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Show or em Se eee TheSaltLakeTribune OPINION THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2000 OUR VIEW The Salt Lake Tribune’s Editorial Position Repeal Death Tax message shouldbe clear to even a lame- ° duck presidentthat the time has come to allow citizens and their heirs to keep more fruits oftheir labor, enterprise and innovation. The death orestate tax is a levy the federal government imposes on those whose assets total more than $675,000 at the time oftheir death. The assessment can reach as high as 55 percent, which » means that more than half of such as“ sessed estates go to the central government, not the designated heirs of those who earned it. Becauseofreal estate inflation, most California homeowners will leave es: tates affected by the tax, just because of * the valueoftheir homes. The death tax is pernicious. It Moreover, it hurts the small businesses and farms so manyprofess interest in saving, since owners cannot pass them ontotheir heirs. The reason is that the people who inherit family-owned businessesoften are obliged to sell all or nee of them to raise the cash to paythis aeis easy for death-tax partisans and others whofeel the need to punish productivity to couch this tax as a class issue, a benefit for the handful ofrich people at the expense of the more numerous poor. This is twaddle. Punishing person Aonbehalf of person B does nothing to improvethestatus, success or wealth of person B,aside, perhaps,from satisfying a perverted sense of victimhood on the part ofB thathis or her problems are the result of A’s success and howA,therefore, must be madeto suffer for the sin of being materially successful. The Senateshould follow the House’s lead andvote to getrid of the death tax. "YOU TWOARRES? MUCH ALike ! | ctTBeB THE FREEDOMLOVING, DEMOCRAT tind tha, EARAROID COMMIETTROLL! a THE PUBLIC FORUM Young Uses His Head Steve Young inspired many young people during his extraordinary football career,but his decision to put his health touchdown catch of a pass from a running back who had taken Young’s handoff moments before. The athletic feat, which no BYU quarterback before or since ever dreamed of attempting, won the 1983 Holiday Bowl. BYU Coach LaVell Edwards called Young the best athlete on his team; 49ers General Manager Bill Walsh upped the antebycalling him the greatest athlete ever to play glory weren’t worth jeopardizing the pretty good passer, retiring with 33,124 yards, 232 touchdowns and the highest quarterback efficiency rating in NFL history. 801the kids were watching Monday when Young hung uphis cleats, and they will keep tabs on their hero as he moves on to the next bright chaptersof his life. Hehas a baby due in Decemberwith his newlywed wife, Barbara; he has his For- Sara ee ener iataeee | TT TT ETE Ath before the game mightprovide hismost importantinfluence yet. A perennial Pro Bowler, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback had the skills to play a few more years. Butafter “ suffering a concussion in a gamelast September — thesixth ofhis career — he realized that a few more moments of nextdecades ofhis life. It could not have been easy to subdue the competitive spirit that drove him to such success, but continuing to play despite the risks would have sent a dangerous message to his young fans. And after 13 years with the 49ers and an AllAmerica career at BYU, Young hada lot offans. His athletic ability set him apart from the dayhefirst set foot on the Brigham Young University practice field, and quarterback in the NFL. He was also a ever Young foundation, a non-profit organization that helps seriouslyill children; he has prominentrole reserved in while his arm smashed recordsin college andthe pros,it was his legs thattruly set him apart. His 49-yard touchdown run Utah’s Olympic Games; and he has a law degree that will expand his future busi- for the 49ers against Minnesota in 1988 is All this he weighed against the glory as he pondered his decisionto retire,all that might have been lost with a few more shots to the head. By turning his back on the game, he showed young people whatis mostimportantin life. considered one of the greatest in NFL history. Young broke a half-dozen tackles before collapsing into the end zone for the winning score. Hisfinal college play was an acrobatic nessoptions. ANOTHER VIEW From The Washington Post HomeTruths. The booming economy lines the pockets of rich and middle-class households, which is absolutely wonderful. Their wealth is nice for them, and plenty trickles down via the taxes they pay and the jobs they create for others. Butin one area of the economy, the opposite of trickle-down occurs. This perverse exceptionis the housing market. Because the supply of well-located land is more orless fixed, rising prosperity tends to driveupits price, making it harder for non-home owners with steady incomes to afford it. Anew survey of high-tech metropolitan areas ‘Ilustrates the problem. In three such areas, house prices have risen by more than 20 percent since 1995. In another seven of them, prices rose more than 18 percent. This does not harm families whose incomes have grown faster than that, and muchof the country remains unafflicted by housing inflation; homeownership hit a record rate of67.1 percentthis year. Butthe rising cost of landis a serious enough problem to have pushed cases of housing-related hardship to a record level too. Some 5.4 million families are either paying more than half their incomefor housingor are having to live in “severely inadequate” accommodation. ‘This oughtto prompt Congress to expand low-income housing subsidies. But last week the House cut more than $2 billion from the administration’s proposed housing budget. The patterns in the housing market oughtalso to promptreconsideration of subsidies to richer home owners. The mortgage-interest deductions allowed under the tax code cost the Treasury some $60 billion a year — around twice the sum spent on low-income housing subsidies. Those deductions help drive house prices up, worsening the problem of access at the bottom end; they also funnel savings into real estate, and away from business, Up to a point, this may be reasonable: A high rate of home ownership is good for society, But rather than allow interest payments on jumbo mortgages up to $1 million to be. taxdeductible, the governmentought to cap the amountat a more-modestlevel. The Congressional Budget Office estimates thata $300,000 cap would leave the subsidy to 95 percent of mortgages undisturbed, and would save $50 billion over 10 years. That cash could make a real difference to people at the bottom. eter -——— TheSalt LakeTribune UTAH’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1871 PAST PUBLISHERS Sohn F, Fitzpatrick (1924-1960) John W.Galvan (1960-1983) aO'Brien (1983-1994) PUBLISHER Dominic Welch EDITOR James E. Shelledy 2 Letters from The Tribune’s readers Scientific C Unworthy News y Theissueoffluoridation is on us again. Thankfully the voters ofTooele City voted fluoridation of the water down last No‘vember by 63.5 percent. Now it has reared its ugly headagain for those in the greater Wasatcharea andCacheValley. Aswelook at the issue, some interest- Where to Write @ Whensubmitting letters to the Public Forum,please include your full name,signature, address and daytime telephone numbers. Information other than your nameand thecity in which you live are kept confidential. @ Keep it short. Concise letters developing a single theme are more likely to be published. ing things come up. Proponents tell us ; that ‘there are noscientific studies to show that fluoridation is harmful. My question is, where are the studies to show it is @ Please type and doublespace. beneficial to humans other than the pos- © @ Letters are condensed and edited. sible topical applications? Can you show @ Because of the volume of mail me any double-blinded human studies received, not all submissions are that show a reductionin tooth caries with published. nosideeffects? We are supposed to believe @ Mail to Public Forum, The Salt the various organizations that support Lake Tribune, P.O.Box 867, Salt)Lake fluoride. Have they done the research or City, Utah 84110 do theyjust rely on paid researchers and @ Our fax numberis (801) 257-8950. pass on the information? Case in point; Consumer Reports article July-August 1978 which is widely quoted states, “The simple truth is that there’s no‘scientific Appalling Position controversy’ over the safety of fluoridation.” This article was written by Joseph Shameon The SaltLake Tribuneforits Botta whoholds a MasterofArts degree in appalling editorial position (“A Fair English, butnoscientific degree. What we Trade at Snowbasin,” May 28) taken with are not told is that in 1990 Dr. Edward respect to the land exchange recently apGroth II, the technical director for Conproved bythe U.S.Forest Service and Earl sumer Reports, stated, “The point is that Holding. The outcome does notjustify the this is a legitimate scientific controversy. means by which this divestiture of prime P of fluoridation insist that public land came about, land that was there are no grounds for controversy at once given to the Forest Service to be held all, and with that, I totally disagree.” in perpetuity for Ogden’s watershed. Next, look at the organizations that The Tribune is wrong whenit implies have withdrawn their support of water thatsacrificing public lands to develop¢ list of ment at is the only wayfor the support fluoride put forth by proponents Forest Service to acquire critical lands is not accurate. Checkfor yourself. andthat, therefore, the outcomeis worth Tn 1947,19,293 dentists said it was OK to the sacrifice. There are other ways for smoke. We now know smoking can cause such acquisitions to be accomplished and cancer. Dentists were proven wrong! Now these ways are used all the time.So,diswe're supposed to blindly believe because honest means weren't even needed to acdentists were taught fluoridation was complish the ends and the public lost in good at dental school? They're mistaken the process, aboutthis onetoo. The Tribune is quite right — the Utah Three final questions to ask yourself, congressional delegation did nothing unfriends, your health care provider or usual in brokering a deal for a private dentist. Where does the fluoride come landholder and suspending a lawful pubfrom thatthey putinto our water? Has the lic process to achieve that end. But to have Food and Drug Administration approved used the Olympics as leverage to effect the fluoride? Andlastly, do you have the right exchange wasn’t just hyperbole; it was to put something into my water that feel fraud. According to The Tribune, any is poison? I have heard it said that the public commodity can be traded away by greater good must override personal whatever means, “as long as those who choice. Whodecides whatis the “greater love laws or sausages [don't] inquire as to good?” Surely not some government howthey are made.” agency. The.United States Public Health A legislated land deal of this sort is, Service has indicated thatfluoridation of indeed, sausage, but the public land at the wateris the No.1 priority. You must Snowbasin was prime rib, The public deask yourself, why? serves better than the lies we are served up by our politicians and our misguided JANEEN CARTER editorial writers. Tooele Qa : ANN WECHSLER Name Them In response to the letter “Get Over It” (Forum, van8) by Ginnie Guevara who states “there are hundreds of , is ii As a resident of Texas whoonceliyed in Utah’s Sanpete County, I am appailed at the photo of two homosexual menembracing (Tribune, June 4). “Gay Rodeo” mightbest be covered by a California paper, perhaps something in San Francigco. It is not worthyof The Salt Lake Tribune to give credence to such a “sport” . ae no pun intended. Asa parentofthree, ifTlived in Utah a cancellation to The Trib would follow as soon as possible. (Or at serious consideration!) 5 Come on, folks, surely there ther events worth consideration. story on the magnificent southern. ee country? Perhaps a series of outdc ticles ‘ons¢he magnificent: Manti- Sal National Forest? Utah is 67 pecent owned by the federal government. | Has anyone considered a series on why} and whynot? Whatabout Utah after the Olymalics? Whatis going on with native Ameripans in Utah? I’ve got a great idea . . show about-one whole edition without tomment on the Olympics, the governof (or any politician) or gang-related activity? How about something positive, a story reflecting the Anglo-Saxon struggle to settle a wilderness? Orhas the inflgx of Californians becomeso greatthat a gay rodeo”is big news in Utah? Perhaps the “downing of sensibilities” might be appropriate here. I find it nee cult to believe that the honest working people I knew and worked ih in Sanpete County are interested facaneriea ofa “gay rodeo,”letalo ihe event. I know there are many men| and womenin the world who are confuséd as “to their sexuality. But that does not mean the rest of us have to see photos of them embracing. That is their problem; not ours! Gimmea break.Still, I will a ing reading your paperon the Net. RANDALL L. HENDERSON Brownwood, ‘Popular Pool | I have bought a family pass att the Farmington pool each year since it opened. The pool has become quite popular. The location is nice and it is {well maintained. Last year they had oo the doors from 2-4 p.m.at least three times a weekto avoid being overcapacity.} Dueto the request for more open swim hours the board has eliminated the noon by giving them the last 15 minutes olit of every hour ofopen swim. “On the quarter to the hour the lifeguards will blow whistles for the pool to be cleared q individuals 17 years and younger. will allow those individuals 18 ye ee nee hem- Rees True, the Senate has not yet addressed the measure and it may well prove more difficult to garner veto-proof or twothirds support in that chamber. But the ages profligate spending and amounts more often than notto a tax upon wealth that previously was taxed. Free to Return cgi ina iE z ei u i E & a the bill, House members approved.the measure by a 279-136 vote — a veto-proof majority. produces less than 2 percent of federal revenue but punishes the accumulation of wealth, discourages saving, encour- tByt TheU.S. House ofRepresentatives did the right thing when itvoted to eliminate the death tax over a 10-year period. Despite President Clinton’s threat to veto ‘To get my hour lap swim in I will have tobe atthe pool for four hours. Whol will watch the kids while the adults! are swimming? From what I've notioed i tie past, most of the adults are parents or ‘of children, |
