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Show (The PageAlO ims-3nfopr- February 7,2002 mt Stop labeling and start listening vice both to them and to the folks whose views he claims to represent There are senous issues facing the citizens of this county, and none of them are golea- -t a few of us dont try to ing to get resolved if at sit dow n and talk to eat h other in a reasonable way. Folks on all sides of this debate have spent a lot of IV a r Editor, arid attend the name meet- Did Dave I was aloi at the general plan public inga dun't hai few a k, and I Imnei-tih meetings the word" "(lnudrotk or Wal Mart even coming out of anyones mouth, muih less being the that I did hear entire subject of their remark was a lot of mistrust and anger and a lot of strong and conflicting opinions alsiut what the course of development in Grand County should Irfthe By arguments of those he sea-- s as his opsinenls, Mr Cozens does a disser 1 pr-"-r- k- y time vilifying each other, but its a waste of time. We need to stop labeling, and start listening to each other if were going to have a chance of working out at least a few of our differences. Petra Hegger Moab Explaining the origins of Sierra Club scholarship tear Editor, John Holland letter J.m il cites an "unsigned article announcing the Sierra Clubs scholarship program Aa is their prac tic e the- TI publishes press releases without a bvhrie Tin article named and quoted a Sierra Club volunteer and a staff pe rson It provided the wehite utah sierrai lub org I 801 hi holursh ip html and phone- riumbe-at the Utah Chapte rs nffire in Salt bake City) for further information to lie based on the Mr Holland s harpe se Sierra Club's concern for public lands As an orgathe Sierra Club nization and as individual does work close ly with state and federal land managers such as SITLA. BI.M, Parks and Fore sts, as well as with governmental regulatory agencies which have responsibility for fish arid wildlife, air and water quality, and transpor'ation planning We want to ensure that public lands do indeed serve the- int ru ate balance of native plant multiple use-467-929- c s - and animal communities, sources and courses of clean water, preventing sprawl and maintaining farms, fields, and wetlands in the competition for scarce resources by a growing population. Mr. Holland may not know that the club is actively lobbying in Washington, I) C and in Salt Lake City and other state capitols for clean air, pure water, renewable energy re sources, and yes, for sustainable and stable economies. If Mr Holland is acquainted with the rising cost of college tuition, he will not discourage Grand college-bounseniors from applying Countys 65-7for Sierra Club scholarships This is not a sham program. Its a real program with a real incentive of $2,000 per year for four years for ten students in southern and southeastern Utah. Essays of up to 1,000 words on problems and solutions to challenges in our local community are due Feb. 25. Jean Binyon Moab It's a fact, the federal government lies to us '165 days a year, .Wi days in a leap year Im also of the opinion, tlmt with all of our nation's military might and nuclear weajxsis, we have much tighter control over much of the world tiuin Hitler had of Germany in And then there's New Jersey, removing all ref41-'4- erences to the founding fathers and the American Revolution in school textUsiks' Coincidence or calculated? Either way, it's fact. Alan Keyes, former U.S Ambassador, of the United Nations in the last presidential campaign, stated, Whatever benefits of international cooperation and consultation the United Nations has made possible, it has from its flawed founding been a source of pernicious and dangerously naive globalize dreams. It is now clear that some American politicians have been so corrupted by internationalism that they will not resist the temptation to erect the Unitid Nations into a supra national entity that undermines our sovereignty Should it prove impossible to fight this tendency by other means, the United States would have to withdraw from the United Nations, while clearly maintaining our ongoing commitment to our international resisinsibili-tie- s as a sovereign nation and world leader" With this in mind, I urge the Utah State legislators to introduce and pass into law bills covering the two most important issues that our nation is faced with. 1 I We need a law stating that, under NO circumstances, will foreign troops of ANY nation be allowed on Utah soil under the flag of the United Nations, as Peacekeepers or for any other purpose. 2,1 A measure that will never allow the State of Utah to accept a suspension of the United States Constitution without exercising the option of, dare I say it, mvesMon g d ll iere are nuns toils National Emergency scenarios Unit provide for Uie suspension of our ConstituUon, but riof a single contingency plan for reinstatement! dont know alxsit you, but Uiat in itself scares the out of me! As former U S. Navel Intelligence Briefing Team memU-- r Bill Csioper statc-- in his book, Behold A Pale Horse", I can tell you, with no reservations whatso-tveUiat all of the intelligence organizations of the United States work directly for the United Nations in concert with the- - Secret Government toward the sole purpose of Uie destruction of the sovereignty of the United States of d America and Uie bringing about of the government TJie authority cited efforts is ARTICLE VI of the Constitution, Uie United Nations treaty, and the U.N. Participation Act of 1945 signed by Harry S. Thunan with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate." consider myself a loyal, patriotic American citizen whose responsibility, as is every citizens, is to be vigilant in resjx-c- t to our precious freedoms, and to speak out when Uiose freedoms and our U.S. ConstituUon are threatened, by forces both foreign and domestic. Hie damage done by Ute non convicted, but sUll a traitor in my opinion. Bill Clinton, is tremendous. 1 truly believe that China's entrance and acceptance into the World Trade Organization, i.e.. New World Order", was bought by Bill Clinton with American secrets and technology. Notice that its only been since they signed on that our President has taken the with us or against us" stand, and weve started to massively position our troops around the globe as a tool of forced implementation of our foreign policy. World domination. Here and now. Wake up, America. 1 la-1- s r, one-worl- 1 -- Wake the hell up. -Exercising my right to free speech, while we still have it, Michael Weber Moab Portions of weather statistics erroneously omitted Denr Editors, I enjoy all the content of your paper, and applaud you all on your weekly efforts. Aa a new Moab resident, I have one question, however The latest edition of your paper features comments on the recent snowfall, and a picture on the front page by Adrien Tajlor illustrating several inches of snow that fell Monday and Tuesday of this week Why does the weather history on the same page show precipitation for the In your editorial last week, you stated, a council member proposed tabling the Cloudrock Ifrehmi-narHat because she wants to make sure we have the w ater This is e idence of wise planning on the councils part, and the council member who proposed it should be commended Fd also like to point out that your statement that the GW &.SSA has found the w ater they to serve and must now transfer water Johnsons rights to the new well makes a rather complex situation sound very simple. In my conversations with the state water engineers office and numerous others. I have discovered that the water rights protest regarding the new well is not a customary" protest, in fact, the magnitude of it may be greater than any that has ever occurred in the State of Utah The flow of water 2OO0 gallons per minute) that the w ater districts have proposed to move from the old point of diversion to the new point of diversion on Chapman I arte is approximately 2 5 times the greatest ffm of culinary water that is used by the entire Spanish Valley district during peak summer usage approximately 800 gallons per minute). Most of the rights w,!l be rnovd from a renew able lower quality nonreaquifer 'the "Valley Fill) to a pristine-qualit- y newable aquifer 'the "Glen Canyon" ) It appears that there are 10 organizations and individuals have expressed their concerns to the State Water Engineer about the prSenUal effect on the quantity and quality of the water, which they hold prior right to. Apparently, three of them have retamed attorneys and experts to testify at a hearing in April. Although the ere y " Up-on-T- same timeframe as the picture. Thanks for a good product, and all your efforts Sincerely, Bill Hughes Moab Editor note: At mentioned above, last weekll ueather statistics should have shown the precipitation on Jan. 29, u hen four inches of snow fell in Sfoab, containing .23 inches of precipitation. The precipitation was omitted in error. -- -- Tbrch-bear- er because it could hi 4p detour an expensive three-yea- r court battle i which the 1,150 members of the Spanish Valley Improvement District would have to bear the cost of ) Now is the dwirion-makin- g proper time to conduct a thorough, professional assessment of our underground water supply not after we over commit our water resources bke they did in St. George. The stated, legal purpose of the Spanish Valley Water and Sewer Improvement District i to preside w ater "to the inhabitant ofthe district I commend the county council for taking steps to reasont ably determine that the Water District can fulfill and fixture obligations to the existing resident and landowners in the Spanish Valley District before committing our water to others. then-curren- Sincerely. Barb Morra Moab Hettman deserves honor Dear Editor I have been watching the paper every week since you started the TORCH BEARERS ON PARADE for the spotlight to be on my friend, Natalie Hettman, who will carry the torch on her bike. I have not seen any notice that she is a torch bearer and I think that ia a big oversight. Natalie was raised in Moab graduating from Grand County High School and living her whole Lfe here. N atalie worked at the Bowling Alley for yeara so she is know by a lot of people for her kindness and gen -- erous spirit. She is a honored as such. true Moabite and should be Sincerely, Shirley M Carter Moab Editors note: The T I has been pleased to wnts profiles on all taerh bearers oar staff has been made aware of. The Sational Park Sendee did not bnng to our attention that two if its staff wen tonh bearers, inc'.ud.ng S atalie Hettman. We hope to publish those profJes in the near future. V 25-to- n cross-count- ry ledges, shattered trees, flattened k shrubs, and crushed several hundred linear miles of cryptogamic soil to dust in an area closed to undesignated camping and off road driving. Oil is the objective of this relatively project, and oil wells may follow, this isnt exactly prime oil country. Amazthough ingly, Wyatt and Stringer couldnt find a way to use low-tec- 2-- Disagrees with editorial Dear Editor, I would like to comment on the editorial, Do our local we have the political will to jump-start economy?" When considering a financial undertaking it is customary to view both the income and expense sides of an issue. I noted the cost side was not considered in the examples cited, whether in actual dullar amounts or intangible costs associated with these projects. For example, the National Forest Services proposed construction project on the La Sal Loop Road was not a $20 million gift to Grand County without conditions. The proposal was contingent on upgrading the road to a Class II Highway, a major upgrade intended to accommodate larger vehicles (i.e. RVe, buses) and more traffic. Concerns were brought up regarding 1 ) degradation to Castle Valleys protected water source during the construction phase and from increased use, 2) the impacts of traffic safety and maintenance along the Loop Road and River Road, and 3) the possibility of travelers Moab altogether and the potential loss of tourist dollars. I believe the county council acted responsibly when they decided to look elsewhere for road improvement funding, as the Forest Services proposal appeared to have a higher cost than benefit outcome. Dollar figures of possible income to the county e blackbrush and cryptogamic soil. modified to reduce Projects like this are routinely If no impacts while maintaining quality information. ami be must area ugly the were modifications required, of ami The Guess mystery magic again. right? trashed, Giant is caves, beautiful place strong. this hreathtakingiy sublime arches, radiant sandstone walls, ami vast, speco3 tacular views prevail, though marred by the letters comment supported exploration projects. Three no changes project, while 67 opposed it In the decision, were made. Neither the managers nor the bkikigist visited the site in making their determination. It is critically important that recreationists of all stripes visit these public servants entrusted with g and safeguarding our public lands. They need to know that their neighbors, not just a few SUWA radicals, want them to do more to retain the lands integrity than just the least they can get away with. Our children will thank you. Danny Kent Castle Valley care-takin- were given in reference to the Cloudrock development. Without questioning the accuracy of these amounts I am reminded of the associated costs inherent in any development that must be met by the county taxpayers. These can include increases in police and fire protection, road maintenance, governmental administration, landfill, sewer and water systems. Even if these hidden costs do not exceed the revenues from this project the net gain to the county will not total $460,000. The moet common economic objective voiced in the pages of this paper and in public meetings from either side the political spectrum are a desire to see a more stable and diversified economy and one with a higher income potential for individuals. None of the sample projects specified in the editorial would move our economy into new ground. 1 see the fundamental fixes vs. developissue as a choice between short-tering an economy that is healthy and on going. I am encouraged by many of the actions taken by this county council. They show a willingness to solutions over premature ones. consider long-terIt is not necessary to pit our current economy (tourism-based) against our stated goals. I would ask if the community has the will to develop rather than our economy? jump-star- t --Sincerely, Lisa Katz Castle Valley Election Day is coming Dear Editor, I want to thank you for the comments you made in last weeks paper about decisions the majority of the current county council has made as of late. I mention the majority because not all council members agree with the outcome of these decisions. Tb turn down highway study funding (not even suggesting alternatives), trying to delay one of the most important developments (Cloudrock) that will up the countys tax revenue and giving themselves a raise of obecene percentages is ludig and all crous, negligent, works against our economic growth. Shame on you who are responsible for these actions. employer doesn't have enough busi- truly believe the majority of the current council is happy with the economic slow down of our community. Just look at the actions they have taken. Either that or they dont know what they are doing and desperately need education. I truly hope the voting public considers these actions when Election Day arrives. I know I will and so will many others. If you (or someone you know) are going out of business because of the slow down, remember the above decisions of your county council. If you need work when our regular visitation season starts and cant get it because your current ness to hire you back, remember these decisions. If you get laid off early this year for the same reasons, remember these decisions. If 1 sunrise start at Delicate Arch for the arrival of the Olympic Tbrch in Utah. Congratulations to the local leaden and organizere because without you this would have been just another stop. The pageantry at Arches was unbeatable and set a standard for others to follow WOW! Just beautiful. I wish Dear Editor, CONGRATULATIONS MOAB!! Once again the rest of Utah is amazed and jealous at the beauty of Moab and the southern Utah scenery. You have set a high standard for the rest of the state to follow with the outstanding Commend county council of this hearing will be great, it seems that its too late for us to head it off. So 1 strongly urge anyone who is interested in finding out more about the state of our underground water to attend.) No one knows w hat the State Engineers derision will be, or whether or not it w ill be challenged in court. Your implication that county officials are not supporting our public water system doesn't make sense to me I applaud our county officials for stepping back while the State Water Engineer and other experts are evaluating the pcntia impacts of our new weB im the rights of existing residents and landowners By do g so, we will be better able to start up our new water project while reducing the Spanish Valley water users risk of liability and other problems in the future. I appreciate the county oounaTs reasonable ager that most folks in S. E. Utah love this beautiful land and do their best to go lightly on it Visitors enthralled with this wild natural landscape provide a living for many of us. and we try to take care of our golden goose." BLM Area Manager Maggie Wyatt and Assistant Manager Bill Stringer, on the other hand, dont seem to get it. Just four miles away from the Olympic ceremony at Delicate Arch this week, thumper trucks will begin careening through soils and vegetation that, according to Jane Belnap of the USGS, will take years to recover, if vehicles are kept off 'good luck....) The project follows on the heels of one between Arches and Canyonlands that crushed inch-thic- pre-plo- your favorite charity has had county funding cuts, remember these decisions. Economic slow down effects everyone. The only way to change this situation is to vote. The above is a perfect example of where apathy will lead a community It is time to become involved in your community. Know who your leaders are and pay close attention to their actions. Respectively, Hertha Wakefield Castle Valley Amazed and jealous of the beauty of Moab Commends the county council on water decisions IVar Times Independent, Editor, I would w 18 the 70 miles of existing roads in this t the project area. Instead they approved the giving transects, straight-linidealized of map crushed of swaths go ahead to create straight-line 50-30- 0 World domination is here and now Dear readers. Retain land's integrity Dear Editor, I commend those members of the Grand County Council who had the political courage and wisdom to vote down the proposed upgrade to the La Sal Mountain Loop Road. Also, I would like to thank them for listening to members of the community who were concerned about the negative impacts of the proposal. Surely the road is in need erf improvement, but upd thoroughfare would cause grading it to a economic challenges for the county. For example, dealcollision between ing with the inevitable cars and cows or Wildlife or perhaps some unfortunate high-spee- high-spee- d Hostile to development Editor, Last Monday night the Grand County Council narrowly approved the preliminary plat for the proposed Cloudrock development. The margin is the latest symptom of a condition within this council, which has caused some alarm in our community. There is increasing evidence that the county council is indifferent at best and possibly hostile to development in Grand County. This is alarming because a healthy economy is dependent on growth. Without some growth our abilities to make a living and provide for our families is severely compromised. This cuts to the core of the American Dream. That is the promise that through hard work and thrift we might better ourselves. The hope that we might own our own homes. The chance to provide our children with a college education. That we might achieve a small measure of prosperity and retire beyond the jaw of poverty. Ia Grand County we are blessed with abundant natural beauty, but not much in the way erf economic opportunity Good jobs are hard to come by. Government job are coveted few the small measure of stability and security that they offer. Tourism is our largest industry, but unless you own the business, making much more than minis mum wage will be difficult. Winter are common. Most of the remaining job are within the service sector and construct ion industry There i some small promise here as skilled worker might make two or three times minimum wage. Not exactly a fortune, hut a Jv-- g CSrsxdrack hnkii the prcaase nr only of a long-ter4-- 3 lay-off- I could have been there but 1 have grandchildren participating in the celebrations in Provo. Keep up the good work and best wishes to all of Moab and Southeastern Utah from The Milnera. Ernie and Naoma Milner & families, Provo speeder pitching off a mountainside. These things dont happen now because the road forces you to travel slowly and enjoy the view. I imagine adding another d road to the countys inventory would be expensive to maintain. There must be a higher purpose for $20 million of our federal tax monies. Many people are feeling squeezed by the economic downturn. I have faith in the innovative and creative entrepreneur who choose to live in Grand County and ebb and flow with our rural western economy. We are a community with the ability to choose, wisely, our development opportunities. Laura Kamala Castle Valley high-spee- tax base which will Nix-f- it all of Grand County but it will also psunp miBwns of dollars into the local economy with direct positive effects for the retail, servic, and construction sector of our valley. Thai translate into red fcr worker and their families We would have to be crazy to say no to this development In any case it would not stop development It would simply redirect the growth to the San Juan County portion of Spanish Valley. You may be assured that San Juan County will not say no to development Grand County wraiid sUR 61 the effect fef an increased population, tut we would rs receive any erf the resulting tax base, I have seen this happen in other places, and we must be very careful that H does not happen here. We must accept the premise that some growth is inevitable and desirable. We must focus on quality and insure that local growth is directed in such a manner a to be an asset rather than a liability. Three erf the council member voted against approving the Cloudrock preliminary plat. One wonder if they have children with them in their homes. If they have mouths to feed other than their own. Elected officials are representatives of the people. They must often make difficult decision, and they will never please everyone. In making their choice they roust put self interest aside. They must reject the interests of the few at the expense erf the many. They were cot elected to advance their own agenda. They were elected with the larger mandate to do the most good for the roost people. We ask no more and demand no lea than that. Sincerely yours, oppor-tunrtx- e --Levy Iff. is Castle Valley POOR |