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Show tUffe Page A10 l5Itmgg-f3ftftepetthg- Thursday, October 28, 2004 nt Idle Thoughts from Mt. Waas by Ollie Harris Community Comments by Sam Taylor LIFE ENRICHED recently wrote a brief history of our family during the years we have lived in Blanding. It was in response to the citys invitation. Many other people also wrote family histories to be included in a book that will be available during our towns centennial celebration next year. We are looking forward to reading the histories of our friends, and getting to know the stories of others that we do not know so well. The whole experience of writing a history was an exercise in retrospective introspection, an examination of our lives as weve lived them for these last years. As I was I writing our history began to sense how much others have meant to us. Our lives have been greatjy enriched by our associations. Without those others we would have been left mostly to our own devices, which isnt all bad, but others have added immensely to the quality of our experience here. One such person was Pete Henderson. When it came to choral music, Pete had a great deal of talent and energy. I have always loved to sing. My love of singing my be rooted in my Welsh ancestry. Not long after we moved here I fell under Petes spell. Pete provided a forum for all of the singing I could want. He directed the Canyonlanders, a talented singing group that performed programs ranging from Handels Messiah and funerals, to the state fair. My life was incalculably enriched by Pete Henderson. I also sang for years in the Sagebrush Quartet with Pete Black, Austin Lyman and Steve Burtenshaw, another positive experience. Others that have greatly impacted my life of the are Neil and Becky Joslin, owners-editor- s Blue Mountain Panorama. I had never thought of writing for a newspaper. Prior to their invitation I had written some poetry and a couple of short stories but they were mostly for myself. And, I had kept a detailed personal journal. Their invitation to write a regular col- I have for many years discussed in the issue preceding general elections, side issues on the ballot. This year there are six of them, and voters are going to have to spend some time studying them, as well as time in the voting booth. In news stories the past few weeks, we have discussed these issues individually, giving both pros and cons on them, as an assist to those wishing to make studied decisions. Three of the issues are attempts to change Utahs constitution. One is an initiative placed on the ballot by petition. Two are local propositions, having to do with possible changes to Grand Countys form of government law. have studied the issues and thought a lot about them. Voting is the easy part. plan to vote for only one of the issues, and vote against the other five. Here will explain the reasoning used in coming to my conclusions. Citizens Initiative Number 1 would authorize the state to borrow up to $150 million by issuing bonds to be repaid withinl 3 years from a statewide sales tax increase of 120th of one cent and, only if necessary, from general state sales tax revenues. It would use bond proceeds for projects that among other things would preserve or enhance lakes, rivers, and streams, wildlife habitat, farms and ranches, trails, historic sites, parks, open space, and water and air quality; facilitate growth management;, and build park, wildlife, or trail facilities; and build local community facilities and improve natural history and cultural museums. It was placed on ballot by the signatures of hundreds of thousands of Utahns who found this a last resort in gaining approval of the measure, after being turned down by a number of past legislative sessions. Thank goodness for the initiative process. If elected leaders wont act on something large numbers of people want, the people themselves can take the initiative by petition. That is what happened in this case. The issue gets my wholehearted support, and will get my vote YES. Constitutional Amendment Number 1 authorizes the Utah House of Representatives to convene for the purpose of impeachment if of the representatives are in favor of convening. It would further require the Utah Senate to convene for a trial of impeachment if the House has voted to impeach. It further allows legislators to be compensated at the same rate they would be paid if in actual session. That is an open door and might lead to endless special sessions initiated by the very people who are getting compensated for their time. Doesn't a public service become a public service any more? Our system of government is built on the theory of checks and balances. am afraid passage of this amendment would tip the balance toward the legislative branch at the expense of the governors office. Im voting NO. Constitutional Amendment Number 2 would authorize the state or a public institution of higher education to acquire an ownership interest in a private business in exchange for rights to intel- I hard-soug- ht I I I I two-thir- I lectual property developed by the state or public institution of higher education. am leery of letting the state, particularly our universities, take large stock interests in private corporations. The government has no business in that sort of activity. Im glad the state of Utah had no stock position in Enron Corporation or the Bank of Ephraim, where stock now is not worth the paper it was printed on. Let our institutions of higher education sell their rights to intellectual property to the highest bidder for cash. Thats the way of doing business. Im NOT going to vote for this issue. Constitutional Amendment Number 3 would define marriage as the legal union of a man and a woman, and would not recognize any other domestic union as a marriage or given the same or substantially legal effect. Come on. Whatever happened to the freedom of choice in this country? While enjoy being married to a very fine woman it took me 27 years to find, dont think it is any business of mine what other people decide.There are laws already on the books in Utah to protect the sanctity of marriage. It doesnt have to be in the constitution. loudly vote NO. And finally, how feel about our local issues, Proposition 1 and Proposition 2. Both would alter our unique form of government in Grand County. The first would reduce the number of members on the County Council from seven to five. The second would require that all members of the Council be elected at large, dumping the current election by district of five of the seven members. Both raise big questions about how they would be implemented, and might lead to leaving the whole question in the hands of the courts which have no business involving in local politics. Ever since our current form of government was passed by a majority of voters twelve years ago, attempts have been made to chip away at it, and have failed. There is no question that a smaller board would possibly be more efficient. have served on boards consisting of both five and seven. The larger the board, the more inefficient it becomes. I I I I I there are safeguards in inefficiency. Lets remember that it was our first seven member board that led Grand County from the brink of bankruptcy to solvency. It was our first seven member board that finished an uncompleted courthouse renovation and enlargement on time and under budget. We have had a lot of 4 to 3 votes, and But that to me is healthy. Allowing some council seats to be elected from specific districts guarantees representation from all parts of the county, just like on the school board. To make these changes now would be weakening a form of government that took so much energy and passion to achieve. intend to vote AGAINST both Grand County propositions. I the election. My ears are bruised and my mind is made up. Unlike some election years, when questions remained in my mind up until the last moment, I'm finished. will go to the polling booth hopeful that my candidates and my sides of the issues will prevail. But will be ready to support the winners when all is done. Maybe not the issues. it with I I -- aft- It's disheartening to me to see Halloween being relegated by some to the status of a Satanic holiday. Of course, it's whatever one wants to read into it, but there's nothing evil there for me, and never has been. believe that the fourth grade was my most unforgettable of all Halloweens. My family was living up Emigration Canyon that year. Residences were few and far enough between that my parents took us a mile or so down into the city for trick or treating. Mother had taught us a mournful song about a Halloween Cat, which we sang from door to I door. Daddy had prepared some notched spools, and these were employed at other houses. In retrospect, think we only dared use the spool contraptions at the homes of aunts and uncles, which were many in Salt Lake City at that time. What was my costume? I can't remember a thing about that. It likely could have been an old pillow case over a winter coat, tied around the waist with Christmas tinsel and a fairy wand in hand. The fun was five siblings all big enough to go Halloweening together, while our parents tagged behind with the car. A far cry, must say from the previous year when we had gone to see 'The Wizard of Oz" and my older sister had to take the young brother home when the scene with the witch and monkeys came along. Now, that was something, living within walking distance of a movie theater! And it was one of many occasions that was glad to be the second born and not the first. I I I Writers on the Range Why the West gets mostly ignored in an election year by Ed Quillen The other night we were channel-surfin- g and hit upon the Miss America pageant. What year did women get the vote in the United States? a contestant was asked. The answer, according to the pageant judges, was 1920, when the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The correct answer is a little more complicated. Women began voting in Wyoming Territory in 1869, and began voting in presidential elections after Wyoming became a state in 1890. Women from the Mountain West were voting for president long before the official date of 1920. In Colorado, Utah and Idaho, women first voted in the 1896 presidential election. Indeed, by 1920, Montana had already elected the first woman Jeannette Rankin to the U.S. Congress. dont have to watch the Miss America pageant to see how we get ignored here. Just watch the short promos for whats coming later. The announcement will say something like 11:00 Eastern, 10:00 Central. Once in a while You by Adrien F. Taylor But back to Halloween. recall one year when our church here in Moab had a Halloween costume party. had just reread the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and dressed up as Gollum. borrowed Sam's waders, put on a wig and painted my face up blue and green, and people had to ask me who was. Somehow can't imagine the church putting on a repeat of that fun evening, more's the I I I I I shame. . This Friday will be costume day at work for Halloween. looked around town for a red witch's hat, in keeping with it also being Red Hat Society day for the Grande Dames Lunch Bunch. In lieu of red, I found a purple one, which will be accented with red this and that, in keeping with the red and purple theme of the Red Hat Society. It being the 29th of October, it is also the day set forth for supporters to wear pink in support of breast cancer research. Purple, red and pink. Should be colorful, at the very least. Son Jed has hosted a Halloween party at his apartment now for some years. Chile, apple cider and Halloween candy constitute the menu of the evening. Hardly nutritious, but no worse, I guess, than Easter bunnies. I hard-boile- d eggs and chocolate In keeping with changing traditions, the party will be Saturday night, along with a lot of other activities around town that are set for in ads and stories in this issue. Our good college friend, Judy Magid, phoned from the Salt Lake Tribune the other day. "I'm tired of the same old Halloween stories the Trib runs every year, she said. "I'm calling around the state to find out what's happening elsewhere." Well, there are lots of things happening in Moab, I told her, but never on Sunday. It will be interesting to see what she finds out about other parts of the state. One thing will be willing to bet on is that, as unlike as the rest of Utah that Moab fancies itself to be, the Halloween theme pretty much universally will be "Never on Sunday." I rough-housin- High Country News I Many Trails I've had thirty-somethin- g umn for public consumption led me to be more thoughtful, more observant, more poetic, to nurture attitudes that have enriched my life. I have, to mention Kay Shumway who mentored and inspired me in my quest to become a photographer. I am not there yet, but the journey has been fascinating. I had always been sensitive to the beauty around me, but my eyes saw extra dimensions when my brain began constantly to compose photographs. Photography, like writing, helped me to be more thoughtful, observant and aware, thus enriching my life. Just this morning I accompanied Kay out to his orchard where he showed me the tracks of two bears that had been engaged in a brawl. The ground was ripped with claw marks. Tufts of hair were scattered about and there was a drop or two of blood. The tracks were those of a large bear and a small bear. We could only wing with a cub or der if it was a sow ifit may have been a boar intent on killing and eating the smaller bear. Whatever it was, by the looks of the tracks, it was violent. On our way back to town we came upon a stunning scene of dark, stormy sky layered over a strip of bright, morning sunlight causing incredibly sharp and beautiful reflections in the water of Recapture reservoir. I must have taken at least fifty photographs. I know that it is risky to mention people by name. We have lived here long enough that many, many people have enriched our lives. In less than a minute I could easily name a dozen. Some we have grown to love and will always have their place in our hearts. Many are the times I have been out in the wilds with friends and family, perhaps sitting by a small campfire, or on the rim of a vast canyon, or shivering on a morning deer hunt, and remarked, Theres no place Id rather be nor anyone Id rather be with. It still goes on. there will be an 8:00 Pacific. But never a 9:00 Mountain. Our time zone doesnt exist. Our time zone is the network equivalent of territory. But in a presidential election year, we might also ask: Is the Mountain Time Zone also a political nonentity? Thanks to the arithmetic of the Electoral College, we do have more clout than our population warrants. The extreme example of this imbalance comes from comparing Wyoming, with about 500,000 residents in the 2000 census, to California, with 34 million. California gets 55 electoral votes, one for each of its 53 U.S. representatives, and two for its two senators. Wyoming has only one representative, and thus three electoral votes. Do the math, and each Wyoming electoral vote stands for about 170,000 people, while each California electoral vote stands for 618,000 people. In other words, a Wyoming voter has nearly four times as much influence on the presidential election as a California voter. This extends, though not to such an extreme, throughout the Mountain Time Zone. Nationally, the average electoral vote stands for 526,000 people, but here, only 437,000. So, if the typical Mountain Time voter has 20 percent more clout than the typical American voter, why arent presidential candidates competing to accommodate us, perhaps by promising an end to new user fees on public land or catching up on deferred maintenance at our national parks? fly-ov- er For starters, that Electoral College arithmetic favors states with small populations, but even so, were still lightweights. The Mountain Time Zone has only 37 of the 535 electoral votes less' than 7 percent. Texas,' alone, has 34, and New York has 31. This means that a candidate can get just about as many votes from carrying one big state such as California, and carrying that single state would not require the travel time and multiplicity of media markets that campaigning across seven states demands. So we dont offer much bang for the buck. You wont see the Bush campaign spending much in Texas this year, even though its a big state with many electoral votes. Bush could carry Texas even if he announced plans to raze the Alamo because it was a threat to homeland security. The reverse holds for Democratic strongholds like New York and California. States need to be competitive to get attention. New Mexico is the only Rocky Mountain state that a Democrat carried last time around, and then by only 366 votes. Pollsters say Arizona and Colorado might be competitive this and so both Bush and Kerry are freyear quent visitors. But you wont see much sign of either candidate elsewhere in the Red Zone West, because Republicans are so dominant. In 2000, Bush got 60 percent of the Montana vote, 68 percent in Utah and 71 percent in Idaho and Wyoming. Noncompetitive states, especially ones with few electoral .votes, arent worth the trouble for either partys candidate. That may explain Americas current political geography. The Republican Party may have been founded by New Englanders and Midwesterners, but it is today a Southern party, stretching from Texas east to Virginia and Florida. The Democratic Party has become a coastal party, especially if you count the Great Lakes as a coast. Here we all with all this public land everyone has a stake in, and neither party has much to do with our Mountain Time Zone, except to take it for granted, or else write it off entirely. And in neither case are they going to pay much attention to those of us on the ground in country; their real constituencies are elsewhere, just like the network audiences. Ed Quillen is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a service of High Country News (hcn.org). He publishes Colorado Central Magazine in Salida, Colorado. fly-ov- er |