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Show Sunday, Opinions March 27, 1983 THE HERALD, Provo, Utah, - Page 57 SEJO-- iiic nciaiu, lis icaucis, - syndicated columnists and cartoonists discuss vital issues . -- J5g The Herald Comments City Should Aeeept Low Bid Provo City's admission that it sometimes is willing to pay more for city goods and services in order to deal with Jl983byNEA 'Wo, my dear, Inc local business should concern every taxpayer in the city. Provo' s chief administrative officer admits the city does not always award contracts to the 3C am not Queen Elizabeth. But HA VE been influenced by her. " I I How They Voted Senators Vote Against Jobs Bill - WASHINGTON Here's how of Congress voted area members on key issues from March 11-1- 7: 82-1- 27 economically depressed states. Proponents said the jobs money is necessary to ease high unemployment rates while opponents argued that it is riddled with "pork barrel" public works projects and exceeds what President Reagan said he is willing to accept to fight the effects of recession. Both Sens. Jake Gam and Orrin Hatch voted against the $5.2 billion jobs bill. RETIREMENT AGE: Dean effort to increase feated the retirement age at which full Social Security benefits are paid 82-1- to 2 Proponents said the retirement age needs to be raised since people now live longer and to assure the long-terfinancial solvency of the Social Security system. Opponents have said it is unfair to increase the retirement age, particularly for those in physically demanding occupations. Both Utah senators voted in favor of increasing the retire 68. m HOUSE NUCLEAR WEAPONS FREEZE: Defeated an effort to substitute a nuclear weapons freeze resolution that 9 proponents, mostly supporters of the president's arms policies, said would place equal emphasis on arms reductions as well as a freeze on new weapons and give the Reagan administration flexibility to continue its present arms control policy. Opponents of the substitute, mostly Democrats, said the substitute was an effort to water down the original resolution and would not help end the nuclear arms race. Reps. Jim Hansen, Dan Marriott and Howard Nielson all voted for the substitute freeze resolution. NUCLEAR FREEZE II: De5 feated a second effort to supersede the original freeze resolution with one supported by freeze opponents that would allow the Reagan administration to continue modernizing U.S. nuclear forces during a freeze. Proponents said the substitute would allow for replacement of existing but outmoded weapons with new ones and still maintain a nuclear deterrent. Opponents argued once again that the original resolution would not go into effect unless the freeze by both the U.S. and the USSR is mutual and verifiable. All three Utahns voted for the second substitute freeze resolution. 226-19- David Bradford 88 E. 100 N. Spanish Fork Junior High Fight Not P.l s. Carter Places 10th In state requirements, and the city weights its selection process toward buying leaves room for abuse. little Low-bi- d local company gets preferential treatment for being local. That's the way some local businessmen like it, but a city has an obligation to saving taxpayers money no matter where they have to shop. By giving preference to Provo business, the city acts on the false presumption that keeping Provo' s money home means it will eventually return to roost in the city treasury. Any time government spends money with anyone other than the low- est bidder, taxpayers should worry. rule is The low-bi- d to understand, easy easy to administer and is free of political influence. Utah law provides for choosing a higher bidder in the rare case of an unqualified bidder offering inferior goods and services, and those should be the only grounds for paying a higher price. In accounting terms, no precise calculation of dollar benefit to Provo can be made when a city contract is awarded locally. If Provo underwrites city business by paying higher prices to shop at home, the next logical step is for Orem, the county, and every other unit of local government in the state to start a trade war with Provo and provide the same breaks for their local businesses. All of that would be done at the expense of taxpayers, of course. Orem already is studying a similar plan.; Provo companies should not be subsidized taxpayers, and to their credit, the great majority of Provo businessmen are not among those clamoring for special treatment. by Analysis Case Raises Quality of Life Issue SALT LAKE CITY (UPI) Now Spelling Contest; Over 100 ParBand Coticipate in Band-Jaz- z ncert; Over 50 Cast and Crew Participate in The Musical "JO" at OJH: Numbers are Entering the National Wildlife Essay-Ar- t Contest. Michelle Scofield and Daren Holdaway, Winners in the City Reflections Visual Art Contest; Julie Taylor Winner of the Reflections Literature Contest; Region Sertoma Essay Winner is Linda Felt, Student at OJH; Competing in the State Swim Meet are Justin Farmer, Jim Sink and Shannon Sammis, 8th graders at OJH; Hundreds participate in the 4th annual Jump Rope For Heart. There are many, many more that should be front pagers too. I am not saying you do not print these positive things about the schools but why not the front page like the fight story? Why are these stories of less value than a fight of a few? Why does the media make the few heroes? The majority are beautireaders and ful, young people parents should know this too. Does this article rate front page for your news? Donna Nelson physical educator, OJH . 229 S. 50 W. Orem District A -- that they have demon- strated an artificial heart can postpone death, University of Utah doctors must prove the plastic blood pumps are worth the trouble. Barney Clark lived 112 days with the Jarvik-- 7 heart beating in his chest, but the quality of his life with the artificial heart was difficult at best. "He wanted much more," Dr. Chase Peterson, university vice president for medical affairs, said Thursday, 14 hours after Clark died from a virtual shutdown of all vital systems. "I would want much more," Peterson said. "But he did a great thing. "If other people do get a quality of life that is obviously more satisfactory, they'd better thank Barney Clark." Peterson said additional implants of the mechanical hearts are planned after scientists eval- uate the information from Clark's case, and a university ethics board assures itself the potential benefits outweigh the risks. But Houston heart surgeon Denton Cooley, who implanted the world's first artificial heart in 1969 as a temporary measure, questioned whether artificial hearts will ever be suitable for permanent use. "The quality of life, however long, is not justified by the discomfort and potential complications that will accrue from the pneumatically driven artificial heart," Cooley said. "This thing causes a great deal of pain, discomfort and mental anxiety which makes it unsuitable for permanent implantation. "There is no guarantee, even with the best scientific effort, that we will have an artificial heart that will ever give us a normal sort of life," Cooley said. George Annas, a lawyer and medical ethics specialist at Boston University, said the issue for Clark was whether he lived for 112 days or, "was he dying for 112 days? Did it take him an hour to die or 112 days to die?" Clark, however, knew what he was getting into when he agreed to become a medical pioneer. He knew some doctors didn't expect him to survive more than a few days. But the alternative was almost immediate death and he loved life. The retired dentist indicated in bedside conversations before his death that he felt it was worth it, if only to leave a scientific legacy. There is no question the historic experiment yielded an invaluable cache of data on the response of a critically ill body to the resumption of a strong heart beat. Dr. Yukihiko Nose, head of artificial organ development at the Cleveland Clinic and long a pioneer in the field, said the information from the Clark case is immeasurable. He said Clark's death was sad, "but it was medical progress and the next time we will do it better." Cooley said the experiment illustrated the artificial heart "will sustain life longer than we thought" and that there was scientific value in the attempt; "There's always something gained by scientific effort and this certainly was an outstanding effort. We learned a great dear,'' Cooley said. " National Institutes of Health 10 years ago foresaw the day when artificial hearts could become a reality and said if the devices work well, the demand for them "might be so great that society will find itself hard pressed to supply the device to all those who want it." But the panel also anticipated quality of life problems. "Perhaps the worst possible outcome would be for the device to work just well enough to induce patients to want it so they could see their grandchildren grow up, for example but not well enough to prevent the typical recipient from substanA committee tially burdening others," the committee said. Jack Anderson in for Civil War Nicaragua - lj U.S.-back- spiring" Playboy Magazine, the rest of us will rely on the good ol' Daily Herald for the slice of life that portrays the "Decent mores" we "Christian Americans hold dear." While some people may buy and read the "uplifting and in Highs could find the headlines on the front page of Thursday's newspaper. The response here at Orem Junior High is one I hope you the few inwill appreciate volved are heroes, and those not are now discussing it as if it were their own personal battles won. Instead of making news, you have made heroes of the very ones you are calling down as the disrupters and trouble-makerIronically, you have enhanced the position of the few disrupters and labeled parent, teacher and law officer as the villain in the eyes of the youth. I have taught 13 years at Orem Junior, and have never had such a good, positive, teachable year as this. Yes, the students are rude at times, but the few out of the 1,300 are so few that they can be handled. Yes, the parents need to be aware of this situation, but do they ever know if their child was involved in the circle? Yes, it is news, but front page? Why? Why not front page the stories like: 27 From OJH Compete at U of U Math Contest; Eric clear-cu- t AnWASHINGTON (UPI) other civil war has exploded in Nicaragua, less than four years after Sandinista guerrillas overthrew the dictator. Likes Buchwald Column Editor, Herald: I think it is a disgrace that such "news" as the fighting at the Orem and Lakeridge Junior tracts, have no V Feedback Editor, Herald: Thank you for printing the super column by one of the country's leading political satirist, Art Buchwald. It will be a sad day in America when we can no longer laugh at ourselves and our politics. But other services, such as consulting con- A ment age. 215-20- SENATE JOBS BILL: Approved 6 a $5.2 billion job and humanitarian aid bill to create employment by expanding existing federal construction programs and provide shelter and food for jobless families. The bill also contains $5 billion to underwrite continued unemployment compensation in lowest bidder. Construction contracts must go to the lowest qualified bidder accordand ing to state law the city obeys the law. Provo businesses. Anastasio Somoza. Thousands of d and trained rebels have already infiltrated into northern Nicaragua, and their leaders say they've launched an offensive against the Managua regime. They believe their well-arme- ta chances of success are excellent. Coordinated with this military action, exile leaders of the any gringo trainers," an exile leader stressed. "We are all Nicaraguan fighters, fighting inside Nicaragua." Despite this claim of independence, intelligence sources say the Reagan administration is unquestionably giving at least tacit support to the FDN movement. The reason for this is the administration's belief that Nicaragua is the key to Central America's future. In a sort of reverse Domino Theory, U.S. planners figure that an ouster of the Sandinistas from Nicaragua would cause the collapse of the leftist guerrillas in both El Salvador and its neighbor to the north, Guatemala. The reasoning behind this theory is that once the Sandinistas are no longer in power, there will remain no direct airlift route for the Cubans to send arms and advisers to a safe haven on the mainland, from which they can be transported easily to leftist guerrillas an Democratic Force (FDN) plan a diplomatic move designed to give their cause international credibility. They intend to create a a "Free Nicaragua" in the area that comes under their control. By moving into Nicaragua proper from their sanctuaries in te neighboring Honduras, the FDN units have already discarded the image of a futile exile movement. Setting up a rival government within Nicaragua's borders would be the next step' in the FDN's quest for recognition. My associate Jon Lee Anderson interviewed FDN leaders in Washington and Miami. They emphasized what they feel are crucial points about their move- ment: Though the core of the FDN's fighting strength is made up of former members of Somoza' s defeated National Guard, people from all sides of the political spectrum have joined up. Their common bond is opposition to the Sandinistas' Marxist regime. Unlike the Sandinistas, FDN leaders insist, they will hold completely free elections within 18 months; even leftist parties will be allowed to take part. The FDN guerrillas say they have no connection with the joint exercises held across the border by the U.S. Special Forces and the Honduran army. "We don't have much-publiciz- throughout Central America. . FDN leaders claim to have wide support in their northern Nicaraguan bridgeheads and to have recruited not only many peasants, but disenchanted Sandinista militiamen as well. They say that for months they have been carrying out reconnaissance and infiltration raids deep into the country's interior. The FDN claims to have about 6,000 fighters in its various encampments; it needs and expects support of city dwellers, mainly those who helped the Sandinistas overthrow Somoza, but hid their weapons instead of turning them in "just in case." The FDN may also get help from Miskito Indian guerrillas. Footnote: A former Sandinista diplomat says Fidel Castro may try airlifting troops to Nicaragua if his Sandinista clients are seriously threatened. In this case, it would behoove the United States to impose a ade on Nicaragua, he said. block- EXECUTIVE MEMO: Energy Secretary Donald Hodel may not be the administration doormat his predecessor, James Ed- "5, fl, ' ' vK" wards, was. A congressional source noted with satisfaction that Hodel has defied the Office of Management and Budget over the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Congress ordered DOE to fill the reserve at a rate of 220,000 barrels a day throughout 1983, and stipulated that any leftover money because of falling oil prices should be used to g increase the reserve. OMB issued a legal opinion that DOE isn't required to do so, but Hodel responded with a contradictory legal opinion that "the minimum required fill rate is the highest practicable rate," even if it means more than 220,000 barrels a day. Matthew Novick was fired as inspector general of the Environmental Protection Administration for alleged Penny-pinchin- |
