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Show w PAGE THE MAGNA TIMES, THURSDAY, 2 MARCH 9, 1989 Editorialopinion Straight Talk by Albert D. Hattis Associate Professor Southwest State University Calling something painted black white doesnt make it so! Sometimes there the facts, not the phony claims and hot air. Many years ago we had an airline industry that was failing because customers could not afford its prices. Thats a fact! During the years of high airline ticket prices the airline safety record was much worse than it is today. The airlines, in those good old days, merely increased wages when asked. and did not exert control on costs, so that some plane housekeepers were earning almost $50,000 a year when the dollar had lots of purchasing power. Airline wages were way out of line with some $150,000 pilots and over $40,000 is a need to look at stewardesses. Our airlines were flabby and getting pot bellies so that their long time survival was in doubt. It is these facts that seem to have been forgotten by many of us when we listen to the complaints about Continental and Eastern Airlines. These Texas Air properties were acquired because they had gone broke under the old managements and the old ideas that you could pass on unlimited costs to your sucker customers. That's a fact! If the union leaders, the airline employees, and the airline managements will face up to these facts and work out compromises in wages, benefits, and operating expenses, some airlines will survive. If these groups cannot join together as a team, working and compromising, they will jointly watch airlines and jobs disappear. It is this unwillingness to cooperate that is at the root of our industry problems and a return to the good old days isnt possible because the flying public cannot afford the good old days! When I hear charges that our airlines are unsafe, I look at the accident rate per passenger mile and find that it has never been lower! When I hear some say we should hire back fired air controllers who failed to perform as they had agreed to do, I cannot agree because that would be rewarding liars who did not fulfill their written commitments. I have spoken with air traffic controllers vho have pointed out that with a few exceptions, location-wisthe job is a snap and all is going very well. Just remember, in the four years preceding the firing of the air traffic controllers, we had twice the average fatalities that we have experienced over the six years that followed the firing. In actual deaths e, ERTEAGE and extract a treaty guaranteeing the future safety of all Americans traveling in the Persian Gulf area. Sound like a modem suspense novel? In fact, the story is 200 years old, and is absolutely true. It is the story n of Americas military action, the Barbary Wars. It all began in the late 1700s. For centuries, the chieftains of Morocco, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli (the capital of present-da- y Libya) had financed their desert empires by engaging in a gigantic protections racket. They required large, regular payments of tribute from the nations of Europe so that European merchantmen might pass by the Barbary Coast unmolested. The ships of any nation falling behind on its protection money were dealt with by pirates, who took hosfor ransom. tages England and the nations of Europe considered these extortion payments just a part of doing business. So did the United States, at first. In 1795, the U.S. paid a ransom of $60,000 to free 21 American sailors whose ship had been captured 10 years previously. At the same time, the U.S. agreed to pay an annual tribute of $21,600 in naval goods and biennial presents of $17,000. e The pirate of Tripoli finally went too far in 1801, however, when the pasha demanded an additional payment of $225,000. The U.S. refused, the pasha declared war and America responded by sending a squadron of ships to the Mediterranean. The war dragged on two years without any resolution, until a joint land and sea operation turned the scales. A squadron under Commodore Edward Preble blockaded Tripoli from the autumn of 1803 to the summer of 1805. At about that time, Capt. William Eaton marched a motley army of adventurers 500 miles across the desert to Egypt. With Eaton nearing Tripoli and Preble threatening a bombardment of Tripoli, the pasha threw in the towel and agreed never to interfere with American shipping again. The U.S. did continue making tribute payments to the other Barbary Coast but when American ships were subjected to piratical assaults anyway, Commodore Stephen Decatur was dispatched to settle the issue once and for all. Decatur entered the harbor of Algiers on June 28, 1815. On June 30 he forced the dey of Algiers, on pain of destruction of his capital and capture of the rest of his fleet, to sign a treaty abandoning all tribute, surrendering all U.S. captives and paying an indemnity. As long as he was at it, Decatur sailed to Tunis and Tripoli and exacted similar treaties from the heads of these other pirate-stateThere was never another attack by Barbary pirates on United States ships. Ill ed city-stat- pirate-chieftain- s, s. One of a series of columns on the history and heritage of America. 1 USPS 3255-800- 0 9145 WEST 2700 SOUTH UTAH MAGNA, J. 84044 HOWARD STAHLE Editor Publisher-Managin- g BONNIE STAHLE Advertising-Offic- Manager e KIM FOLSOM Assistant Editor-Writ- KENT GOBLE Writer Features-Sport- s DEANA JONES Typesetter-Offic- e Help PUBLISHED THURSDAYS Poetmaatar aand change of addreaa 141 West 2700 South, Magna, Utah 04044 VV Magna Times readers Letters to the Editor should be typewritten and double-space- d whenever possible. Letters will be edited for clarity, good taste, and length. The Magna Times will not publish unsigned letters, but the authors may request anonymity. The author should include any pertinent telephone numbers and addresses; such information will be kept strictly confidential and is only for the editors use. Address such correspondence to: The Magna Times, 9145 West 2700 South, Magna, Utah, 84044. The publication can be reached at Office hours are 8:30 - 5 250-565- It's difficult to define exactly what consumer legislation is, but there are a few issues before the Utah Legislature that deserve your attention. . HB 163: The Truth in Advertising Act is getting a lot of news coverage and is sometimes called the Smiths Bill because of its connection to Smiths Food King advertised price comparisons. Published price comparisons are nothing new, especially in the supermarket business. Every supermarket chain would like to say that it has the lowest prices. This bill tries to get into the sticky business of trying to define the difference between everyday prices and discount prices listed in price comparisons. The bill arose from complaints in the business community that price comparisons were sometimes rigged to favor one store over another. Again, this is nothing new. TLettleiPs TT(d DM5ton Dear Kim, The members of the Magna Area Council extend their congratulations to you for being awarded the Utah Press Association Award in photography. We feel this is a great honor for you and one well deserved. The job you do in covering the news in Magna is excellent. The quality of the newspaper you publish weekly reflects that. The Council would like to express our appreciation for your support by attending our meetings and covering the events of the Council. All of Magna benefits because of the Magna Times. Again, congratulations on your award. Sincerely, Magna Area Council PM Editorial Services They are at the table when the nations most powerful men and women sit down to talk. The president wants them there. And like the politicians in George Bushs Cabinet, they have come a long way. A very long way. -They are pork rinds. When President Bush mentioned on the campaign trail last year' that pork rinds are his favorite snack food, a lot of people were left wondering just what the heck a pork rind is, anyhow. Technically speaking, a pork rind is a piece of pigskin cooked in hog fat until it looks like a pellet, stored for 30 days and then fried oil until it exagain in plodes into a crunchy puff. Sound appetizing? With the recent wave of publicity surrounding them, more and more people are discovering just how delicious they are. John Rudolph of Rudolph Foods in Lima, Ohio, the worlds largest manufacturer of pork rinds, says that they cant make enough of them. Were awful busy, Rudolph says. We finished the year 25 percent ahead of last year and have been working seven days a week, around the clock. The company ships pork rinds around the world. Theyre practically the national dish in Mexico, claims Rudolph. The center of pork rind popularity in the United States has always been the rural South, where many people grew up on homemade pork rinds. My grandfather raised pigs, so I guess I had some made pretty fresh 400-degr- off the hog, remembers Judy Fannin, Somean Ashland, Ky., native. times youre more in the, mood for Inthem than others, she adds. stead of hot air popcorn, you grab a pork rind. Macon Fry, who writes a column on food and music for a New Orleans magazine, says that homemade pork rinds are still available in local markets in Louisiana. They call them cracklins, Fry says. Every little grocery between Baton Rouge and Lake Charles sells little bags of them that they make themselves at their meat counters. While the rinds arent exactly stealing the snack food market away from potato and com chips, farmers who supply the pigs for pork rinds couldnt be happier. Were delighted that it spotlights pork every time they are mentioned, says Charles Harness, director of communications for the National Pork Producers Council, based in Des Moines, Iowa. Bill Conner, of Evans Food Products Co. of Chicago, sent 3,000 pounds of pork rinds to Washington, D.C., for the Bush inauguration. Pork rinds being his favorite snack food, we thought wed make them available to all the people in Connor says Washington, D.C., happily. We sent them to all the hotels and everything. For now Barbara Bush admits to growing a bit weary of the pork rind. The First Lady and her husband have been swamped with gifts of the fried hide ever since her husbands victory last November. Ill the anHB 135: This is one of my favorites because it involves regulating haveven are now, The things solicitation. way noying practice of telephone solicitors dial because many just unlisted you number doesnt an protect ing random numbers. This bill would require solicitors to stop and identify Perthemselves after 30 seconds and give you the option to go on or hang up. sonally, I usuallly dont even wait 30 seconds. The bill also has provisions to form a directory of those who do not wish to be called, similar to the directories used to get yourself off some junk mail lists. SB 14: This toughens fair housing laws by outlining discriminatory practices especially prevalent in rentals. It stipulates housing cannot be denied on the basis of race, color, religion, marital, or family status. There are, unforthe bill s power. tunately, stipulated exceptions to the rule which weaken HB 38: This toughens the regulations on solicitations for charitable contributions. It would require solicitors to carry a card of registration with the state. The card must also be prominently displayed on tables where solicitation is taking place. HB 83: This requires detailed itemized statement for all hospital bills. on defective Lemon Law HB 18: This slightly changes the Utah automobiles. Currently all suits are handles by the state Attorney Generals office. This bill would allow consumers to file private suits against the auto manufacturer. Editorial Clean up your act Magna It is easy to complain about your neighbor or use him as an excuse for not cleaning up your own yard. People say, Why should I bother if Joe wont? The only problem is, we are all Joe. If we dont make the first move neither will our neighbor. The redevelopment is fixing up some of the worst spots on Main Street but to give Magna a complete face lift everyone needs to get involved. Support the clean up Saturday April 8th and start in your own yard. Why Do Parents Like Some Teachers More Than Others? All across America, if you ask, people will tell you who they think the good teachers in their schools are. Usually, they base their observations on their own experiences and those of their children. Often, it turns out that people name the same teachers.' What do teachers do to get this response? Probably the most important thing they do, of course, is help children so well that they develop a reputation for good teaching. Good teaching involves a host of things knowing subject matter well; being able to explain it to students; setting high goals for students and helping them reach those goals; being and fair; asking good questions; and treating all students with respect. Another thing good teachers do is build bridges with parents. Parents like to hear from their childrens teachers; they are wilf ing to do more to help their children learn than many teachers realize. At least this is what researcher Joyce Epstein has discovered. Epstein, who works at Johns Hopkjns University, studied the parents and teachers of almost 1300 students and found that parents liked teachers who gave them suggestions for working with children on learning tasks; good teachers gave such suggestions to all parents, not just to parents of successful students; and parents were willing to spend more time than they were typi cally asked on such activities. Epstein discovered that, although newsletters are important for communication between home and school, they dont really improve parents views of teachers. Epstein found that parents most appreciated teachers whb provided, activities for parents and children to do together at home. What were these home learning activities? Reading aloud; signing homework; giving spelling or math drills; helping with homework; and asking about the school day. Good teachers apparently make such routines a regular part of their contacts with parents. By the way, Epstein also found that parents liked their childrens schools. But the parents believed that they could work more closely together with teachers. A copy of Effects on Parents of Teacher Practices of Parent Involvement is available from the ERIC Document Reproduction Service in Bethesda, MD at a modest price (Order Number ED 237 500). You can also find out more about rural education by calling the ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools (800624-9120- ). ERIC is like a national library about education, with 16 clearinghouses specializing in different topics. The computer-based ERIC system is operated by the U.S. Department of Education. , (800-227-ERI- . 1989, PM Editorial Services IT NEVER FAILS Employees Should Check Tax Withholding 988, PM Editorial Services MAGNA TIMES by Dennis Hinkamp Consumer Information Writer Utah State University By Tom Clifford A Middle Eastern country holds hundreds Americans captive and demands a ransom for their release. At first, Congress goes along with the demands, but finally an exasperated U.S. president decides enough is enough. He sends in the Marines, who free the American hostages cai Jght on a nd are "8 to to do so little. The airline executives have finally to continue to afford tickets customers their that us, in manner a permits operate for their cushy deals that benefi Sure, the lazy will continue to plug away If we fall for arguments that customers. the the them instead of flying public, watch airline ticket prices can we the job, let them continue to retire early on airlines of lots go bankrupt with fewer and loads fall, skyrocket, customer sense. White is still make t doesn It jobs and poorer service at higher prices. call these colors. we what of may is still black, regardless white and black Thats Straight Talk! Consumer Legislation: working for you Pork Rinds: Snack Food of Presidents Barbary Wars of least-know- and as related to increased air traffic, the airlines are safer than ever! We are very smart people. When someone tells us something, we should listen and verify (1) the facts and (2) the logic. Sometimes the reported facts are phony. In the 1987 NWA Detroit accident, the facts on the crash cause changed nightly and are still not positive. When it comes to logic, the claims that the airline was trying to do unsafe things were hokum, they were merely trying to get their employees to perform. Many of us who travel a lot have always wondered why so many airline employees seem able to exercise and drink coffee during their work assignments and why it takes so many employees 6. p.m. Monday through Kriday. To help employees check their withholding, IRS has. developed the free Publication 919,-Is 'My Withholding Correct for 1989? It has worksheets that will help employees estimate both their 1989 tax and their total 1989 withholding and compare the two amounts. The publication is available by using the order blank in the tax return package or by calling Federal tax withholding should be checked, according to the IRS, right after each employee receives the first pay statement that covers a full pay period in 1989 because it shows how much tax their employer is withholding based on the 1989 tax rates. Employees who find too little tax withheld should file another Form W-- 4 with their employer to help them avoid owing a significant amount of tax at the end of 1989, plus a penalty. Generally, the law requires withholding andor estimated' tax payments to equal 90 percent of what is owed for 1989. |