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Show Friday. September THE HERALD. Provo. Utah. 7. 1S84 - Page 21 ;rr The Herald, its readers, syndicated columnists and cartoonists discuss vital issues The Herald Comments CoJibe TV S hould company to boost rates. The company says it may hike rates 26 percent by Oct. 1. With that license to charge more, the cable With Orem City dere- gulating cable television last week, the growing pay TV service once again made headlines this time in a successful bout for operators. But Orem's cable television, like similar services in other cities, isn't without challenges aside from the recent Feedback Service Editor, Herald: During the past 18 months The Herald has been most kind and helpful in running articles about the concerts and special events that led up to our recent tour to Europe. I am writing to thank you for your help and interest. It was a great thrill for us and those who share their children with our group to see the front page coverage that received at our departure. I cannot we recall a time when any musical group from the Utah Valley area has received such support. Again may I criticizing The Herald for its lack of support for our group. I was somewhat embarrassed when the letter was published in the editorial section. I can only say now that you certainly proved such criticism to be incorrect. Therefore I must express my regrets for the criticism and thank you deeply for the great support. I hope that this will be just the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship, that will bring a great deal of good to both organizations. Terry thank you. recall that sometime during the past year, one of our fine supportors S. Hill conductor I 1495 N. 300 W. Provo (and indeed she is) Taxes Counterproductive Editor, Herald: As the Utah State Legislature meets in special session reportedly to spend $60,000,000 of mis- named "surplus" tax money, it should consider giving the surplus tax money back to the taxpayer through tax reduction. Moreover, it is imperative that greater emphasis be placed on more efficient operational methods of government service. The premise should be that efficiency is the best revenue get- ter. An efficient system of state government operations should include: Implementation of cost saving recommendations of "Little Hoover Commissions," State Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysts and the business community. Greater incentives should be found for government employees to develop and implement cost saving methods. It is increasingly apparent that local, state and federal taxes (compounded by incredi- have reached the magnitude wherein increased taxes become counter-productiv- e. Increased taxes on public service or industrial products result in less money for the taxpayer to spend for future purchases. As the volume of purchases decreases, the volume of government tax income decreases correspondingly. An increased tax on business corporations simply increases the operational costs and subsequently the consumer's cost of living through increased business costs being added to the product. While Governor Scott Mathe-son- 's past percentage reduction of most state agency budgets demonstrated commendable fiscal responsiblity, it may no longer be a viable option. Nor is increased state bonding (which in effect is deficit spending), a fiscally sound option. The overburdened taxpayers should vocally express their views to the legislature. Jack Smith House Drive Stansbury Park 107 Club ble federal deficit spending and resultant high interest rates) Patriot Stopped at Polls Editor, Herald: Open Letter to County Officials: Last Tuesday a woman was amazed, when she arrived at the polls to cast her vote in the Primary elections, as she had done for nearly 30 years in Provo District No. 9, to be told by officials that her name had been "stricken from the records and she could not vote." Many people would have quietly accepted this but you see, to Mrs. P. voting is a real privilege. She is a naturalized citizen from Canada, coming to the United States 50 years ago. She married a U.S. citizen and reared six children here. She taught them the value of citizenship in this great land, by example of always voting herself. Unless she was very ill, or out of the country on another mission, she showed up at the polls for every election, from minor bond issues to the Presidentials. If she was not there in person, she sent in her absentee ballot. She recently told her children that she wished she could be called to jury duty and she asked her daughter to request this call for her. The officials refused, stating that jurors were now called by random computer selection. This frail woman was angered enough to contact county officials. She was told that she could not vote because "she had failed to serve in jury duty," and that "she had failed to answer her telephone on numerous occasions and had not replied to the letter sent to her." (This accusation is preposter-iou- s because during this period she was homebound unable to drive because of limited arm function and peripheral vision only! Grove. Spring-vill- e and Pleasant Orem City recently Acton Cable, allowing the deregulated After much difficulty, they finally allowed her to vote! This incident brings up several important questions regarding voting rights and rights of senior citizens. side property lines. Utility companies pay cities to use these easements for service. homeWhenever owners dig near utility easements, they should bers. service (532-500- homeowners who fail to check with utility com- panies before digging for fences and gardens slice through an under- tion with an angry neighbor paying for ground line and cut off Utah Technical College has been an important part of Utah Valley for years. It will remain so for many more. Orem With freedom to hike rates, cable television owners should give better service to subscriWith the advent of pay televison as an al- ternative entertainment to network broadcasti- ng, subscribers should demand cable television operators constantly upgrade service with state of the art improvements and increase programming choices. Many dissatisfied subscribers complain with merit. With rate increases, service should improve too. 40-pl- However, its 'role has expanded over the past several years. Now valley students can complete many of their "general education" requirements, then transfer to other colleges and universities such as Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, Utah State University or Weber State Colto further their educalege tion. Or, if they choose, they can follow a vocationally oriented track and begin various careers after completing their course work. The Utah Board of Regents requires that 75 percent of UTC's offerings be vocationally as Central Utah Community College, Utah Valley Community College or some similar name. oriented. The remaining 25 percent can be "standard ' college known fare. There's nothing wrong with that concept. It ensures that vocational education will be available for all those who Course work would not change. In fact, it could not. Course offerings would remain 75 percent vocational. But the unjustified stigma the de- sire it. Providing the "standard" fare allows other valley i name technical has gotten students an opportunity to complete a portion of their collegiate career close to home. But, it's time for one change. When the college came into being, the word "technical" had a positive meaning. Unfortunately, such is no longer the case, especially in the world of young people. Attendance at "the Tech" is often seen as an admission of inability to handle course work at a "regular" college. Of course that's ridiculous. would be gone. California junior colleges provide similar vocational education. While any stigma is undeserved, it exists. Bob Hudson But it's a perception too many hold. Students would be better served if the college were How simple it would be to remove it. Call the group of buildings near the freeway and across from BYU another name and (with apologies to William Shakespeare) it would smell more sweet. Bom P arties: Buying Pig in Poke - WASHINGTON The traditional Labor Day start to the presidential campaign brought to mind a speech at the GOP Convention that most Americans missed. "In 1947, I slept my first night in Dallas, in a pig pen at the state fair with my pig," said E.V. Hill, a black minister. "And let me tell you that it is a long way from the state fair pig pen to this Republican Convention podium." Pigs, however, in a poke if not a pen, were never far from the Dallas convention. Speakers uniformly blasted Walter Mon-dallauded Ronald Reagan, and offered little more than a hint of what another four years under his leadership would produce. Buying a pig in a poke (a sack), where its quality and dimensions can only be guessed at, has come to symbolize the need for extreme caution. Labor Day campaigning by and both the Reagan-Bus- h tickets emphasized what was apparent at their respective national conventions on others in order to be a religious, moral person," said Ferarro in Wisconsin. "And you that each side hopes to (1) scare the pants off voters with a nightmarish vision of life under the opponents; and (2) be as unspecific as possible about shouldn't." The Republicans, leading comfortably in the polls, can afford to take the high road, offering their vision of the future. But they have sketched in few details of that future, and frequently resort instead to reminding voters that Mondale what they themselves would do next year in the White House. Mondale, campaigning in Wis- consin, noted that President Reagan is "presiding over the in American and running on a plathistory, form that ignores it. He has put worst trade year was the vice president of Jimmy Carter. Opening his formal campaign farmers through the worst recession since the Great Depres- in California, Reagan dismissed the Democrats as "that pack of pessimists roaming the land" who see life "darkly through the prism of the past." Earlier, Reagan had said the sion and running on a platform that denies it." A more basic Democratic theme, however, is that the Republican Party has been seized by a bunch of right-winge- Bible-poundin- g Democrats are "so far left they've left America." who will enforce even in matters of conformity conscience. Mondale earlier had said the GOP had been taken over by the "almost kook right," and President Reagan's recent statements on religion gave Mondale and running mate Geraldine Ferraro ammunition to push the charge. "You don't have to impose your religion or your morality He recalled the Carter-Mon-dal- administration as J Lee Hoderich Herald Washington Bureau e a period failing national confidence, soaring inflation and high interest rates. While noting that six million jobs have been created in two years, the president doesn't say that it has taken longer than that to get the unemployment rate back down to of where it was when he took office. Reagan also attacks Monday's pledge to raise taxes next although many in his year administration say he'll likely be forced to do the same thing. "We believe in high tech, not high taxes," is Reagan's new r. tax But he doesn't address the fact that he promised in 1980 to balance the budget by now. Nor does he offer a convincing plan to significantly lower the federal deficit without new taxes. The president, at the GOP one-line- Arvi nouj. LADIES and gentlemen, our Keunote speaker tetherine Ortega (a uxron) will address you and our President, u)ho happens too ana umose ToDemdrnea woman irmner, inciden1dl,i5 a aJornan... 5w convention and since, has printed a picture of an America strikingly at odds with the one painted by Mondale and the Democrats. That's not surprising. What is surprising, however, given Reagan's huge lead over Mondale, is that he apparently doesn't see the need to enlarge on his vision for the future, thereby expanding this political base and probably helping other Republican candidates win in November. Reagan is largely in the protective hands of "experts" who would rather eat ground glass than risk alienating a single voter by projecting anything but a future. Given the record of his first term, the president isn't quite a pig in a poke. But with such chicken-in-every-p- Clerk's Office and William 985 W. 400 S. them. Taking the Tech Out of College 1. Can a registered citizen's name be stricken off the voting records without notification? 2. Whose responsibility is it to notify people of jury duty, the county or the citizen himself? 3. Where is the respect we claim to show for our Senior Citizens? 4. How many other citizens, who are turned away, are afraid to go to higher sources? 5. How many registered voters don't vote because of the hassle they've been through, by improper registration of. their names, after they thought they had properly registered? etc. Only ''3 of all voters showed up at Tuesday's polls. And yet the county could deny the voting privilege to one of our respected citizens. It has been suggested to Mrs. P. that she contact the County Huish daily, until the November elections, to make sure that she is not wanted for jury duty and that her name has not been stricken from the records! Carolyn P. Law or 0 and a serviceman will come and stake out where lines are buried. That phone call could prevent costly repairs, inconvenience to line service and a confronta- themselves. Many times careless e, ) Mrs. P. was made to feel like a criminal and stated that she felt as if she was in a Communist country after the hassle she was given. When she tried to explain what really happened, and that she had not even known about the jury call, she was asked to come to the County Building and bring her citizenship num- ber!! American Fork, services but not getting call the Blue Stakes those neighbors of cable subscribers or subscribers bers in Orem, Lehi, wrote a letter to the editor complain of long delays in initial hookups, incorrect billing and inter- problems are caused by plague Utah pay television companies. Acton Cable Television services subscri- Conductor Thanks Herald number of subscribers Sometimes problems I service to neighbors. Cable, natural gas, electricity and telephone lines are often buried in easements along back, front or company should improve its service. A rupted service. legislative victory. imarove lntioJ 111 I Jig ftaarf problems as the deficit, the Russians and Central America looming large, voters have every reason to want a peek in the poke before they go to the polls in November. , |
