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Show Sunday, January 23. Alaska Says It Just Wants Some Respect JUNEAU, Alaska (UPI) -Alaska, the first state to seriously consider secession since the Civil War, has decided against leaving the union. After two years of studying its relationship to the rest of the United States, however, the 49th state has serious complaints about the federal government and some of the lower 48 states. In its final report, to be presented this week to Gov. Bill Sheffield and the Legisla- ture, the Alaska Statehood Commission says the nation's largest and least populated state wants some respect respect of a phi'csophical, economical and legal nature. Angered by federal practices affecting Alaska's lands, oil and internal affairs, the state's residents voted in 1980 to create the commission to study the relationship between Alaska and the United States. "It was the first time since the Civil War that citizens of a state have indicated unease with federal union," notes the report, entitled "More Perfect Union: A Plan For Action." "We have spent more than two years on this work. We compared the government we have with the Constitution we honor. We studied alternative forms of association with the United States. "We considered the benefits and liabilities of commonwealth, of free association, of and of partition. studied independence by legal means. None is preferable to statehood. territory-hoo- d, We "We do believe that our union needs fundamental change, for federal influence has grown without guidance." In strong language, the report calls for Alaskans to stand up to the federal government and suggests other states should, too. "Alaska should become an activist state," says the first of 20 recommendations. "Alaska must vigorously police federal implementation of the Alaska Statehood Act," says another. "Alaska and other states should consider amending the U.S. Constitution to strengthen the role of the states," another reads. Federal policies delaying the transfer of lands owed the state under the Statehood Act of 1958 angered Alaskans and were a big reason voters wanted to examine statehood. Alaska was forced to sue the federal government over the land. In an 1981 settlement, the Interior Department promised to convey 13 million acres per year to the state. "Of course the state sued the government; that's what's bringing about the progress," said John de Yonge, executive director of the statehood commission. At the agreed pace, Alaska should have all the promised lands by the end of 1985. Perhaps the most pressing issue between Alaska and its mother country is the Export Administration Act of 1979, which bans the export of Alaskan North Slope oil to foreign markets in Japan and the Orient. The ban, which requires renewal this year, was put into the bill authorizing construction of the Alaska oil pipeline to make sure the North Slope oil was used in the United States. "It's important for Alaska and the nation to make sure the export ban on Alaskan oil is not reinstituted," de Yonge said. "Export of Alaskan oil is a very good way to wipe out the trade deficit with Japan." The commission's report recommends Alaska's congressional delegation take strong action on the export ban. If exports are allowed, the report says, state oil revenues could increase by $500 million a year and federal revenues by $1.8 billion. Alaskans have trouble with an another federal law the Jones Act, which requires that vessels carrying goods between U.S. ports be built and registered in the United States, and owned and manned by U.S. nationals. "Our research shows that the Jones Act, by requiring the use d of American tankers, reduces the wellhead value of Alaska oil by at least $225 million yearly, and perhaps as much as $630 million yearly,", the report says. Commissioners say the act high-price- also increases costs for all domestic freight coming to Alaska and discourages devel- opment of new oilfieds and mineral deposits. Alaskans also want some relief from fiscally less fortunate lower 48 states who view the 49th state as some sort of rich uncle. 1983 THE HERALD, Provo, Utah, Colorado Beginning Lottery - The Colorado lottery, DENVER (UPI) which begins with a flair at midday Monday, may raise $35 million this year for the state a welcome windfall in this day of tight government budgets. The lottery money could help the state out of a budget deficit forecast of million next fiscal year, but wary state legislators won't start counting the revenue until they see it. Colorado will become the 17th state to offer a lottery when $2 tickets go on sale at noon Monday. Since New Hampshire established its lottery in 1964, many states have found them to be a painless way of raising revenues. By the end of the day Monday, state lottery director Owen Hickey expects to have sold 2 million tickets. Hickey, who worked with lotteries in Arizona and Pennsylvania, also expects to pay thousands of dollars in prizes by midnight, including the first $10,000 win- ner. By all indications, most Coloradoans have been waiting to buy tickets. A poll taken in December indicated more than 70 percent of the state's adults will buy tickets for the first game. The state will sell 27 million tickets in the first "instant win" game. Hickey expects them to be gone in a matter of weeks. Then he can start a second game. The lottery tickets have six scratch-of- f windows with doilar amounts. Three matching amounts will be good for that amount, with cash prizes of $2, $5, $50, $500, $1,000 and $10,000. The winners of the $50 prizes will qualify to enter a later drawing that will provide a $1 million winner. Hickey says he expects lottery revenues to gross between $60 million and $100 million in 1983. Half will go as prizes and percent for The other 35 percent, as much as $35 million, will be used for state and local parks projects and for state building construction. Forty percent of the profits, or 14 percent of gross, goes into the state's Conservation Trust fund, which is used by local governments to buy and develop open space lands, parks and recreation facilities. The state already is planning which building projects might be financed with the lottery money. State legislators have been discussing the possibility of using the lottery money as a way of replacing funds that might be used elsewhere in the budget, but until the the actual revenues are calculated, no one wants to take the chance of counting on it. 'Think Tank' Wants Reagan -To Do Better The (UPI) Heritage Foundation says President Reagan "promised too much and delivered too little" in his first two years in office, and has set new guidelines for reorderWASHINGTON conservative ing policies for 1983. The "think tank," which has been very influential with the Reagan administration policies, calls for more of the same: deeper spending cuts, but hikes for defense, and a White House shakeup. e In "Agenda '83," a collection of essays released this week, the foundation says Reagan "squandered much of his valuable political capital on 362-pag- "To prevent a continuation of this problem, operational changes must be made in the White House," said Holwill in the introduction to the book. Bruce Bartlett, director of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, said Reagan will have to cut more taxes and slash more government regulations to turn the economy around. 3 LB. WITH THIS AD 1175 KOXTH 1200 WEST, kit to numr changes," and jeopardized his credibility with promises of an eco- nomic turnaround. "The Reagan administration, after a successful first year, promised too much and delivered too little and now needs to adopt a bold new strategy for turning the economy around and rebuilding America's defenses," said an announcement of the book's release. The 30 authors of the essays criticize the implementation of Reagan's policies rather than the policies themselves and call for increasing efforts to make good on his campaign pledges and original thinking on many issues. They call for ending the Postal Service monopoly, getting "the middle class and wealthy off welfare," bringing inflation in health care under control and making the American island of Guam into "America's Hong Kong." The essays blame bad press, unwieldy bureaucracy, staff that behaves too independently at times, too many regulations, too few tax cuts and other factors for many of the administration's failures. Richard Holwill, vice president of the foundation and editor of the collection, said Reagan, despite his celebrated ability to communicate, has not convinced people that his programs have merit for rich and poor, and for minorities as well as the establishment. HUNTSVILLE, Texas (UPI) -The Harker Heights police chief is confident Thomas "Andy" Barefoot is the man who surprised and killed Officer Carl LeVin Aug. 7, 1978, and that Barefoot deserves execution as scheduled on Tuesday. "We had positive evidence from ballistics. The pistol was in his back pocket (when Barefoot was arrested in Houston)," Chief Ted Wermuth said Wermuth said evidence showed LeVin responded about midnight to a report of a possible arson in the town of 7,500 just east of Killeen. LeVin, 31, caught up with the suspect on North Amy Drive. "Carl must have told him, 'I want to talk to you' or words to that effect. The man approached the car. He (Carl) probably asked for ID. The man pulled a and that's as far as we know," Wermuth said. LeVin, a father of five, died of a single gunshot wound to the head: "There was no struggle. He didn't know it was coming. He fell dead er semi-automat- right there." Barefoot strongly denies killing LeVin, and his lawyers are asking two courts, a federal district court in El Paso and the Supreme Court in Washington, to stop the execution of an innocent man. "I am not guilty. I am not the former killer!" the oilfield roughneck from New Iberia, La., pleaded in a written O 033IB oSftifc o Qpsn (fanfc CARTWRIGHT FURNITURE FOLLOW NINTH EAST SOUTH TO 551 SOUTH STATE PROVO, UTAH (801) 373-260- 0 Openi 9 am to 5:30 pm Mon. thru Sat. Discount thtator ticktH ovailablt, no purchat I MOM. Buie Foods ly ogam CAM 3 DAYS ONIY budget cuts or temporary statement given reporters at weekly death row visitation 21 operating expenses. Texas Plans Execution On Tuesday Wednesday. Asked if he felt remorse, Barefoot said: "It's my understanding that remorse is like something you feel a deep sense of guilt towards something that you've done wrong. If a person is not guilty, how is he going to be feeling remorse." "I feel great sympathy for the family," Barefoot said. "Murder of a family member must be the worst tragedy that can befall a family. But the ritual killing of a scapegoat ... would do nothing to ase their pain." 15 - Page noctuary. CRM s - WEDS. |