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Show jaMi ff IM? Page 2 Letters to the Editor of this the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions elections traditionally attract a small turnout on election day. Only a limited number of names will be on the ballot -most of them local contests, which generally elicits little confrontation. Thus a small turnout is generally traditional. That may not be true in Manti, however. A recently-passe- d zoning ordinance may trigger an unusually large turnout at the polls next Tuesday. We hope so! The zoning ordinance which was adopted by the Manti City Council is being challenged by a citizens' initiative. Citizens who objected to the ordinance collected enough signatures to place a proposition on the ballot to declare the ordinance invalid. Thus, we hope that such an important decision will not be made by a minority of voters, which could happen if citizens do not accept their responsibility and cast their votes. This newspaper favors retaining the ordinance for the following reasons: Personal property rights are an important benefit in our society but only to the extent that they do not negatively affect rights of others. We do not live as individuals in our society. Like it or not, because none of us are perfect, it is necessary that we have laws to set some standards and govern some actions. The principle that men must be governed is inherent in our countrys constitution and certainly in the LDS doctrine, which many people in this area espouse. Their statement of belief that men are to be subject to kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates, in obeying , honoring and sustaining the law is a primary tenet in our society today. The idea that personal property rights grant a property ow ner the right to do anything on or with his property without any consideration given to the effect on neighbors, or society in general, is flawed. People are not free to do anything they please, or to do anything with their land, if those actions have an adverse affect on others. Thus, law s, and - yes, even ordinances - are necessary to ensure that the rights of everyone are protected as much as possible. Practically every' community in this country has some kind of a zoning ordinance to control and keep growth orderly and to ensure that one persons rights do not adversely affect anothers rights. That protection is necessary in communities, and the Manti City Council is to be commended in recognizing that. Good, honest, caring people worked long and hard to devise such an ordinance. If those efforts were to be nullified at the coming election, it would be tragic. Before many years had passed, the city would have the problem to solve all over again, and the diligent efforts of those conscientious citizens would be for naught. As is the case with many issues, those opposed usually support their cause more strongly than those in favor of. Thats why it is essential that all Manti voters go to the polls Tuesday and make their wishes known. newspaper. 500 words, as stated in our policy. Letters longer than 500 words will not be published. We request you honor this size limit so as to provide as much space as possible for all who wish to express an opinion. 33SDgssnB5!5gS5!3H2283!35SSH3H5BSES3H monster in Sanpete of Wal-Ma- is rt of those who protest too much gmvvth in Ephraim and surrounding has occurred and the restoration is failing. Not far from the marshlands a huge toll road is under construction, (much litigation has occurred to halt the construction -- - we dont know the outcome yet). Citizens have protested its construction for at least three years. A melodrama called the Proctor Valley Monster" is put on, in protest, each fall. In this same area, 0,000 new homes will be built in the future. This means at least 40,000 people, and 20,000 cars will all be crammed together in a few miles area. 1 almost a done deal. It is well to note that many towns are people who have moved away and watch from afar the sad disappearance of rural life. At present I live in an area in the hills and lands arc disappearing. This open area used to he wild and open - a great place for riding horses and enjoying the fields, and fishing in the streams. I he delicate wetland hie in this area was nearly deposed due to rapid growth and San Diego where -- development. Attempts were made to restore the wetland habitat It was hoped to be successful. but it is now thought that irre- 1 hope you in Ephraim will rccvalute your plans for a megastore. believe it is as much a monster in Sanpete as that in Proctor Valley is in San Diego. As I look to the south I used to sec rolling hills, and majbe a deer or perhaps a lone rider on his horse. But now there is only the silhouettes of great carthmoving machines. I Sincerely, Laura McGravv Former Ephraimitc versible damage to this ecosvstem Get your deer right White tail!. In all my life Ive never seen a white tail deer in will here goes anvvvav. Sanpete or even in Utah. Whoever As an l phraim native living is responsible for this picture, if To the Editor: in Alabama. I check mj mail box an DWR employee please resign; The Republican platform in daily for the MessengerEnter-prise- . if Mr. Call or his staff is respon1995, included the desire, and lod.tj I grabbed it and sible for the picture, may I sugof those running for ofquicklv settled into my favorite gest, get out of the office and take promise in Manti City, to finish and fice I I obchair. As often do scanned the a ride on Skyline Drive and headlines and then began to read serve Sanpetes bountiful Mule pass the Zoning Ordinance. Every deer population., or may I suggest one of those candidates won seats the articles caicfullj . 1 he deer diew mj eves to the article a good book -- - The I)ecr of North on the City Council that year and about the deer forecast for this fall. America. May be Simmons could we have been working, along with citizen committees, to comI read the article carefully because order it for you or maybe you great plete the Zoning Ordinance. t. I'm hoping to return to Sanpete could get it at We have invited, and listened A sharp eyed reader. soon to again hunt vv ith friends and and comments from our to, input Richard R. (Dick) Peterson family. Mavbe next sear, but this We have held public citizens. 3430 Greensport Rd. ear Ell just hunt the elusive white meetings; we have obtained opintail deer of Alabama. Ohatchce, AL 36271 ions from our legal counsel, state Hut wait what's this I sec the P.S. I hope to see a trophy Mule legal counsel, and state municipal big buck on the front page its a Deer on next weeks front page. planning agencies, in our attempt (Ed. Note: Gee whiz! We thought the picture was an elk!) to produce the best ordinance we could for Manti City. There have been many compromises, both on the part of reasonable citizens and for the Mantiarea (lie planning commission and city Reported by Lee J. Anderson council, in developing this ordiTo the Editor: I his isn't about Wal-Ma- but rt pic-tu- Ordinance ie WEATHER nance. I feel that it is an excellent ordinance that will serve the citizens of Manti well. It might be nice to wish for laws, rules and even a society of jestery ear, but we are living in a community on the v erge of the 2 st century and faced vv ith growth and concerns of the future that will require us to have a zon ld 1 nlANTI If USPS THE IESSENGER rpHRAIM Enterprise USPS 3284-000- 0 1777-200- Messenger-Enterpris- e Inc. 35 S. Main, Manti UT 84642 commonplace. Beth's definition: trivia: hogwash. My definition: trivia: lot of fun. balderdash, but a By Max Call How many of you can do a pushup? I mean a real pushup - the kind we were required to do in the service. A real pushup is one where you must keep jour back straight, arms fully extended. 1 hen you bend your elbows until your chin touches the ground (keeping your back straight), then pushing up to the original position (keeping jour back straight). know couldn't do even one now, but there was a time when I could do at least 20. In the service they were used not only as a means ol physical conditioning but as a reprimand. If jou goofed up jou could be required to do x number of pushups. I dont know when pushups were initiated in the cheerleaders routine, but it has been quite a while. The first college team I saw doing pushups was the Air Force Academy. They came up to Laramie and the first time their team made a touchdown they were required to do six (or seven if the extra point was good) pushups. Laramie is 7200 feet and those cadets had a real struggle to do even 7, let alone when their team made a lot of 1 1 points. So now comes the Manti High cheerleaders. They do a job, as do the drill team, in their tremendous routines. But when it comes to pushups, theyre lousy. East I'ridaj night at Ncphi I watched them pretty closely. Their attitude was OK and they really tried to do 33 pushups when the scoie reached that high. But I can tell jou that no drill sergeant would pass them, unless it was for effort. When they first start, they actually almost do a proper one. But as the going gets tough, they taper off, until its either total collapse or else just a slight movement in the elbow. I 'm sine they would like to count by twos, but the crowd counts for them, so they keep at it until they achieve at least a moral, if not a mar-velo- physical, victory. One good thing about the whole procedure is that it probdamsels from freezing to death. ably keeps the scantily-cla- d Im completely amazed vv ith the dexteritj (and dai ing) vv ith which they toss each other about. They throw some ol the gii Is so high, I expect them to come down with a nosebleed. Hut come down they do, and safely (to my surprise). Their performances add much to the enjoj merit of the ball game. Keep up the good work, girls. We love jou! Ordinance protects rights of all people ing ordinance. This city council is doing what we were elected to do: pass a zoning ordinance that will meet the needs of our community. As is usual, not everyone is happy with every section of the ordinance, but when people come together in a body, those people soon find that compromise is necessary in order for order and happiness to prevail. We all have our rights and we also have the right to have a good zoning ordinance, which can protect citizens from those who may lack good judgment andor consideration for their neighbors. Ed like to thank all those citizens who have shown interest and concern in this issue; and especially the Planning Commission for the many hundreds of hours that they have devoted to the development of the zoning ordinance. I hope that the citizens of Manti will wholeheartedly support this ordinance, and show our support with an overwhelming turnout at the polls, and an overwhelming vote FOR the Zoning Ordinance. Steven R. Johnson Manti City Councilman To the Editor: As a v oluntecr member of the Manti City Planning Commission and a property owner, I am offended by those vv ho try to por- -' tray the idea that something illegal or sinful was done in the formation and passing of the new city zoning ordinance. These ordinances were reviewed, scrutinized, and passed according to the laws of the state and federal governments. They were made available to the public and the public as a whole had a say in what these ordinances were to be. Our city officials were duly elected by the citizens of Manti and after much public input and consideration, the ordinances were passed. These people are your neighbors and have done what is in the best interest of the city. The beauty of this process is that it was done at the lowest level of the democratic process, the grassroots level. My rights as a property owner and as a large animal owner, are better protected than under the old ordinance or no ordinance as some would like. With these ordinances, everyone is on a level playing field. Mr. Walton then went to 0 Published each Thursday for 50c each, $16.00 a year inside Sanpete County and $19.00 outside Sanpete County , by Messenger-Enterpris- e Inc., 35 S. Main, Manti, Utah 84642. Periodicals Postage Paid at Manti, Utah. POSTMASTER:" Send address changes to: rtance or significance, trifling, ordinary, serve citizens well Wal-Mar- THE . Websters definition: trivia-- Insignificant or Inessential matters, that whicri comes from the street, of little impo- Off-yea- r Editors Note: Letters to the Editor are to be no longer than To the Editor: I read with interest the minutes of the October 6 zoning meeting. It is amazing to me that a building permit fora log home was denied due to a lack of an approved water source, and pavement for three homes was denied as only two miles of county road gels paved per year, and yet ... Trivia Sustain the new Zoning Ordinance II V invite Letters to the Editor from our readers. Letters must be signed, in good taste, not libelous or slanderous, and limited to 500 words. tie reserve the right to edit letters to meet space requirements. No more than one letter per person per month will be published. The opinions expressed are solely those of A October 29, 1998 Messenger-Enterpris- e Is there a Sam Walton in Manti? is some that To the Editor: great corall that is fell it a sudden of that the City of poration Why Manti is using my tax dollars to from the heavens to destroy manpay for advertisements to keep an kind. As the character in an old Wal-Ma- rt ordinance in place that I do not want? Who do they think they are, PKOl'D member of a union? If the city passes an ordinance Publishers Editor General Manager Sales Representative Manti City Reporter Max and Beth Call Max Call David Call Ephraim City Reporter .... Sanpete County Reporter. Manti High School Sports ... Lynn Schiffman The ordinance discourages Shirley Bahlmann Brad Barton, small businesses from starting and growing, which brings me to another situation that ironically is related. Some people seem to think TriciaCall ...Karen Buchanan Greg Dettinger ( it should be up to the people who support it or oppose it to pay for advertising in support of their position. The city should not use tax dollars for this. radio show always said, Taint so McGee. Years ago a man by the name of Sam Walton opened a small five and ten cent store on the west side of the town square in Bentonville, Arkansas. He later became a Ben Franklin franchisee. One day he got an idea and went to the headquarters of Ben Franklin to encourage them to operate their business in what he felt was a more efficient manner. They told him he was crazy and did nothing. I Regardless of jour status, j on have the same rights, obligation1-- , and piolections as the olhet poison. Case in point: Recently some animal owners were allowed to put animals on their piopcitj although there were those who objected, because they stajed vv ithin the guidelines. Non animal owners rights aie protected by the nuisance law of the large animal ordinance. The old ordinance did not provide these rights and protections because of lack of clarity. The new ordinance spells out w hat is expected of land and otliei developers which protects the citj from having to pay lor streets and other improvements at the taxpayer's expense. T liesc aie pro- tections that are needed as Manti continues to grow. I am grateful to live in a land where grassroots government seeks to protect the rights of all people and not just a chosen few and makes good citizens better and bad citizens accountable for their actions. Alvin D. Kilmer Manti, Utah County for that matter? Possibly a Gibsons, regional discount so. I lowever if the Manti City Orand was asked if he could dinance remains on the books we chain, purchase a box car full of prodmay never know. Let's give our uct. Mr. Walton said he could not visionary and hard worker a afford that so Gibsons told him chance to accomplish his or her dream. We need to vote to remove goodbye. Sam Walton worked very hard the city zoning ordinance. Give and finally opened another store. your child or yourself the chance He put out watermelons in the to be another Sam Walton or whatparking lot to give away during the ever they wish to be. Its your grand opening but it was so hot choice but as for me I am voting that day they burst and water- to remove the ordinance. melon juice covered the parking Benton L. Petersen Manti lot, creating quite a mess. Anybut Mr. Walton way, slowly surely worked at his business until it be- Ed. Note: The ad referred to was came a large company at the time not placed by, nor billed to, of his death. Manti City. The ad was ordered, I wonder, do we have a Sam and paid for, by Barbara Walton in Manti or in Sanpete Wintch, acting as an individual. |