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Show ( 4 1 he Magna TimesAVest Valley News, ( Editorial May 22, 2003 Letters to the Editor MAGNA TIMES Second class postage paid at USPS 325-58- 0 Magna, Utah 84044 8980 West 2700 South Magna, Utah 84044 J. HOWARD STAHLE Publisher BONNIE STAHLE Advertising Manager KOLBY REBER Production Manager Graphic Layout Designer S. DEAN LEDBETTER Staff Writer DEBBI OLSON Editor DARCIE PACKARD Graphic Layout Designer PERI KINDER Staff Writer GREG SCHULZ DALE SIMONS Sports Columnist Correspondent Copyright, Magna Times West Valley News 9. All rights reserved. Reproduction, reuse, or transmittal ol all matter herein is prohibited without prior written permission by the publisher or editor. The Magna Times and West Valley News are published each Thursday Subscription $25 per year $30 per year out of state Postmaster: Send change of address to: Magna Times 8980 W. 2700 So. Magna, LIT 84044 (801) 250-565 or FAX (801) 58 250-568- magwestxmission.eom Thm Magna Tnws is a bonified newspaper Member ol the Utah Preea Association An open letter to Americas teachers To Americas Teachers, Thank you. Thank you for your dedication. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for your service. Thank you for choosing this noble profession. Thank you for being a hero to both young and old. Thank you for being a best friend. Thank you for your love. Thank you for believing in the bright hope of every child. Thank you for setting high standards. Thank you for believing every child can learn if given the chance. Thank you for inspiring the leaders of tomorrow. Thank you for offering comfort in times of sorrow. Thank you for being a mentor for a lifetime. Thank you for your professionalism. Thank you for your commitment. Thank you for staying after school and providing extra help. Thank you for doing w hatever it takes to make sure no child is left behind. As you go about your work this and every day, know that you have admiration, appreciation and respect of the President of the United States and all of the American People ' ' Ron Paige Secretary U.S. Department of Education r;e Letter carriers exceed food drive goal Editor, of "Stamping Out Hunter." The Thank you for your help with the 2003 National Letter Carriers Food Drive. By announcing the food drive, you helped increase community awareness of the drive. Your interest generated an additional participation for this needed community service. Because of friends like you, the Letter Carriers reached their goal 2003 Letter Carriers Food Drive brought in approximately 800.000 pounds of food statewide. Food pantries across Utah are celebrating the success of the drive. In addition to the donated food, food pantries that are eligible will receive a sales tax rebate. The potential for the sales tax rebate is approximately $83,000 statewide. Thanks to your help, the Utah food pantries will have full shelves this summer when traditionally shelves are bare. This ear's exceptional results w ere truly a team effort. Michael Lester Community Services Tom McPartland President, Branch HI NALC Director AEL-CI- Contest honored immigrant heritage Editor, On behalf of the WVC Arts Council, I would like to express our thanks for letting us be a joint partner for the National Poetry Month Celebration, Poetry Contest Reading: Exploring Heritage. April 29 was such a great and significant night for the many who participated in the contest It is indeed a very bonding night too, as we heard poems read - that truly w'e are all immigrants in this country. Some came earlier and some came later and there are still many hoping to join us in this land of bounty. And now, is the time to reflect on thanksgiving for who we are, w here we came from and w hat we have become because of them. Many faces really lighted up when our own Mayor Dennis Nordfelt and City Council member Barbara Thomas graced the even and spoke words of delight and support. It is our Arts Council wish to continue this start of a good partnership in the arts. Aida Mattingley Chairwoman, WVC Arts Council Buckle up during summer travel crashes even with the best of drivers. "Im just going down the street. Nearly 80 percent of all fatal traffic crashes occur 25 miles of the victims residence at speeds of under 40 mph. So, the best time to wear a safety belt is when you are traveling a short distance. "My car has airbags, so dont need to wear my seat belt." Airbags are not meant to take the place of safety belts; instead, the independent systems compliment one another to enhance safety. An air bag increases the effectiveness of a safety belt by up to 40 per- Editor, As summer approaches again this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration knows that many Americans will take to the highways and this is an important time to remind everyone of the importance of buckling up. Safety belts save lives and there are no good excuses for not wearing a safety belt. Yet many people choose not to wear their seatbelts. Here are a few of the common Excuses: Im a good driver." Even if you have perfect driving record it does not exempt you from wearing cent your safety belt Good drivers are "Seat belts are uncomfortfrequently victimized by aggressive and dangerous drivers. Part of drivable. Wearing a safety belt behind ing defensively include maximizing your back or under your arm poses ' greater danger to a driver or pasyour safety by wearing a safety belt, as poor drivers can cause senger should a crash occur. Safety 1 belts are designed to distribute crash forces along the strongest parts of the body - the chest and hips - and w hen safety belts are incorrectly positioned, serious injury can occur. There are many w ays to make your safety belt more comfortable. At the local dealer or auto parts store you can find clips and extenders to customize the fit of your safety belt and several models now offer adjustable shoulder belt positioning to minimize discomfort. Buckling up is the most effective and immediate w'ay to save lives and reduce injuries from crashes on our roadw ays. Please make sure everyone is always buckled up in your vehicle. Louis R. DeCarolis National Highway Safety Administration Superspeeding near superstore Editor, can certainly feel for the peoKearns and the new "Wal-Maof ple Superstore. My daughter lives on 3 100 South, just west of the new store. Before the new store there w'as no real traffic on 3 100 South past her house, and what there was, for the most part, were obeying the speed I rt limit agree with the people Kearns, enough is enough I Now it scares me to stand in her front yard. There is now a steady stream of speeding traffic going past her house and the only time know of that they obey the speed limit is when I get in front of them. Even then, some of them try to pass me when I hold my speed to 25 miles per hour. What I would like to know is, "Where are West Valley's Supercops' who are supposed to keep the streets safe? They certainly don't seem t care about west 3100 South. I of Darrel L. Norman Magna Too much spending is source of budget woes Why have so many state and local governments across the nation been staring at large budget deficits recently? Late last month, the National Conference of State Legislatures reported that state governments must still close a $21.5 billion budget gap for fiscal year 2003. The organization noted: "Entering their third straight year of budget shortfalls, state lawmakers have had to close a cumulative $200 billion budget gap. Looking ahead to fiscal year 2004, NCSL estimates that "41 states face a cumulative budget gap of $78.4 billion." Those are some pretty big numbers. Many elected officials would like to blame such budget troubles on the rough seas the U.S. economy hit in the middle of 2000, and more or less has been caught in ever since. : Surely, a stagnant economy has played a part. Recession and a substandard economic recovery have restrained revenue growth for government. Likewise, a multi-yeabysmal performance in the stock market has resulted in fewer capital gains tax revenues, especially compared to the dramatic rise in stock prices in the late 1990s. In addition, there was real economic damage done and uncertainty created by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Uncertainty persisted through the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, it is important to understand that these factors, while clear contributors, are not the main causes. As illustrated in a new report on state spending ("Big Spending in the States) the main problem has been excessive government spend- - Raymond J. Keating Guest Writer ar ing. After adjusting for inflation and population, spending at the state level increased by significant amounts in recent years. For example, from 1992 to 2000 (most recent comparative data from the U.S. Census Bureau), per capita state total expenditures in the U.S. increased by 40 percent, while inflation over the same period registered 16.4 percent (as measured by the GDP price deflator). So, per capita state spending jumped by more than twice the rate of inflation. During this same period, per capita state and local spending sky rocketed as well - leaping by 37.6 percent, again compared to inflation coming in at 16.4 percent. With some substantive spending restraint in recent years, the states would not have faced any fiscal troubles at all. If per capita spending had only increased by the inflation rate from 1992 to 2000, the states would have spent $654 less in 2000 for every man, woman and child in the nation, translating into savings of more than $183 billion in 2000 alone. Factor in local government, and the savings grow substantially larger. That is, if per capita spending increases had been limited to the rate of inflation between 1992 and 2000, state and local governments would have saved $965 per person in 2000, for savings of more than $27 1 billion in 2000 alone. Unfortunately, too many state and local politicians ignore the real source of their budget woes, choosing instead to raise taxes on individuals and businesses. Taking the spending-and-taxin- g path, though, only leads to more trouble. Higher taxes do additional damage to the economy by discouraging investing and risk taking, increasing the costs of labor and capital, and reducing the purchasing power of consumers. Meanwhile, nothing serious is being done to redress the true source of budget woes, that is, too much government spending. In the end, higher taxes merely whitewash government waste, and encourage politicians to continue wasteful spending into the future. Raymond J. Keating is chief economist for the Small Business Sunival Committee. |