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Show - " )(mH nic KHnri )mmi1 on 1 rr rv-'- i i ij , T f ' V' , 1 dov ' - i s w 'A " "v'-v - 1 A .4 Af 4 ' jp' f A ' j ' X fr - r 9TF''t-' 'v V- ' ' X' - -r ''f , a V ..i- - I nis;,m. ako Tribune. TucmI.iv . August 21!. 1 MTS All Wealthy Perpetuate Myths Defining Economic Reality Editws Note: Bias Bonpane li a political uwmt pro(evw at California State University Northridne It v Wav Bonpani' The I. O' Angcle" Tilin'- - idea" nf ever) ;u' according ti K.irl Mars, wcri' lh idea" Mi.it belonged to the On tli.it aiiin he would ha"c III" ruling rxpl.in.it mil nf wli) middle mnl lowcr-tla"gcncrallv liimni' thf ulna" nl siKifls's wealthiest iih'IiiIm'I" Even 1mla tlif wealth) I.::'.'.' ."t tin' nii'ili.i tn ili'fint' reality for the re't nl ii" until" in tin The) ilu ii li thinking li.itteril" Ilf both the ruling anil - n;tli" tli.il. in tile wake of the it l" (i.inii "tax reMilt. important to ini" 1'hr tliev are MHir The nia torit v ot middle cl. Americans tieelect reenlur medical and dental i arc. ll till" h.ip)H'tis. as it dims in mail) case", in spite of neurons budgeting, we ale describ me xicrt). The vast majoritv of American" a "till hav e not flow n in an airplane or "lav ed 111 hotel " .1 rv.i'- ::!' . III )ii""ihlht establishing i real a truly eouitahle eioiiiiinudfinoerae) ih"tnl)iit nni of gixxl" ami lemci'n depends mi our ahilit) to exjiose these myth" lor the fallaeies that they are. Of the ei en myth" that I am listing here, five are .ilreatly firmlv e"talih"heil in the public nimil The la "t two have recent) lieeti promoted by some of our more Inghtened and opixuuinistic jailiticiaii" M We are miildle-clasth No. Middle C lass Poor that So main vnple claim to lie middle-clasit is hard to find anyone who admits to bein'.: ail) tiling ch.c. However, if the father and mother ol a family of lour must both work, and if even with their combined salaries tbev sink deeper in debt each mouth, they are not The -- 1 : ". s The people who owe more than the) own arc rarclv "uttering from had management ol then family finances. Tlte money that I" rationed not alter t.ivi'" to hard working Americans "inilv net eimm.h to instil) rcfeirme to most ol them as middle elns" The) Karneil It? Mvtli No 2 Those who have it earned it We do not actually live m a meritocracy Most individuals in the highest ranks of vvealllt and posit inn entered them at hirth. usually on the strength of their parents' or grandparents' labor. Bv (ontiast. no one puts lit more demanding and no pliv sical labor than do tarni w in ker" one gets paid less Even white-colla- r crime pavs hetler. Offense" against society like tax and conevasion. cmlx'zlement, price-fixinsumer fraud are eaea far. far more lucrative than ordinary street crime. To cite just one example, Ramsey Clark notes in his lxiok, "('rime In .America." that reixirted bank embclemcnts cost 10 times more than bank rolilx't ies each year.'' Parental Help The "I'To principle applies to education. The majoritv of students in college this year are there through parental supxrt. Privilege is g Mit e .u ked ui prtv ilege the) hav e a college local Ii i! these "tilileiil" w ill lx. m a Xi"Ui(iu to earn more than those without one Farm worker" mav I. dor mure hours, with eipial ileilu atloll to their task" but their row ai d w ill nev or lx as areal Mvtli No .i Thcv don't w ant to wirk Substandard Jobs arc tilled with black" and "tlier minorities usiiallv lumped together :i' Sin Ii imsiliuus ale nut imiomed fewer tbev than .a percent of I S workers Ixdima to a union i. and the) ofler no health or ix'tisnm benefit", anil erv little income 'The) also "land ill line bv the hundred" lor all) decent ob one that pav " more than the opening mnumimi wage ilus l.iise Welfare Benefits The (lead of a fanulv cannot realisticall) afford to accept a Job that pax s onlv the minimum wage. in dome so. he would draw approximate!) the same income as he ih.es on welfare, while surrendering the "I'condarv assistance of fixxi stamiis Mvtli No 4: All "tliev" want is welfare Over Wl percent of the pixiple on welfari simply cannot work. Tlie.v are children, aged, t sick or mothers with children whose day-car- e costs would eat up any income in excess of the amounted by welfare It is essential to rememlxT that the xmr did . not design the welfare system. including a numlxT of rich ones, estahlishixi it as a program. Welfare is not supposed to ease the pixir out of poverty. Fundamentally, it is a domestic pacification "1 ei v deix-nden- LiU-rals- poverty-maintenanc- e . pi o. 'i. mi. not a on-- ms toward ri'hahiht..tiun Mvtli No "i I'he middle class support- - (r Ml support Kit the h I'he xxir are not siipixirtcd hv anvone. that is hv tliev are xxir In I. a t, txith the (xxir and tlx middie class Mipxrt the rich hv condoning a s) stem that i' tnixissiblv w eight ed m favor of the rich x'lsi in jxisse'sed ot (too inm who invests it coiiscrv ativ elv can reap an average u 4s. mo or Ixtter (mt year tor lioini: not lung at all. while a hardworking husband and wile vvlio rent their borne and are struggling to pa) bills call find themselves charged 2a xTeent or more to Ixirtow $1 'UK' for that same year And the larger the loan, the lowct the interest rate vv i l or most xnplc. the American l'roam will remain i"t that It I' the exception, not the rule, for the )xxir and middle elasses to move up t ienel'allv they pist mov e ov er. or dow n Distribulinn of Wealth through all the iiolitie.il and economic fhietuatnms of the I'oth century, the distrilnition of wealth m this country Ini' shown no fundamental change this according to Douglas Iowd m his PR I essay. "The Twisted Dream " Ik.wd ix.t. a that. b.K k m lino, the t.ijv fifth of th' ixiimlatioii on the (x'ononue scale of the national income, received hi while the bottom fifth wound up with slightly niorc than K jx'rceiit Only five years ago the top fifth win still getting more than U jHTcent. while the Ixittoin fifth was scraping along with Indeed, oo Much e T hem F.ditur, Tribune: A television confrontation on Aug. 9 between Gina Rieke of the League of Women Voters and City Commissioner Jennings Phillips adequately demonstrated exactly "why the commissioner has been such an outspoken critic of the unification" proposal. Having spent the last three years as chief deputy treasurer for Salt Lake County, I have had ample opportunity to observe Commissioner Phillips open hostility towards county government land particularly those administrators of the opposite political party), but 1 didnt think he would express this over telev ision. (htiiiiiibI ;iihI Jtilo W iIcomt An Old System Reborn The Initiative llermond and Jules W itcover Chicago Tribune In nil the furor over the WASHlMiTON taxpayers' revolt that shixik California in June and continues to give politicians everywhere the the willies, the vehicle of the upheaval has U'cn prettv much lost in ballot initiative the shuffle. But it's a process with a long history here and abroad, and one that is hav ing a renascence in the wake of California's citizen assault oil runaway property taxes. Not only have voters in at least 28 states now either taken action or begun to gather petitions for one kind of tax relief or another, but a campaign is under way to amend the federal Constitution to provide the voter initiative on issues affecting the whole country. National Plan The plan, hacked by Sens. Jim Abourek, a Democrat, and Mark Hatfield, a Republican, would mt any legislative proposal before the national electorate if :( percent of all eligible voters in the previous presidential election Right now that would mean 2 signed not at all an million valid petitions insurmountable figure when you consider that lroixisition l.Ts proponents collected more than 1.2 milium in California alone. The federal initiative, however, i" very likely an idea whose time hasn't yet come. Howard Jarvis, the proud daddy of Prop 13, calls it something for the Tricentennial." .lack W . .7 Advisory Vote But an advisory referendum in Ixw Angeles ii generated a whopping K5 County on June IHTcent for the federal initiative idea, boosted no doubt by Prop 13 also being on the ballot. And two recent jxills, by George Gallup and Pat indicated support. Still, amending Ilu Constitution, by ix'tition or congressional s of the state action endorsed by of as the ERA is no cake, piece legislatures, tv pes have found out. For all tile clout the initiative procedure demonstrated in lopping nearly tut percent off C addell, California property taxes, right now it can bet its money oil the line for initiatives on anything from abortion to the death penalty. Smart directly only at liwal and state government. To affect the feds, the best the voters can do now is candidates will tap into such corporate money put the squeeze on their congressmen and by piggybacking on favored initiatives. senators, or tell Gallup nasty things about the The idea of taking issues to the people gix-president w ay hack, of course; at least to Pontius Pilate 23 States and D.C. and the coliseum. The American version is said to have come from Switzerland, which wrote In 23 states and the District of Columbia, tlie procedure into its constitution in 1887. The however, the initiative is on the books. Though populist movement, at a convention in 181)2, used most w idely by far in California for adopted a platform that included the initiative. everything this year from property tax relief to tax exemptions for solar energy to heat 7' San Francisco and South Dakota adopted it at the turn of the century, and by 1918, 19 states the vehicle has been swimming pixils had it. invoked in New Jersey to win approval of casino gambling in Atlantic City and is being Special Interests similarly used now to bring blackjack, roulette In 1911. Californias progressive governor, and the rest to Floridas Gold Coast. Hiram Johnson, introduced the initiative as a And because qualifying for ballot position way to deliver oil a campaign pledge to break involves a different kind of politicking, a new the grip of the railroads on the state legislature. That idea the initiative as the peoples genre of export Is emerging. Sanford Weiner uf San Francisco, the architect of scores mf tixil iigainst the special interests remains California initiative questions, masterminded tixiay a major argument for it by advocates. the successful New Jersey gambling campaign For a long time, the initiative had been anil is spearheading the Florida drive now And considered a weapon of liberals, but Prop 13 Ix'wis Utder of Sacramento, head of the started as conservatives' pitch and ended up National Tax Users Association, is working in being nonpartisan. more liian 20 states on Ix'half ol some tax or What Prop 13 did was send a citizens' spending limit initiative. message not to the special interests but to Campaign Contributions government officialdom that it was taking ton much of the voters' paychecks. And that is Also likely to spur the use of the initiative is likely to be conveyed in state after state the recent Supreme Court decision permitting tnrimgh the medium of the initiative in the corporations to contribute directly to camapproaching fall campaign. paigns on issues rather than for candidates. This ruling is an invitation to big business to lav (Copyright! three-fourth- s . The Way It Was Here are briefs of news In The Salt Lake Tribune from 23, 50 and 100 years ago' August 22, 1878 Mr. H.S.L. Bryan and Owen Izing writing to Wiiinanmck from Challis, concerning Indian trouble say : "We have Ix'en for several days busily engaged in building a stockade as a means of defense should our camp be invaded by the hostile.". David Wtxxts, Jesse McCaleb and several others started down Ixst River three days ago to escort a wagon train into camp, but heard from them and as yet nothing has tears are entertained as to their safety. Mr. McCaleb, if will be rcmcinlxTed was killed by thi reds the day before the alxive letter was written, and there seems danger of the Salmon river country becoming the scene of Indian hostilities this fall. But miners who are opening up that mineral region have a deep regard for ye La m unite and will make gmxl Indians out of as many as come within rifle range. tx-e- oil prices to a basket orld currencies , . . one barrel of oil for one " basket nCcurrency." of Frankly, while 1 resXet him, 1 think he lost hi" "cool. Commissioner Phillips said, in the television debate, that he feels unification would downgrade city services to the county's level. It's a "we and them" situation, he said. For years thats exactly the type of attitude which has contributed to some of the inefficiency and high costs in both city and county governments. It directly forced the county to spend thousands of dollars to collect garbage fees, and it has caused a yearly fight between Mr. Phillips and the county treasurer as to who keeps property tax collections for the longest period of time so that interest money can be earned. Please dont insult my intelligence by telling me that a single treasury couldn't eliminate both of these problems. In addition, when the commissioner mentioned expertise" which the unification government would not have and he specifically mentioned the city treasurer (who reports to Mr. Phillips), is he telling me and every one else in this county that he. Mr. Phillips, is the only person who has the intelligence to select a treasurer with expertise"? I respect and admire the current city treasurer, but I also Forum Kiilo . 1 "I. too, favor linking f- Heart Stops Bleeding luxuries as limousines, cli.uitfenrs and tax allowances not available to the rest ol lls add measurably til the efficient perfor malice of an officeholder'' I Hunk not And my heart stops bleeding when I see salaries begin to rise much alxiv e $ iil.iKKi a year. Myth No 7 Tlte tx'oplc have spoken The only statement that the people made in their vote for l'roxisition 1.1 was that they did not want their property taxed in the way it was being t.ixixl They did not. however, insist on forestalling a pi ogressiv e state income tux program; they did not even ask for a constitutiona' amend tncot to limit state spending (although they may have an optxirtunity to vote on such an amendnieiil this Novemlx'ri. The people did not ask to have sehixils closed for the .summer, library hours cut or fees imposed for garbage collection On the contrary, they that il was possible to have better education and Ix'tter services available to all with lower property taxes on private homes. Do such (Copyright! Tribune Readers Opinions I . Mvth The Public Forum O Jack little more than ?i p ri cut We are N. going to cut Ihe fat to Iavments senior citizens do not constitute fat in anyone's budget. Reducing or eliminating those expenditures is a curtailment ol essential services. So is the termination of summer sehixil. Budgetary fat does include infl, ited salaries and excessive privileges en loved by many elected officials , August 22. 1928 Arguments pro and eon relative to which particular group of the Salt Lake police had Ihe Ix'st shooting eve" department resulted in the announcement Monday that the target team had challenged the automotive-burem- i team, and the latter had accepted the challenge. W F. Hcmngcr represented the former and J.E. Wixxlward the latter group m Ihe vociferous negotiations. On Friday. August 21. at 2 p m. tw o team" of "targoteers will meet on the field of honor or maybe its it's just a vacant lot. and five men on each team will show five more men how easy it is to hit a target. The public is not at least invited because of the danger contestants claim in thinking of their oppo nciits August 22. I973 tippling Navaho lxarmg a letter from Rep. William A. Dawson iR., Utah) had Bingham tavern owners and county law officers rather groggy Friday. The Indian mournfully had told the solon that bart"nders refused to sell him beer, despite passage of a federal law permitting such sales. Rep. Dawson promptly gave the Navaho a letter setting forth his rights, which asked the nearest bartender to furnish a glass of r on the congressman. The Navaho quickly toured Bingham's taverns with the missive, receiving a free flagon in virtually every spot. Meantime, Deputy Sheriff F.lmer Pantalone reixirted tavern keepers were "breaking a state law aganM selling or giving intoxicants to Indians. Before he could get the word around, tile N n v nho w as ii" muddled ii" the leal situation A gixxl-natured- Ix-e- Public f ur u m letters must be submitted exclusively tn The Tribune and bear writer's full name, signature and address. Names must be printed on political letters but may be withheld for good reasons on others. Writers are limited to one letter every 10 days. Preference will be given to short, typewritten (double spaced) letters permitting use of the writers true name. All letters are subject to condensation. Mail to the Public Forum, The Salt Lake Tribune, Box KH7, Salt Lake City, Utah. 811)11. know that he worked for the county treasurer before he w ent to work for Mr. Phillips. I am proud of the significant contributions Mr. Phillips has made to this city (wherein I live), and I've felt satisfaction in having voted for him. But, please dont ask me to sw allow lit" concept of '"ve and them." I happen to believe that everyone in this county (regardless where they live) deserves a fair shake from the politicians elected to serve them. The key word here is "serve." If Mr. Phillips sincerely believes he has reached Utopia in city government efficiency then, l means, he should continue hostility towards unification. If, however, theres a possibility of improvement, how about using some facts in debate instead of a bigoted "we and them" attitude? W. BLAIR WALKINGTON by-al- Common Sciix-- L)a Editor, Tribune: Of the Deep it was said that they raised cotton to buy more slaves to raise more cotton to buy more slaxes anil so on ad infinitum. Now our gmernment is engaged in a somewhat similar idiotic inflation spending cycle. And for what purjxise? It was said tnat a little inflation could do less li.tnn tlmii a little deflation, which is to he seen. However we have quickly weathered several acute depressions before 1929 without government meddling. But in 1933, President Roosevelt, with gixxl intention, decided to call in the economic witch dix'tors whq doctored to their hearts content and we had 10 years of deep depression. How disastrous controlled or uncontrolled inflation can be we will learn sooner or later, the best we can hope for is postponement. But there is no sense in adding fuel to the fires of inflation. Obviously this is an election vear and the public must be wooed. But a tax cut now is pore economic insanity. Election year or not. wl.at we need is fewer federal programs and less federal spending. It seems the only constitution that we have is the pleasure of the Supreme Court. Hopefully there may come a d..y when the United States will return to the writtot constitution as it was ante-bellu- South intended by the Founding Fathers. There may come a day when common sense will prevail. It is our only salvation. On that day there will be no special rights, no race or creed will be privileged. Then all must be compelled to compete on equal terms and he who cannot measure up, irrespective of race, will be out of luck. color, or w Then one can hire or fire whom one pleases for whatever reason one pleases or for no reason at all, and one may pay in wages whatever may mutually be agreed upon. SORENC. ROSS Ephraim Kaiin Cain' F.ditor, T ribuno: Over the past several weeks letters to the editor, as well as a full page ad. have made reference to the mark of Cain. Seripturo has been quoted to prove that the mark was indeed bestowed and that a horrible curse w as levied upon Cain and upon his posterity. I have yet to see, however, any reference to scripture to tell us just what the mark of Cain is. In seeking scriptural guidance to the nature I find frequent reference to of the mark, leprosy, the most loathsome disease of ancient tunes. Lepers were to be shunned and driven from the midst of people not so cursed. One of the distinguishing marks of leprosy was the formation of white blotches on the skin. Could it be that we, the white people of the world. Iwiir the mark of Cain and not our black brethren? R. P. CROWLEY Bountiful Proud Father F.ditor. Tribune; On Aug. 7, in the Tribune .Forum. Marsha K. Johnson stated that the mentally retarded do not have a place in society .a but the board of education made a place for them. Now when will the people of Salt Lake do the same? I'm a father of a child like this and have found with most people of our famous city that the first thing they say is, poor people, why did that have to happen? The Father that most of us believe in gave my daughter to me and I'm proud of her. Can other people say the same? D. JIM STINSON A. (z. Comic-tn- l Kiiitiir, Tribune: The Utah Attorney General has again attempted to defend himself by killing out at the Utah State Bar with unsubstantiated charges of political motivation and by speaking of the decision of the Utah Supreme Court as if it were a personal victory. The decision of the Utah Supreme Court fully affirms the findings of the bar commissioners that Rolx'rt Hansen was guilty of unprofessional conduct in violation of tlve code of professional responsibility which applies to all lawyers, including those in public life. All five justices agreed that Mr. Hansen . . . failed to i onform to the high standard of diligence and fidelity which whould be measured up to by members of the Bar ... Four felt that the recommended discipline was too severe and "iisiwnsion for one year ordered that public censure and reprimand w as sufficient. The other justice voted to adopt tiie recommendation of the Bar. That a majority of the court did not adopt the Bars recommended discipline in no wav alter' the fact that Mr. Hanson stands convicted by the Utah Supreme Court of the charges made against him. It is not surprising he would prefer Bar disciplinary eases lie handled by the Department "f Business Regulation which is represented by his office. HAROLD G. CHRISTENSEN OutlaiHli.-s- Stamp Editor, Tribune: Our inestimable Postal Service, that has been so full of surprises for many months, has finally come up with the best one yet. The new stamp has a flag to match the rise in postal rates. It has 15 stripes, eight red ones and seven white ones. The field boasts a fold which makes it diueult to count the stars, but there cant be more than 20. If this thing should carry on into the next rise in rates, try to picture a stamp large enough to What has handle 25. It is happened to tradition' BILL WELSH mind-bogglin- Ogden |
