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Show VIEWPOINTS A-23 www.parkrecord.com Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, January 21-24, 2017 EDITORIAL March on Main: Citizens raise their voices for a brighter future P GUEST EDITORIAL Ordinary people are lobbying Congress for racial justice DEBBIE BASKIN Volunteer Voices for Utah Children, Board Chair In the not-so-distant past, a politician who made a racist comment was shunned, but as Trump takes office this week, once-shamed politicians are being nominated for key posts. As citizens, we have an opportunity and moral responsibility to ensure progress continues toward racial justice. Racism not only runs deep in our nation’s history — it is embedded in our economic policies and tax code. For example, the Homestead Act of 1862 gave land at little or no cost to western homesteaders — as long as they were white. And after World War II, the GI Bill helped many veterans pay for their education and obtain low-priced mortgages, but such assistance was denied to our veterans of color. Even up until the 1960s, redlining and other discriminatory practices in the housing market effectively kept Blacks from building wealth in the most common way: home ownership. In recent years, the trend continues with lower tax rates on capital gains, stock dividends, and inheritances, The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER Andy Bernhard Editor Nan Chalat Noaker Staff writers Jay Hamburger Scott Iwasaki Bubba Brown Angelique McNaughton Griffin Adams Contributing writers Tom Clyde Jay Meehan Teri Orr Amy Roberts Steve Phillips Tom Kelly Joe Lair Interns Jessica Curley Emily Billow Copy Editor Frances Moody ADVERTISING Classified advertising Jennifer Lynch Office manager Tiffany Rivera Circulation manager Lacy Brundy Accounting manager Jennifer Snow Advertising director Valerie Spung Advertising sales Lori Gull Jodi Hecker Erin Donnelly Lisa Curley Bill Thomason Photographer Tanzi Propst Production director April Hendrix Production Nadia Dolzhenko Ben Olson Patrick Schulz this asymmetrically benefits wealthier (and mostly white) Americans. Such policies — intentional or not — have contributed to a situation where the total wealth of the average black college graduate is less than that of the average white high-school dropout. In fact, for every dollar of wealth held by white households in America, Black and Latino households hold just 6 and 7 cents, respectively. Without accumulated savings, these families live in constant risk of falling into (or deeper into) poverty. As citizens we can work to enact fair public policies. Here in Utah, I lead an advocacy group called RESULTS, (www.results.org). We have volunteers from many backgrounds: doctors, teachers, lawyers, students, stay-at-home moms. We receive support to understand the issues affecting those living in poverty and we lobby Congress for policies that will help the most vulnerable. As Utahns, we have the ability to lobby Senator Hatch, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. With a Republican majority we may see major reforms to the tax code and we, as concerned citizens, should be sure our tax code helps everyone. Currently, the U.S. spends more than $400 billion on tax incentives to help us save, but only 3% of that benefits the bottom 40 percent of earners. We can make significant progress in ending the racial wealth gap by providing incentives to save that would be targeted to lower-income earners. For example, we can create programs that incentivize personal savings during tax season, when many low-income Americans receive a refund due to the Earned Income Tax Credit. We can help savings grow more quickly by matching funds in long-term accounts. Programs like these would benefit all low-wage earners, but would disproportionately help Blacks and Latino workers. In the four years I have been a RESULTS volunteer I have seen amazing victories: expansions in the Earned Income Tax Credit that helped 16 million Americans (8 million of these were children) and a pledge made to the GAVI Alliance that will save the lives of 5 million children worldwide by providing vaccinations. Here in Utah, a small handful of volunteers have been successful working with our Republican delegation on both domestic and global poverty issues. This is an important time to be involved: much is at stake for people of color, for the poor, for our divided country, and the world at large. We can work directly with our leaders to bring change. If many of us were deeply engaged then we would have a society that reflects our shared values of honesty, fairness, and equality. For the record ark City has been galvanized by plans to join more than 300 Women’s Marches around the country. It has been a central topic of conversation around water coolers and dinner tables all week and the question most asked, it seems, is not whether someone is going but, simply, how they are planning to get there. Short of watching the results roll in on Election Day itself, the community has rarely been so focused. And it isn’t just women: men are motivated, too. The call to action has also spread to the East Side of Summit County, the Salt Lake Valley, Wyoming and Idaho. Barring any unforeseen obstacles, Saturday’s march is likely to be Park City’s largest political demonstration in recent memory. And it feels good. Disparate groups — including supporters of land conservation, civil, rights, justice reform, affordable health care, Planned Parenthood and more — are coming together to voice their commitment to moving forward. Organizers are emphasizing positive messages. The intent is to send a clear message that a majority of American citizens support equality, inclusivity and environmental stewardship. But of course, the undeniable catalyst for the demon- stration is deep dismay over this week’s changing of the guard in Washington, D.C. Parkites, in particular, are feeling disenfranchised at the state and federal levels after being sidelined at the state Legislature and in Congress, first by the gerrymandering that took place in 2011, and more recently by the state’s caucus system, Among those stepping into office this week, President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, state Sen. Allen Christensen, and state Reps. Logan Wilde and Tim Quinn all failed to carry a majority in Summit County. Yet, they hold our future in their hands. At best, the marchers in Park City, along with those in 45 other states and 17 countries, hope the collective volume of their voices will be heard and heeded by America’s new president, his appointees and members of Congress. But even if they are ignored, Park City’s March on Main will empower an important bloc of constituents and long after they disperse following Saturday’s rally they will remember they are not alone. The organizers of Park City’s march are offering a vital antidote to apathy. And we hope the energy that pervades the day will carry forward in the form of community activism and involvement in the days to come. GUEST EDITORIAL Change in health care laws won’t deter the People’s Health Clinic from helping patients DAVID D. WILLIAMS People’s Health Clinic Board of Trustees Those at opposite ends of the political spectrum can surely agree on one thing: the future of affordable, available healthcare for all is about to change. With a new Congress and president taking immediate steps to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, but not yet detailing their alternative solutions, we are a nation united in uncertainty. Healthcare providers, insurers, employers, workers, the poor and unemployed each now find themselves in the same crowded boat, sailing to a new yet unknown destination. While our politicians argue the finer points — the future of pre-existing condition coverage, government subsidies, insurance mandates, cost containment measures, and how to improve insurance marketplaces so they are more predictable to insurers and more affordable for consumers — the rest of us are left to make educated guesses about how and when our healthcare access will change, and at what cost. For one segment of our population — the less fortunate — such uncertainty is particularly acute. This group includes the unemployed as well as those earning at or below federal poverty levels. It also includes people who find themselves in the abyss known as the “Medicaid Gap,” where a person is neither eligible for government-paid healthcare nor for qualifying credits in the insurance marketplace. These are not the faceless few. Their numbers are large. They are, for the most part, good folks struggling mightily to get by. In the past, they and their families had few places to turn to for quality healthcare, and they are right to be fearful about having future access to the kind of care that many of us take for granted. People’s Health Clinic has been, and will continue to be, a refuge for the deserving and underserved. Our non-profit clinic provides no-cost, quality healthcare to the uninsured in Summit and Wasatch counties. As the current Chair of the Clinic’s Board of Trustees, I have seen fear in the faces of working mothers who bring their sick children in for treatment, and have also witnessed the immense gratitude of patients for not being forgotten. Our Clinic had 8,428 patient visits in 2016. All who received treatment had no healthcare insurance. Almost half of our patients have incomes below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (about $11,500 for an individual or $23,500 for a family of four.) With few exceptions, the rest fall below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (approximately $46,000 for a family of four.) Despite their lack of resources, over 83% still donate something toward their care at time of treatment. More than 10% of our patients are children, and many of our adult patients come in with previously undiagnosed yet treatable chronic conditions. These are not mere statistics. They are your neighbors. 96% of our adult patients are employed. Most work in the community’s essential workforce. Many such jobs are seasonal or otherwise don’t offer healthcare insurance. These people work and serve you in local restaurants, hotels, shops, and trades. Their kids sit next to yours at school. Having everyone healthy is in everyone’s best interest. Providing access to quality healthcare for the uninsured is not a hand-out. It is a way to help assure community health while helping those truly in need. The People’s Health Clinic receives no federal funding and relies upon private donations for more than half of our annual operating budget. We thank the many in our community who have donated or volunteered in the past, and ask all to consider doing so in the future. While no one can predict what “Trump-Care” will eventually look like, we are confident that the need to help the needy will undoubtedly continue and likely grow. And if there’s one other thing that Republicans, Democrats, and Independents can and should agree upon, it’s that helping others less fortunate remains a profoundly American attribute that transcends all politics and makes us all better. For more info about our Clinic, go to peopleshealthclinic.org THE PARK RECORD is always looking for new letters Send in your letter to editor@parkrecord.com Photos by Tanzi Propst Asked on lower Main Street What has been your favorite Sundance experience? Or, what are you most looking forward to this festival? Madison Davies & Bryn Fausett Holiday, Utah & Saratoga Springs, Utah “I really like meeting the stars. I’m a big celebrity guru and that’s why I come up here.” — Davies “This is my first Sundance so I don’t know yet.” — Fausett Iris Culton Sugar House, Utah “It’s my first year. I’m just taking it all in. I like being out of the inversion.” Paul McGregor Salt Lake City, Utah “As a volunteer I see a lot of interesting characters here, both good and bad. This year is probably gonna be the most special. Honor Kidd Orange County, California “I like waiting in lines and sitting on the bus because you get to meet new people.” Camara Rauen Orange County, California “I love the cold. I’m a linelover. I’m making a musical called ‘Going Mental’ and I like being able to make connections here.” Judie Muhrez Orange County, California “I’m looking forward to the panels the most. I love learning about VR and whatnot... hearing what the people here have to say.” See these photos and more by following The Park Record on Facebook.com/parkrecord and instagram.com/parkrecord |