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Show Comments Free Press - Wednesday, December 4, Page 2 Out of order Editorial It's a big tax hike Regardless of how our County Commissioners choose to express it, Utah County is raising property taxes in a big way this year. County residents will experience a 41 percent increase in the portion of property taxes they pay to Utah County. That will mean an additional $35 dollars a year added to property taxes for a residence worth $100,000. Businesses with the same value will see a $63 increase. In the grand scheme of things, that's not much, since only about 14 percent of most county residents' property tax dollars 199G - to Utah County. The largest portion is claimed by local school districts, city property go taxes and special service districts. But on the county level, the 41 percent increase is big. Most of the increase will go to open and staff the new Utah County jail in Spanish Fork. Voters approved funds to build the jail, but when the county came around last year seeking additional funds to open and staff the facility, it was turned down by a population who felt they had been taxed enough. This year, the county isn't asking voters whether they like the new taxes or not. The County Commission doesn't have to. The legislation that froze tax increases without voter approval expired earlier this year, opening the door for this year's $5.5 million dollar tax increase. Otherwise, it is a safe bet the new jail would continue unstaffed and unopened. The tax increase includes $3.4 million to open the new jail; $500,000 to pay for summer wildfires the county had to fight; $500,000 to hire additional appraisal personnel and pur chase equipment to comply with the State Tax Commission reappraisal order, $500,000 for various county road projects, and $600,000 million to pay for 2.5 percent cost of living increase for county employees. The county is attempting to downplay the increase. A press release from Commissioner Jerry Grover characterizes the increase as 9.1 percent of the current budget and points out that the actual budget will decrease. But that doesn't change the fact that property tax rates for the county will increase from .001545 percent to .002177 percent that's a 41 percent increase, quite a jump for a county that prides itself on low taxes and stern fiscal responsibility. Grover also compares the 1997 tax rate with that of 1986, when it was .002178 percent. But the comparision isn't a good one. since property in Utah County was undervalued for tax purposes ten years ago. Tax valuation has since been brought more in line with actual property values so in 1996 the same tax rate results in much higher taxes than it did in 198C. The simple fact is our county government wants more money. And since it no longer has to ask us if we are in favor of those tax increases, they will be increased. It is a natural law that defies all campaign promises to keep a line on rising taxes, regardless of the political party involved. Interestingly, the increase conies two years before the next elections plenty of time for the voters to forgive and forget. It all makes one long for the last two years when the voters had to give their okay before property taxes could be increased for any reason. That religious thing about Christmas Even in today's secularized society, "almost everyone agrees about the importance of religious influence, at least for one day... A quiet holiday (correctly read "holy day"). Peace on earth. Good will. Rest. Renewal. Stores, schools, businesses, factories, etc., are virtually all closed. We agree they should be. This is the time with our families. We celebrate Jesus Christ... one day each year. And we pretty much agree on its significance, right? Ironically, He taught us to celebrate a holy day once each week. Socially and economically we seem to be Christian enough to recognize the birth of Jesus Christ, but don't ask us to carry it too far. And we'll continue tliis ritual worship as long as the cash registers are ringing! That's why we close the public schools for Christmas, but can't stop long enough to pray. Our national day of religious recognition has been restricted to once a year and that's only because it's so profitable! Of course we lament the of Christmas. It's the day that more people celebrate, religiously, than any other. It's also the biggest consumer orgy of the year. Does that say something about what we really worship? It may be, just may be, that the commercial nature of Christmas is the result of losdollar. It may ing Sunday to the be that until we are willing to (translated "stop shopping on") Sunday, we will never be able to take the commercial out of Christmas. Of course, remembering the Christ at Christmas will have much greater meaning if we practice remembering Him all year, especially on Sunday. I've also noticed that between Thanksgiving and Christmas, our generosity seems to multiply. We give much more of our means and much more of our time. Many search for someone to help, someone m need. Sometimes we stretch our resources to the limit, knowing that it will all be over "after the holidays." Of course this generous spirit of giving is very appropriate for the Christmas season, right? But here's the really hard question: Why is it somehow less appropriate the rest of the year or why do we tend to squeeze it all in around the holidays? If I were some- - Looking over the Obvious By BRETT BEZZANT to take advantage of this year's Christmas spirit so I could last until next year! Now be kind when you read about the newspaper's "Christmas Family" project. Yes, we're guilty of the syndrome. Maybe those who sponsor needy families ought to do in March and July. That some follow-u- p would really be a novel idea! Now don't get me wrong. I love Christmas, but I'm also glad when its franone in need, I'd feel compelled tic pace is over. I love to see all the good that is done in the name of Christmas, but people's real needs can't be much different the rest of the year. Can they? When the Savior miraculously supplied bread and wine and healed the sick, it was a token of the resurrection and His redemption. He will supply what we cannot do for ourselves. To those who have faith in Him, every loss will be restored, every infimiity will be healed and every wrong will be made right. And the best part is that our sins will be remitted. However, we may easily overlook one necessary condition of that covenant. "And now, for the sake of... retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that I would ye may walk guiltless before God that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants. And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order..." (Mosiah 4:26-27- ) We naturally feel more inclined to help the poor at Christmas time. As for me, I tend to forget the "day to day" part. Too often I've been a frantic Christmas christian when I really needed to be an everyday christian. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a couple of pictures on Monday only served to remind me that we can sometimes get out of order. This is not necessarily the same malady that affects machines, which would be more comparable to our needing an aspirin, an antibiotic or an operation. What I'm talking about is getting away from our regular routine, literally being out of order. I needed to take a picture at one of our schools in the morning. Usually I try to schedule such pictures on the way to the office so I don't have to drive back and forth to the office. I have to take into consideration my film deadline, as well as the needs of the subject, but I'm particularly pleased when those factors coordinate. Later I was asked to take another picture, which I had hoed to take in the afternoon when I returned to Lehi for a recurring Monday afternoon apjiointment. My subjects needed to have the picture taken earlier in the day. so I simply rearranged my schedule accordingly I thought nothing of that change until I returned to the office again and realized that I had not completed things that should have already been done. The picture went well, and I was able to take care of my other appointment, but something felt a little strange. Back at the office, I happened to glance at a picture that showed a couple with a baby. I questioned whether it was a wedding announcement, since people have been increasingly known to do the nuptial and natal processes out of order in recent years. Time was that society expected couples to get married first, then pursue the joys of parenthood. A number of factors seem to have bent or at least blurred those rules, so such a picture might be possible today. Those of you who are harboring a cobalt-blue- , hyacinth macaw had better think twice before showing it to your friends and neighbors. The man who caged the little devils and brought them into the country is now caged himself. It seems that over a period of years he imported more than 300 rare birds and seven monkeys to the tune of $1,356,900 in profits. If macaws had any idea they were worth this much, I am sure they would be much harder to catch. The interesting thing about the case is that the prosecution came up with testimony that there may only be 2,000 hyacinth macaws left in the entire world. Where was the defendant's lawyer during this testimony? Is there a bird lover walking through the rain forest counting hyacinth macaws? Don't all hyacinth macaws look alike? It would be easy to count the same one twice. Even if the count is accurate, wouldn't the little creatures be safer caged up in someone's living room than wandering through the jungle where they might end up as a panther's next meal? The man responsible for this transgression against nature has been sen- - December 7. In 1941. it was "a day that will live in infamy." In 1996, it's Sharon's and my seventh wedding anniversary. And if sometimes it seems as if the world is still at war, every conflict has its reward, and most skirmishes now end with us both winning something in the ongoing battle of the sexes. A lot of this came back to me Sunday as we trimmed our Christmas tree and hung an ornament that friends gave us on our December wedding a crystal heart inscribed with the date of the occasion. I think it was Oscar Wilde who observed that a second marriage is the triumph of optimism over experience, but I can tell you that no one who has been through a divorce enters another marriage without fear and trepidation. You carry a lot of emotional baggage into the new relationship, and sometimes there's not enough room to put it all in your new home. And we brought more than most, trying to forge a lasting rela- tionship around the needs of 12 children six of hers and six of mine and several of them hostile and with resources of two incomes decimated by the costs of divorce. Add that to the spiritual and social challenges created by our marriage, and at , Boland i4rl 1996 Creators Syndicate, Inc. tenced to 82 months in prison. His mother, who assisted him in his evil endeavors, was sentenced to 27 months for filing false tax returns. The moral here is that a bird in the hand is worth much more to the government than the fact that you are cheating them out of their fair share of your gains. These people would have been better off dealing cocaine. The birds that have been identified as rare are Amazons, golden conures and a slew of others that were birds to fool mixed in with customs agents. How a customs agent blue-fronte- d The Daly Planet By RUSS DALY When a friend told me to skim through a book the other day, her husband watched my actions. He pointed out that I started from the back of the book and flipped toward the front of the book. I thought it might have been a habit I picked up from reading books in Japanese, but he told me he had observed several people doing the same thing. He urged me to offer books to friends to scan just so I could watch their perusal technique. Maybe we all skim out of order. People who are new to the community, or at least to some areas of town, have reported that they cannot sleep at night because of the noisy trains. Having grown up not far from two sets of tracks, I guess I am inured to the din, because I have reported to them that I didn't hear a single train. One of our moves within Lehi took me back to that area, and the first train I heard on the first night in our new digs brought a wave of nostalgia sweeping over me as I sat at my desk. It was then that I realized how much I had missed such a sound by not having it in my life. Apparently high school graduation isn't a rite like it used to be. Some students attend college concurrently, while others complete a study course to finish their assignments. Coupled with those that take advanced time-specifi- c self-style- d evening, plus an auxiliary meeting in the middle of the week, but the actual going to church can sometimes seem illogical. One Lehi ward is currently meeting in a building in Highland, and the majority of members in another ward pass by a building within their own boundaries to worship from afar. With all of the "war(d)s and rumors of war(d)s" these days, I wouldn't be surprised to hear of people being assigned to any available building, despite its location or their proximity to it. I dropped in at home during my travels to and from the office and photo locations today, and I watched the Christmas decorations appearing practically before my eyes. My wife promised that I would probably see more subtle changes take place on a recurring basis over the next few weeks. Christmas also brings changes every day to homes throughout the community, where one can see new lights going up all d advent the time, almost like a life-size- calendar. Those changes are enjoyable; to me, the only problem comes when people do the yule thing out of order and turn them on before Thanksgiving. I'm not advocating that we stay in our ruts, because occasional change is good. But being out of order can really throw you a curve ball. If we're lucky, the stores won't put out the Valentine's stuff until after the first of the year. After all, love should never be out of order. The j Editor's ji?f Column 3 1 By MARC HADDOCK times I was inclined to agree with the prognosticators who figured we would last about six months. The odds were not in our favor. But we started with the strong foundation that buoys up soul mates all over the world love, shared ( dreams, shared interests, similar spirits and the firm conviction that we were bound together by bonds that could be rent by neither heaven nor hell. It's been a fascinating seven years of growth, struggle and, at times, triumph. We built another home, one where our baggage could fit and where we could find our own place in the neighborhood. With patience, heartbreak, learning and sacrifice we have restored, piece by piece, our spiritual lives as well. This is hardest thing I've ever done, but I think we have achieved a peace with God that at times seemed an eternity out of reach. We haven't done all we hope to do. But we sometimes keep working towards it together, sometimes battling our own personal demons. Often it seems we are making progress at a slow crawl, but we keep moving forward. We continue to reach out to the dozen sometimes children who bless our lives with more success than others. But there are Sunday nights when ten or more of us raise the roof in a boisterous game of "Pit" that sometimes violates the city's sound ordinance and 15 of us gathered for a full day of Thanksgiving last week togetherness that started with a 25 pound turkey and lasted past midnight as my stepson Jeffrey defeated my son Seth and me in a hard-fouggame of Fortress America. r It's still a ride, with plenty of ups and downs and highs and lows, but looking back over the past seven years, considering the pain, the heartbreak and the trials, it has all been worth it. Forgive me for getting a little personal with this column, but I've wanted to say some of these things for a long time, and Dec. 7 seems like as good a time as any. Happy anniversary, my love. You roller-coaste- remain the first thought of my every thought. Letters to the editor Pomographers abuse constitutional freedoms In our country we have a freeway system that allows us to travel to our various destinations smoothly and more quickly. If we are courteous and respectful, obey traffic rules and use common sense, traffic usually moves along at a steady pace. When weather becomes a factor, safe travel may require a reduced speed. Even though 65 mph is posted, common sense is applied. These rules are based on safety and value for life. What would happen if some of our traffic rules were discarded because some people were complaining that their freedoms were being infringed upon? They did not want any limits on how fast they could go. Could they justify going up the wrong side of the freeway by using the argument that their freedoms were being limited? Imagine the accidents. could fail, to recognize a Amazon is beyond me. I hope the government will take steps to better train our customs agents. No wonder the country is filling up with illegal aliens. I do not know how the seven monkeys got in. Perhaps they traveled by Greyhound. The man responsible was actually named curator of birds at one of the world's largest bird sanctuaries in 1989. Many bank tellers have succumbed to blue-fronte- d Dick placement classes, it seems as if our young people are well into college before they're out of high school. has evolved through Even church-goin- g block of meetthe years. The three-hou- r welcome a been have change ings may from attending two meetings in the morning, following by one in the afternoon or Reflections on seven years of marriage Does Polly want a lawyer large-taile- Please wait for the next train the same kind of temptation that overcame the defendant. He knew he was looking at big bucks on the wing and couldn't resist pilfering a few hyacinth macaws for his personal gain. Why his mother assisted him in his misdeeds we will never kno'v. It's the kind of thing that gives motherhood a bad name. While 82 months might seem like a light penalty for birdnapping, you must consider what the convicted felon is going to go through when his fellow inmates ask him what he is in for and he answers, "Aiding and abetting the illegal cobalt-blue- , entry of the large-tailehyacinth macaw." The ridicule that will be inflicted on the poor man is more punishment than anyone should have to endure. confusion and death that would result if our traffic laws which maintained order were discarded. Our founding forefathers, in a sense, laid out a highway system for our government which allows us to travel through time on the foundation of the constitution. This constitution was created to protect our quality of life, to preserve our liberty and assist us in living happy lives. We believe our founding fathers, men of great courage, strong moral values and integrity, were dedicated to making sure they did all they could to give future generations a government system based on common sense. They created a check and balance system to keep it stable. Is it showing common sense when we as a people use the constitution and its protection of freedoms to convince people that it is okay to break basic rules of decency and morality? When an individual uses the constitution to justify selling harmful, dangerous and degenerate pornography, is he not taking the freedom of speech or principle out of context and disregarding the principles of morality, decency and integrity? We are concerned about pornography being accepted in our community. We have heard arguments such as: "It's nobody else's business." "It doesn't hurt anyone else." "There's no such thing as sexual addiction." In answer to these arguments that support pornography, we would like to draw attention to Dr. Patrick Carnes, Ph.D., who is "recognized as the leading expert in the field of sex addiction. He is the primary architect of an program for sexual dependency and addiction at Golden Valley Health Center in Minneapolis. Dr. Carnes is a creative, pioneering and courageous human being. His books are changing the lives of thousands as he describes sex addicts and addictions." (Taken from quotes on the back of Don't Call It Love and Contrary to Love J Dr. Carnes, in writing about sex addicts, explains, "Every day they face the possibility of destruction, risking their family, finances, jobs, dignity and health. They come from all walks of life, ministers, physicians, therapists, politicians, executives, blue collar workers. Most were abused as children sexually, and saw addicphysically or emotionally tive behavior firsthand in their earlv lives. y Most grapple with other addictions as well, but their fiercest battle is with the most astoundingly prevalent (secret) disorder in America: sexual addiction." Pornography, according to Dr. Carnes, is a loaded gun in our society. It causes harm. It incites addictive behaviors and escalates criminal activity, creating victims. Dr. Carnes also calls pornography and other sexually addictive behaviors a psychological narcotic. There have been cases of crimes committed after pornography is viewed, such as rape, murder, molestation and other forms of violence. What about child pornography? Do we consider it no one else's business? How does our nation or community justify allowing people to make money by exposing our precious children to this filth and decadency? Millions of dollars are made every year selling child pornography. This is an issue of making money at any cost. It costs us the moral fiber of our nation. It seems to us it is time to make a stand and let others know how we feel. We do not believe the majority approves of pornography. If in our apathy we stay silent and do not vote or speak out on this issue, the minority can gain ground and cause our standards to be discarded. Then amen to our freedom and our strength as a nation. We think there are many positive ways to create finances healthy and wholesome ways. Let's take the loaded guns of pornography off the shelves so we can have a safer society and protect the moral fiber of our community. Freedom is not doing anything we want, especially when it involves damaging behavior. Schmide Sherry Albrethsen We All welcome letters to the editor. letters should be typewritten and double spaced. Letters must also be signed, and must include the writer's name and telephone number. Please send letters to Editor, Newtah News Group, P.O. Box 7, American Fork, Utah, 84003 or through email at Newtahaol.com. |