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Show 'Isn't it awful the DESERET NEWS way those Americans track up our landscape?' LETTERS TO THE EDITOR llllllllllilllllllll!lllllillllll, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH We Src.nd For the Constitution Of The United States As Having Been Divinely Inspired 22 A EDITORIAL PAGE THURSDAY, MAY 20, Avoid Revenue Sharing Revenue sharing is being seized by some local and state governments as the solution to their problems. President Nixon has proposed that $5 billion be collected by the federal government and then returned to the local levels and 1971 For A Cleaner America, Set Clear Goals state levels of government More Americans are coming to accept the fact that clean- ing up the environment is going to cost them more money in terms of both higher taxes and higher prices. No doubt advances in technology and efficiency can be progress toward a bet-tfexpected to absorb some of the cost have absorbed some of advances such a3 environment, just the cost of progress toward a higher standard of living. Even so, theres such a big backlog of environmental abuses and so little money to be spread among so many worthy programs, that conservationists will simply have to make each dollar work harder in addition to raising more of them. ' 'It was refreshing to see this philosophy reflected in the anntial report issued this week by the Presidents Citizens Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality. As chairman Laurence S. Rockefeller put it: There are many important steps to be taken for which ' the chief requirement is not money, but energy and imagination' programs, for example, and joint more effective enforcement of existing regulations. re, ,,A stimulating blend of high objectives and clear-eyeset the of recommendations number a forth that alism, report not just governmental and induswill require citizen support action to if are met with success. Among the try they recommendations were these: our most immediate health Calling air pollution hazard, the committee urged both the auto industry and government to step up research to produce new kinds of engines for cars. It also endorsed proposals for special taxes on leaded gaspline and advocated laws to require owners of older cars lacking air pollution control devices to get them installed. open dumps, the committee said, should be converted to sanitary land fills. Only 5 percent of the nations refuse now, goes to sanitary fills. Open burning near urban areas should end. Pointing out that the technology for processing sew to drinking water quality is available, the commiteffluent age tee Urged states to bring their water quality standards up to that of the federal government. Since noise degrades the environment no less than more tangible pollutants, all levels of government should broaden the attack now centered in aircraft noise to include vehicles, heavy construction equipment, lawnmowers, snowmobiles, and other mechanical devices. Distribution of the population was described as being .i afe serious a problem as its growth, and a more balanced distribution should be made a goal of land use programs. The of new towns, the committee said, would help. There should be full use, particularly in urban areas, of a, recent law making it possible for state and local governments to obtain federal surplus property for park and recreation purposes at no cost. The Highway Trust Fund, used almost entirely for highway building, should be opened to develop mass transit facilities buses, commuter trains, subways. ' If America is to accomplish as much as possible in cleaning up the environment, it ought to formulate a master plan or its lack containing clearcut objectives so that progress can be objectively measured. The report of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality should be considered bs a possible foundation for just such a plan. f ci . industry-governme- How Senators Rate 'Candidates 'All WASHINGTON It has long been recognized that water is the life blood of the West. Thats why it is important to secure adequate fund- ing to push the Central Utah Project to completion faster, and d to launch the Dixie Project. As Governor Rampton has noted, at the present rate of funding it will require 69 years to complete the Central Utah Project. Only 10 percent of the project has been completed. The governor is urging increasing funds from $10.2 million to at least $20 million for the next fiscal year. As for the Dixie Project, lack of funding has effectively ; crippled its start since it was approved in 1968. The administration left the southern Utah project out of the proposed long-delaye- budget, but Utahs congressmen are seeking a $500,000 appropriation. There are several reasons for pushing these projects along. For one thing, the Dixie Project would help alleviate a chronic alternate flooding and drouth condition in Washington County. Lands can only be reclaimed as fast as there is water to Irrigate them from these reclamation projects. Hastening their construction thus improves the states economy, not only through jobs they provide while under construction but from nw industry and agricultural land that is opened up by the projects. The sooner the projects are put into operation, the sooner they will start paying off. ! Cut Useless Junkets Theres hardly a subject abroad that cant be studied profitably by a Congressman in need of a paid vacation. Thats why the Congress should be unusually alert this time of year for study schemes as a means of sightseeing around the world. Springtime does something for wanderlust irt Congressmen, like everyone else. But they go on the taxpayers money, while the rest of us must pay our own way. Its refreshing to see the House is getting more stlective about Congressional junkets. The House Labor and Education Committee wanted to send 10 of its members to scenic Geneva in June as observers to the International Labor Organization (ILO) meetings. The House refused, 172 to 156. As encouraging as the vote against the junket is, the margin of defeat should have been greater. A little more spine stiffening is needed in the House. Normally only two House members not 10 attend ILO meetings, which have been AFL-CIon the ground they are merely the boycotted by Communist boards for propaganda. sounding Let's hope that the 10 House members stung by the refusal of their colleagues to send them abroad at the taxpayers expense will themselves take a long and searching look at junkets for other solons. The only other alternative to expensive and useless Congressional junkets is a great public outcry and punishment at the polls at the next election. . O - A poll of the 55 Democratic United States senators, taken by this columnist, shows two surprising results. The responses are highly favorable to the candi-dac- y of Sen. Henry M. Jackson (D-ash.) a nd In order to appraise the results, the question must first be cited. Here is the request made of the Democratic senators: Please check the name of the man you consider most qualified to serve as President of the United States regardlcs of vote-gettin- g as nominee, is lowappealing est on the scale as most qualified to serve as President. He was named as most qualified by only one Democratic senator. It is not unexpected that Sen. Muskie, who continues to the present lead President Nixon in Gallup and Haras ris trial heats, is also the front-runnmost qualified in the opinion of Demovote-gett- front-runn- unexpectedly adverse to the candi-- d a c y of Sen. Edward Kennedy considerations. findings which appear The most arresting are: 1. Sen. Jackson, who is at present low on the list of those preferred by most Democrats as the 1972 nominee, emerges high, on the list of those deemed most qualified. He tops Sen. Hubert Humphrey and is second only to Sen. Edmund Muskie. 2. Of the serious presidential possibilities, Sen. Kennedy, whom many leaders in both parties say would be the most at- cratic senators. There were five political figures who did not get even one vote as most qualified to serve as President. They are former Sen. Eugene McCarthy, former Atty. Gen. Ramsey Clark, Mayor John and Lindsay, Sen. Fred Harris Sen. Walter Mondale Here is a breakdown on a percentage basis of the responses the poll produced: .) Most Qualified 28 Pet. Muskie 18 Pet. Jackson 13 Pet. Humphrey Bayh, Hughes, 18 Pet. McGovern (each 6 pet.) 3 Pet. Kennedy 12 Pet. Others (total) 8 Pet. No opinion In addressing the request to the Democratic senators that they name the man they thought most capable of fill ing the job of President, I asked each to disregard all consideration., of who might be nominated, who might have the best chance of winning and judge the candidates wholly on the basis of iheir qualifications to perform. I also gave assurance that the identity of the resxjnd-ent- s would not be known. It was on this basis that Sen. Jackson, little preferred by party leaders as nominee, rose to the number two spot as most qualified and that Sen. Kennedy, widely favored by party leaders, dropped nearly to the bottom of those deemed most qualified. candidates There were three write-iSen. William Fulbright of Arkansas, Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia and former Governor Terry Sanford of North Carolina. Along with Sen. Kennedy, each to be got one vote as being President. Two asked: questions can reasonably be Is this a knowledgeable evaluation of the abilities of the Democratic candidates? n Is thit. a reliable poll, a valid of Democratic senatorial opinion? I thi.ik the answer is yes to both quescross-sectio- tions. Few knew these Democratic candi- dates more intimately than their party colleague'" in the Senate. And when any poll gets better than 62 pet, response as this did the polling specialists consider it very high and very reliable. early June. A fresh international push toward freer trade would be the first since the Kennedy Round negotiations were completed four years ago this month. The Nixon Administration initiative is being taken dispite, or perhaps because of, a disturbing rise in protectionist sentiment in the U.S. It is being pressed in the belief that the only alternative to a costly retreat toward restrictionism is an international commitment to seek greater freedom of trade. The U.S. move is based on hardhead wide-rangin- g The Administration is acting at a time when the potent European Common Market is becoming even bigger and more powerful and at a time when the fiercely competitive Japanese are becoming a dominant trading nation. Ways must be found for the rich, intheir dustrialized countries to own trading policies and to open their markets to larger quantities of products from the poorer nations. New methods must be devised to deal with the impact of the rapid spread of sophisticated technology across national boundaries. The U.S. plan calls for having the OECD countries declare at the June meeting that they want to move toward greater liberalization of trade and payments and that they will not slide back into restrictionism. Japan and Canada are enthusiastically supporting the U.S. plan, but France and the other five Common Market countries have not yet agreed to go st along. A special, blue-ribbo- n commission of key OECD countries then will be appointed and will be told to examine the trade problems of the 1970s and to recommend ways of dealing with them. The commission members would be top officials of the United States, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Japan. The expectation is that the commission will propose both the beginning of a new round of freer trade negotiations and the creating of fresh techniques for international trading poli- - No matter how I WASHINGTON I cant stop worrying about Gov. Ronald Reagans personal financial situation. As everyone knows by now, Gov. Reagan had such bad financi J reverses last year that he didnt have to pay state income taxes. Instead of Californians sympathizing with him over these financial reverses, they became upset and felt there was something wrong because they had to pay taxes and Reagan didnt. Very few people in the state said, If the governor makes $44,000 a year as salary and has assets of around $1 million and still cant pay his state income taxes, then he must be hurting very badly, and needs pity rather than censure. My first thought was that the governor should seek legal aid from the local AlOffice of Economic Opportunity. though Reagan is trying to abolish legal aid for the poor in California, Im sure the poverty lawyers would take his case anyway, just to prove that they will take anybody in dire financial straits, regardless of race, creed or elective office. To make sure, 1 telephoned a CRLA (California Rural Legal Assistance) lawyer in Claifomia and asked him if he would take Reagan as a client. Yes. he said, he would qualify for free legal aid. Our charter specifically says that any governor of a state whose finances are in such poor shape that he f We think its a shame that an establishment like the Salt Palace couldnt have a better way of handling ticket sales to large crowds. The situation that existed there when tickets were sold for the y final game was sickening. We got to the Salt Palace about 35 minutes after tha Saturday game ended. We were met by mess confusion. If someone would have had the simple foresight to put up some ropes, most of the problem could have been solved. We found the end of a r, line to the $6.00 window. After more than a the line (about six or seven people wide) moved scarcely ten feet. We were about 60 feet from the ticket booth. Trying to find out what the problem was, we discovered that our line merged with another line (also several people wide) about 30 feet ahead. This combined line moved even slower. We waited an hour and a quarter. Six and five dollar ticket,! sold out, and the line moved only another ten feet. We had to leave without tickets. Not only were lines disotganized, but there were no ushers to help out. A policeman there did little more than speak encouraging words. It was unfair booth as well. Some people went to the will-caand made up stories to get tickets. Scalpers bought 50 tickets and more robbing others of their chance to see the game at a fair price. A friend of ours was there at 2:15 p.m. and was next in line when the tickets sold out at 4:30 p.m. We believe that this was a really bad situation. We appeal to the Salt Palace organization to see that the necessary steps are taken to avoid any farces like this in the future. half-hou- ART BUCHWALD doesnt have to pay personal state Income taxes is in no position to pay a lawyer, and is therefore eligible for free legal advice. It would be our pleasure to help Gov. Reagan in any way we could. How would you go about it? From a legal standpoint it would probably be the most interesting case weve ever handled. Most of our cases have had to do with people who didnt pay any state income taxes because thy didnt make any money. This would be the first time we represented someone who made money but didnt pay income taxes. But what legal defense would you have for him? I asked. First, we would have to find out what financial reverses Mr. Reagan had, whether they came from cattle, oil, real estate or the stock market. Then we would prove that it wasnt his fault that his investments went sour. It was probably due to the general economy. But the Republicans are in charge of the economy right now. Wouldnt it look bad if Reagan blamed his own party for the fact he had such a bad income situa- The fate of the ambitious U.S. proposal is in doubt as this is written. Secretary Rogers will make the suggestion at theJune meeting only if all of the OECD members have confidentially given their approval before the session starts. In addition to the U.S. and Japan, the 22 OECD members include Canada, Greece, Turkey, Yugoslavia and the major western European countries. Australia will join when the anniversary session convenes on June 8. ramento, so the governor wouldnt have to be on location too long. But the important u.ing is to get him healthy financially so he doesnt have to eat from the public trough. This thing has far more ramifications than anyone wants to admit, he said. Were trying to pull the poor up by their bootstraps so they become hong citizens. But if they est, see somebody like Gov. Reagan, who has worked all his life and still has nothing left over for income taxes, theyre going to say to themselves, Forget it. Lets hard-workin- stay on welfare. GUEST CARTOON Business Must Help It is contended that businesses in the U.S. have done little more for society than make profit and provide employment. While doing this, some conand tend they have polluted the environment ignored the needs of the minorities for better jobs. American business is now being asked to lead the way in social improvement with programs that are so costly and so risky that they would not have been considered a decade ago. Pressure to undertake such programs is coming from within the corporations and from outside, particularly from the government. At the same time, the shareholders in American business continue to want the best possible return on investment, and many of them are yet to be convinced that they should forego earnings to pay for social action programs. The problems confronting our countr today are problems that cannot possibly be solved by government alone. They are problems that will destroy us if they are not solved. Some of these problems are air pollution, water pollution, inadequate housing, unemployment, transportation and inflation. Any one of these can conceivably bring America to her knees, and none of these is capable of solution unless government gets active help from the private sector. In fact, in some of these problem areas, the private sector needs to take leadership away from the government bpfore existing problems become worse. Business has the responsibility in this generation to prove itself worthy of continued prosperity under the free American system. Business must use its economic power to clean up the messes it makes. If they pollute the water and air, it is their job, not governments, to stop watpr and air pollution. JAMES R. FRASER Murray No Substitute I haw a question to direct to Jack Anderson, the Washington correspondent. He recently reported the National Guard in Alaska had used tne Birch film, No Substitute for Victory, as a training film. As a result a young serviceman and a senator (McGovern, were upset, especially with John Wayne's remark that our boys are dying in Vietnam because pinko senators in Washington are promulgating a policy. Sounds to me like Senator McGovern took J.W.s remarks personally. Does Mr. Anderson or even Sen. McGovern believe that we (U.S.) have had anything but a policy in Vietnam? Is it moral or immoral for our government to force men to fight in a war that is being conducted with no total commitment to win? Personally 1 have to agree with John Wayne and many others who believe there is no substitute for victory when at war. dovish .) no-w- in tion? I guess youre right. Well have to think of something else. Perhaps we could persuade the courts to allow the governor to make one motion picture a no-wi- n year. Or a new Death Valley Days series, I suggested. I was thinking of a remake of the the lawyer said. Grapes of Wrath, They could shoot most of it around Sac-- BLAINE FERGUSON 3994 Crestview Dr. cies. Let's Save Governor Reagan try, Ticket Mess A Shame ll ed low-co- STANLEY G. ANDERSON 3834 Claudia St, n By JOSEPH R. SLEVIN PARIS The United States quietly is to a major move toward spark trying freer world trade. U.S. officials are pushing the new proOrganization ot posal within the and DevelopEconomic ment They hope the plan will be endorsed by the other OECD countries and that Secretary of State William Rogers will be aide to launch it publicly at the 10th anniversary meeting of the OECD in ntws conference that a state or city placing federal noney into its general treasury (as most would do) would be subject to audit of all state or local programs. Although this is designed to guard against embezzlement, misuse, or discrimination, it would still result in greater federal control over state and local governments. Revenue would be lost in the process of collecting by the federal government and then returning funds to state or local governments. It has been to Washestimated conservatively that a round-triington for a typical dollar costs at least 35 cents as the bureaucrats skim off the cream. Federal revenue sharing would eTminate the important correlation between the level of government which collects taxes and that level of government which spends tax money. Local government programs financed by federal funds are essentially out of the hands of the people. Control and responsibility are gone. The best control of government expense is at the local level. The local control of school taxes is an example. Through local control people can see where money is coming from and where it is going. Although Utah is considered to be one of the states which would benefit from revenue sharing, we need to oppose this means of financing because it is basically unsound government. p U.S. Trying For Freer World Trade , Hasten Water Projects ROSCOE DRUMMOND By ROSCOE DRUMMOND nt d with no strings tached. Several aspects of this proposal should be examined: In spite of the no strings attached promise, s greater federal control of state and local govern-mentwould result. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury M. L. Weidenbaum advised in a recent 4 ; 111,111111,11111111111111111111111,111,111,1 Where have ail the flowers gone? . Copity Newtppri , JOHN H. WILSON Sim!, Calif. |