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Show THE SAN .JUAN RECORD Wednesday, January 16, 1985 Its 2 not quite Russia, but then... While many of his colleagues were squinting at the Kremlin through the windows of a tour bus or winding their way along the Great Wall in China, Third District Congressman Howard Nielson spend the frosty month of December motoring from one comer of his district to the other. He Oh, don't be mistaken. was invited to go to Russia. And a few other And China placesincluding Taiwan. He wouldn't have needed to dip into his own pockets to finance the trips, either they were all paid for by taxpayers as part of his official" duties. did Howard Nielson opt to see the sights in places like Hanna and Dutch John instead of Moscow and Peking? So - Page why Because I represent the people in Hanna and Dutch John, What they have to he quipped. say is infinitely more important to me than what I can hear in Moscow or Peking. It's a philosophy that has guided Nielson since his initial election in November 1982 a philosophy that makes him consistently choose his won constituents over options that might be a little more glamorous or a little more popular. And it's a philosophy that includes a commitment to hard work. How hard? Well, during the DecemberJanuary break that every member of Congress enNielson joyed managed to squeeze in 59 town meetings covering the length and breadth of his district an area enapproximately compassing That's 34,000 square miles. a lot of miles and Nielson has covered tham all. In an effort to reach aU of his constituents through town meetings, he was faced with holding meetings in towns that had no public buildings. But the generosity and hospitality of town residents came through, and the meetings went on as scheduled. Several of my meetings, such as the ones in Bluebell and Tridell, were held in private homes, Nielson explains. The hosts not only invited in all the neighbors, but provided a light buffet as well. They were some of the nicest meetings I had," he says. When he's out traveling through the district, he doesnt restrict himself to town meetings. His philosophy of hard work shows through again and he makes sure he fills the hours with In Dutch plenty of activity. John, he visited the elementary school as a guest at a small Christmas program; on the Ute Indian reservation near Ft. Duchesne he attended a program put on by the children and was privileged to participate in the traditional Spring Bear Dance. In his spare time, he meets with town councils, county commissions, and local businesses and anyone else who wants to bend his ear with a special problem or concern. I love it I love it all, Nielson claims as he prepares to finish up the series of town I am always gratimeetings. fied by the experience I have at town meetings. People come prepared to talk, with inteUi-ge- nt questions about pressing subjects. They don't always agree with Nielson, he says, but they al- - most always come with an open mind and the wiUingness to disI think cuss their feelings. it would be dangerous if we I always agreed," he says. willwho is appreciate someone ing to present a differing opinion and who is then willing to talk it over. I view these town meet- ings as a tremendous learning experience. I receive a perspective I could never get from my office in Washington. Nielson adds that sometimes ask questions that he people doesn't have a ready answer hi those cases, my staff for. assistant takes the persons name and address, he explains. As soon as we can, we get the answer and we said it on to the constituent who needed the information." Nielson says he has been asked questions about everything from the economy and foreign aid to policies governing veterans benefits. He sees it as an opportunity to bring the federal government down to a personal level. Too often, the federal government is a huge, faceless bureaucracy that is too far removed from the individual citizen," he I hope to make some explains. progress toward changing that. I hope to always be accessible, and to be the kind of representative that people feel close to. If I accomplish that, then I can truly be a representative of the people." Letters to the editor The Record welcomes letters from its readers on any subject ofpublic interest. Letters must be no more than 300 words in length. The publisher reserves the right to edit, condense or reject any contributions. Letters must be signed. Dear Editor. a county employee and Director of the San Juan County As Economic Development Board, I am in contact with and work with different groups who are striving to bring jobs into southeastern Utah. I also see people every day who ask where they can get a job, will there be any jobs in the future? I am very discouraged by what I hear and see. have mixed emotions about writing this, but I think it is I necessary. This week I learned that the Commission has set County 21 at 2 p.m. as the time January for a public hearing on a resolution to raise the salaries of elected officials by 5 percent. This raise parallels the 5 percent increase granted to other county employees in the 1985 budget. I can't understand how the com- - Thru January 18 When I was newly married, my husband and I watched a lady playing a xylaphone. We enjoyed it immensely, but we were also intrigued by a small boy standing watching, his lower jaw dropped wide in awe. When she finished, he closed his mouth long enough to ask in wonder, How did you do that? During our visit to China I was somewhat like that little boy I had to consciously lift my jaw as I was so engrossed with all of the things we were seeing and hearing. We saw some large, flat floral wreaths, 4 to 6 feet in diameter, and learned that if they had red in them, they were generally for congratulations on some happy occasion, but if they were white, they were generally for a funeral. In some areas we saw lines of colored, triangular flags flying over the street and were informed that this was advertising apartments for sale. Two years of military service is required of all young men. There were soldiers stationed at all tunnels (of which there were quite a number) and at other places as well. At the best high school for girls in Taipei the competition mission can be so insensitive about the employment situation in the private sector. Two weeks ago Cal Black stated that San Juan and Grand have lost 2000 jobs in the last couple of years. Private sector employees are losing jobs, many are having their wages cut, and still more are worried about being able to keep their jobs., How then can our County Commission raise their own salaries other county employees and salaries. The taxpayers who are sweating it out are being asked to pay more to employees who may already receive more than those taxpayers in salary and fringe On top of that the benefits. commission cried wolf' saying that the county could not afford is so keen that, for a period of three or four years, these students will study for 12 to 14 hours a day. They will be up at 7 a0mo to put in their time at school, then study till about 5 p.m. Because of the difficulty of studying during the period of family activity and TV watching, the student will sleep from 5 to 11 p.m, arise at that hour and study till 4 am. before retiring for another three hours to begin the cycle once more. Only about 30 percent of the students will pass the tests that allow them to go on to study at the university. This strict regimen allows no time for learning the arts of homemaking, and time for social activities is not even considered. As far as cities go in that area, Taipei is a comparatively new city. In the name Taipei, Tai is taken from Taiwan, and pei means north. Nan means south and king means capitol. That may give you a clue as to what the cities of Peking and Nanking are, and in which area they are located. Among the 300,000 mountain people there are at least nine different tribes, and 20 sub with its own dialect, each tribes, so communication has been a real problem. They hope to overcome this as Mandarin is now being taught during the nine years of compulsory education. We were pleased to see the memorial park inhonor of Chiang a world leader during the World War n period. It was a large park in the middle of that crowded city, and the grounds were well groomed and most attractive. We climbed the 84 steps to see the masterful statue in his honor. It was worth it, and we were almost betting on whether or not the soldiers standing guard were real or manaquins, since they were so disciplined and unmoving. They were real, and stood at attention for one hour before being relieved of that duty. Kai-she- k, The Greek national Social Security Info Social Security services may be obtained by calling, or toll free, by calling the Durango office at Claims may be taken over the telephone. 303-247-31- 28. Personal assistance raises. Are we, as county employees, being fair to the taxpayers at this time? Elected officials knew what the job paid when they ran for the office. Regular employees have a good secure job when others live with uncertainity. If the taxpayer doesnt show up at the hearing, they will have no right to complain and I will get the raise I dont feel justified in getting. Peggy Humphreys January 19-2- 4 Published weekly at MontiSecond class 84535. cello, Utah, at postage paid Monticello, Utah Address (USPS 480 - 400.) Box 879, Monticello, changes: Utah. The San Juan Record is a member of the Utah Press Assoc. the San Juan Record 4SS0C( f BEST NEWS STORY x BEST PHOTOJOURNALISM Group II Newspaper 9 PUBLISHERS J. Martin I. Adams SUBSCRIPTION RATES Monticello Mon.Thur 7P.m. Fri&Sat 7&9p.m. Wednesday $1 Nite each show is available in Cortez at 925 S. Broadway, each Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and in Blanding, at the Social Service building, the second and fourth Thursday of the month from 10 a.m. until noon. certain budget requests and cut some services but kept the o'1 Monday Family Nite $8 an- them has 158 verses. |