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Show " You can jtii a man but you can 't kill an idea. ' ' Evers, American civil rights activist T1 Medgar (1926-1963- ). I 1 r"JT U J) PI fHI Olj fJ 1) IC? f f'im,' JC 101 0 lipoS Cohen sees tough choices ahead on social security is a Sen. William Cohen, calm and cerebral politician who subscribes to the notion that the mind. ' blows out of the lamp "anger Not much light was left flickering after Cohen was confronted by a group of Maine's senior citizen leaders livid over his refusal to "exempt" Social Security from the proposed balanced budget amendment. During a GOP leadership meeting, Cohen urged colleagues to undertake entitlement reform and deficit reduction in the coming months, mindful of the political realities. "Just be prepared for it folks because it's not going to be easy out there," Cohen related. "When you're rushing to pass the 'Contract With America' it's not going to be accepted as you might think. You're pounding the table here for the balanced budget but there are others who see this as robbing veterans programs or robbing seniors programs to achieve that goal. " Cohen voted for the balanced budget amendment but against a proposed law that would have exempted Social Security from the consequences of the amendment. Cohen and others who opposed the ultimately defeated law were charged with 'colluding to use hundreds of billions of ' dollars of Social Security payroll taxes to balance the budget. It's a myth that the $70 billion surplus that will be collected this year by the Social Security Administration sits in some box, waiting for the baby boomers to retire. Should the money be invested in U.S. Treasury bonds or in Mexican : pesos? This is the question Cohen put to ; skeptical voters. Social Security doesn't ; operate like an ironclad trust fund, and ; hasn't for a long time. ' The balanced budget amendment was ;shot down largely because Republicans j foiled to dispel the impression they were k on America's Counting a I fiet But was never much suthere egg. rprise that Democrats would seize this : safety-de- posit sneak-attac- weapon. i jOne Republican senator recalls spirited strategy debate in which some senators ' warned of the need to "neutralize" Social Security before it sunk the balanced budget 'amendment. One option under considera- fiqn by Republicans was to accept some to Social amendment giving "exemption," which would be wa- confer-- " red down later in a House-Senaence committee. I ; I" We gave the (Democrats) perfect cov-rer- ," recalls one Republican senator, who I pointed to polls showing support for the te 'balanced budget amendment evaporating ;once Social Security was interjected. "It In Utah, as in other parts of the country, funding for education is a hot political ! topic. Teacher salaries and fringe benefits are an important part of the debate. I ; Salaries and benefits are not the only ' I forces that motivate young men and wom- ! en to choose a career in education. The I altruistic reasons that inspire young people I I to; become educators are joined over the years by other more pragmatic ones. f, 1 ;A teacher becomes a parent, assumes a borne mortgage, pays for a child's ortho-- i donture, faces the prospect of college costs for a growing family and copes with the ! peed to plan for eventual retirement. ; The increasingly hazardous and over- . crowded classroom environment and the ; I added stress placed on teachers has forced ; many school systems in other states to ; 6fer more appealing financial packages to m their teaching staffs. How else can they keep experienced educators in their ; Schools? ; It should be possible for a teachers in ! Uiah to anticipate an economic future that k at least as secure and comfortable as that 1 1 of their counterparts in areas that exhibit a I relatively comparable cost of living. 1 1 '. This past week, I had a conversation ;wjth an elementary school teacher who ! fecently took early retirement at age 59 from the New York City school system. TZ ; Granted, New York City is at the other end of the cost of living spectrum when I compared to Utah. We can see, however, I the direction that educational funding has tujeen in other parts of the country in order I tr cope with the need to maintain quality I - '. red-herrii- ig the demographics and tough choices ahead. "It was not accepted by that group, and Imk Miei son Michael Einstein Washington Merry-Go-Rou- nd cms if it was not accepted by the advocates it won't be accepted by the general constituency," Cohen says. "I think unless we deal with entitlements we have no hope of balancing the budget ever. " Defense atRUSH TO JUDGMENT torney F. Lee Bailey recently thought we were on the verge of cracking the O.J. Simpson case. One of Bailey's law partners in Boston called on Bailey's behalf to check out a tip from a supposed Justice Department attorney who claimed we had "records showing that (Los Angeles detective) Mark Fuhrman contributed money to the KKK." The tantalizing tale is completely ;New York City teachers can retire at Z 8gc 55 after 20 years of service and receive j pension equal to approximately 40 pcr- cent of salary. After 25 years, this increas- cs to 50 percent with increments for every 5 additional year of service. J I j '.The retiree I spoke with was earning a it Jajary of $52,000 before retirement and j I pension she receives is close to $33,- - ;j I Ai in Utah, salary levels are tied to the irjiounl of education the individual teacher U ioquires. This teacher has a master's de- ((ice plus 30 additional credits. I Another benefit she enjoyed was 10 J ee,ks off each summer. Her $52,000 sala- ry would total about $62,000 if prorated to 50 weeks on the job each year. j f . - false. We do, however, have information sug- gesting the famed criminal attorney launched his career by looking for what might be called the smoking glove. More a longthan 20 years ago, Les Whitten time associate of this column penned a biography of Bailey that offers an intriguing bookend to the lawyer's career. As a Marine fighter pilot in 1 955 , Bailey doubled as a legal officer legal officer, and his most celebrated case involved a glove. In a moonshine case, Bailey successfully defended a man who was caught by federal agents dipping into a still. Bailey claimed the man was merely trying to fish his dress glove out of the still. Though nobody believed Bailey's explanation, it was so amusing that the defendant wasn't prosecuted. In a few school districts in Utah, some teachers have the opportunity to work For example, in the Jordan School District (according to a March 1993 Utah Foundation report on teacher salaries), a teacher with a master's degree and 12 years of experience can make approximately $44,000 on such an extended, about 30 percent less contract than in New York City. In a comparison with the surrounding states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming, Utah's year-roun- d. full-ye- ar J : wkay.wa THE DAILY HERALD --1 ' ' teachers. less Filling,,. was like watching a train wreck." The financial train wreck won't occur until around 2013, when the black ink turns into red ink for the Social Security trust fund. More people will be retiring than are working, and the system will go bankrupt unless there are reforms. Although Social Security was a in the balanced budget debate, Cohen pleaded with leaders from seniors organizations, including the American Association of Retired Persons, to dwell on pTake care of teachers to keep iijjtah's quality education system 1 6 Sunday. April 2, 1S35 The Daily Herald i' 2 NS, Coisloa Utah and the U.S. 4 average projected teacher salary for was $28,506. This is slightly above the average for these seven states. An important plus that this New York City teacher reaped was a annuity that she contributed to over the years. The amount each teacher is allowed to contribute is based on actuarial tables. The teacher said she contributed approximately 17 percent of her salary. Her annuity had grown to more than $160,000 at her retirement. She said the plan is extremely well managed, but it also gives a lot of flexibility to investors. Other fringe benefits she enjoyed included a medical and dental plan that pays for 80 percent of prescription drugs if generics are not available or 60 percent if generics are used. As industry and commerce expand in Utah, cor "school districts are being plagued with the same problems that the older, more densely populated U.S. cities and towns have endured. We can learn from their mistakes and their solutions. We can maintain experienced dedicated teachers in Utah it the future is confronted with realism and crea1993-199- ed tivity. Grace Conlon is a resident of Orem. Utah must stand firm This is an open letter to the people of Utah Valley, indeed, all of Utah from a family planning to move there from New Hampshire. Why Utah? Although there's much to love in New Hampshire, family is our major reason. We want to our family there to weather what we believe portends and because we love each other. Why I'm writing today is to, hopefully, caution you against growth trends which proved to be detrimental here. While on the outside all seems positive, be careful . Consider the price. I use New Hampshire as prime example. New Hampshire enjoys a quality of life similar to Utah. Values, community and morals are most important. However, we briefly abandoned our sensibilities and what really matters in the early to mid- - 1980's. During that time, we had an influx of highly paid professionals who moved here because the quality of life and to escape Massachusetts taxes. No problem with that. However, with their arrival came a "price is no object, and can we bring our malls and conveniences with us" attitude. The result? Rapidly escalating property values, and property tax with no escape mechanism. Families leveraged otherwise to average homes. Banks were over-eaglend. Then industry faltered as it is wont to do in cycles. That's when the "souffle dere-jo- in nothing wrong with zoning to protect the land, water and air. Without this, the outdoors which Utahns seem to prize so dearly will certainly be damaged, perhaps irreparafor mere bly. That's intolerable and think You eat can't money? money, you can't drink it and you certainly can't go camping on it. Learn from our mistakes and success. There's absolutely nothing wrong with saying, we're a moral society, values are paramount and all those who would change that -consider living elsewhere. Go right ahead and stand up together for what you believe and for the quality of life you've wished to create for your families. We've done it here in New Hampshire. (Let me tell you. There's nothing quite so satisfying as watching a bunch of determined Yankees unite for a just cause). One voice alone is small and unheard, but many voices together can send a powerful message. As Mufasa, Disney's Lion King, so aptly put it, "Remember who you are! " DottieHogan Deerfield, New Hampshire Line-ite- The United States Congress, unable to control its own excesses, is preparing to give veto to our executive. That is the line-iteparamount to giving a needle to a junkie, except the intoxication is not drugs, it is power. It reminds one of the Roman senate's capitulation to Caesar Augustus, except our weak kneed Congress has not even faced the praetorian pointed spears of the m er flated." Those who could least afford the leverage lost their homes in droves. To this day in our newspapers, we find no less than four to five pages of foreclosures where home sales used to be. That's a tragedy for families. Economic issues aside, what about moral values? We in New Hampshire get our hackles up and stand together when it comes to that, and we don't stand for any compromise. Oh, we surely succumbed to the lure of more money, but we draw the line and stand firm when it comes to reducing our stand on adult entertainment, and destruction of our farms and woodland for malls. I have lieard many friends from Utah sadly comment on the influx of those who come for the quality of life but want to bring their secular lifestyle and customs with them. I say, stand firm Utah! You're doing just fine. You've managed to create a lovely place to live based on your culture and values. It's quite all right to stand up for these. To those who come to Utah and find the culture quaint but not worth maintaining and in need of change, find another place which reflects your more liberal standards. Let the people of Utah maintain what they have created, or blend in, accept and enjoy. If a more secular way of life appeals to you, this is not the place (I hope I'm correct in saying). This is not to condemn your ways but that there is a place for that type of culture too. Last. The environment. I don't have to remind you that Utah is a fragile and can only support so much growth. New Hampshire is very much the same. There's eco-syste- m veto scary m guard. Oh well! With wars, inflation, deficits, homeless and bureaucratic tyranny, let's hope we get a good king . Brent R. Preece Provo SUWA answer ignorant Six professors from the departments of Economics and Forest Resources at Utah State University spent the past three years compiling the most comprehensive and objective analysis of federal wilderness designation ever done in Utah. The research included a review of existing studies, a survey of rural and urban Utahns, surveys of wilderness recreationists while they were in designated wilderness areas and review of administrative hearing and court decisions. There were many extraordinary findings in this most thorough of all wilderness studies. Just one of the findings was that "mere than of tlie respondents said they would vote against the BLM proposal (1.9 million acres of wilderness). There was even less support for the UWC proposal (5.7 million acres of wilderness). ' ' The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and its mouthpiece, Ken Rait, had a couple of one word responses for the exhaustive USU ' study. They called it ' 'tragic' and ' 'garbage . ' ' The USU study is neither tragic nor garbage but it is easy to see why SUWA and Rait respond as they do. It's their job. They make their living exploiting the wilderness myth so two-thir- they cannot abide any truth that exposes ther hoax. There are a couple of one word responses that properly characterize the SUWA response. These words would be "ignorant" and "irrelevant." j Claudia Kenney Orangeville Rights eroding away The Constitution guarantees us: Dye process, innocence until proven guilty, po double jeopardy, a requirement forprobahje cause and protection from unreasonable search and seizure. In recent years the "war on drugs" and the attempt to satisfy civil rights activists have brought with them a plethora of onerous laws and regulations that have eroded these constitutional provisions and caused outrageous abuse against innocent citizens including wrongful arrest and detention, invasion of privacy, defamation of character, confiscation of property, financial hardship and actual incarceration. . . Now Congress is attempting to give even greater latitude to law enforcement officials in making questionable searches and seizures without warrants in the name of fighting crime. This is a dangerous trend and needs to be reversed. We must not sacrifice our freedom in the process of countering drug trafficking and crime, nor should we force protection of one's civil rights at the expense of another's. Also seizure laws which monetarily benefit local law enforcement agencies (as they do now) are corrupting in nature and should be totally el iminated . As concerned citizens, we call on our legislators to get us back on track in preserving these significant constitutional protections by repealing all laws which violate our 4th, 5th, and 14th Amendment rights. James Carlyle Green Springville Giri THAT I CQMN6 OUT THISAFTBRr M57HUW FROM seeking pen pal My name is Kazuko Yokoyama and I'm a old Japanese girl. I'm writing this letter today because I have a favor to ask of you. I've been looking for a pen pal in the U.S.A. I wish to get more knowledge about the U.S. through correspondence. Will you please put my name and address on the list of your pen pal introduction column of the newspaper. I hope you will understand my earnest desire and lend me a helping hand to make my dream come true. Kazuko Yokoyatrta Shakujiidai Nerima:ku Tokyo 177 Japan 17-ye- ar !T" Letters poficy Send letters to: Editor, The Daily Herald, P.O. Box 717, Provo, UT 8460307 17. Letters must be signed FAX and include the writer's full name, address and daytime telephone number. Preference is given to letters that are typed, double 9. spaced and less than 400 words in lengtii.' Doonesbury g " BY GARRY TRUDEAU A V 0,4 A U71lC7RjP:.J fiCTUALU, ' B66UN. YWfjJblft 1 m9X! J ' |