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Show \ THEME FOr A band TENE LAKEDNity Tidd of En! Seen Through Dedicated to the Progress And Growth of Central Utah Sunday. October 9. 1977 The Mists. . . THE HERALD, Provo, Utah—Page49 eum. National ona! Naw New Spaper Today inaugurates National Newspaper Week — a period set aside to consider the role, contribution, and challenges of the free press in America. Since colonial days, the United States has prideditself on enjoy- ing ‘freedom ofthe press” as one of the cornerstones of ‘The American Way.” The very First Amendment to the Constitution provides that Congressshall pass nolaw abridging the righ: to a free press, Yet, tie task of safeguarding the public's right to know ona day to day basis requires more than a law — even oneplacedat the head of the sacred Bill of Rights. It requires a sustained, daily effort on the partof the pressto see that legitimate news is not suppressed or swept under the rug. Andit should havethefull support of public officials and the people in general. The U.S. Senate within the past few years passed “sunshine laws”’ to underscore the need to keep meetings ppen to the public and press. Yet secrecy continues in somefederal government circles. Utah’s Legislature at its last session adopted a new “‘open meetings” law to strengthen the one previously on the books. It applies to all public bodies — local, county, and state. But some public officials still sidestep simple rules associated with making the people’s business public. Most newsmen are not strangers to such statements as, “We've decidednot to release the information at this time,” or “Why do you considersalaries of public officials as news?” The theme of this year’s National Newspaper Week is: “Freedom is in our hands.”’ The slogan implies many thoughts as to the newspaper's role and responsibility. It also implies responsibility on the partof public officials in cooperating to make information available, and by the citizenry to keep up on current events. To be free in the highest sense of the word, even in a republic with constitutional provisions and safeguards for freedom, a people must be informed. We need not belaborthis point, but it should be obvious that if the masses areinformed there is much less likelihood of dictatorships rising or that leaders in a free society will exercise unrighteous domi- nion. Certainly the press (andthis includes every element — print media, television, radio, etc.) has great responsibility in getting the truth and presentingit fairly, accurately, and objectively. And as already indicated, public officials In the tumult and the shouting of the past week tinues. Business people don't seem to be so dis turbed because theyjust pass any increased taxes on to the consumer, but other people. ¢ Quite understandably Concerning all of which. a few comments 1 tal problem is untouched by all the wr y over Mr, Carter's energy bill That lem is the oligopolistic leverageof iC over world oil. Since the crack of d 1 sounded from Saudi Arabia after th Kippur War in 1973, no policy has be n arrived at to cope with the qui i id price of oil coming from the OPEC nations At a political level, Tragic Mishap A teenageboy died at Kaysville the other day after apparently swallowing gasoline while trying to clean a fuelline. We mention the mishap with the thought that others who might engage in the samepractice be warned. Kaysville police said the youth sucked on one end of a clogged fuel line while a friend blew on the other. The two were cleaning a motorcycle fuel line when the accident occurred. Efforts by firemen and paramedicsto revive the teenager at the scene failed. It is sad when the life of a youngsteris needlessly cut short. This is the type of accident that could happen to anyone. It is well that people be informed of the potential hazard. especially the older peopleliving on fixed inseh Me facing constantly increasing inflation, have their financial problems which may result in the necessity of selling thelr homesif they are to continueto live. ‘The well-to-do seemto be all right because they c..1 usually find loop-holes, and with the generosity of the governmentofficials attempting to build up their own bureaucracies, the poor are living as most of them have neverlived in their lives, It is the working ple, with income a few dollars over the verty line, that bear the brunt ofthese unfortunate increases. We do not have very many people on the coming election candidates list, but we as property owners, should check with each of them andfind their stand, and what they will do to help people whu arereally in need of assistance. Tt seems strange that so many people in public office never think of such a thing as economizing. It is just how much more they canget to spend, It is still not too late to puta little pressure on these taxing units and see if something can be done to save the home owners from forced sales just to pay taxes. Surely something can be done about it if we Respectfully yours, Wendell M Rigby 490 N. 300 Provo It is as though God had announced, in if absolutely necessary. He was put in during engagement, and were the Magnanimously permitted to buy oil at $12 per barrel. The British were secretly enjoying the whole operation because they knew that very soon they would themselves be fellow-profiteers of the great oil gouge. The United States meanwhile did nothing, and calmlypermitted its imports of foreign oil to The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has decided to forget about sending a space probe to meet Halley's Comet when that famous object makes its once-every 76-years visit to ao corner of the solar system in 6. But there'll be a next time — in the year 2062, to be exact. Assuming, that is, that long before then we won't havesent probes out to find the comets rather than waiting for them to cometo us. fatalism that ts absolutelystartl- ing Coventry The Dutch were finally forgiven by the Arabsfor siding so conspicuously with Israel Postponed The mission would simply be too expensive, NASA concluded: $300 million for the unmanned spacecraft and another $200-250 million to develop a new “ion drive’ engine to propel the probe in difficult rendezvous maneuvers. It’s too bad, because scientists believe comets may be leftover remnants of creation. First-hand examination of Halley’s Comet could tell us much about how the universe was formed. there is an accom me November of 1973, that He was going to changethe seasons aroundabit. One professor fron: Juhns Hopkins proposed we should consider military action against Saudi Arabia Rendezvous Appealfor Economy Personally, 1 sold my garden lot, of which ligent people are going about confused over what is going on in the complicated quarrels in Washington having to do with energy have a responsibility in doing business in the open and making facts readily available to press and public. Everycitizen should makeit his business to understand what the press and First Amendment are all about. An intormed people is an enlightened people. And an enlightenedcitizenrynot only has a better chance of preserving freedoms, but it is better equipped to handlelife’s opportunities and cope with its problems and challenges. Tax Increases Prompt we had been so proud over the past 50 years because I could not stand that nearly 400 per cent increase on unimproved property. It looks asif the homeis to be the next to go on the block if the greed of the taxing units con ten days one has the sense of having lost all idea of economic integration. Highly intel- LAI 1 Letter to Editor Editor Herald Good news(if that is what it could be called) is reflected in the ruill levy increases for property taxes announced in a recentissue of the Herald Mostpropertytax payers thought they had been punished enough in last year's reevaluation bythe State Tax Commission, and that decreases in the tax levy could be expected, But that seemed to ope the flood gates for the various taxing units to see how much more the market could stand There was very little lowering of the tax levies last fall in spite of the windfall that came to them, Now it looks as if the jump was contagious and ty units are grabbing again for more money, It looks as If salary jumpsare in the offing. ana of us paid taxes under protest last year, but it did no good if it required the $20,000 whichit was estimated would be the cost to tax payers for fighting the reevaluation. William ip Buckley rise uted by L.A, Timen Syndicate Bye Line By Jensen Nobody Votes In My Town Although it's only a primary election that will be held in Provo this coming Tuesday, I think it timely to reprint anarticle that appeared in this column 5 years ago. It was written during a presidential election year but the message will apply to any election byit local, state, or national Thearticle was sent to meby Alice Sundquist whofirst read it in a Wyoming publication.It was written by an inmate of the Jackson (Mich.) State Prison andistitle, ‘Nobody Votes in My Town.’ Here ‘tis: Never have I read anything that “drives home a point’’ as much as what is written in this column today. I am not the authorofit nor can I take credit for researchingit. It was sent to me by Alice Sundquist who read it in the Wyoming Rural Electric News. It appearedin the publication's editorial page and was written by an inmateof the Jackson (Mich.) State Prison. While it wasfirst offered to selected publications, (we were not one of them,) I'm going to take the liberty to reprint it because I believe every publication in the U.S. should printit It is titled: “NOBODY VOTES IN MY TOWN” andis written by Pete No. 87776 Simer. As another presidential election day approaches, probably never before was so muchat stake in America. But nobody votes in my town and mostof my3,700 townsmenapparently are chronic misfits who couldn't care less. My town is “‘Jacktown" — Southern Michigan Prison, near Jackson. Now,in the morning chowline, a young murderer and a middle-aged burglar seem readyto tangle in an argumenton the merits of the Republican Party. An alert guard breaksit up just in time. The burglaris servinghisfifth term in mytown. I know him well, So, after he cools off, I needle him a bit, saying ‘'I take it you voted for Hubert Humphry.” “You kiddin’?"’ he scowls. “Man,I never voted in mylife. I got sense enough to know no matter whogetselected,the best any little guy’s gonna get is the worst of it. The hell with votin'!"" That's seditious philosophy,isn’t it? “The hell with votin’!” means down with democracy, your country, your government, an consequently, every home (where governmentreally begins) in the land. Yet, Ihave been guilty of comparable ‘‘sedition."’ It cameout disguised something like this: ‘Didn't get around to voting , tadtoo manyotherthingsto do onelection day."’ Thereflection isn’t easy to face, now that I have been stripped of my voting rights for many elections to come. I begin to wonder how my neighbors feel about not being al: lowed to vote. Later, I question nearly 300 of them, Almost 90 percent merely shrug or otherwise indicate lack of concern. Eighty individuals admit that they had never voted! (Could the deeds that landed us here be germaneto such disregard for democracy?) Consider three responses to: "Did you vote regularly when you were free?”’ Gambling syndicate underling (age 33, serving 5-10 years) “The organization always sawto it that I voted ; even told me who aad What to vote for." Alcholic (age 47, doing 1-2 for non-support): “They'd let me off work in time to makeit to the polls, all right. But I'd stop at a buddy’s house to talk the election over. There'd be a bottle or two around, And somehow,before I considered all the Issues and candidates and decided who'd get myvote,it was either too late or I was too loaded to care anymore."’ Sex offender (age 39, serving 14-10 years); "'I nevervoted except in presidential elections. 1 voted for Dick because my name is Nixon, too.’’ (Wouldn't it be interesting to know how manyother votes are castfor similar, lackadaisical reasons?) ‘As for me — well, occasionally it is unpleasantto face the mirrorof patriotism, Instead of voting Thave gone hunting and fishing ; attended to personal mattersof assorted kinds. But the future will offer opportunities to prove my determination never as again to skip a chance to vote. And I will vote as intelligently T can. In the meantime, what about you? Like many other sheer blessings in our full-fashioned freedom, the ae fe of voting jut can't completely be apI must agree with the impreciated until it is lost I know. migrant who said, ‘Most Americans can’t adequately ap: preciate their system of government becausethey don't understand whatit ain't.” However, our Star Spangled Banner waves best when every threadis intact. Similarly, the governmentit represents needs every vote But nobody votes in my town, Nobody may What could be worse, patriotically? Your town, where every adult citizen may vote and you don't Have a nice day and keep smilin’ Conservative Tide Rising By ROSCOE DRUMMOND Political Conservatives are ‘on the march worldwide. The trend in most countriesis not to the left but to the right of center, This, despite the fact that the French and Italians mayelect a Socialist Communist coalition next spring. And this prospectis now being diminished by the bitter, divisive fighting among the Frenchleftists The political thrust is conservative in nine out of 11 principal countries where elections have taken place in the past year or will soon occur. In Sweden conservatives and moderates ended 40 years of continuous Socialist rule The samein Israel, where the Socialist Labor Party which had beenin powersince the founding of the nation was voted out by the conservative Likud Party Voters in India ousted the left - wing, semi - dictatorial government of Indira Gandhi and replaced it with a coalition at least or more conservative than its predecessor Spain conducted its first democratic election in 40 years and, contrary to many fears, a conservative - center consensus emerged. In Japan the expected did not happen. The conservative so-called Liberal Democrats were returned to office. The polls said they were on the way out, but the voters said no. It was only two years ago that the conservative parties in both Australia and New Zealand were returned to power — and they are going stron; from one-third national consumption to one-half Everyonein Washington is nowadays arguing whethergasprices should be deregulated. Nobodyappearsto be concerned abouttheeffect the oligopoly is having on the United States dollar, which is retreating all over the world. And quite rightly, inasmuch as we are predicting for this year a balance of trade deficit approximately four timesas large as the largest in our history. We are arguing about windfall profits for a few oil and gas producers from Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana while apparently resigned forever to permitting a coupleof sheiks to decide, according to their pleasure, the costof oil, and therefore the value of the dollar. 2. As long as wecontinueto force American producersto sell oil at a lesser price then we payfor foreignoil, we arein effect subsidizing the purchaseofforeign oil, Byselling our oil at an artificially low price, we simultaneously increase demand and diminish supply. If oil taken from the ground is sold at less thanthe price of replacing that oil through fresh discoveries, a subsidy acts to encourage the expenditure of energydollars — and to increase general consumption, resulting in a greater importationofoil. 3. The Senate reasons correctlythatif oil is taxed at the wellhead (for the purpose of reimbursing certain purchasers someof the cost of oil), there will be no increased incentive to discover fresh oil. President Carter threatens (through Mr. Schlesinger) retaliation, proposing to involke the authority granted to President Ford to impose a tax on importedoil, and then figure out some way to get that money back to the consumers through general tax relief. The whole thing is a mess, sub: economic archaeologists who seek to find oil and gas and make it available. It is the job of the American Government to upset international conspiracies against the American consumer, The government has done nothing to cope with its responsibilities, but has doneits best to prevent the economy fromcoping with its responsibilities. Add to the picture the op- position of the government to breeder reac: tors for the exploitation of plutonium power and you have thefull picture of government ineptitude andtheneutralization of the entrepreneurial function Barbs . In both Britain and West Germany the polls show the conservative opposition parties more popular thanthe incumbent governments The same conservative political trend has prevailed in the United States since 1968 — eight yearsof conservative Republican Presidents and now in Jimmy Carter, the most conservative Democrat to be elected in this century What did censors do for kicks before they got their appointments” I deliberate, you stall, he can't figure out what to do. Berry's World Explain this if you can: In Panama the opponents of ratification are urging that the treaty be defeated because it gives the United States the right to defend at will, while in the United States its opponents want it defeated on the ground thatit does not give the United States the right to defend at will The FBI reports that while the number of murders and assaults declined last year, the number of assaults com: mitted with handguns continued to mount Thought To Inspire The sages and heroes of history are receding from us. and history contracts the record of their deeds into a narrower and narrower page. But time has no power over the nameand deeds and words of Jesus Christ William E Channing American clergyman trace the movements of dollars through tariff barriers, entitlement redistributions, wellhead subsidies: a mare's nest of bureaucratic interference. Reminding us that 4. Economie problems are best solved by the market place doing its impartial duty. Political problems are the preserve of the state. It is the job of Americanenterprise to What's this I hear about youselling UNnatural foods under the counter? eee |