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Show DAILY ~- EDITORIAL Wednesday, March2,2006 HERALD DailysHerald EDITORIAL BOARD Albert J. Manzi, President & Publisher Randy Wright, Executive Editor Donald W. Meyers, Editorial pageeditor Nancy Hale, Public adviser IN OUR VIEW Lay off the kid in Kanab hen normalpeo- Johnson, superintendentof the ple are offended Kane CountySchoolDistrict, de- newspaper, they had oversight of what Livingston writes, especially since the name write a letter to the editor. But Kanab Mayor Kim. Lawsonapparentlyis not like most people. When Lawson was skewered in print bya 17-year-old columnist for the Southern Utah News,he did fire off a couple of letters — but notto the columnist, Matt Livingston, orto the editorial page. He wrote to Livingston's LDS stake president andLivingston's school superintendent. Livingston,an intern at the weekly newspaper, writes the “Cowboy Currents” column. In a recentinstallment, Livingston took Lawsonto task for pushing a controversial resolution through the City Council — the “Family Visionfor the’City of Kanab.”The resolution is based on a pretentious “manifesto” drafted by the SutherlandInstitute, a right-wing group that envisions utopiancities in which men work, where women stay hometo havea “quiverfull” of babies, and wheresingle parents are seen as second-classcitizens. Those who don'tfit in are shunned — after receiving loving lip-ser- vice,of course. Kanabis so far the only Utah city to adopt the proposal, drawing national scorn. Despiteits highflown rhetoric about defending and promoting ideal families, the Sutherlandvisionis little more than a blueprint for intolerance. As with manysimplistic formulas, like the Communist Manifesto, this one falls apart at the workinglevel. Its purported link to the LDS Church's positicn on families is subtly deceptive, taking a good thing over the toy Pp. “As a fellow LDS member,I would expect a more Christdike countenance on yourpart,”17 year-old Livingston wrote about Lawson.“Youractions arein the spotlight, and this time you have let down your religion, community andnation.” Thekid has a point. The manifesto was co-authored and shopped aroundUtah cities by Paul Mero, president of Sutherland, whose regular proclamations readlike the lengthy moralizing screeds in Ayn mandingto knowif the district of Livingston's column includes the mascot for Kanab High School, the Cowboy Thesecondletter went to Matt Brown, president of the Kanab keeping with someonewho is a memberof the LDS Church and a Boy Scoutto boot “I view Matt as representative of the future for his church and nation. We need intelligent, principled men and womento lead and guide us. Oft-times, ‘mid-course’ guidanceis needed to ensure the target is reached.” The young writer appears to is virtually absolute, and he took a fair shot. It seems to us that the mayoris the one whowould benefit from some mid-course guid- Modest proposalsfor getting Congress to act ethically ance. Lawson doth protest too much, wethinks. His hiney’s on the griddle in Kanab,andhe'sflailing wildlyto save face. He'd never try such intimidation tactics with an corruption. Thefollowing are possible solutions with a young manwith presum- — theory only, primarily to get us thinking toward somethingrealistic and ablyless clout. Livingston's employer should stand behind the young columnist andtell the mayorthatif he can't take the heat, he workable: 1. Execute all legislators after one tions and school punishment for term. 2.Limitall legislators to only one term in either the House or the Senate, with a 10-year cooling off period before anyone can runfor the otheroffice. It is a cheap pressuretactic. The mayorshould pick on someonehis with noretirement, or other benefits, after leaving office. (Let lobbyists re- should get outof the kitchen. The “mid-course guidance” the mayoris seekingis as clearas it is inappropriate:ecclesiastical sancexercising a constitutional right ward them after they are outofoffice, whenlobbyists will have lost all interest in them.) 4, Make Congress exemptfrom in- come taxes — but only if they are honest Congress wouldn't pass | or 2, but would passpartsof 3 and4 (if they haven'talready). Howcould these ideas be worse than what we have now? One argumentis the longerlegislators are in, the more they can do for us — aren't they doing too muchalready? » Dan Knudsen, Orem how she covered his city. Lashing outat this teenager showsevenless class, especially since Livingston was pretty much on target. The lesson Lawson wants to teach(i.e. “don’t question in quivers through. In response to the jab in the in American society. A 17-year-old Minimum Nees no longer enough to help Utah's poor writer in Kanabcould teach him a newspaper, Lawsonfired off two letters. One wentto Robert N. MelvaSineuses the sametired rhetoric that has been used thelast three thing or two. Lawsonshould lay off. times or so the minimum wage was raised. WhatSinefailed to mentionis that MEDIA VOICES Court ruling a victory — for clean air From the Seattle Times, March21, 2006 ——— Bush administration contrivance to let aging power plants, refineries and industrial facilities evade federal clean- air laws was shot down by a panel ofincredulous federal court judges. The operating standard was,essentially, patchit up on the cheap and continueto pollute with the EPA'sblessing. Reminiscent of that infamous commentabout“it all depends on what the meaning ofis is,” the EPA tortured the defi- ee 3. Paylegislators $1 million per year, ownsize. This is not Lawson'sfirst attempt at strong-arminga critic into silence. In 2003, Lawson asked then-Gov. MikeLeavitt and the Utah Press Association to remove Southern Utah Newseditor Dixie ” Brunnerfrom the Utah Records Commission becausehe didn’t like authority”)is simply wrong. Mayor Lawsonneedsto learn more abouttherole of free speech Tyssa It appears one of the majoractivities of Congressis raising funds so they can be re-elected forever, inviting lobbyists’ adult, but he sees an opportunity Rand novels, but not as interesting. Thelogical holes are big enough to drive whole truckloads ofchildren \uWinestors.com/eartoor havehit a nerve, and we commend him forit. His right to criticize public officials in their official acts 70 percentto 80 percentofthe businesses in Utah already pay $7 an hour as a starting wage. Sen. Ed Mayneonly wanted toraise the minimum wage 50 cents more than what 70 percentto 80. percentof the businessesin Utah are already paying. WhatSinealsofailed to mentionis, according to several studies, that in order to meet the standardof living index, the commonlaborer would have to make$13 to $17 an hour depending on which study you read. | The tired rhetoric Sine uses would have morecredibility if it hadn't been used three or so times before. It would the sand and never check outthe facts. It is muchlike they are content with saying “never mind the facts,I've made up my mind.” Putting labels on certain factsis just not the answerto being embarrassed by the truth. Some,I fear, are afraid of being proven a fool when the truth of the matteris put forth in a debate on a given subject. Whyis it so difficult to face the facts andstop internalizingit as an insult to one'sintellect or belief? Who was it that said “know thetruth andthe truth shall set you free.” Open-mindedness would be helpful in having civil set aboutissues. D Virl Long, Provo Muslim calture too hostile for democracy to take root also have morecredibility if the gloom | and doomthat had beenpredicted had Wemust drop the naivecant of mul—_ticulturalism and admit that not every cometrue. I believe the minimum wage should be | raised a ton — atleast $8 an hour. D Bruce Harmon, | Orem society thinks as we do or wishes to emulateus, and,given thatfact, realize that democracy is not only not the immediate answerfor an adversarial theocratictribal society,it may actually plants and have the asthma ratesto proveit. Many of these coal-fired enterprises had been exempt from the first federal law, with the understanding they would modernize their equipment whenit neededto be replaced. The Environmental Protection Agency drafted a rule 36-year-old Clean Air Act: Congressional intent was to intensify the waronpollution, establish a permit program that struck a balance between environmental and economicinterests, and stimulate technology to controlpollution. Congress has resisted White that allowed them to skirt anti-pollution enforcementif replacement House attempts to changethe law, so the administration tried to get componentscould be installed for less than the-cost of modern, emissions-cutting equipment. clever with bureaucratic language. Three federal judges just rolled their eyes. DOONESBURY- Garry Trudeau WH. EXOUSEME? yogopy | 3] WHALTE QUESWE DEBT WERE CAR- AKYRYING? YOUWANT THING. GWE BACK \ Learn to look for common roundin religious debates g 9) Rick Robison'sletter was well put, and among otherissues that crop up “| in this valley it is no small wonderthat _|_‘thereis rancor on this particular topic. In discussing these issues of religion! have cometothe conclusionthat the real issue ought to be was Jesus Christ right whenhe said that he was the way to eternal life and not man.It would seem like thereare those in this culture who | are satisfied to just stick their heads in have gotten whatthey deserve for | | | | nition of “any” improvement. Asfar as the court was con- | gressmensworean oath to uphold the US.Constitution,not the platform of the GOP,thepolicies of the president or the whims offoreign lobbies like MALDEF. As a supporter and upholder of the Constitution, Cannon,like Sen. Hatch, is as phony as a $3 bill. In myopinion,the voters in Utah choosing Cannon over Matt Throckmortonwhile “walking in darkness at cerned, the Bush administration’s legal rationales strained both commonsense andtraditional interpretation — determ‘ning what Congress intended. Herethe judges offer atimely reminderabout the breadth of the In a June6, 2002, speech to a gather- ing of MALDEF,wherehe received the group's “Excellencein Leadership” award, Carinon declared: “Welove immigration in Utah. .,. And wedon't oftentimes make thedistinction between legal andillegal. It apparently hasn't occurred to Cannon and most Utah votersthatall con- In the 1800s Mark Twain observed that the Muslims of the Mideast had not changed in habit or behaviorsince the , days of Moses andthat they held an unconcealed animosity toward Christians and other“infidels.” Although wehavegivenbillions of dollars to the Palestinians, there was dancing in their streets in celebration of the 9/11 attack. This is a big win for public health, , anda lot of gasping states from Marylandto Maine are celebrating a victory for honest enforcement of the 1970 Clean Air Act. They are the tail-pipe states that catch the exhaust from Midwestern power the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund and La Raza — borders on treason. In March 2003, Cannon helpedcreate the U.S.- MexicoPolitical Caucus. be the worst solution. a » Frank Gardiner, Provo noonday.” » Ralph Hughes, Mesa,Ariz. ——eE_ | How to comment E-maillett | I huae sake ai jeteaes eivextra.com Fax to 344-2985 Mail to P.O. Box 717, Provo, UT 84603. DiLetters must incinde th author's full ae eS oe e daytine pina es ie ess and eSes Cannon stands up for illegal nts, not Constituti immigra lon With election not faroff, 1 wish Utah voters would wise up to Chris Cannon and send him packing. » Weprefer shorterletters, 100 and 200 words.Letters maybe edited forlength. » Writers are encouraged to include their occupation and other personal information. » Because ofthe vol f1 ye CARP cheeaes ot letters, He’s a congressional point man for the Bush administration's illegal immigra- unpublished lett " ere, tion amnesty scheme. His reatecetip with the “Reconquista Lobby” — foundation-funded, open-borders groups like Be » Letters becamethe property ofthe Daily Herald. MALLARDFILLMORE- BruceTinsley | | |