night, volunteers guarded the property, cleaned the temple and made general preparations for the next day's visitors. It is safe to say that this Open House could not have been carried out without the countless hours of volunteer work. Temple visitors added to the experience. The visitors were courteous and cooperative. The community thanks the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Saints for opening the doors of the Mount Timpanogos Temple for the past six weeks. Many lives have been touched as a result of this event. In two weeks the Temple will dedication undergo a week-lon- g which will again tax the resources of north Utah County. Given our experience of the past six weeks, we welcome the crowds. Then the temple doors will be closed to all except faithful members of the LDS Church. But there is no question that this wonderful edifice will go on touching the lives of many over the years to well-behave- d, come. Bits of wisdom from politics to marriage I hope my local ecclesiastical leader won't be embarrassed if I tell everyone about his scriptural thought I think it was a bumper sticker he saw somewhere. It read, "Pray for President Clinton... Psalms 109:8" For those of you who don't want to take time to look up that particular verse, it reads, "Let his days be few; and let anoth- er take his office." I'm afraid some of the deer hunters in and around Kanab are tempted to add verse nine, which reads, "Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow." This weekend is that famous Fall holiday UEA; it ranks right up there with THE DEER HUNT. Like many of you, I hope to take some time off with my children. However, it seems life only becomes more complex. I once had a college professor tell me life would get simpler after graduation; now I wonder what planet he lived on. Since I've had at least one request, I'll repeat some of the bits of wisdom I found in Amish country this time last year. At Rockome Gardens (the central tourist trap for Amish merchandise near Areola, Illinois) I noticed little sayings throughout the gardens ("book of sayings available at the gift shop," thank you). I can't say for sure that they were Amish sayings or just corny midwestern lore, but some of them were worth repeating. On marriage: When a man and woman marry, they become one. The trouble starts when they try to decide which one. Being a husband is like any other job. It's a lot easier if you learn to like your boss. The best time for a man to assert his know he's boss is authority and let his wife the first time he gets the courage. Today a girl marries for keeps. She keeps house and keeps on working. It takes two to make a marriage the eligible girl and her anxious mother. Dating advice for men: Modern girls may not know how to cook, but they know what's cookin'. She may be the kind of girl who doesn't care for a man's company unless he Looking over the Obvious By BRETT BEZZANT owns it. Many women are attracted to the men. simpler things in life On politics and government: The trouble with America's foreign relations is that most of them are flat broke. A congressman's idea of waste is a dollar spent in somebody else's district. Put all your money into taxes. It's the only thing that's sure to go up. Psychiatrists say a man shouldn't so does the keep too much to himself IRS. On bringing up children: The easiest way to teach children the value of money is to borrow from them. "Lookout for Safety Precaution children especially the ones driving cars." People who wonder where this younger generation is headed would do well to consider where it came from. And still more: A woman's idea of traveling light is to have her husband carry all the suitcases. Criticism is the thing most of us think is more blessed to give than receive. Two things are hard on the heart running up hill and running people down. If you growl all day, it's only natural to feel dog tired at night. Whenever we're about to make ends meet, something breaks in the middle. One good reason for not worrying is that you feel like such a fool when things turn out right. Well, that's the word from Illinois. We "As a former fetus also saw a clever I oppose abortion." As election time draws near, don't forget to pray for President Clinton. Despite the fact that our pioneer heritage is rich with a history of artistic programs and productions, official arts programs have struggled in recent years. More than a decade ago, Mary Ellen Cash spearheaded an effort to organize the Lehi Arts Council. She gathered a group of us from various disciplines to develop a plan for bringing a variety of producprograms, classes and tions into the area. What we lacked in practical knowledge of running such an endeavor we made up for in enthusiasm for our particular specialty, and we hoped that our individual interests would converge into a presentation. Our first musical was "Annie," which was by the community. Scores of little girls came to tryouts and many were cast in the production. In addition, there were a number of people who participated in chorus roles and had a great time. On top of that, we amassed a community orchestra that not only had an enjoyable time in both rehearsal and performance, but one that sounded good, too, especially in light of the fact that some members had not played in a considerable length of time. The spirit of camaraderie was topped only by the exhilaration of performance, and I think everyone was pleased with the response of the audiences. We were able to offer some other unique opportunities that first year, such as the Missoula Children's Theater, which gave a number of youth the chance to audition, rehearse and perform in a production within the space of a week. Again, the response was enthusiastic, and we were able to secure them for a second year. We also had some Arts in full-sca- well-round- well-receiv- I'd rather drive First off, let me say that driving a drunk car is not the same as driving drunk. It can be pretty scary though. That's what students at American Fork High School learned last week when they got a chance to drive the Drunk Driving that's a Dodge Neon that's Simulator been modified with an computer that can be programmed to delay the car's steering and braking response time. The result is a ride that simulates the slowed physical and mental response abilities of a driver under the influence of alcohol. The car and the tour is sponsored by Chrysler Corporation and Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. The Simulator has been around for about six years, and it is used to allow sober d the dandrivers to experience gers of drinking and driving. And where better to start than with high school students? These young drivers need to learn early that alcohol and driving are a bad first-han- combination. The simulator experience is interesting. The people running the program arrived Wednesday with the car and set up a short course with lots of turns and one pedestrian crossing, complete with cut-opedestrians that pop up by remote control. The course was set up in the drivers education lot for safety. A trained instructor rides in the passenger seat. In American Fork, that was Patti Davis, who ran the computer. Patti also had a brake on her side of the car like they use in drivers' education cars so the instructor has some control over the automobile if the student loses control. Drivers were allowed two trips around the course. On the first trip the car responded normally. Then Patti told the computer to go to work. During the second trip, the computer sets a timing delay on the car's braking and steering, simulating how a driver's response time is changed when he or she is drunk. As a result, the car turns late and misses crucial turns. It was quite interesting to watch the teens make the drive. Everyone did well on that first lap, zooming around turns defined by bright orange traffic cones. But the responses on the that second lap varied. It was obvious at the first turn that ' "P. ' Dick Boland Vei twice-remove- As it stands now, I have not seen any money. Missouri consolidates food stamp money and welfare money to offer incentive to employers who hire welfare recipients. That still sounds like welfare to me. No one has indicated how much my taxes will go down as a result of people moving from welfare to workfare. Imagine the poor small businessman who has just eaten the 1996 Creators Syndicate, Inc. plan that saves welfare minimum wage raise hiring some unemto ployed welfare worker who only wants work four days a week and uses the family-leave law as a means of doing so. If the states have to resort to WPA-typ- e programs to put welfare recipients to but work, we will have saved nothing and streets clean with end could up we to parks. This is certainly preferable pay- ing someone to sit home and watch "The Price Is Right." Many of the people on welfare are incapable of holding meaningful jobs. If there is a disability involved, no one can quarrel with that. However, many on wel- fare are there because of the deplorable conditions of our school systems. Rather than putting them to work, we should consider sending them back to school. Good grades could be required for continued payments. . Mr. Clinton wants to expand the family-leave program to cover parent-teache- r conferences and regular doctor's appointments for children. This is probably The Daly Planet By RUSS DALY Education programs at the local schools, which provided even more opportunities for the youth of our community. Those noticeable successes were offset by some of our other programs, such as several esoteric concerts that we offered. The response of the public was sparse, but those few who did attend were, I think, pleasantly surprised at what they heard. I don't remember the details of all of our funding during those first years, but, thanks to Doris Trujillo's expertise in writing grant proposals, we were able to obtain monies from the Utah Arts Council for the projects. The group received some flak from a few detractors who chose to hit on the fact that the art council president's husband happened to be the mayor. So what? A lot of people in town are related, and it's not like she was in a paid position. No, she was simply doing something for the good of all the citizens, and that was the extent of it. Two other directors have taken over since that time, and the organization has had more of the same problems as well as new ones. First, there seems to be a lack of support from elected officials. With our first group and our first performances, we sent out two complimentary tickets to each member of the city council. Very few were ever used. Granted, they have allowed the arts council to function, and have even budget ed a certain amount of money toward the program, but if they would have actually attended one of the presentations, they would have seen the quality, and hence, its value to the community. Second, perhaps our city officials were d in their facilities management. What the future might have held for had any of the old Fifth Ward building the administrations caught a vision of the potential and been willing to back it up is moot because they made the irrevocable decision to tear it down. With the remodeling of the Memorial Building for use by the Hutchings Museum, the city then had an opportunity to utilize the vacated building for an arts short-sighte- center. A lot of volunteer effort went into the project to clean it up for the Lehi Roundup Fine Art Show and fundraiser performances of "You Can't Take it With You, as well as use as a rehearsal facility by the performing group Bridges, which has received statewide acclaim for because the teacher's union won't allow the teachers to work at night, when it would be appropriate to hold a conference with a working parent. Once one of these social service bills get passed, there is no end to the extremes it may obtain. If you owned a business and perhaps had 10 people working for you, would you have a good feeling about the possibility of each of them taking up to 12 weeks unpaid leave? That would be a possible loss of 600 man days of productivity. By then, you would be sick enough that your spouse could take 12 weeks off to look after you. But look at the good news: You would be eligible for welfare. Every time the government comes up with a new giveaway program, it grows 10 times as fast as the Gross National Product. In addition, each program requires thousands of government workers to police it or run it or enforce it. Family leave will just be another liberal boondoggle. Most all, large corporations give their employees paid time off for the kinds of problems the Family Leave Bill hopes to remedy. Now these corporate giants who are trying to save every penny will realize that it's not necessary to pay their workers for this lost time. Thanks a lot, Bill. their tal- ents. Just as the comedy was about to open, the Arts Council was informed that part of the building would be unavailable for use. According to information I heard, which may or may not be wholly accurate, it was because someone needed space for the Micron project. Excuse me? The Micron project needed more space than what was available in their office on Main Street, the myriad trailers on the construction site, or even the large, uncompleted Micron facility itself? Do we even know what "the Micron project" means these days? Now the city is at a crossroads of sorts, n considering the construction of a dollar recreation facility that might include space for the arts. I believe it is vital for any community to provide programs in the arts. Art is not just for arts sake; it is for the sake of a society. After all, it takes a village. multi-millio- a drunk car than drive drunk The Editor's Column ;-- . igj By MARC HADDOCK something was wrong. The car kept going straight when it should have turned. Then, when it finally turned, it reacted to the driand went too far. By the ver's third turn, traffic cones were flying helter skelter. And no one stopped in time to miss the "pedestrian" at the simulated crossover-reacti- walk. Some drivers slowed down a lot to compensate for the loss of control. Others kept up the speed, but their driving became more and more erratic as they tried to control their drunk car. And almost every car lurched to a stop in the crosswalk with a plastic pylon from the previous turn trapped under the front of the car. I took a couple of laps in the simulator, too. I have never driven drunk and I wanted to see what it is like. But what you find out is that, as I said at the first, driving a drunk car is not the same as driving drunk. The first lap was fine, then Patti said, "Here we go," and pressed a key on the laptop computer that controls the car. It was fine during the straight part, but when I turned the steering wheel at the first turn, nothing happened for a few moments. So I turned harder. Then the car turned and just kept turning. I spun the wheel back, and nothing happened. I wanted to slow down, but Patti asked me to keep the speed at about 10 mph. Before long I was completely out of control. When I reached the crosswalk, the "pedestrian" leaped up, as I knew he would. Even though I was ready, the car still lurched halfway through the crosswalk before the car screeched to a stop in response to my pressure on the brake pedal. Patti was quick to point out that this is not what a drunk driver experiences. "You did everything right," she told me. "The car did everything wrong." But when a driver is drunk, it is the other way around. His or her reflexes are slowed, not the response time of the car. Turns are exaggerated and brakes are applied too late, but the drunk driver is often not aware that anything is wrong. And that makes a drunk driver a lot more dangerous than a drunk car. No one would dream of taking this specially-equippe- d Neon on the road and pushing the key that makes it simulate a drurk driver. If our car started acting like that, we would park it by the road and get out and walk. But the drunk driver has impaired judgment that goes way beyond response time. He or she often doesn't have the sense to stop. And drunk drivers take to the streets all the time without a second thought. That's why over 7,000 young drivers die crashes. That's every year in alcohol-relate- d why alcohol is involved in 44 percent of all fatal crashes. Did the simulator make a difference? One can only hope. Alisha Adamson said that driving the drunk car "was like I was not in control of the car." She didn't like it. "What scares me," said Aaron Wilson, "is that there are a lot of people out there who drive like that." That's what scares me, too. Two weeks ago I took my son, Seth, to get his drivers license. He is the sixth kid I've watched grow up and climb behind the wheel. And every time they drive off, you just hope they or don't run into one of those people rather you hope one of those drunk drivers doesn't run into him. Maybe a spin in the Drunk Driving Simulator can help improve those odds. Letters to the editor Appalled at Welfare, workfare and family leave Let's get them off welfare and into jobs, says our beloved president At the same time he talks about putting them to work, he signs a bill that allows them to stay home every' time one of the kids has a stomach ache on a school day. It's called family leave. It allows workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to stay home with a sick child or "other relative." Let's hope that "other relative" means immediate family, and not second cousins than art's sake city council Editor: I, too, think the citizens of Lehi should be appalled, but not with Richard Smith who took the time to try to inform Lehi's City Council. But rather, they should be d decision of outraged at the city officials which left citizens with inflated property prices and an empty building short-sighte- as a monument of their arrogance and stupidity for stating that this tax refund would not cost taxpayers anything. Council member Frances Comer's statement that Richard Smith's lawsuit is a frivolous lawsuit is totally false. If this lawsuit was frivolous, why didn't the attorneys state that and have it dismissed on those charges? This lawsuit was never challenged on the merits of the case or the constitutionality of the tax rebates, but rather on technicalities of service. I would question why this lawsuit was not challenged on the merits of the case, instead of technicalities. I, too, would also be appalled by the cost of the lawsuit. I would go further and challenge the City of Lehi on their decision to d hire attorneys. To my knowledge, the City of Lehi has an attorney on staff (funded by taxpayers) who should have been very capable of handling this case (he was capable to help with this decision). Richard Smith should not be blamed d for the city's decision to hire outside attorneys. Maybe they were concerned they would lose the case. high-price- high-price- To suggest that because Micron is pay- cost of the RDA that thereing the fore Richard Smith will suffer no loss as a taxpayer is ludicrous. The City of Lehi would have been paying Micron back the up-fro- loan plus interest, in lieu of their property taxes. Richard Smith and United We Stand met with city council members to alert them to the vulnerability of the chip market and the possibility of Micron not being able to compete in Lehi with foreign markets due the passage of our trade agreements. They were arrogant and completely sure of themselves. We attended meetings where the price of this tax giveaway was over $30 million. This is poor public policy. When taxpayers are put at risk by their public officials, they have every right to protect themselves. Public officials should not have the right to discriminate in taxing policy. It is not unreasonable to believe that everyone should pay their fair share of the tax burden (even if they are a large corporation paying their CEO $1.5 million a year in wages and stock bonuses, while making huge corporate profits). Richard Smith was concerned about the cost of the case to the City of Lehi and felt with Micron's changing plans, he should not press this case further to the Supreme Court which would have cost the City of Lehi a great deal more. Claire Geddes |