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Show llllllltllllttnillllllllllllfllllllllllllllllltllllllllltlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll "Lasr Phase " LETTERS TO THE EDITOR DESERET NEWS SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH iiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimii Parking Fines We Stand For The Consti'ution Of The United States As Having Been Divinely Inspired 14 A EDITORIAL PAGE WEDNESDAY, an article Recently, the Deseret News printed to the meter poking fun at the excuses people give they maids. If these people were would not only refrain from giving excuses to these paid amazons but would ignore both the parking meters and the tickets. DECEMBER 20, 1972 There seems to be legitima'e reason for being for their irdignant and " rgry with the city residents in the from its extort to money attempts form of parking fees and fines. In 1964. the Ltah of Nasfell v . Supreme Court decided the case Which Sites Are Best For Power Plants? had no Ogden City and said, "The city of Ogden ordinance an to or pass power implied express m violation declaring presence of vehicle, parked of any ordinance, or on public street in city, prima facie evidence that registered owner thereof committed or authorized such violation." not to allow the construction of coae in the Southwest Interior Secretary Rogers burning power plants Morton faces an unenviable task of surpassing complexity. In deciding whether or That task was not made easier by the release this week from a special task force of a study that was more than a year in the making. The studys finding that it would cost no more to ship coal to power plants near the cities they serve than it would to transmit electricity from near the mines runs contrary to a substantial body of experience. The recommendation that power plants be built near cities instead of in ; emote areas rests on the shaky assumption that future plants wont add to pollution in regions that alieady are most heavily polluted. As the report itself acknowledges, there seems to be no practical alternative to the construction of power plants if the power needs of the next two decades are to be met. In a situation where everyone wants energy but no one wants its pollution, there are no ideal solutions, only imperfect compromises. coal-burnin- g One of those compromises involves the fact that little is gained by developing one industry if it means impeding others. The Wasatch Front, for example, is already industrialized and fairly congested, so industry ought to be dispersed to other areas. But tour- ism and recreation are important to the economy, too. Yet these activities can be impaired if the air and water of the Southwest become polluted. Another compromise involves the fact that while putting the plants elsewhere would mean cleaner air in the Southwest, the trains and trucks transporting the coal would mean air and land pollution in the mining area and all the way to the plant. Still another compromise involves balancing the impact of air pollution in an open but scenic area against pollution in an area like Salt Lake Valley where temperature inversions trap pollutants in a natural bowl. The Interior Department study hints at one possible compromise when it notes that the power plants, as now planned, are too close together. What about greater dispersal for the plants, then, but keeping them in the Southwest? What, too, about the possibility g of more atomic power plants in place of facilities with all their soot and fumes? coal-burnin- The day may come when pow er can be produced without also producing pollution. But until technology advances that far, theres no substitute for common sense and sensible compromise. Salt Lake City seems very reluctant to prosecute those who plead not guilty. The practice is to set a trial date and upon appearance the case is dismissed without trial. Anatomy Of A Learning Failure great foundation issues a report that boasts of some successful program, it barely qualifies as news. Such a report is dog bites man. But when a foundation issues a report that candidly examines a failure, it is something else. This is man bites dog. When a remarkable of ample A JAMES J. KILPATRICK ex- came Mr. Kilpatrick along a few weeks ago from the Ford Foundation. The report, titled A Foundation Go s to School, will cause anguish among the educators involved in the projects under review, but this unflinching appraisal speaks well for the Ford Foundation itself. It all started about 1960, when the Foundation embarked upon its Comprehensive School Improvement Program. The idea was to demonstrate that certain traditional aspects of our school systems could profitably be changed. For example, it was proposed to get classroom, away from the taught by a single teacher, and to move instead toward flexibly Another grouped learning situations. objective was to abandon the old uniform time schedules in favor of "variable time allotments determined by Still z third purpose learning tasks. was to shift from conventional textbooks "to a variety of curriculum materials including the latest technology. team-taugh- tended to get defensive. They sought to protect their own turf. t, Several projects were funded in anticipation of help from nearby universities. These were a dead loss: Seldom did the power of the university as an institution function as a force for improvement of educational quality in elementary and secondary schools. Professors of education tended to be theorists; they were not much on political realities and the daily of a classroom Filled with hope and good intentions, the Foundation authorized grants totaling $30 6 million for 25 projects in 22 States and in Puerto Rico. Ten years elapsed. An uneasy feeling began o develop that the demonstrable accomplishments were few. The Foundation thereupon commissioned a Colorado educator, Paul Nachtigal, to make an independent evaluation. He put together a team of fellow patholog'sts. This is their report. It is not easy reading. Educators do not speak English; they speak Scholar-isan alien tongue that loses in translation. That difficulty to one side, the Nachtigal report offers an absorbing study of the anatomy of failure. Not all the programs flopped. A few of the projects succeeded in changing professional practice, and a couple of the "lighthouse programs cast a lively beam. But the professional changes were limited, and the lighthouse appealed to serve as beacons only for school systems, far removed, that were1 going in other directions. What went wrong? Most of the failures were rooted in human problems. One such problem was leadership: Whenever a project lost its original director, enthusiasm ebbed and the projAnother ect went to the problem was jealousy: Teachers, principals, school boards and superintendents who were not participating in a project nitty-gritt- y What of the glorious new gadgets the overhead projectors, tape recorders, s audio tapes, filmstrips, and retrieval systems? Some of them were effective, but in time the novelty wore off: "Equipment of ail kinds is gathering dust. h, What about free time and schedules? These innovations ran into serious difficulties; discipline got out of hand, and parents rebelled the perceived erosion of acaagainst seldemic standards." dom accomplished much. Neither could the pathologists find encouragement in the replacement of conventional textbooks with "programmed instruction.tended to These sophisticated, devices be extraordinarily expensive, and interest in them swiftly waned. m Team-teachin- g - I There is much more. After ten years and $30 million, the Ford Foundation is sadder ana wiser. Its key educators learned relatively little about what would work in improving our schools. But they learned a good deal about what would not. Farewell To The Moon Even with the splashdown Tuesday of the last Apollo flight, its still hard to realize that man wont set foot on the moon again for decades maybe never. Although the willingness to pay the bill has run out, its hard to believe that the human curiosity which sent man into space will ever dry up. Man will no longer be man if he loses the desire to learn whats over the next horizon. Depolluting Oregon: A Tough Job Nor has mankind lost the need for the sense of perspective that came when an American first stood on the moon and contrasted its hostile desolation with the green abundance of earth. Surely its more than coincidence that the effort to presene the environment gained momentum just after the public gained that perspective. important perspective was gained when, from afar, the earth couid be seen for what it really is essentially, a small in if they are to must work whose inhabitants peace together place An equally realize their full potential for progress. If the space program itself were seen in perspective, it would help put to rest the canard that progress in space has been made at the expense of overcoming social problems here on earth. In 1960 when the moon program started, the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations budget was around $2 billion. Since then the cumulative cost has amounted to $48 billion. During the same period, spending for public welfare programs has gone from $52 billion a year to $193 billion. In other words, 13 years of space exploration cost less than one year of social welfare did back in I960. Whatever the future may hold for space exploration, the Apollo program will stand as an enduring testimony to the value of setting ambitious goals and working toward them as a team. Winter? Bah, Humbug! that winter is never officially proclaimed until long season has been hammered home by some unofficial after the snowstorms in Utah? Why is it The winter solstice, or shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, officially ushers m the dully season Thursday at precisely 11:13 a.m. MST. Big deal Two facts make the first day of winter bearable: Christmas is just around the corner, and now the hours of daylight at last will must me itably start increasing again. Spring remember it follow on some distant day. Dickens labeled it correctly when he wrote of "the spring of hope, the winter of despair. Mind you, winter is not without its builds character, which is preciseuses. Winter like adversity fall on the ice or when the gasoline a one what needs after ly freezes and the car wont start. Winter? This, too, shall pass away Afterthoughts. . . or een the tenth of it when he observed in 1931 that "Politics has got so expensin' that it takes lots of money to even get beat with A successful" coach is one who has sense enough to leave the he is about to be fired. before year Will Rogers didn't know the half of it sorry for those who enjoy only bland and balmy fad to appreciate the bracing challenge of many and weather, One feels r( hyrt u'PMthpr For an elected official to risk the ire important industry, to risk offending to risk economic hardship svas it w orth it? tourists, voters Oregon's Gov. Tom McCall keep out" sign on his state's borders, outsiders were offended, insiders feared hed frighten away lucrative tourist traffic. But McCall persisted. "Come visit." he said, "but don't stay. Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality ordered Boise Cascade's pulp and paper mill to stop polluting the Willamette Riser or be shut down. It shut When hung a for The Willamette River, five years ago the most polluted waterway in the Pacific Northsvest, is 90 pure, is again a beautiful watersvav where swimmers ssvim and salmon spasvn. Former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall says every beleaguered riser system in the nation should follow this example in triumph over tragedy. The fertile Willamette River Valley comprises only 3o of the states land of its people. but is home for 70 Astraddle that river are the population concentrations of Portland, Salem. Corvallis, Eugene and 17 other municipalities. 1 doss n Hundreds of idle workers and marched on the state capitol, called Gos. McCall "Hitler!" He took it. Stood firm. Said. "The null will clean up or stay dosed.'' s The plant, which had been leaking 1)0.000 gallons of sulphite waste into the riser plus much pollution into the air. remedied the situation within 12 days. And 3734 S. S10 industrial facilities, paper nulls, lumber mills, metallurgical plants, canneries. Rains flushed animal wastes from feed lots into the river Koad- BOO In response to W. Emmett's letter of Dec. 12. decrying the lack of standards at Granger High School, we wish to take issue. We take exception to the inference that these students, faculty, and administration of this school sanction inappropriate behavior and dress. Granger High School is a quality school, with students and a conoutstanding, cerned faculty. Granger, like any high school, has some problems. Our attitude is not to condone or allow unacceptable standards, but to constantly work toward developing attitudes and programs that will provide the education and training needed to develop responsible, capable citizens. For the information of the uninformed, the swim attire worn by the boys is AAU sanctioned for swim meets and is of the same quality and design as worn by our Olympic swimmers. The girls selected as timers are volunteers who give of their time to support competition. They are of the highest caliber and deserving of much praise for the hours of service they provide in timing meets and supporting school athletic activates. To be sure, they wear swim suits to the meets. The job requires their presence next to the swimming pool, a situation resulting in many drenehings from kick turns and swimming activity. The school, in response to the need for a more uniform mode of dress of timers and scorers, had already ordered shirts for the girls. They have since been distributed and are presently being worn. C. M. TODD Principal, Granger High School d inter-scho- buildmg machines gouged gravel from its banks and bottom. Years before it was politically fashionable, before any federal money was available for the purpose, on Portland newscaster promised to reverse this pollution of paradise if the state would elect him governor. Tom McCall was thus elected. Depolluting Oregon was a tough job; McCall got tough. By 1967 the state legenviislature had enacted ronmental laws. wide-rangin- g Now, after five years, most resistance has been overcome and much damage has been undone. It was expensive. Municipalities had to spend $150 million, industries had to invest $50 million. Eventually taxpayers The reason my children haw never made it big in school plays is that they net or get the breaks haw the kids who are cast as partiroles I a bad tooth or a Imwhng wind ( s I told a speech teacher. "You'd pick your nose for three acts too if the only dramatic challenge you had was going whono every time a door opened ") The other day. Brueie came home with some pretty exciting news. He had been cast as the Twinkling Star in the Nativity P;ay. I said, Thats fantastic. you are the visually important symbol on the stage all the time, hanging from the ceiling with the spot turnid on you What about a costume" "Miss Kravitz said that was up to you " took several weeks to pull the costogether. First, there were 475 yards of alumirum foil to form and shape into small layers of rosettes giving it a sunburst eflect. Then, there wore It tume ERMA BOMBECK trousers to stitch out of silver lame that sparkled when the light hit them. The s shoes had to be painted and bits of and sequins pasted on one at a time that took hours. Finally, I concocted a special mask equipped with strings that made the star smile and wink, depending on how dull the principals performed and how much the show ncedid beefing ew-el- up. When PAUL E. RATTLE Manager, Utah Mining Assn. Hurting For Revenue I was interested in your editorial of Dec. 16. which brought out several salient points that I agree with: That a national sales tax is bad; 2. That a tax is bad; 3. The federal govern- ment is hurting for revenue. They are operating on record deficits; and 4. That the solution to inflation is not more taxes, but less government spending. 1. wo- - Star . . . . post, the curtain opened to enthusiastic-applauseThere before us were Mary. Joseph, the Infant Jesus, three wise men. four shepherds and a mob of 125 twinkling stars. "Which one is our son'1" whispered my husband. "He's the only star who backed onto the stage coming out of the West." I said proudly. GUEST CARTOON "I can't walk These facts are obvious to anyone who takes the time to look at our situation, yet most of the elected candidates in this years election favored revenue-sharinand in some cases local governments art quibbling about not getting their g isn't it about time we wake up to the fact that our nation is billions of dollars in debt? They ha' e no revenue to share, and revenue-sharinis a trap. All we can look for from Washington, unless we elect people who are willing to reverse the condition, is more government control and new ways to tax us to death. g I Traffic jams are at both ends and are fast developing in between on the diagonal road between Brigham Young University and the freeway on 12ih South St. in Orem. "I can't see anything." Here is a concrete example: Patrons of basketball at the Marriot Activities Center in 12 games last year shattered all college attendance records m the U.S with 261,615 persons. UCLA, last years national champion, had 211.357 attendance in 17 games, whien was 50,000 less than BYU had in 12 games. is nothing important to see. can't breathe m it." "That's show hi. " I drugged 1 The night of the pageant. could barely contain myself. As the usher escorted us to our seats behind a largo post. whispered "You don't under stand. We are the parents of the Twinkling Star." 1 1 s we strained to look around the PARSONS Richfield Traffic Jam in it." he said "You re not supposed to walk. Youre supposed to twinkle." "There d WOODROW finished. summoned Brueie to my sewing corner and together we put the costume on it in You should know that metalliferous mines are assessed at two times the average of the annual net proceeds for the three years next preceding. In addition, such mineral operations are tax of one perrequired to pay an occupation cent of their gross proceeds each year, in addition to all other taxes customarily paid by business enterprises. Because of this tax structure, the metalliferous mines are probably the most heavily taxed enterprises in the state. It is this tax burden that is causing the closure of a major mine in Wasatch County at this time. will pay it all. But they received in return a river for recreation, a sustained source fo. salmon, fringe benefits from recycled waste and on their 96.000 square miles of America the Beautiful the lease has been renewed. on Dec. 12, regarding an expected property tax valuations (page 20C) within the Central Utah Conservancy District, you stated that metalliferous mines are assessed on a net proceeds basis at one half the average net proceeds for the three preceding years. This is in error. increase value-adde- Twinkle , Twinkle , Little East Answer From Principal In a news item . of Those who pay parking fees are paying rent fur the use of property that they have purchased with tax dollars and those who pay fines are supporting an illegal ordinance. GREGGREGSON Heavy Mine Taxes By PAUL HARVEY Oregon, a most beautiful state, had and was losmuch to lose to pollution it. Oregon got tough. ing The first five years of the cleanup roused much resistance, triggered some riots. Lets see if it was worth it. Considering the Supreme Court's decision, it appears that no city in this state can legally fine any person who parks illegally unless the arresting officer observes the driver and gives him or her a citation for the violation. 111 reduce this by giving T to you, and the others will get the . . . The Utah State Road Commission, Utah County, Bv'U, Provo and Orem should cooperate to eliminate their traffic jams on the diagonal. GERALD HENRIK Prov o |