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Show Thursday, Dec. 27, 1979 THE SENTINEL Ours With the budget session of the state legislature scheduled to start in only a few days everyone needs to make themselves familiar with the financial issues that will face the law makers this year and then make their feelings known to them. The most pressing issue that legislators will face is whether or not the sales tax on food should be eliminated. Many argue that the sales tax is the fairest tax of all because everyone has to pay it. There are few loop holes that can be found to avoid paying the sales tax. Some say that sales tax is the only tax that those on welfare pay and that it is their only contribution to government. Grocers complaint that by taking the tax off just food items will drive up their costs of operation by having to have equipment that will add tax only to those items that are purchased that would be classified as But the pressures to cut taxes in any form remain. Tax reformers argue that government spending must be stopped. Others argue that the limitations on government will drastically cut services to the public. The final decision will lie with the state legislators. And the only way that they will make up their minds about how to vote will be from the public's attitude. Make your feelings known now to your state representatives, School and Home by Dr.Paryl J. McCarty Executive Secretary Utah Education Association Did you ever face the prospect of an upcoming test in some tough class at school and have your palms go sweaty from sheer " dread? Some students feel that way about every test they take. d. Educators call it "test anxiety. . An associate professor of psychology, Dr. Scott Lawrence, has been studying ways of dealing with acute cases of test anxiety, and he's come up with some information on the ' Yours ""-- TMES BEING WHAT THEY ARE, I WAS HOPING FbR THIS G?Ultl fljiv VrW IWE W 'HE PI REPLACE. ," Chicago, I have introduced the Money Supply Control Act, H.R. 3833, which would gradually decelerate the growth of the money supply over a six year period, leveling it off between 3 and 4 percent. Such a gradual approach would allow time for economic adjustments and avoid unacceptable levels of unemployment. If unchecked, the current rate of inflation will inevitably lead to economic decline accompanied by increasing government controls. Of all things, inflation is perhaps best described as the "mother of tyrannies." Inflation: ths mother of tyrcrdss By Robert K. Doracra f) Washington Dateline In a 1919 work entitled, "The Economic Consequences of the Peace," the famed British economist John Maynard Keynes observed: "By a continuing process of inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens . . . There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency ." A idire warning. j Though policymakers in the Carter Administration concede that inflation is American's "Public Enemy Number One," their general approach to the problem, . "jawboning" business and labor, implies the belief that the private sector is somehow responsible for the intolerable levels of the current inflation. In other words: We are all . ' guilty of contributing to inflation. ; Nonsense. The chief domestic culprit is the Federal Government. ' Prices are not "rising;" the value of the dollar is being eroded. America's dollar is being debased through massive Federal deficit spending for a myriad of Federal programs financed by printing more and more money. To finance deficit spending the Federal Reserve System enlarges the supply of money either by the issuance of paper notes andor by increasing the reserves of commercial banks, allowing them, in turn, to increase loans and deposits. The "printing press money" is backed by nothing but government credit. The truth is that inflation is a monetary problem; it is principally caused by an ex- pansion in the supply of money without a corresponding increase in the total volume of production. With more and more money ichasing fewer and fewer goods, the private Isector, business and labor, farmers and housewives, bid up the prices of goods and services. Thus, the growth of the money supply, fueled by excessive government spending, kicks off a general price hike throughout the economy. So, as every housewife knows, the "price of everything" -- -- , The roots of our current inflation are, as a prominent economist remarked, very deep. Federal deficits averaged $223 billion a year from 1965 to 1978. This was almost nine times the average for the previous fifteen years. The federal budget quintupled in just nineteen years from under $100 billion to over $500 billion. The national debt limit was raised to almost $879 billion, with interest payments on the debt amounting to over $58 billion, the third largest item in the federal budget. At the same time, there has been an awesome growth in the nation's supply of money. From 1940 to 1978, U.S. currency and bank deposits rose from $52.7 billion to $815.9 billion. In recent years, the overall growth of the money supply has continued to accelerate, rapidly outpacing the nation's output of goods and services. And money, to use Adam Smith's phrase, is supposed to represent the real "wealth of the nation," the goods and services produced by its people. The battle against inflation must be waged on many fronts. Congress must eliminate costly government regulations that inhibit growth and innovation, encourage capital formation and productivity through imaginative tax reform, and discipline its spending to the point where federal expenditures equal receipts; But not to be overlooked is a sound monetary policy, curbing an excessive increase of the money supply in order to promote real economic growth and price stability. Following the prescriptions of the Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Friedman of the University of First, how do students recognize the symptoms of this problem; They are tenseness, nervousness, stomach tightness, an increased heart rate and yes, sweaty palms. A student who experiences one or more of those symptoms may be having a twinge of test anxiety. Dr. Lawrence says current theory on test anxiety comes from research that showed students who are high in test anxiety tend to do worse on tests than others of equal ability who don't have these symptoms, v Research has centered on ways to help people with this problem. Dr. Lawrence jlists these suggestions: Make an effort to relax, take a minute to collect your thoughts, and rid you mind of that that might interfere with taking the test. Concentrate on getting into the test itself. Think of it as a challenge and not a life and death matter, and get down to work. Make sure you're ready to take the test. of relaxing or worrying will insure amount No a good grade if no study has preceded the test. "Exam day jitters" will always be with us, and maybe slight cases of this aren't bad. A little nervousness can stimulate adrenalin flow, which may heighten the student's alertness. Of all Dr. Lawrence's suggestions, perhaps the admonition to study for each test is the best. Parents can help students study by d comforproviding them a quiet, and then giving' them table place for this frequent encouragement. avoid tax hike next year Spending restraints will have to be exercised and ' new expenditure proposals; carefully scrutinized if the state budget is to be balanced next year without a tax increase. This was the message given by Utah Foundation, the private tax research organization in their current analysis of Utah state finances. The study points out that Utah will experience an extremely tight budget situation for the period immediately ahead. In fact, the " report observes that using a of for revenues the projection coming year and an assumption that expenditures will be raised to cover higher costs resulting from inflation, population growth, and climbing school enrollments, the general fund and the , well-lighte- , It is December 27, the final week of 1979. This week's highlight in history r One year ago, Israeli Prime Minister Begin and Egyptian President Sadat began their peace summit. During this week: In 45 B.C., the Julian calendar began. In 1170, St. Thomas Becket was murdered. In 1492, the Spanish Army took Granada from uniform school fund Could be short in meeting all commitments for the coming 1980-8- 1 school year. Although the 1979 Utah Legislature did provide some substantial tax cuts and Foundation analysts expect that these reductions can be continued budgetary constraints, the report indicates that "it appears unlikely that any further major tax cuts can be made by the 1980 Budget Session" which will meet in the moors. In 1717, Pope Pius was born. In 1800, Charles Goodyear was born. In 1856, Woodrow Wilson was born. In 1922, the Treaty of Union was adopted by the First Soviet Congress of the USSR. In 1923, the chimes of Big Ben were first broadi casted. In 1947, King Michael of Rumania abdicated. In 1954, Vietnam achieved independence. In 1961, U.S. severed diplomatic ties with Cuba after disputes over the nationalization of U.S. firms and U.S. presence at Guatanamo base. In 1963, U.S. troop involvement in Vietnam had January. The major problem, according to the analysis, is that revenue growth in Utah slowed down after adjournment of the 1979 Legislative Session. By the end of the 1978-7- 9 fiscal year, combined general school fund collections were nearly $10 million below the revenue estimates used by the Legislature in balancing the budget. Continued slow collection experience makes it appear that an added revenue shortage of 0 fund-unifor- absnac This week's "mid-range- . . - Sp:n2 restraints mizi to goesup. on-goi- JlUKt n ' i topic. ACTUALLY, INKW 7tttK, Editor: As officers of the Riverton City Police Department, we feel the time has come for us to speak out for what we believe to be right. We have taken this opportunity to inform you and your readers of our feelings, both personal and professional, about Riverton contracting Police Services. Personally, we feel that a power struggle is going on between newly elected City Council members and Mayor White (what a time for newly elected City Officials to start playing games). As you recall, the winter of 1978-7- 9 was a cold one. The City Council was divided as to what was going to happen with then Chief Leonard Smock. Mayor White demanded demotion of Smock, and after several weeks, the council finally upheld the Mayor's decision. A decision well supported by the Police Department. Now, the new council may want to contract the services of the Police Department, and one member is quoted as saying "I will single handedly get rid of the police department." - Evidently this person is not aware of the function of the police department, nor is he familiar with the voting procedures or government. A Democracy? What do the residents of Riverton want? We're sure that you and your readers will agree, every person who is elected to public office has some type of a campaign promise. Was a promise made to Riverton people to disolve the existing police department, to prohibit their growth, and contract police services to the County? We don't believe this promise was made, however, limited spending was promised. Citizens should closely monitor what the new council does, while they serve their term. If they support contracting police services to the County, then support it whole heartedly and live with that decision. If they do not support contracting police services, then let them know that a serious breach of public trust has occured, and you won't stand for it. When the new council takes their Oath of Office, they swear, (or affirm) that they will support, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States, and of the State of Utah, and that they will discharge the duties of their office with fidelity. Fidelity (Faithful). We look can council Riverton new the hope and in residents the eye honestly say, yes, I am faithful to you. Or are they, or one new member, just bitter over the year old demotion of a relative? Pride blocks the clear vision of those affected, and we feel that pride, not public wants or needs, is the issue. Professionally, we believe that most officers have more than the desired amount of training to function as peace officers. It is true that we recently have hired uncertified goal officers, however, training is an of our chief, applicable to all officers. Briefly, three officers have more than 1,000 training hours accompanied with four to six years of experience. One officer has a bachelors degree in Police Science and three years of experience. Our chief, Ron Ballantyne, is a professional, whose background in law enforcement goes back sixteen years. May we compliment the committee that chose him to be the Chief of Police. The Salt Lake County Sheriffs Office is headed by one of the most qualified individuals in law enforcement. He has deputies with less experience and training than Riverton officers do. A power struggle cannot exist between any City or County Department, and maybe all cities and towns should evaluate their police departments to determine if they would get "Better and Cheaper Service" from the Sheriff's Office. We feel that Riverton Police Officers are as well qualified as the County Sheriffs Office, to serve and protect the residents of Riverton, and that contracted services would not hi in the best interest of the City. Riverton City Police Officers . 2 pooon Legislators naed public's opinions non-foo- Pog m reached In In 15,000. Life magazine published its last issue. 1975, John Mitchell, H.R. Haldeman, and John D. Ehrlichman were found guilty of 1972, Watergate cover-u- $10-$2- p charges. In 1978. Cambodia broke-of- f relations with Vietnam. Thought for the week: A weak mind is like a microscope, which magnifies trifling things but cannot receive great million could develop during the 1979-8fiscal year, creating a total revenue shortfall of between $20 and $30 million for the two-yeperiod. 0 ar on -- Chesterfield. r t . One of the main functions of the press is to keep citizens informed on what government officials are doing. Operating in the public eye is not always a convenient nor complimentary way to do business, but it keeps government officials aware that they are always responsible to the public. Sir William Berkeley, the royal governor of Virginia, said in 1642: "I thank God, we have not free schools nor printing; and I hope we shall not have these hundred years. For learning has brought disobedience, and heresay and sects into the world; and printing has divulged them and libels against the government. God keep us from both ! North roe- , :e over |