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Show PINION The Halt Lake Tribune MONDAY JuLy 28, 2003 WWW.SLTRIR.COM Our VIEW HERE'S A News FLASH 0 YOu -THEY’RE Equal value lice’s Through the Looking Glass assessmentthat the world is getting “curiouser and curiouser” could aptly be applied to the convoluted tale of “The Great San Rafael Swell Land Swap.” The yearlongstory’s suspenseful twists and turns are clouding the real issue for Utahns: How can webest consolidate public lands into usable, manageable parcels? The plot thickened this week, first with a report condemning the proposed deal and then with charges ofpossible ethics violations by Bureau of Land Managementdirector Kathleen Clarke. Clarkeis a formeraide to Gov. Mike Leavitt, whose plan to have the San Rafael Swell designated a national monumentfirst prompted the land exchange. She hadalso worked for former Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, who wanted the deal donebefore hisretirement last year. An Interior Departmentinspectorgeneral's report found BLMandInterior Department employees concealed the actual value offederal land beingoffered in exchange for Utah trust lands.If the deal had gone through, it would have shortchanged American taxpayers about $100 million. It's unclear whythe federal employees would wantto deflate the valueoffederal land, That question should be answered by yet another investigation this one to assign responsibility for the mess. To his credit, Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, sponsorofthe landswaplegislation, has vowed to bring it back to Congress andget the deal done yet. Land exchanges are one wayto increase the valueofstate trust lands and put much-needed moneyinto Utah’s schoolcoffers. Cannon’s performance in this saga has beenless than stellar. He criticized Kent Wilkinson, a BLM appraiser whoblew the whistle onthe shenanigans, calling him “insubordinate” and hoping he would get “slapped hard.” As it turns out, Wilkinson was right and Cannon was wrong. Butpast misjudgmentsaside, Cannonis correctin his current hope that“... the Departmentof Interior (will) solve any internal problemsso that we may continue with exchanges.” Maps ofUtah’s 3.5 million acres ofstate trust lands show small parcels dispersed throughoutfederal holdings in thestate. Thestate land was set aside specifically to benefit Utah schoolchildren, but muchofit is worthless unless it can be consolidated into tracts large enough to have somevalue. Public-land swaps can be a good deal for both Utah and the federal government, butonly whenthey are aboveboard, “equal-value” exchangesin whichboth state and federal taxpayers benefit. SAYING WE'REIN A GUERRILLA WAR... THE PuBLIC FORUM How to reach us No mercy Here is an opinion from deepinside the often ignored world of the Department of Corrections which might shed an ironic light upon former4th District Judge Ray Harding, Jr.’s recent request to be letoutofjail early — not even 60 days into his 120-day sentence. Poor Judge Harding in jail for possession of narcotics, not to mention the abuse and disgrace ofhis public position — is “depressed” and feels that he is “rapidly deteriorating” due to his lock- downtime. Thank you, 3rd District Judge Tim- Homerule he cornerof 2100 South and State Street is not exactly the darkside of the moon. But whenpeople wholive in Salt Lake County’s six townships have an interest in whattheirlocal planning boards are doing thatis, all the time one might expect that those planning meetings wouldtakeplace in the township, not at the County GovernmentCenter. ‘Thefact that those meetings have been heldat the county's central offices rather than within the communities of Magna, Copperton, Kearns, Emigra- tion Canyon,Millcreek or Cottonwood Heights is mainly a matter of bureaucratic efficiency, or convenience. ‘The staff that supports the planning boards,along with all their statute books, studies, maps and photographswith circles and arrows and captions onthe back, resides at the county headquarters. The buildingat 2001 S. State is relatively easy to get to by car or public transportation, and mostfolks know where it is. But the whole point of even having townshipplanning boards, ratherthan just keeping all the planning functions the task of the central county gov ernment,is that the highly popu lated (more than 180,000 among them)and ever-growing town ships have issues that are specific to their communities. Jack Nielsen, head of the Magna planning board, complains that his desire to consider Ma- gna’s future in Magna, amonghis fellow Magnans,has fallen on deaf ears at the government center. County officials, meanwhile, worrythat the townships lack large and modern meetingfacilities, the kind that not only have room for the size of crowds drawn bycontroversial zoning questions butalso the up-to-date audio-visual equipment to display all the needed information. Maybe. Or maybe a branchlibrary or elementary school multipurpose room, with a screen, an overhead projector and several stacksoflittle folding chairs, are plenty modernif they provide the residents of a township with the important psychological advantage influencingthe decisions about their own community. Mostof the really controversial questions that come before the planning boardsare proposals from out-of-town, even out-of. state, developers whose plans could changethe nature of an entire community. If the residents of that community want to use the legitimate planning process tofight those changes, they shouldhavetherightto fight at least someofthatbattle on their own soil. It is already hard enough on some township residents that the County Council has the final say on such matters. The part of the process that does belong to the townshipresidents should take place in the townships. Where it is more likely that the full light of daywill shine in. Uran's INDEPENDENT Voice SiNck 1871 The Salt LakeTribune othy Hanson,for denying this pathetic request. One has to appreciate the irony here. Judge Harding sent hundreds of sentences. Now the poor judge wants sympathy for his depression, and is worried that he “may be a wreck” upon his eventual release. Well, I'm sorry, but welcometo the club, buddy. It’s not so nice being locked up as people claim, nowis it? This is a world which Judge Harding himself felt was appropriate punishment for the transgressions ofothers, and, Oh!, how reality bites. Whatis that old adage, “Do the crime, you do the time”? Howbitterly true. Here is some advice from a fellow felon: Man up and do your time. And Matthew Lassen (Forum, July 23) requested, “If anyone knows why we really went to Iraq, please let me know."It seems highlylikely that there were at least three factions at work whichled to the invasion of Iraq:1) the civilian neoconservatives in the Pentagon who were put in place by Donald Rumsfeld; 2) the oil industry with ties to Vice President Dick Cheney and President Bush and 3) President Bush’s character. Each had its own individual personal crusade to remove Saddam from power, thereby completing the job results of the “pre-emptive strike” continue to unfold. Editor thefirst Gulf war had supposedly left undone, That there were good reasons Eanst Kopin Sandy sentence was double restitution plus $104,000 to repay the State Auditor costs, plus severe prison time on multiple counts. What are the differences? Mr. Harrison is an attorney. Mr. Blackburn is an administrator. Mr. Harrison stole private funds. Mr. Blackburn misused public funds. Mr. Harrison gets no prison time nor resti- tution ordered. Mr. Blackburn gets both. This raises several questions. Do the Release-timecharade courts refuse to punish their own? Is When myson was in high school he registered for “release time.” Imagine our surprise when his namewas then placed on theroll for the LDS Seminary class,andafter a numberofabsences he was told he hadto attend the seminary or drophis release-time course. Weargued thatif the schedule says “release time,” shouldn't the student actually be released from school? That's “homerelease,” the counselor explained, seminary. “Release time” is for So now I read with interest the struggles the board of education is having upon recognizing that Utah high school graduates are ill-prepared rently, Utah students who do nottake public money more important than private money? Does the state’s interest outweigh that of multiple persons severely by Harrison’s actions? Tt certainly can’t be just me who finds thatthis disparity is not uncom- mon. Where is the oversightof the judiciary? They through the senior year andat least let those students moveonto college. Obviously though,the solution here is to look at removing release time as a class option andincrease the numberof credits required to graduate. This way the school board wouldn't have to choose between academic courses and arts and sports programs, there would be ample time for both. Seminary could be offered before and after schooljust likeit is in other states, and we could end the currentcharade thatis “release time.” self-propagate, self- administer and self-protect their bastion of democracy from outside public view. These two cases should be reviewed side-by-side with appropriate correc- tions made. Either Mr. Harrison and cohorts have restitution ordered and all receive prison time, or Mr. Blackburn has his sentence reduced to restitution only. Any other outcomeis not justice. Bruce B. Witson quirements early. Perhaps wecould offer a non-Mormon graduation halfway Taylorsville In IHC’s defense letter in The Salt Lake Tribune by Chris Allen (Forum, July 23) claimed Intermountain Health Care facilities are not providing sufficient charitable medical services in our communities. THC provided charity care to 32,459 patients at THC’s hospitals and clinics in 2002. The care was valued at more than $41 million. Another 169,122 charitable cases were treated at 13 community clinics that IHC either op- Karis MoRnGAN erates or financially Holladay throughoutUtah. supports THC is exempted from some taxes because it is a nonprofit organization that provides significant community Too many‘folds’ Youth Games claimed, “The reason benefit, including charity care. No single organization can meet every charitable medical need in our state and survive,yet IHC hospitals’ charity for the trip was two-fold, to see how care far exceeds any tax liability for The article on The Tribune's July 25 sports page aboutthe Moscow-Utah they measure up against their Russian counterparts athletically, and to experience a new culture.”It appears, to the picture accompany- the organization and relieves a significant government burden so taxpayers do not need to fund such services, as is the case in manyother states, with a Moscow athlete), that the rea son was actually “three-fold,” with LDS proselytizing being the third reason. It amazes me that when our family was preparing to send our daughter to run in the cross-country event we were not told to pack a Bible, But Allen is a national board member of American Atheists, an organization that opposes tax exemptions for many organizations, including churches, private universities and community hospitals, Wefind it unfortunate that he is using the health challenges ofone individual, whom THC has been actively assisting, to further his own this is why the administration is not eager to give the United Nations a widerrole in the reconstructionofIraq, Finally, President Bush was on a Editorial Page Editor Tim Fereraraice published. ‘The neoconservatives believed that Saddam Hussein presented a vital threat to the state of Israel. They succeeded in convincing the administration, and a considerable proportion of the American people, that a threat to Israel is the same as a threat to the United States. It is not, but the propaganda worked exceedingly well. ‘There is hardly any doubt that the control of the oil wells was factor, and Sunny OBaLIO (19BI-IIA) The Salt Lake Tribune 19 Manion St, Salt Lege Cty, Utah 111 Dueto volume,notail submissions are agenda and it was their confluence whichled to the currentproblem. for not going all the way to Baghdad in 1991 is likely to become apparentas the Vian ANDRAHON: letters ofup to 250 words on topics of general interest. Letters mustinclude full name, home address and dayand evening phone numbers. Only the nameandcity of residence are published. Letters may be edited for length, grammar and accuracy. release time havea full half-year offree time if they meet the graduation re- Nanev Conway Dominic Waicn(2994-2002) years. Then we have Kimble Blackburn, PHitiie LeisHMAN Factions converge have Clay Harrison getting 12 years probation for defrauding numerous peopleof $50 million. His cohort gets 30 administrator at Snow College, who was convicted of misusing $157,000. His for college and the work force. Cur- Draper alarm as relates to justice. First we Letter Guidelines: The Tribune welcomes welcome to our world; there is no mercy for the wicked, and you ofall people should knowthis all too well. UtahState Prison Recent sentences handed down in separate cases would seem cause for Mail: Public Forum,TheSalt Lake Tribune, P.O. Box867, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110 ously doubt that he was ever the least bit concerned aboutthe eventual mental anguish and /or otherthreats that faced those people as a result of their Winuiam Draw Sinauarron Editor Tribune Fax: 801-257-8525 E-mail letters@sltrib.com (Please send text only, attachments will not be opened) drug addicts to jail with sentences much more severe than his. AndI seri- Past Publishers Joun F. Frerarnicn (1924-1960) down W. GaLiivan (1960-1989) Publisher Outcomes notjustice Phone Number: 901-257-8888 It is interesting to note that Mr. maybe being Presbyterian would have created one too many “folds.” Wes THomrson Lonnie Gareney Sandy IHCCommunity Heai:h Partnership Salt Lake City |