OCR Text |
Show 2 THE GREEN SHEET Thursday, Aug. 4, 1988 Small Business Owners Are Troubled About Emerging Issues Concerning wmio uare AS I SEE IT Affected, concerned, even troubled, describes how small business owners view the emerging child care issue. Why does small business care? Small employers value their employees. They understand that they must keep good employees if their business is to survive. They also understand how the lack of quality day care results in employee absenteeism and unproductive time, which can devastate a small firms bottom line. Small employers would like to meet the child care needs of their employees. Yet, most employers lack the physical space and the financial means to e provide full scale, day care. on-sit- small business Currently, owners are experimenting with a variety of child care benefit options. A recent study, commissioned by the Small Business Administrations Office of Advocacy, shows the type of child care benefits offered by firms can vary depending upon the size and financial stability of a firm, and the number of employees needing such benefitsservices. Types of child care benefits offered by small business employers include reimbursement plans, child care centers located on or near the firm, information and referral services, flexible work hours and simply allowing infants in the work place. Child care has also become a pressing national issue. A study of 1987 census data shows that more than half of 1.9 million mothers with children under one year of age are working or looking for work. Both large and small businesses will continue to hire more women, and women will continue to increase their share of total employment. By the year 2000, women are expected to make up 47 percent of the total work force and more than 50 percent of the small business work force. The big question is what should be the role of the federal government? There is broad public support for an expanded federal role in child care, as evidenced by recent opinion polls. This has translated into a myriad of congressional proposals. Before Congress adopts a federal, role in child care, the implications on small business must be examined. Narrowing options or mandating to employers provide specific levels of benefit may unduly limit the ability of small business to develop creative child care options. SBAs Office of Advocacy continues to examine innovative ways that small businesses seek to meet todays day care needs. As policy makers sort out the appropriate federal role, it is vital that efforts be made to keep open to the greatest extent possible individual choices for parents and multiple benefit HAW COAT of errv coomc'- i- options for employers. Mandating expensive benefit plans on employers could force small business owners to eliminate the jobs that created the need for more day care. With the variety of needs and situations presented by our nations 6 million small businesses with employees, voluntary and flexible must be the hallmakers of our future federal child care policy. Jim Henderson, regional advocate, and Randee Business Small advocacy Strapp, intern, Administration, Region VIII, Denver, Colo. OUR READERS WRITE Money Is Off Base Owens Sinks To New Low Editor: On July 24 I bought a Las Vegas Review Journal newspaper as I was traveling through. On Page 9A there was an AP article on a survey done by Money magazine on the 300 best areas in America to live. This is at least the second year that Money Editor: Wayne Owens has sunk to a new level in hi dealings with the CUP. By using a paid UP& lobbyist to help him write his bill, he has show: what special interests he is really looking after. In his bill he put several environmental plank magazine has put together this ridiculous and calling for several new bird aviaries, and also h absurd survey. The criterion used by called for extra to save some "much needed Money magazine to rank these 300 areas were streams. Some money have experts crime, housing, health care, economy, arts, in the hundreds of millions estimated the cost to b of dollars, part of whicl education, transit, weather and leisure activities. will be picked by up private power companies, one c The Los Angeles-Lon- g Beach area of California was which happens to be in Murray. ranked No. 7 this year (up from No. 17 last year), It is interesting to note that UP&L does not havi the Salt Lake City area was ranked No. 82. I didnt to pay part of the cost but private power companie think much about it until I turned over to page 18A do. Therefore, by hurting private power, he help: and here were two articles on the amount of crime. po.wer , and serves.. the .interests of.tha area. lobbyist. He obviously was not looking after th Irr 'the first article it stated "Gang warfare' interests of the people in Murray. accounted for 387 killings in L.A. county last year, Victor Robynson and 140 slayings the first half of this year." The Murray second article tells of "Gang violence becoming a typical occurrence in the L.A. area". To quote A Point Today, people in every community here are afraid. L A. has 70,000 to 80,000 members of more than 600 different gangs . There were five people killed and Dear Editor: 14 injured over the I am writing in response to the reactior weekend, of these 19 people, eight were innocent bystanders. concerning Mr. Ryans letters. I am a resident o California visiting Utah for the summer. I lived ir So the point I am making is the L.A. area has Utah for 10 years, receiving my high school diploma more gang members, committing murder daily, than and bachelors degree from local institutions. I was do we residents in West Valley City area. I believe if employed by Jordan School District for three years. Money magazine were to conduct a poll here in West dont understand the controversy associated witt Valley City to see if we would want to change places one individual a viewpoint, one I musl expressing with 75,000 L.A. residents, the answer would be an agree with. emphatic and resounding NO! This area has severe problems that the citizens must address if they want to survive as a cultura So, I disagree with Money magazine and I believe I must stat entity. I live in a area, they should rethink their criterion and place a that I have never seen the callousyet foi disregard greater emphasis on a low crime rate such as we rules, moral conduct and laws that exists in this have here in West Valley City. This is a good place area of Utah. Youths dont wander the streets as to live! Incidentally, the No. 1 ranking went to they do in Salt Lake. We have a 10 p.m. curfew foi Danbury, Conn, a city of 60,420 residents. youths under 18 that is enforced by police anc I feel safer in California than I do here. parents. Ralph E. Poole can trust my neighbors to watch and report crimes. West Valley Nowhere else in this country have I seen residents become upset when a community is criticized. It is this spirit of that allows Ired At improvements to be made. How sad that man Utahns dont want to see anything improved. Editor: In the three years since leaving Utah, I can see the As a taxpayer I am very disappointed in my results of a society refusing to deal with reality congressman Wayne Owens on the way he is Your economy is shot; the housing market has hac handling the CUP deal. the bottom drop out; food and other essentials are as This proposal is a typical example of pork expensive as in my home state; the educational barrelling. lie has proposed as part of the bill that system is mediocre, a result of overworked anc certain private power companies, in my case, underpaid employees; the police are understaffec Murray Power, pay part of the cost of his and is underpaid; pollution increasing environmental pets, which could cost up to 270 governmental services are decreasing; and yet this million dollars. What does this have to do with our is called "Zion"? I feel valley? Or even my power company? sympathy for those Utahns losing jobs oi This bill does not need these environmental homes, yet some got what they deserved. I had beer planks. They are not necessary for the successful told when complaining about the situation: "If yoi follow through of the CUP. In my opinion the only dont like it here, why dont you leave!" I did anc reason why he is doing this is because he could not have never regretted it. In returning to visit, I car get the environmental issues through by themselves, see many others have taken the same advice anc and to assure the passage he had to tie them to this even more would like to if it were feasible. Alan Proffitt necessary funding. I praise Congressman Nielsons efforts to stop this Beaumont, Calif. absurd bill from passing. I cannot afford to pay higher electric bills because of a few aviaries. The Green Sheet welcomes contributions Eric Frampton from readers for either Letters to the Editor or As See It. Letters should be confined to Murray a length of about 250 words and not contain libelous comments. They must be signed and must be received in our office no later Editor: than 10 a.m. Tuesday for publication that This letter is to say Thank You" for the week. help given to us for our Charity Yard Sale on July 9. The Longer correspondence may be used as gracious story and picture was a tremendous help to As See It commentaries on a space availour success. So, as I was in charge of I able basis. publicity, want to say thank you in the name of all our Primary consideration will be givto en those submitted by people with experat Granger Community Christian congregation Church and the Christian Women in tise the topic about which they writo. A Fellowship Group. brief description of that expertise may acAlso, a special thanks to Mrs. Olga Milius and the company the submission. photographer, it was all very much appreciated All submissions are subject to editing for since the proceeds of the sale enable us to help less and clarity. They space may be addressed fortunates. to: The Green Sheet, P.O. Box 7187, MurMrs. Mauricetta Bowers ray, Ut. 84107. takifTg fita'Ce Tn the L. A." Publijj two-da- y "high-crim- e Owens I I Bennion I Make Take Up Aerobics Bring on the Olympics. . Ryan Has Church Says Thanks i As soon as we close The Wiz and make my way to Sandys Once Upon A Mattress and Rivertons Bye Bye Birdie, Im going to be ready to resume my rightful status as a couch potato. I But not if I have to watch reruns - which its beginning to look more and more like were going to have to do long after the Olympics are history. -- The writers strike has gone beyond being just a tad annoying. And I dont mean for you and me. I feel sorry for those support people who are being put out of work. Not the stars, the little guy who needs steady employment. Fall programing could fly right out the window. Maybe it already has. Even NBC, which has the rights to the Olympics, is getting a mite nervous. It was already a given that the Summer Olympics are going to draw a huge audience. Now that is absolutely assured. Dovetailing with that will be the League Championship Series for both baseball leagues and the World Series. But after that, its sad city for the viewer. In the meantime, the other networks without the natural replacement are in hot water financially. It could have a very negative impact on the television industry for years to come. Some people may even discover their local library. Live theatre, sporting events, movies, walks in the park, working out, homework, housework, remodeling and even good old fashioned conversation just might come back into vogue. Some families may rediscover the dining room table. Can you imagine what it would be like if the neighborhood kids found touch football, kick the can and some of those other games used to play in the twilight? You know, Im beginning to think these writers might actually be going us all a favor. I think Ill make a concentrated, effort to come up with a viable) alternative to television. If, "Dallas" and "Falconcrest do manage to show up again, I just may thumb my nose and head for, an aerobics class. Horrors! Who said that? ft.eal V.alue SALES n THE CONSIGNMENT CENTER It It is entirely possible that many of us davenport spuds will actually discover that there is something more than television. It could take a monumental effort to get us back. Oh, they are making a huge effort to keep us. The networks are dusting off some old scripts from former hit shows and remaking them with new actors. I dont know about you, but I can think of more exciting ways to spend an evening. We may see a few more made for television movies and perhaps more of the shows that were big at the box office, depending on what legalities are tied up in showing them. Those people who are absolutely hooked on TV will no doubt watch whatever is placed before them. Others will make the video rental outlets a little more wealthy. And no doubt Bush and Dukakis will square off in debates. This could be the best informed American vote yet. We are the Consignment Center. Let us pay for vert.s.ng and sell it for you. Bring down yoi And if we can't I it fir" y ou we dlT d on 'V pa R.V. SALES 7480 S. STATE Midvale, UT 84047 ph.566-011- 9 Courtesy of Promotional Concepts, Inc. n J j |